For a very long time I read from Lindy Good all that colors in machine embroidery digitizing can be mixed not only by putting a tint color on top of the main one (the traditional, well-known method), but also by putting a shade under the main color. At the time, I did not attach any importance to this, just considering this technique a weird variation, comparing it to the traditional approach to mixing.

And when not so long ago I made a pony for a free design , it was by a lucky coincidence, or rather, for the reason that I put the frame stitches in this design in manual mode,I saw firsthand that the method described by Lindy works:

And then at work I saw an embroidered logo design made in exactly the same technique. And then it dawned on me that in terms of the simplicity and availability of this method, few of the techniques can compete. Here you don’t even have to fool around and think over how to correctly divide objects into segments, which stitch direction to give them, how to put the frames so that they do not break through a rare tint layer, etc. And all the salt here lies in the fact that:

  • Put a tint layer of the fill in the right place under the main fill. The density is normal or only 1-2 units less. In this case, you need to accurately observe the direction of the stitches in the base and shade layer.
  • The density of the main layer is set to the usual one, for example, 0.4 mm.
  • There should be no reinforcement stitches in the main layer of stitches.
  • It is also very important that your editor distributes the stitches in layers in such a way that most of the stitch lines do not fall on top of each other from layer to layer, but lie in the free space – between the stitches of the previous layer:

And not every editor gives such a cleanness of the calculation of stitches. But this is what makes it possible for the lower layer of threads to see through between the dense stitches of the upper layer, creating a very thin moire with the correct selection of colors to each other.

 

An interesting method of using gradient density for color mixing in machine embroidery

I am always better at making a tonal transition in embroidery if the mixing occurs across the direction of movement of the stitch, but it is difficult to mix the tones of the threads along the direction of the stitch. I got stuck in my store for a long time with Bonnie Nielsen’s long-standing article “Creating a Basic Color Blend” from Printwear, in which she reveals the basic principles of color mixing in machine embroidery digitizing services, telling just about what I’m not very good at. And today I decided to get stuck on this material in order to determine for myself whether the method described by her works or not, and what I am doing wrong, since I cannot.

This color mixing technique is based on simple principles and the use of tools that are in every modern machine embroidery editor – a gradient density distribution in a tatami fill (also called an accordion). Therefore, to repeat what is described below, on the shoulder of any, even a novice machine embroidery designer.

This method is based on the not thoughtless use of the standard tools included in the embroidery editor, when two identical objects are taken, painted in different colors and they are given a gradient filling with an opposite density.

This is the very feature that all software developers love to advertise, guaranteeing all users the greatest tonal transition. But this tool does not always work. For example, when trying to mix contrasting colors, the result is far from brilliant. I think those who have tried using gradients are aware of this feature. Even if your editor has the ability, just like in Stitch Era, to mix automatically not only 2 colors, but 3 colors at once.

Bonnie’s method is based on the fact that mixing takes place using all the same tools described above, only in this case the user has to attach both hands and head to what is happening.

First of all, we must not forget that the direction of the stitches in the layers must be the same.

And secondly, for a subtle transition from one color to another, you need to choose not 2 colors, but at least 3. And they should be digitized in this way:

The lightest color does not fill the entire area, but only a part of it, while no gradients are applied to it, the density is set as usual, sufficient to fully cover the fabric, for example, 0.4mm:

Next, the second color is digitized, intermediate between the first and second, it also does not completely occupy the entire filling area, but the accordion effect is already applied to it, choosing the filling density and not forgetting that the greater the distance between the rows of stitches, the less intense the color will be:

Well, and the last step – we digitize the third color, which, like the previous two, does not fill the entire embroidery area. We also apply a gradient to these objects and select the desired fill density:

This is how the layers are superimposed on a computer:

And this is how this square looks already sewn:

So, this method works, everything at first glance is very simple and clear, easily manageable. But, as it turned out during the trial, it is not only important to choose the right threads for mixing, but also to be able to flexibly influence the way the density distribution occurs in this notorious accordion. Bearing in mind that the intensity of the color is controlled not only by the stitch length but also by the density of the distribution of the stitches. Only this is not possible in all embroidery editors. For me, for example, all 2 gradient layers have a slightly different density distribution profile. For medium color, the density profile is as follows:

And for the latter, this is:

And all of these variations in density distributions are based on a number of trial stitches. And even such a seemingly insignificant difference in layer densities in the low-density region has a significant effect on the appearance.