How to Use Stitch Flow to Control Stitch Direction and Quality

The Stitch Flow toolset is a powerful feature in DRAWings PRO XII that gives you precise control over the final look of your embroidery. By adjusting stitch angles and dividing objects into smaller sections, you can add depth, texture, and a professional finish to your designs.

This guide will walk you through how to use the Directions and Divide tools within Stitch Flow.

1. Activating Stitch Flow

Stitch Flow is a special mode that you activate for a selected object.

1. First, use the selection tool to click on an embroidery object in your design.
2. Start the Stitch Flow mode.
3. Once activated, a new toolbar will appear at the top of the design area, showing the tools available for the type of object you selected.
   • For a Step object, you will only see the Directions tool.
   • For a Satin or Piping object, you will see the Directions, Divide, and Point Directions tools.

2. Using the ‘Directions’ Tool (Red Line)

The Directions tool allows you to set the angle of the stitches within an object.

1. With Stitch Flow active, select the Directions tool.
2. Move your mouse over the selected object. The cursor will look like it’s holding a red dot.
3. Click and drag your mouse across the object to draw a red line. This line represents the new stitch angle.
4. Release the mouse. The stitches will immediately regenerate to follow the direction you set.

Important Note: For Step objects, you can only have one stitch direction. Drawing a new direction line will automatically replace the previous one. For Satin and Piping objects, you can add multiple direction lines, which is especially useful after you have divided the object into sections.

3. Using the ‘Divide’ Tool (Green Line)

The Divide tool is used to split a single Satin or Piping object into multiple sections. Each section can then have its own unique stitch direction, allowing you to create more dynamic and realistic embroidery.

1. Select a Satin or Piping object and activate Stitch Flow.
2. From the toolbar, select the Divide tool.
3. Move your mouse over the object’s outline. The cursor will now look like it’s holding a green dot.
4. Click and drag from one side of the object’s outline to the other to create a green dividing line.
5. Release the mouse. The object is now split into two sections along that line.
6. You can continue adding more divide lines as needed. After creating your sections, you can switch back to the Directions tool to set a unique stitch angle for each new part.

4. Editing and Deleting Lines

You can easily modify or remove any direction or divide line you create.

• To Edit a Line: Click and drag the small dots at either end of the line to change its position or angle.
• To Delete a Line: Click the ‘X’ icon that appears in the middle of the line. Deleting a direction line will revert the stitches to their default direction.

Useful Tip: You can only edit lines for the tool that is currently active. For example, to edit a green divide line, you must have the Divide tool selected. If you have the Directions tool active, you will only be able to edit the red direction lines.

5. Quick Tip: Keyboard Shortcut

You can cycle through the available Stitch Flow tools quickly without needing to click the toolbar.

• Simply press the “D” key on your keyboard to toggle between Directions, Divide, and Point Directions. This is a great way to speed up your workflow when you are making lots of adjustments.