Advanced Editor Tools

This section covers the advanced digitizing, cut-and-split, and production tools in the StitchKit editor. Most of these tools require a paid tier; each heading notes which tier is needed. The tiers are: Free, Starter, Pro, and Ultimate. When you tap a locked tool, the app takes you to the upgrade (paywall) screen — none of your work is lost.

Windows — These tools live in the top toolbar, the right-hand panel ("Block Options", which opens when a block is selected), and the bottom sheets. When a tool is active, its settings panel appears to the right of the canvas.

Note — Tools such as "Knife" / "Trim" / "Intersect", "Rhinestone", "Multi Blend", and "Quilting" only work on path-based blocks. A path-based block is one you drew with the Bezier tool, imported via "Magic Wand" / SVG, or digitized inside the app. When you open a machine file directly (DST/PES), those blocks have no source path, so these tools stay greyed out or throw a warning.

Magic Wand — extract regions from an image

"Magic Wand" separates a bitmap image (a photo or clipart) into color regions so you can turn it into embroidery in a single click. It splits the image into color buckets, converts each bucket's silhouette into a closed path, and prepares each path as its own color block ready to stitch. Tier: Pro.

1. Import an image and open the "Magic Wand" panel.
2. Set the number of color buckets. Rule of thumb: 4–8 for clipart, around 8–12 for photos.
3. Set the simplify tolerance and the target width (mm). A higher tolerance produces simpler, more angular contours.
4. Assign each color bucket a stitch mode (e.g. fill or outline) and a thread color.
5. Hit Apply; each bucket is added to your design as a separate color block.

Tip — If you want to change the scale, use the panel's reload option to re-trace at a different target width — you won't have to reassign the buckets from scratch.

Node Editor — edit nodes and paths

The "Node Editor" lets you edit the anchor nodes that make up a path directly on the canvas. Open it from the "Edit nodes" button in the Bezier path tool's panel; the path's nodes are overlaid on the canvas. Tier: Pro (it goes through the same gate as the Bezier path feature).

1. Open the Bezier path panel and press "Edit nodes"; the bottom sheet closes and the nodes appear on the canvas.
2. Drag a node to move it. Click a segment to add a new node, delete a node, or change a node's type.
3. On each pointer-up, your changes are written back to the path's point list; if you exit at any time with ESC, your edits are preserved.
4. Exit the editor with the "Done" button at the top. The Bezier bottom sheet reopens; there, choose a stitch mode and hit Apply.

Note — Node editing changes the path geometry; stitches are only recalculated when you hit Apply in the Bezier bottom sheet. In other words, during editing you won't see the stitches update live — only after you apply.

Knife / Trim / Intersect — Split and Cut Tools

These three tools split or clip a selected path-based block with a freehand stroke. After picking a tool, you drag a freehand line or polygon across the canvas; when you release, the operation is applied to the selected block. Tier: Pro.

1. Select the path-based block you want to split.
2. Activate the "Knife", "Trim", or "Intersect" tool.
3. Freehand-drag your cut/clip line across the canvas and release.
4. The resulting piece(s) are re-stitched using the block's current stitch mode and added to your design.

Note — If your "Knife" stroke never touches the block, nothing changes and you'll see a warning. If the selected block isn't path-based (e.g. a DST/PES import), the tool won't run.

Appliqué — Appliqué Workflow

The "Appliqué" tool builds a classic three-pass appliqué from a single outline. Each pass is a separate color block, and the machine stops between blocks so the operator can place the fabric and trim the excess. Tier: Starter.

• 1. Placement: A light running stitch that shows where the fabric goes.
• 2. Tackdown: A stitch that secures the appliqué fabric once you've laid it down.
• 3. Cover satin: A wide satin that covers the raw edge. This pass is flagged as an "appliqué" role; it covers the stitches underneath (hidden-stitch cleanup treats it as opaque).

1. Open the "Appliqué" (AppliqueWizard) bottom sheet.
2. Choose a shape — a rectangle, an ellipse, or a frame that fits the current hoop — and enter its size (mm).
3. Set the placement, tackdown, and cover thread colors, along with the cover satin width.
4. Hit Apply; the three blocks are added to your design. If you add them to an existing design, they're merged on top.

Sequin

Sequins are a fill/draw mode ("Sequin" style) that places sequins at set intervals along a path. There are two ways it can work:

• Visual sequins: Each sequin is simulated by a small ring of stitches that starts with a jump. It works in every format and can give a mixed-size sequin look.
• Machine sequins ("Machine sequins"): With the style panel open, turning this toggle on generates true machine sequin commands (native in Tajima DST; when you export to other formats, they expand into visual rings).

Tip — When you select the sequin style, a "Machine sequins" on/off toggle appears in the right panel. Turn it on if you're outputting to a sequin-capable machine; otherwise, the visual mode is safe in every format.

Rhinestone — Rhinestone Placement

The "Rhinestone" panel fills the selected block's source path with standard SS stone sizes (CrystalCAD-style) and shows a live stone preview on the canvas. Tier: Pro. The panel appears under "Block Options" on the right when a block is selected.

1. Select a path-based block (stones can't be generated on DST/PES blocks that have no source path).
2. Choose the stone size (e.g. "SS10"), the placement mode ("Fill" or "Outline"), and the spacing between stones.
3. Hit Pack; the stone count is shown and the stones are previewed on the canvas. As you change settings, the preview is recalculated.
4. For output, you can export a PDF template with a placement map plus a materials list, or a 1:1 cuttable SVG template (holes plus registration marks).

Multi-hoop split — Split Across Multiple Hoopings

Splits a large design that doesn't fit the hoop into multiple hoopings. Each hooping contains the stitches that fall within its cell, and the coordinates are re-centered on the cell's center. Tier: Pro.

1. Choose a hoop from the right panel.
2. Open the multi-hoop split (HoopSplit) bottom sheet; the app computes the fewest hoopings needed in a row-and-column layout.
3. Export each hooping as a separate DST file (the row/column is added to the file name).

Note — This is a hard-clip split: a stitch is cut sharply at a cell boundary. So it works best on designs with natural gaps — like the space between lettering and motifs. Hoopings that contain no stitches aren't added to the list.

Cut / Print — Cut and Print Templates

There are two separate templates for production output:

1. Open the relevant bottom sheet (Print or Cut file).
2. For print, set the page size and marks; for cutting, set the format (SVG/PLT) and the kerf value.
3. Hit Apply and save the file.

Quilting — Quilted Fills

"Quilting" re-stitches the selected block with one of three quilting patterns. It only works on the selected block, and the block must have a source path. This is an editing operation; it requires stitch-editing rights (Tier: Starter-level editing).

• Meander: A free-motion quilt that fills the area with a wandering, space-filling curve. You set the "Cell" spacing.
• Stippling: A dense, non-overlapping meandering trail. You set the "Trail" spacing.
• Echo: Concentric rings that follow the edge of the shape. You set the number of rings and the ring spacing.

1. Select a path-based block.
2. In the Quilting panel, choose the Meander / Stippling / Echo mode.
3. Enter the spacing and stitch length; for Echo, enter the number of rings.
4. Hit Apply; the block is re-stitched in the selected mode.

Color block order

Each color in a design is a "block", and the machine stitches the blocks in list order. Changing the order changes the stitch sequence — for example, you'd reorder them to stitch dark colors first, or to lay down a fill before its outline.

1. View the blocks in the list in the left/right "Layers" panel.
2. Drag and drop a block to a new position; all of the moved block's stitches move with it.
3. Group, hidden-block, and color assignments are preserved through the move.

Tip — From the block list you can hide ("Hide") or delete a block; hidden blocks can optionally be stripped from the file when you save ("Remove Hidden Stitches").

Multi Blend groups

"Multi Blend" is an advanced fill group that fills a single area with several overlapping thread layers, blending them through density masks — ideal for soft transitions between two colors. The gradient/blend paths involved are on the Pro tier.

• "Convert to Multi-Blend" (Promote): Converts a single selected path block into a Multi Blend group. It works as long as the block isn't already in a group.
• "Convert Gradient to Multi-Blend": When you select two different blocks (both with source paths and ungrouped), it turns the gradient between them into a multi-layer blend.

1. With a block selected, use the Multi Blend button in the right panel ("Block Options").
2. Once the group is created, add/remove layers in the layer stack panel, reorder them, and set each layer's color and density mask.
3. You can also apply one of the ready-made blend presets; the group is regenerated to match.

Note — Multi Blend has a lower and upper limit on the number of layers; too many dense layers can increase the needle/thread load on the machine. The app may show a warning at unsuitable densities. Since the layer order and masks determine the look, check the preview after you add them.