Embroidery digitizing

What, Exactly, Is Kona Cotton?
Kona(R) cotton is a premium, 100% cotton broadcloth from Robert Kaufman Fabrics in Los Angeles. The company introduced the fabric in the 1980's in response to the then rapidly emerging quilting industry, an interest that continues unabated today. It is a soft, light fabric, often called the 'Quilter's Cotton', that is also ideal for fine apparel such as children's clothing soft, comfortable shirts dresses applique and home decorating. It has a 'meaty' hand, which means you can really feel the difference when you touch the fabric and that makes it a joy to work with.
Warps. And Wefts, Too
Kona cotton has a high 60 by 60 thread count. This means there are 60 warp threads and 60 weft threads per square inch of fabric. Until I did some research, I didn't know what warp and weft threads were. (I had never even heard the word 'weft'.) A warp thread is a support thread in the loom, long and strong and usually tied down onto the loom a weft thread is passed back and forth between the warp threads to form cloth. It is that high thread count, all those warps and wefts playing together, that make Kona cotton a soft, light, yet very durable material one of the best woven fabrics available for hand or machine quilting.
Pre-use Care
It's a good idea to launder the fabric to remove any sizing/finish before using it in your project. Treat it as you would any new 100% cotton fabric: Gentle wash, mild detergent, tumble dry low, remove promptly and iron. Expect about a 1-3% shrinkage.
What About Color?
Kona is available in plenty of colors, 170 solid colors according to the manufacturer's web site, RobertKaufman.com. And a quick search for 'hand dyed Kona cotton' will pop up vendors offering hundreds of colors and patterns of beautifully dyed Kona cotton fabric.
But Aren't You an Embroiderer?
Yes, I am a machine embroiderer and those same qualities that make Kona cotton ideal for quilting and sewing apply to machine embroidery, too. That meaty feel I mentioned makes it very easy to hoop and quick to stabilize. The push/pull factor is minimal and, best of all, the stitched out designs are gorgeous on it. Even though there a many cheaper fabrics, I test all my embroidery designs on Kona cotton and turn to it first for any finished embroidery project I have.

Sticky stabilizer is a machine embroidery stabilizer that has a slightly waxy paper coating, called the 'release side', over a self-adhesive, non-woven sticky backing. Some brands have a grid on the release side that comes in handy for positioning and marking.

When to Use the Sticky Technique

The hoopless sticky technique works best on smaller, less stitch intensive designs and on small areas such as pockets, edges, ribbons, cuffs in other words, those areas that are difficult to hoop anyway. The hoopless sticky/float technique is by no means for all machine embroidery projects but it is a machine embroidery hooping option and finding what works best for you is a matter of good ol' trial and error.

Mastering the Sticky Technique is Easy
1. Trim the sticky stabilizer to about an inch wider and longer than your hoop.
2. Hoop the sticky with the release side up. It should be secure in the hoop: Tight, flat and without puckers or bubbles.
3. Remove the waxy paper coating from the sticky inside the hoop by first very gently scoring it with something like an X-Acto(R) knife or thread pick, then peeling it off.
4. Use your hoop's grid template to place marks on the stabilizer to locate the straightline center and right and left edges. Be sure to place your grid gently over the sticky with the bowed side up. Otherwise the sticky will do its job and grab onto your template.
5. Now lay out your design's placement on your fabric or garment, again marking the straightline center and right and left edges. Important: Place these marks on the backside of the fabric.
6. Grasp your fabric from the backside on the marks to make a gentle fold and, lining up the fabric marks with the marks on the sticky, carefully lay the fabric, backside down, on the sticky.
7. Smooth out the fabric, ensuring it is flat and secure on the sticky all around.
8. Now lock the fabric to the part of the stabilizer that is hanging over the edge of the hoop (the part with the paper still on) just to make sure it doesn't get caught on anything while embroidering. I often just pin it but double stick tape works great, too.
9. Mount the hoop onto your machine and 'float' a layer of stabilizer (tear-away, cut-away, or whatever type is recommended for your fabric) between the embroidery hoop and the needle plate.
10. Push the button and embroider it!
11. When your absolutely perfect design is finished, remove the hoop from your machine and remove the floated stabilizer.
12. All you have to do now is slowly peel the embroidered fabric off the sticky.
Machine embroidery just doesn't get any easier or more fun than this. And no hoop burns!

The future of embroidery design lies in the use of vector art and the utilization of vector tools within your embroidery design software. To remain competitive, todays Embroidery Designers should be thoroughly knowledgeable about the world of graphic design. The use of the best quality form of art is essential to providing a quality product.
Learning to create vector art will not only be useful in your digitizing, but you can use this same art for your applique cutter, vinyl signs, creating transfers and silk screen. This class will focus on the technical graphic information required of on screen designers, with an emphasis on learning to use Corel Draw for embroidery design. A thorough explanation of the menus and tools required to create art for embroidery will be provided. An in-depth look at how to use these tools will be taken and then demonstarted step by step.
The"Art for Embroidery" class is conducted by Thomas L. Moore, Jr, of Strawberry Stitch Co. and his staff. Thomas is a Master Embroidery Designer and the author of the book "Digitizing 101". During this day and a half seminar, the instruction will modifying and create artwork for embroidery. A thorough explanation of why it's necesssary to alter designs for embroidery, and how to utilize your drawing package to create vector art will be covered. A .jpg file will be prepared for digitizing and discussed step by step utilizing the principles taught through the use of CorelDraw.
There's a lot of information out there that could take you years to gather on your own. In one fast-paced seminar, we'll give you what we believe is the best, most important information to help you be the best you can be.
The class will be conducted at Strawberry Stitch Company's training facility in St. Louis, Missouri and at select location around the United States. The instructors are the best in the industry. They're pros who have a proven record of effectiveness, professionalism and expertise. And what's more, they're exciting communicators who'll provide you with one of the most interesting days you've ever spent.
You will;
Learn:
? The preferred forms of art
? How to properly modify art
? How to use Corel Draw to create vector art
? From professional instructors providing individual attention

Improve:
? Your digitizing skills
? Your Corel Draw skills
? Your designs
? Your lettering
? Your design precision through more accurate art

Increase Profits:
? By improving productivity
? By retaining current customer
? Results of new skills will arract new customers