News
As we receive items of interest to you, they will be posted here. We will include links to documents that will help you complete your software based projects.
Top Stories
Husqvarna Viking Announces a Preview of a NEW Machine
Those of you who subscribe to the Husqvarna Viking update newsletter may already have received this information about a new sewing machine which will make its debut shortly. If you want to see the video about this new machine, you can do so by clicking here.
Finding ASCII Codes For Special Characters
Recently, I received an email from a reader who asked how to find the Ñ character to insert in a name for one of her embroidery projects. I found a document that I created that will explain just how to accomplish this task and it is available for viewing and/or download by clicking here.
If you have any questions about using these special characters, please feel free to contact me via email and I'll be happy to answer your questions.
Video Page Populated
All of the videos that are on this page are now viewable on my new Videos page. So now you can find everything on that page. As new videos are added to my collection, they will appear only on the new Videos page and all of the links in my free monthly newsletter will point to that page. Eventually (in about 6 months), I will take down the links to the videos from this page. For now, I'll leave them up so that everyone can get used to visiting the new page.
As always, if you have anything that you would like to see me demonstrate or explain in a short video, just click here and send me an email describing your idea.
New 4D QuiltDesign Creator Basics Book Available Now
Our newest book, 4D QuiltDesign Creator Basics is now available through your local Husqvarna VIking and Pfaff authorized dealer as part number 143 00 06-32. This new book covers all of the basic tools and techniques that you need to master this software. We also cover the companion software, 4D QiultDesign Vision in this new book.
4D QuiltDesign Creator and its companion module 4D QuiltDesign Vision are now on sale at your local Husqvarna Viking and Pfaff dealers. This new software represents a new concept in quilting design creation. You can use this software to create vector graphics that are turned into beautiful quilting designs for use on either your quilt robot, such as the QBOT or almost any other quilting robot now on the market. You can also export the designs that you create with this software for use on your embroidery machine.
This new software is driven by an easy-to-understand wizard that will assist you in every step along the way as you easily create beautiful designs for your quilting projects. If you want to create your designs with a personal touch, there are also a host of powerful tools to help you to manually create your designs from graphic images or by tracing photographs.
Online Class Details
I am working with the GoTo Webinar online meeting service to put together a package of online training that will be available to anyone, world-wide, who has a broadband internet connection and a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) headset which you can purchase from your local computer equipment supplier for around $30-$40 USD. You will not have to buy any software to use this new service. And the people at GoTo Webinar are available 24 hrs/day to assist you with making your first connection.
I will continue to offer free, 1 hour long Basic Computer Skills classes to help you with establishing your first VOIP session and to set up your computer with the files and folders you will need to save your projects.
The online classes will be live sessions at which you will be able to communicate with me live using your VOIP equipment and watch me work through the days lesson. Most classes will consist of 3 2-hour sessions held once a week for 3 weeks. That will give you plenty of time to do homework and prepare questions for the next week's class. Although it will not be mandatory for you to purchase the books that I produce, I will be following each book closely and they will be an invaluable resource for you to use when doing your homework.
All payments for these classes will be handled through PayPal so they will handle all of our currency exchange issues for students who are outside of the United States.
I live on the east coast of the United States in the time zone GMT -5:00 (that's the Eastern Time Zone for United States residents.) Since I am retired (you wouldn't know it from my schedule), I am available for classes almost 24 hours a day. Therefore, once I learn where my students are located and when they want to go to class during their local time, I can adjust the time of my classes accordingly. So my friends and fans in Australia and on the continent don't have to worry about wither being left out or needing to get up at 2:00 a.m. local time to attend a class. We will work things out to accommodate everyone.
I'm very excited about this project and I hope that you are excited too. Oh, and don't worry about the FREE VIDEOS I put in my monthly emails. I plan to always include a free video to address some small topic as I have done in the past.
So watch this space, and your monthly emails, for additional details.
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- Basic Computer Skills for Windows XP
Users
Learn how to create the folders you need to organize your designs and work on your Windows XP based computer. This file is a free download and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open and print the file. You can get the free Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking here
View/Download Windows XP Version
- Basic Computer Skills for Windows Vista
Users
Learn how to create the folders you need to organize your designs and work on your Windows Vista based computer. This file is a free download and requires Adobe Acrobat Reader software to open and print the file. You can get the free Adobe Acrobat Reader by clicking here
Free Videos
Occasionally I receive questions from my readers which require rather long answers. Rather than type in a long explanation, I decided to create videos that you can view for free to get the answers to your questions. If I sound as though I am rushing through these videos it's only because I'm trying to keep the size of the video small so that those of you who are using dial-up connections will still be able to view the video.
If you have any questions that you would like to see explained in a video, please click on this link and send me a video request via email.
Are you having a problem viewing my videos?
If you have any problems viewing any of the videos listed here because the video never displays and only shows a black box, then you need to change a setting in your Adobe Flash Player settings. You can find the settings panel for Adobe Flash Player by clicking here. The following dialog should open. If the option "Allow third-party Flash content to store on your computer." is not checked my videos will not play. Check this box and then close and re-open your browser and the videos should play.
Creating A Frame from Machine Stitches
One of the most neglected parts of the 4D Embroidery software is the use of the Machine Stitches. This video demonstrates how to use those stitches and the Encore feature of your software to create beautiful frames for your projects.
View the Machine Stitch Frames Video
How to use 4D Disk Manager to save designs on a floppy disk
With the release of the new 4D Embroidery software, a small change was made to the 4D Disk Manager USB software. There is a little quirk in the software that you need to see so that you can load your designs onto a floppy disk. You can view this video by clicking on the link below.
View the 4D Disk Manager USB Video
How to purchase and download designs from MyEmbroideries.com
Purchasing embroidery designs from Husqvarna Viking's new MyEmbroideries.com web site is fast and easy. To see what to expect, watch the PowerPoint presentation listed here. Caution: This file is large (8.8 MB) and is not recommended if you are using a dial-up connection. If you are using a dial-up connection and still want help with this process, send me an email and I'll be happy to answer your specific questions about the process.
View the MyEmbroideries Presentation
Resizing by exactly 20%
You should never enlarge or reduce the sice of an embroidery by more than 20%. The question is, how do I make sure that I don't exceed this limit? This short video will show you how to use the tools available in both the 3D Embroidery and the 4D Embroidery software to do this. Caution: This file is large (19.9 MB) and is not recommended if you are using a dial-up connection. If you are using a dial-up connection and still want help with this process, send me an email and I'll be happy to answer your specific questions about the process.
Creating a 2 Color Motif Fill
When you create a Motif Fill, it's easy to use two different motifs, but having each motif in a different color is a lot of work...unless you know the secret revealed in this video. We will use 4D Embroidery Extra and 4D Design Creator to create this project. Caution: This file is large (67 MB) and is not recommended if you are using a dial-up connection. If you are using a dial-up connection and still want help with this process, send me an email and I'll be happy to answer your specific questions about the process.
Basic Digitizing 1
Everyone has been asking for help about getting into digitizing. This video is the first of a series that will help you begin learning about the process of creating new designs with your software. In this video you will learn how to create a simple graphic and use that graphic as a template for your very first design.
Basic Digitizing 2
This video is a continuation of the process we started in Digitizing 1. This video will explain how to save your work in both CAN file format and in a stitch format suitable for using on your sewing machine.
Basic Digitizing 3
This video is a continuation of the process we started in Digitizing 2. This video will explain the importance of planning your project and demonstrate the basic principles of project planning.
Basic Digitizing 4
In this video you will learn how to edit your Picture to get the results you want. We will also show you some of the features of the Edit page and how to adjust the stitch objects on your project.
Add A Fill
This video was inspired by an email from a reader who wants to add Fill stitches to the inside of a Shape to create a patch for a project for her husband. First watch the video by clicking on the link below, and then click on the Download instructions link to learn how to get a copy of my special Fill Shapes.
Before you use the Download Shapes link below, click here to view/download the instructions on how to decompress the Shapes Set and how to put the decompressed Shapes Set into the correct folder on your computer.
Add A Motif
This video was also inspired by an email from a reader who wants to add Motif stitches to the inside of a Shape. In this video I show you how to use either 4D Design Creator or 4D Fabric Decorator in conjunction with 4D Embroidery Extra to create this project.
Create a Theme
A new feature is available in the Color Selection dialog in 4D Embroidery. This new option allows you to have several different Themes of various colors to match the kinds of colors that you intend to use in your designs. This video will show you how to use themes and create new ones.
Understanding the Color Selection Dialog
This is the first of a new series of videos on Understanding Basic 4D Embroidery Dialogs. When you choose to change the color of a thread in any design, the Color Selection dialog opens. On the surface, the basic features of the Color Selection dialog are easy to understand, but this 16 minute video will take you beyond the basics to teach you how to use the 4D Configure software to create new, personalized Themes for your 4D installation.
View the Basic Color Change Video
Creating a Combined Project with the ExpressMonogram Wizard
Did you know that it's possible to "borrow" the designs created in one of your 4D modules and use it in another project? In this video we will use the ExpressMonogram Wizard to create a monogram with a frame around it, then, using the Edit page of 4D Embroidery Extra, remoce the monogram and create a beautiful design suitable for application on any blazer or sport coat.
Using the Save As Dialog
The Save As dialog is one of the most used and least well understood dialog that we come in contact with. This short video will explain some of the features of this often used dialog.
View the the Save As Dialog Video
How to use the PatternMake Tools in 4D Stitch Editor
The Pattern Make page in 4D Stitch Editor contains several tools to help you to enhance the look of almost any embroidery design. This short video explains how to use these tools and the techniques you need to know to be successful with them.