How do other cuties keep track of where you get your designs from when you have a very large number of designs be very interested to know? as I have just put them in named folders for the design making it difficult if some one wants to now what site the design came from

Like other cutie's i keep mine in main subject folders, ( dogs, cats, animals, nursery rhymes, teddy bears, and so on, inside those i keep sub folders as well. As i down load them i change the wording a little so i can find designs later on when required, along side the description , i have the original numbers and the site name i buy or get free designs from, but never take off the extensions. Designs that i use regular or want to recognise as special i have an asterix at the beginning ( # ) Alphabeta and numbers i keep in a separate folder ( file ) as well. I find this works well for me to be able to find quickly what design i want. Always back up designs as you never know when something will go wrong and usually at one time or another it shall. Sandra.

However you save your embroidery files, remember to back them up regularly on a external hard drive or some other source because things happen to computers & all your designs can be lost.
I try to remember to back up mine every month on a external hard drive.
This is handy thing to do because sometimes a design becomes corrupted ,so all you need to do is look back through a few months of backups to find the design in perfect order

I NEVER rename a design file......keeps me from downloading it more than once because the computer will say I already have that one. I use a program called Designers Gallery Studio something..not sure what they have now. I name the file folders the Designers name and keep all theirs in that folder. Then I can categorize them on the "category side" of the program and it tells me where they are. I can see a pic of them in either view...don't know what I'd do without that program!

I use folders and subfolders which lead to what the design is, i.e. fish. When I'm saving the file, I also include the digitiser's name or initials etc if it's not already a part of the file name. I am usually looking for a particular type of design, such as a greyhound which would come under dogs, and above that, animals. My file name might be GreyhoundFawn_CuteEmbr.jef Including the site name or digitiser also allows you to go back and check on how they allow the design to be used, for e.g. on items for a market sale or only for personal use.

I save mine under site I bought it from and also under category ie horse would be in folder animals and sub folder horses and if I can't find them I resort to AVA Find

I sort mine according to the digitizer I buy them from. The ones I use a lot I also sort into categories separately. The Windows search function is also handy when looking for specific designs e.g. Bears, roses, ITH bags etc.

I have a folder for each place where I get designs and put them in there. I have ann the gran software that I can use to categorize too - but lately not enough time in the days so I just bring them into a folder by place there too (at least I can sort size, etc. that way)

I now file the designs twice. Once in Folder "By company" and then again "By Theme". Both have lots of subcategories. If I am looking for a specific design and want to know what company it came from, I use the search button on the computer, which brings up the company file. I only wish I would have done that from the beginning. I am still reorganizing and missing info from where they came from.

1 comment

by maisiebo 30 Sep 2016

Thanks I think I will have to do the same never gave it a thought when I started my collection I do keep them in categories it can get quiet confusing other wise

I write the digitiser's name in a text document, same name as the design, (eg: *****-dig.txt) and file it with the design.
For those unaware, you create text files using the program found in Microsoft's Accessories:- NOTEPAD

hugs n roses, Meg

1 comment

by maisiebo 30 Sep 2016

Thanks for your way of saving them

I keep a really low tech word spreed sheet. I have a column for each of these: I copy and past a picture of the design, name of the file, the type of design (like which holiday flowers or alphabet) what format (I have designs for two different makes of machines), name of the website, how much I paid for it, and any notes about the design like what I used it on. Since I don't have software to view the designs on It really helps me keep track and help me find stuff. And if I'm looking for a specific thing like roses I can search for designs with roses or flowers in the name.

4 comments

by dragonflyer 30 Sep 2016

Hi samedaysewer...Welcome to Cute...

by crafter2243 30 Sep 2016

Welcome from me as well.

by maisiebo 30 Sep 2016

Thanks for how you save designs I do put them in named folders like flowers or cats etc but never thought putting what site they where from

by somedaysewer 02 Oct 2016

thanks guys

I keep my designs in Master folders that are named by subject or topic...Christmas, Thanksgiving, Seasons, Children, Animals Flowers...etc., and within these folders, I create sub-folders for specific designs...like Flowers as a Main Folder, then say Roses inside as a sub-folder...When I create the sub-folder I include the name of the site it is from...like Flowers, Roses CuteEmb. I try to always include the file and color worksheet with the number of the design (here at Cute)...I also keep a separate file for those designs I purchase so I can go back to the website if I need to re-download any as many sites keep a purchase history. My purchased designs I also file in my Main Design Folders...so they are there twice...You can certainly change the name of a file without any harm...it is the extension of the file you need to be careful with...

6 comments

by lilylady 30 Sep 2016

What is extension of the file?

by somedaysewer 30 Sep 2016

a file extension is the dot whatever like .VIP or .JEF or .JPEG all files no-mater what they are for use a file extension.

by dragonflyer 30 Sep 2016

The Extension of the file is what comes after the "dot"...like Roses.jef In this case .jef would be the file extension. If you change the file extension (what comes after the "dot") it can sometimes corrupt the file.

by maisiebo 30 Sep 2016

Thanks dragonfly think I will keep FOLDERs for different sites where the designs came from

by lilylady 30 Sep 2016

Thanks for answer, did not know. Sandy

by lilylady 30 Sep 2016

also, makes perfect sense!

You can add the source name to the file name.

3 comments

by lilylady 30 Sep 2016

At one time when first started emb, it was told somewhere if you rename a file it can damage file. True or False?

by rescuer 30 Sep 2016

You can rename the file -- just not the extension. You do have to follow certain rules about the name though. Your computer will let you know if you do it wrong.

by mops 30 Sep 2016

False, I do it all the time. Just leave the extension as it is.