{"id":2973,"date":"2026-02-13T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/?post_type=knowledge-base&#038;p=2973"},"modified":"2026-02-12T15:13:39","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T15:13:39","slug":"how-to-convert-fill-stitches-to-running-line-objects","status":"publish","type":"knowledge-base","link":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/how-to-convert-fill-stitches-to-running-line-objects\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Convert Fill Stitches to Running-Line Objects"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The <strong>Convert Fill to Centerline<\/strong> option allows you to automatically transform a fill object (a shape filled with stitches) into a line object (an outline). This is particularly useful when you need to create a path based on the geometry of an existing shape without manually tracing it.<\/p>\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed wp-block-embed-youtube is-type-video is-provider-youtube epyt-figure\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\"><div class=\"epyt-video-wrapper\"><div  style=\"display: block; margin: 0px auto;\"  id=\"_ytid_73144\"  width=\"1290\" height=\"725\"  data-origwidth=\"1290\" data-origheight=\"725\" data-facadesrc=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/kCLqfj-kYAI?enablejsapi=1&#038;autoplay=0&#038;cc_load_policy=0&#038;cc_lang_pref=&#038;iv_load_policy=1&#038;loop=0&#038;rel=0&#038;fs=1&#038;playsinline=0&#038;autohide=2&#038;theme=dark&#038;color=red&#038;controls=1&#038;disablekb=0&#038;\" class=\"__youtube_prefs__ epyt-facade no-lazyload\" data-epautoplay=\"1\" ><img decoding=\"async\" data-spai-excluded=\"true\" class=\"epyt-facade-poster skip-lazy\" loading=\"lazy\" alt=\"YouTube player\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/kCLqfj-kYAI\/maxresdefault.jpg\" title=\"\"><button class=\"epyt-facade-play\" aria-label=\"Play\"><svg data-no-lazy=\"1\" height=\"100%\" version=\"1.1\" viewBox=\"0 0 68 48\" width=\"100%\"><path class=\"ytp-large-play-button-bg\" d=\"M66.52,7.74c-0.78-2.93-2.49-5.41-5.42-6.19C55.79,.13,34,0,34,0S12.21,.13,6.9,1.55 C3.97,2.33,2.27,4.81,1.48,7.74C0.06,13.05,0,24,0,24s0.06,10.95,1.48,16.26c0.78,2.93,2.49,5.41,5.42,6.19 C12.21,47.87,34,48,34,48s21.79-0.13,27.1-1.55c2.93-0.78,4.64-3.26,5.42-6.19C67.94,34.95,68,24,68,24S67.94,13.05,66.52,7.74z\" fill=\"#f00\"><\/path><path d=\"M 45,24 27,14 27,34\" fill=\"#fff\"><\/path><\/svg><\/button><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Step-by-Step Guide<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ol start=\"1\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Select the Object<\/strong> Click to select the fill object you wish to convert on the design canvas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Open the Context Menu<\/strong> Right-click on the selected object to reveal the options menu.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Apply the Conversion<\/strong> Select <strong>Convert fill to center line<\/strong> from the list.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Result:<\/strong> The software will remove the fill stitches and convert the shape into a line object.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Automatic Stitch Types (Width Logic)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When using this tool, the software automatically assigns a stitch type to the new line object based on the width of the original fill shape:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/how-to-use-satin-serial\/\">Satin Serial<\/a>:<\/strong> Applied if the width of the original object is <strong>greater than 1mm<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/digitizing-basics-the-running-outline-type-explained\/\">Running Outline<\/a>:<\/strong> Applied if the width of the original object is <strong>between 0mm and 1mm<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Practical Applications &amp; Tips<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>1. Creating Small Text<\/strong> This tool is highly effective for text objects. If you are struggling to digitize very small text where fill stitches would be too bulky, convert the text to a centerline. The software will likely apply a <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/digitizing-basics-the-running-outline-type-explained\/\">Running<\/a> Outline<\/strong> (due to the thin width), resulting in crisp, readable small lettering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>2. Decorative Outlines<\/strong> Once an object is converted to a line, you can easily change its style. Select the new line object and apply any of the available outline styles or distinct <a href=\"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/knowledge-base\/how-to-decorate-embroidery-designs-using-style-stitches\/\">decorative stitches<\/a> from the Properties tab to enhance your design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Note:<\/strong> This process is destructive to the fill stitches (they are removed). If you wish to keep the original fill <em>and<\/em> add a centerline, consider duplicating the object before converting.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Convert Fill to Centerline option allows you to automatically transform a fill object (a shape filled with stitches) into a line object (an outline). This is particularly useful when you need to create a path based on the geometry of an existing shape without manually tracing it. Step-by-Step Guide Result: The software will remove&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2974,"template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":""},"categories-kb":[333],"class_list":["post-2973","knowledge-base","type-knowledge-base","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-kb-how-to-training"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"categories-kb":[{"value":333,"label":"How to Training"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/convert-fill-to-center-line-1024x576.jpg",1024,576,true],"author_info":{"display_name":"DRAWings Embroidery Software","author_link":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/author\/drawings\/"},"comment_info":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledge-base\/2973","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/knowledge-base"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/knowledge-base"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2973"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"categories-kb","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.drawstitch.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories-kb?post=2973"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}