Since everyone is so nice and I'm a newbie I decided to ask a really "dumb" question. Can you ever expand the design area to accomodate a larger design like from 4x4 to 5x7?

Hi Punky! Don't be afraid to ask Dumb questions, I've even given dumb answers!
If you are good at photoshop or other digital photo editing, digitizing will not be that hard for you. In the meantime, watch your designs as they stitch out and see if you can see the method behind the madness! Especially try out the FSL, free standing lace designs, as they are lots of fun, and it is so evident what the plan is on those. Digitizing software is way expensive, and you want to know what you will be doing with it, probably, before you buy it. This is a wonderful site with caring people who will hold your hand and then let you fly!
jan

Welcome. I thought that way at one time, but after being on here a while and seeing what others were asking, decided no question was dumb, so have asked some since and had lots of help.
You will get lots of help here, just as you've already found from all the answers you've already gotten.

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thank you

Welcome to the "Cute" Family.

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thank you

Welcome Punky,

I see you have your answer I just wanted to give you a big Aussie welcome. I also wanted to warn you this site is very addictive!!!!

Have a look at all the tabs, check out all the blue topics to your left here and never be afraid to ask any question.

Check out the free designs in the DBC (last one on the top of the page) Designs by Cuties. Have a look at all the PROJECTS too, by our many talented craftspeople.

There are great digitisers on here who are always willing to help us out.

No question is too dumb -you never know there may be someone out there who just needed to know that particular question/answer.

Love and blessings Chris, Newcastle, Australia

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thank you Chris! I love your newbie image you added!

Welcome to cute!

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thanks Becky - I do love it here!

I see you got some great answers - so I just wanted to say WELCOME TO CUTE, Punky! You're going to find great help, tips, and wonderful people here! The only downside is that it is almost impossible to leave the place !!! hee hee *4U

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thanks for the warm welcome and you are right! I can't seem to leave this place. So much to learn and so much fun learning the new things.

Ask. How else will you ever know ? How else will we know you need to know ? We all love you !

Some machines will only accommodate a 4x4 hoop for
the size 4x4 designs. Many machines come with not only the 4x4 hoop, but the 5x7, 6x10, etc. hoops. If your machine has a 5x7 hoop capacity, a 4x4 design can be minimally increased to fit this 5x7 hoop, but software like Embird is required to make such changes. Even with software able to increase/decrease designs, a change of more than 20% is never recommended, because it will cause distortion of the original design. The number of stitches of the original design is lessened/increased causing this distortion.

Not sure if this is what you were asking, but never be afraid to ask a question. We all were newbies once upon a time, too! Machine embroidery is a continuous learning process, and entails various means to create a beautiful end result. Welcome!
Angel

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by nannynorfolk 07 Mar 2011

Great explanation, Angel :)

by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thank you - this does answer my question.

No question is dumb. There are many very knowledgeable people at Cute - someone who can always answer our questions. I am sure you will get some help.

Thanks everyone - I didn't think you could but I recently purchased some designs - they sent me the wrong size (which I have cleared up) but wondered why the 5x7 size didn't work and figured out it was because of my 4x4 design area.

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by anangel 07 Mar 2011

Enjoy learning the "how to do" aspects of machine embroidery with your Brother 240. I have a Brother machine that has both the 4x4 and 5x7 hoops, but, I have heard many good remarks on those machines with only the 4x4 capacity; good machines to learn on and, they stitch beautifully, too. You will be wanting to get a machine with the larger hoop one day, but for now yours is most sufficient. By that time you will know more about what features you truly want in a machine. I would have saved a lot of money to have purchased an embroidery only machine, instead of the combo sewing and embroidery that I have. I rarely use it for anything except embroidery. One can find a really good sewing machine rather inexpensively.
The basic Embird program for approx. $150 has so many great features to aid one in doing machine embroidery. I do not know how I ever lived without the Iconizer ($20), one of the Embird plug-ins that can be purchased to allow you to see actual full color designs within folders to where you download them, instead of just icons. One can purchase different plug-ins as you need/want them for digitizing, photo stitch, monograming, etc. There are so many lovely designs available for free or purchase, I haven't felt the need to learn to digitize yet, but want to. Check out this software at www.embird.com.
Happy stitching!
Angel

by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Thanks Angel - I love my new machine so far and I do like that I can also do my quilting on it as well. Of course I haven't done much quilting since I got it - having too much fun doing the embroidery.

Itis not a dumb question,unfortunately you can not expand the hoop area. I have asked that same question to many people. The man that repairs my machine told me that he was trying to fix a machine from someone that added a large area chip, the machine did not work at all. the only thing we could do is to split the designs to accomodate it into our hoop area. I have Embird and even though I am not very nimble with computers I have split designs using this software.

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

Is Embird easy to use? I have thought of trying to digitize but it looks really hard to do and even though I know computers pretty well, I'm not an artist. I don't want to waste money on software I'm not going to use.

What type of Machine do you have. On my machine I can make a few sizes from one design. If you ask a question (even if YOU think it is dumb) it might help that other person who was never sure if they should ask the same question.
Lyn

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by punky1015 07 Mar 2011

I have a brother he-240 - it's the 1st machine I've bought and bought it specifically so I could use the usb port on it.

Don't ever feel dumb asking a question--that is how we all have learned. It depends on the size of your hoop or whether you can do split designs-which I think are very hard but not impossible!!

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by shop 07 Mar 2011

I learned more from taking classes after classes. If you have a great teacher suggest things that you want to learn. You will be amazed how much you can learn from a group of ladies in a class.