Brother Pe Design 6 Manual

							Advanced OpreationLayout & Editing
203
Layout & Editing
Information for Optional Large-Size Hoop Users
Creating Patterns for Multi-Position Hoops
This program enables you to create multi-position patterns that you can stitch in any multi-position hoop 
attached to your sewing machine.
Although the size of the pattern that can be embroidered using an multi-position hoop is 130 × 180 mm (or 100 
× 100 mm, depending on the sewing area of the embroidering machine), first determine which of the three 
installation positions (indicated as a, b, and c in the illustration above) the multi-position hoop will be installed 
at and determine the orientation of the pattern.
When creating the pattern, each pattern section can only be as large as the sewing field of the machine.
Selecting the Design Page 
size
1.In Layout & Editing, click Option, then Design 
Page Property.
→The Design Page Property dialog box 
appears.
2.Select Hoop Size, and then choose a Design 
Page size of 130 × 300 mm, 300 × 130 mm, 
100 × 172 mm, or 172 × 100 mm from the 
selector.
bMemo:
 Settings for multi-position hoops are 
indicated by “*”.
 Choose the appropriate setting after 
checking the size of the hoop available for 
your machine.
a
b
c a
b
c
ABC
Example of multi-position hoop: 100 × 172 mm hoop
aNote:
Multi-position hoop settings are not available 
in the Design Page Property dialog box of 
Design Center.
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							204
Layout & EditingInformation for Optional Large-Size Hoop Users
Creating the pattern
1.The Design Page appears on the screen as 
shown below.
bMemo:
Area a: Embroidering area when the multi-
position hoop is installed at the top 
installation position.
Area b: Embroidering area when the multi-
position hoop is installed at the middle 
installation position.
Area c: Embroidering area when the multi-
position hoop is installed at the bottom 
installation position.
The dotted lines separate each area.
2.Create the pattern, making sure that it meets 
the following conditions.
 The size of one pattern must be no larger 
than 100 × 100 mm (or 130 × 180 mm).
(If the pattern is imported from Design 
Center, only these size settings are 
available.) Each pattern must completely fit within a 
single area (a, b, or c).
1: The position of this pattern is correct since 
it fits completely within area a.
2: The position of this pattern is correct since 
it fits completely within either area b or 
area c.
3: The size of this pattern is acceptable, but 
its position must be corrected since it 
does not fit completely within any of the 
areas. 
4: This pattern must be corrected since it is 
too large.
Optimizing hoop changes
With the Optimize hoop change function, the sewing 
order of patterns in a Design Page for multi-position 
hoops is automatically optimized, therefore 
reducing the risk of the embroidery being sewn 
incorrectly or the fabric not feeding evenly when the 
hoop position is changed too often.
1.Click Sew, then Optimize hoop change.
bMemo:
 A check mark appears when this function 
is turned on; no check mark is displayed 
when this function is turned off.
a
b
c
a
b
c
4
3
2 1
aNote:
If a pattern does not meet the conditions 
mentioned above, a warning will appear 
when continuing to the next step.
a
b
c
4
21
3
5
6
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							Advanced OpreationLayout & Editing
205
Layout & EditingInformation for Optional Large-Size Hoop Users
 When the Optimize hoop change function 
is selected, the sewing order that you have 
set is optimized to reduce the number of 
times that the hoop installation position is 
changed.
For the example shown on page 204, the 
sewing order is: a (pattern 1) 
→ b (pattern 
2) → a (patterns 3 & 5) → c (patterns 4 & 6)
If the Optimize hoop change function is not 
selected, each pattern is sewn according 
to the sewing order that you have set. 
Therefore, since the number of times for 
changing the hoop installation position is 
not optimized, it may be changed more 
often than if it was optimized.
For the example shown on page 204, the 
sewing order is: a (pattern 1) 
→ b (pattern 
2) 
→ a (pattern 3) → c (pattern 4) → a 
(pattern 5) → c (pattern 6)
Checking the pattern
1.Click Option, then Design Property.
→At the same time that the Design Proper-
ty dialog box appears, the Design Page is 
automatically enlarged or reduced to fit in 
the entire window.
bMemo:
 The first line of the dialog box shows the 
position in the hoop installation order for 
the currently displayed pattern.
 Only the patterns that would be sewn at 
the current position in the hoop installation 
order appear in the Design Page, and the 
embroidering area for the current hoop 
position is outlined in red.
 To display information for patterns at other 
positions in the hoop installation order, 
click 
Previous or Next. At this time, the 
corresponding pattern and hoop position 
appear in the Design Page.
aNote:
Since the pattern may not be sewn correctly 
or the fabric may not feed evenly if the hoop 
installation position is changed too often, we 
recommend selecting the Optimize hoop 
change function. Selecting this function will 
change the sewing order that you have set, 
therefore, check the sewing order before you 
begin embroidering.
aNote:
Make sure that no pattern has been selected 
before clicking this command. If a pattern 
has already been selected, only the 
information for that pattern is displayed.
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Layout & EditingInformation for Optional Large-Size Hoop Users
2.To preview the image, click Display, then 
Preview, or click   on the Toolbar.
Saving the pattern
1.Click File, then Save or Save As, and then 
save the pattern.
→The entire pattern is saved as a single file 
(.pes).
bMemo:
If the file size or the number of color changes 
is larger than the specified number, or if one 
of the patterns does not completely fit within 
an embroidery area, the message “Please 
change the object size or position. Do you 
want to save the data anyway?” appears.
Writing the pattern to an 
original card
1.If your pattern is displayed in the Design Page, 
click File, then Write to Card, or click   on 
the Toolbar, and then write the pattern to an 
original card.
A pattern for a multi-position hoop is created 
by considering the pattern in each hoop 
installation position as one pattern, then 
combining them.
Therefore, when this type of pattern is written 
to an original card, one multi-position hoop pattern is saved as a combination of multiple 
patterns.
If the pattern shown above is written to an 
original card and the written pattern is 
checked on the embroidery machine, it 
appears as shown below.
: This pattern is sewn when the hoop is 
installed at the top installation position 
(position a).
: This pattern is sewn when the hoop is 
installed at the middle installation position 
(position b).
: This pattern is sewn when the hoop is 
installed at the bottom installation position 
(position c).
Therefore, the frame installation position 
sewing order for the pattern shown above is b, 
a, then c.
2.After the embroidery pattern is saved on the 
computer, click File, then Write to Card, then 
Other PES files to write the embroidery 
pattern to an original card.
As with the Current Design command, all 
embroidery patterns are written to the original 
card at the same time.
Furthermore, if there is space on the original 
card, other embroidery patterns can be written 
to it at the same time.
aNote:
 If pattern is larger than the embroidery 
area or if a pattern is positioned so that it 
does not completely fit within an 
embroidery area, the error message 
“Please change the object size or 
position.” appears instead of this dialog 
box. After the pattern causing the error is 
displayed selected, change its size or 
position. (If more than one pattern causes 
the error message to appear, they will be 
displayed in the sewing order.)
aNote:
 The saved file cannot be opened in Layout 
& Editing versions 1 and 2.0x.
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							Advanced OpreationLayout & Editing
207
Layout & EditingInformation for Optional Large-Size Hoop Users
Notes on embroidering using the multi-
position hoop
 Before embroidering your project, sew a trial 
sample of the pattern on a scrap piece of 
fabric from your project, making sure to use 
the same needle and thread.
 Be sure to affix stabilizer material to the back 
of the fabric and tightly stretch the fabric 
within the hoop. When embroidering on thin 
or stretch fabrics, use two layers of stabilizer 
material. If no stabilizer material is used, the 
fabric may become over-stretched or 
wrinkled or the embroidery may not be sewn 
correctly.
 See page 63 “Attaching stabilizer to the 
fabric” for more ways to stabilize large 
designs.
 Use the zigzag stitch for sewing the outlines 
in order to prevent embroidering outside the 
outlines.
 For patterns that require the hoop to be 
installed at different installation positions, 
design the embroidery pattern so that the 
various parts of the pattern overlap in order 
to prevent misalignment while embroidering.
Printing a Design Page for a 
multi-position hoop
If a Design Page for a multi-position hoop is 
selected, a complete image of the Design Page is 
printed on the first page, followed by an image of 
each pattern section and its sewing information 
(dimensions of the embroidery, the hoop position, 
the sewing color order and the stitch count), so the 
number of pages depends on your pattern.
 If a 130 × 300 mm or 300 × 130 mm Design 
Page is selected, the pattern is divided into 
sections of 130 × 180 mm or 180 × 130 mm 
with each section printed on a separate 
page.
 If a 100 × 172 mm or 172 × 100 mm Design 
Page is selected, the pattern is divided into 
sections of 100 × 100 mm with each section 
printed on a separate page.
The Design Page is printed as described below.
When Actual Size is selected:
On the first page, the entire Design Page is print-
ed at actual size. (However, for a 130 × 300 mm 
or 300 × 130 mm Design Page, a reduced image 
of the Design Page is printed.) Afterwards, the 
pattern in each section of the Design Page is 
printed, starting with that sewn with the first hoop 
installation position, and is followed by the sew-
ing information for that pattern on separate pag-
es.
When Reduced Size is selected:
On the first page, the entire Design Page is print-
ed at actual size. (However, for a 130 × 300 mm 
or 300 × 130 mm Design Page, a reduced image 
of the Design Page is printed.) Afterwards, the 
pattern in each section of the Design Page is 
printed, starting with that sewn with the first hoop 
installation position, on the same page as the 
sewing information for that pattern.
bMemo:
When the menu command File – Print 
Preview
 is selected, each section of the 
pattern is displayed as described above.
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							208
Programmable Stitch Creator
Programmable Stitch Creator allows you to design your own fill/stamp and motif stitch patterns that can be 
applied to a programmable fill stitch or motif stitch, both in Design Center and Layout & Editing. When applied 
to enclosed regions, the fill/stamp or motif stitch pattern fills the region in a tile-like manner, resulting in more 
decorative embroidery patterns. In addition, the fill/stamp stitch patterns can be applied as an individual stamp 
to enclosed regions in Design Center and Layout & Editing. You can create your own fill/stamp and motif stitch 
patterns or use the many stitch patterns provided with this application, with or without editing them.
Main Window
1Title bar
2Menu bar
Provides access to the functions.
3Toolbar
Provides shortcuts for the menu commands.
4Tool Box
Used to select and create fill and motif stitch pat-
terns and stamps.
(The bottom four buttons do not appear in Motif 
mode.)5Status bar
Provides helpful information.
6Preview window
Shows how the stitch pattern will be sewn.
7Work area
8Minimize button
9Maximize button
0Close button
2
7 3
4
50
9
8 1
6
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							Advanced OpreationProgrammable
Stitch Creator
209
Programmable Stitch Creator
Opening a Pattern File
Creating a new pattern
You can begin with a blank work area in order to 
design a new stitch pattern.
Toolbar button:  
1.Click  , or click File, then New.
→If the current work area has already been 
saved or has not been edited, a new work 
area appears immediately.
→If the current work area has not been 
saved, you will be asked whether you 
want to save the changes.
bMemo:
 To save the work area, click Yes.
 To abandon the work area, click 
No.
 To return to the work area, for example, to 
modify it or save it with another file name, 
click 
Cancel.
c“Opening a pattern file” on this page, 
“Overwriting” on page 221 and “Saving 
with a new name” on page 221
Opening a pattern file
A previously saved programmable stitch file can be 
opened to be edited.
Toolbar button:  
1.Click  , or click File, then Open.
→An Open dialog box similar to the one 
shown below appears.
2.Select the drive and the folder.
bMemo:
 If the Preview check box is selected, the 
contents of the selected file will appear in 
the 
Preview box.
 To quit the operation and close the dialog 
box, click 
Cancel.
3.To view the contents of the .pas and .pmf files 
in the currently selected folder, click Browse.
→A Browse dialog box similar to the one 
shown below appears.
bMemo:
 To return to the Open dialog box, click Cancel.
 A green arrow through the middle of the 
stitch pattern indicates motif stitch patterns 
(.pmf). Otherwise, the data is a fill/stamp 
stitch pattern (.pas).
 Stamps are identified by the red- 
(engraving effect sewn with the fill stitch) 
and blue-filled areas (embossing effect 
sewn with satin stitching).
4.To open a file, select it, and then click Open, 
or double-click the file’s icon.
→If the current work area has already been 
saved or has not been edited, the con-
tents of the selected file immediately ap-
pear in the work area.
aNote:
To open a fill/stamp stitch pattern, be sure to 
select a folder that contains .pas file. To 
open a motif stitch pattern, be sure to select 
a folder that contains .pmf files.
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Programmable Stitch Creator
bMemo:
The mode will automatically change to match 
that of the selected pattern (Fill/Stamp for 
.pas files or 
Motif for .pmf files). 
→If the current work area has not been 
saved, you will be asked whether you 
want to save the changes.
bMemo:
 To save the work area, click Yes.
 To abandon the work area, click 
No.
 To return to the work area, for example, to 
modify it or save it with another file name, 
click 
Cancel.
c“Creating a new pattern” on page 209, 
“Overwriting” on page 221 and “Saving 
with a new name” on page 221
Opening an image in the 
background
You can open a background image that can be used 
as a guide to draw a new fill/stamp and motif stitch 
pattern. The file name extension must be one of the 
following: Windows bitmap (.bmp), Exif (.tif, .jpg), 
ZsoftPCX (.pcx), Windows Meta File (.wmf), 
Portable Network Graphics (.png), Encapsulated 
PostScript (.eps), Kodak PhotoCD (.pcd), FlashPix 
(.fpx), JPEG2000 (.j2k).
1.Click File, then Template Open.→An Open template file dialog box similar 
to the one shown below appears.
2.Select the drive, the folder and the desired file.
bMemo:
If the Preview check box is selected, the 
contents of the selected file will appear in the 
Preview box.
3.Click Open to open the file.
→The image fills the work area.
bMemo:
 Double-clicking the file name also opens 
the file and closes the dialog box.
 To quit the operation, click 
Cancel.
 To display, hide, or display a faded copy of 
the image that remains in the work area, 
click 
Image, then Display Image, and 
then click the desired display setting.
 To display the original image, click 
On.
 To display a faded copy of the image, 
click 
Faded.
 To hide the original image, click 
Off.
Selecting a Pattern To Be Created
You can use Programmable Stitch Creator to create patterns for programmable fill stitches, stamps, motif fill 
stitches, motif line stitches. The method and work area are slightly different for each. Use the commands on 
the Mode menu to select the type of pattern that you want to create.
1.To enter Fill/Stamp mode, click Mode, then 
Fill/Stamp.
To enter Motif mode, click Mode, then Motif.→If the current work area has already been 
saved or has not been edited, a blank 
work area immediately appears in the se-
lected mode.
aNote:
 With .pcd and .fpx files containing many 
pages, only the first page can be opened. 
Tiff files with LZW compression cannot be 
opened.
 Only one image can be added to the work 
area. If you try to display a different image, 
it will replace the previous one.
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							Advanced OpreationProgrammable
Stitch Creator
211
Programmable Stitch Creator
→If the current work area has not been 
saved, you will be asked whether you 
want to save the changes.
bMemo:
 To save the work area, click Yes.
 To abandon the work area, click 
No.
 To return to the work area, for example, to 
modify it or save it with another file name, 
click 
Cancel.
■Fill/Stamp mode
In Fill/Stamp mode, you can make a stitch pattern 
out of a single line or sets of lines, and you can then 
choose to fill the areas enclosed by the lines to 
create an embossing/engraving effect. Both types of 
stitch patterns can be set as a programmable fill 
stitch in addition to being applied as individual 
stamps to regions of patterns in Design Center as 
well as Layout & Editing.
The Line tool in the Tool Box allows you to draw the 
lines of a fill stitch pattern or a stamp, and the 
Region (engrave), the Region (emboss) and the 
Region (reset) tools allow you to fill and edit the 
enclosed areas of the stitch or stamp that you draw.
The sewing method for a programmable fill stitch is 
different from the regular fill stitch, where the thread 
is constantly sewn in a set direction. Instead, the 
pattern will be sewn in such a way that the needle 
drops directly over the created pattern.
■Motif mode
In Motif mode, you can create original stitch patterns 
by changing the shape of a single line. These stitch 
patterns can be applied in line sewing and region 
sewing in Layout & Editing, and region sewing in 
Design Center.
A green arrow appears at the center of the work 
area, showing the direction that the pattern (stitch) 
will be sewn.
A single pink line appears along with the green 
arrow. This line indicates the base for the motif 
stitch, which can be altered by inserting points with 
the Edit Point tool, and then moving them to form 
original designs.
The blue square at the left edge of the work area 
indicates the start point of that line and the red 
square at the right edge indicates the end point of 
the stitch.
The start and end points cannot be deleted, and 
they must be aligned vertically. Therefore, if you 
move one point up or down, the other point will 
automatically move in the same direction.
Example of a pattern
Example of a pattern
Line sewingRegion sewing
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							212
Programmable Stitch Creator
Viewing the Stitch Pattern While Creating It
You can display the Preview window to view a repeating image of the stitch pattern as you create it.
1.If the Preview window isn’t displayed, click 
Display, then Preview.
The Preview window for the selected Mode 
setting appears, as shown in the examples 
below, and a check mark appears to the left of 
the menu command Display – Preview.
The image in the Preview window is updated 
as you enter the changes in the work area.
2.To close the Preview window, click its close 
button, or click the menu command Display – 
Preview to remove the check mark.
bMemo:
 The Preview window can be resized.
 The setting for displaying the Preview 
window is retained, until it is changed.
Drawing a Stitch Pattern in Fill/Stamp 
Mode
The Line tool allows you to draw broken lines to create your fill/stamp stitch pattern. A broken line is made of 
one or more connected straight lines with the end point of one straight line being the start point of the next line.
The horizontal and vertical lines that you draw on the work area always follow the grid. The points that you 
create by clicking the mouse button are inserted at the intersection of the horizontal and vertical lines of the 
grid, enabling you to draw diagonal lines as well. Regardless of where you click, a point will automatically be 
inserted at the nearest intersection.
Depending on the stitch pattern that you want to draw, you may need to select a grid of a different size. In 
addition, by selecting None, the point will no longer be inserted at the nearest intersection, allowing you to 
create curved patterns. For details on the grids and adjusting them, refer to “Changing the grid settings” on 
page 222.
1.Click   on the Tool Box. 
→When the pointer is moved over the work 
area, the shape of the pointer changes to 
.2.Click in the work area to specify the start point.
Fill/Stamp mode
Motif mode
aNote:
This tool can only be used in Fill/Stamp 
mode.
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