Custom embroidery of Mom
I acquired a Brother embroidery machine a couple of years ago. I've embroidered several pieces, but I really wanted to design my own. The software to make embroidery files is booku $$$. Fortunately, InkStitch exists. It's open source (GPL), multi-platform, and free. It's implemented as an extension to Inkscape. So, if you know how to use Inkscape, you can use Inkstitch no problem.
I acquired a Brother embroidery machine a couple of years ago. I've embroidered several pieces, but I really wanted to design my own. The software to make embroidery files is booku $$$. Fortunately, InkStitch exists. It's open source (GPL), multi-platform, and free. It's implemented as an extension to Inkscape. So, if you know how to use Inkscape, you can use Inkstitch no problem.
My Mom's Garden
This is the picture I started with. It's way too complicated to embroider.
This is the picture I started with. It's way too complicated to embroider.
Remove Background
I used recraft.ai's Remove Background tool along with a prompt that said to change her shirt to a solid blue and to limit the number of colors to at most 10.
I used recraft.ai's Remove Background tool along with a prompt that said to change her shirt to a solid blue and to limit the number of colors to at most 10.
First SVG attempt
Unfortunately, the resulting SVG had 749 paths. Way more than I was prepared to work with.
Unfortunately, the resulting SVG had 749 paths. Way more than I was prepared to work with.
ChatGPT
I tried ChatGPT next. Starting with the same photo, I used a very simple prompt: remove background, blue shirt, and stylize as a cartoon. It came up with this. Kind of went too deep into the uncanny valley for me.
I tried ChatGPT next. Starting with the same photo, I used a very simple prompt: remove background, blue shirt, and stylize as a cartoon. It came up with this. Kind of went too deep into the uncanny valley for me.
Simplify
I put it bluntly. "the detail needs to be reduced significantly so that the image can be embroidered. the number of colors needs to be reduced. for example, the lettuce can be two shades of green with black outlines to show leaf shape"
I put it bluntly. "the detail needs to be reduced significantly so that the image can be embroidered. the number of colors needs to be reduced. for example, the lettuce can be two shades of green with black outlines to show leaf shape"
Second SVG attempt
I used svgai.org's "Image to SVG Converter" to convert the PNG to an SVG. Did a great job of it. The SVG still had 276 paths though.
I used svgai.org's "Image to SVG Converter" to convert the PNG to an SVG. Did a great job of it. The SVG still had 276 paths though.
Chop and Hack
I use Inkscape and Inkstitch to build the Brother PES embroidery file. I put the different colors into layers. Each layer had multiple paths; I think they should have been groups instead since when I went to embroider I had a thread change for each path. It's important to not have overlapping shapes in the SVG. Overlapping objects will be embroidery on top of embroidery and the machine will not like it. Path Difference, Path Exclusion, and friends will help with that.
I use Inkscape and Inkstitch to build the Brother PES embroidery file. I put the different colors into layers. Each layer had multiple paths; I think they should have been groups instead since when I went to embroider I had a thread change for each path. It's important to not have overlapping shapes in the SVG. Overlapping objects will be embroidery on top of embroidery and the machine will not like it. Path Difference, Path Exclusion, and friends will help with that.
Fin.
This was the first big embroidery piece that I made. There's some rough spots, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm not sure why her jeans ended up looking like that, but I like it since it draws focus away from them.
This was the first big embroidery piece that I made. There's some rough spots, but overall I'm happy with how it turned out. I'm not sure why her jeans ended up looking like that, but I like it since it draws focus away from them.