Embroidery Digitizing Basics: The Running Outline Type Explained

The Running Outline is a fundamental stitch type used for borders, details, and decorative framing in your embroidery designs. In DRAWings PRO XII, this outline type is highly customizable, automatically adjusting its properties based on your settings to ensure optimal stitchouts.

Here is a step-by-step guide to mastering the Running Outline properties.

Step 1: Isolate the Outline for Better Visibility

By default, when you create a new object in the software, it is generated with both a Fill and an Outline.

1. Select your object.
2. Remove the Fill color or set the Fill type to “None.” This allows you to clearly see how your outline adjustments affect the design in real-time.

Step 2: Adjust the Outline Width

The Outline Width is the most crucial setting for running stitches. The software’s default outline width is 0.4mm, which represents the actual physical width of a standard embroidery thread.

1. Locate the Outline Width property in your Object Properties panel.
2. Increase the width to see how the software automatically adapts the stitch type to accommodate the thicker line:
   • 0.8mm: The software automatically adds a double pass to make the running line thicker.
   • 1.0mm: A triple style is automatically applied for an even bolder line.

💡 Pro Tip: If you increase the Outline Width to more than 1.0mm, DRAWings PRO XII will automatically convert the outline type from a Running stitch into a Satin Serial stitch. Keep your width at 1.0mm or below if you specifically want to maintain a standard running stitch look!

Step 3: Apply Decorative Stitch Styles

Instead of a simple straight line, you can apply decorative motifs to your outline.

1. Navigate to the Style option within the running properties.
2. Browse the large collection of decorative styles and click on one to apply it. The style will immediately populate along your outline using its default size.

Step 4: Customize the Dimensions of Decorative Styles

Once a style is applied, you can change how it stretches and scales along your path.

1. Proportional Scaling: To easily adjust the height of the decorative style frame, simply change the Outline Width. By default, the software proportionally enlarges the style, automatically adjusting the length to match the new height (e.g., keeping a square style perfectly square).
2. Independent Length Adjustment: To stretch a style horizontally without making it taller, manually type a new value into the Stitch Length (the distance between the first and last stitch of each repetition). Setting a specific length overrides proportional scaling, allowing you to create custom length-to-width ratios.

💡 Pro Tip for Complex Styles: Some intricate styles have a hard-coded minimum length. If you try to increase the width and it looks like the length isn’t responding correctly, it is hitting that minimum threshold. To successfully change the height of these complex styles, you must enter a width value that is greater than its minimum length value.

Step 5: Mirror and Offset Your Outline

You can further manipulate the placement and orientation of your stitches without redrawing the object.

1. Mirroring: Use the Mirror options to flip the decorative style stitches vertically or horizontally along the path.
2. Offsetting: Change the Offset distance to shift the running outline away from the actual drawn shape. Enter a positive value to offset the stitches to the outside of the shape, or a negative value to offset them to the inside.

Step 6: Fine-Tune Passes and General Stitch Length

For final polishing, you can control the density and stitch intervals.

1. Passes: If you want a standard outline to be thicker without changing its core style, increase the number of Passes. For example, setting it to 2 means the running stitch will travel around the shape twice.
2. General Stitch Length: For standard (non-decorative) running lines, you can adjust the distance between every single needle penetration. Change the Stitch Length value to increase or decrease the uniform distance between all stitches on the running line.