Table of Contents
Primer: What Redwork Achieves and When to Use It
Redwork is an outline embroidery style designed to mimic hand stitching using a single thread color—traditionally red on light fabric. In software terms, you’re guiding the machine to draw those outlines cleanly, efficiently, and with a hand-embroidered aesthetic.
Use Redwork when you want fine, continuous linework without dense fills, and when a quick stitch-out is preferred—this floral example runs roughly 3,000 stitches and finishes in about 10 minutes on the machine.
Quick check
- Goal: a continuous outline design, single color, clean start/stop points
- Time expectation: around 10 minutes stitch-out for ~3,000 stitches (this floral example)
- Suitable fabrics: natural fibers like linen or cotton (software set to Linen for this project)
Prep: Tools, Files, and Prerequisites
Required
- Hatch embroidery digitizing software installed on a computer
- An embroidery machine and hoop
- Built-in Redwork “Floral Swirl” design from Hatch’s library
- Fabric and thread (project used linen and red thread)
- Tear-away stabilizer (two layers as recommended in software)
Prerequisites
- Basic familiarity with navigating Hatch
- Basic operation of your embroidery machine (loading designs, threading, hooping)
From the comments
- A viewer praised the demo’s clarity, which matches the simple, single-color workflow described here.
Prep checklist
- Hatch opens to the design library
- You can locate the Redwork category
- Fabric, stabilizer, and thread are on hand
- Your hoop is attached and ready at the machine
Setup in Hatch: Load, Place, and Size
Load a built-in Redwork design safely
Open Hatch’s design library and browse the Redwork category. Select the Floral Swirl design. Instead of opening it directly, choose New from Selected to protect the original from accidental changes.
Watch out
- Opening and saving the original built-in file can overwrite it. New from Selected spawns a fresh copy so you can experiment with no risk.
Place the design onto your hoop
Once loaded, the design will land on your virtual hoop. In this project, a large hoop was used. Verify that the design sits inside the hoop boundary and is centered as you like.
Pro tip
- If centering matters for display in the hoop, do the visual alignment now—later steps won’t change the layout. embroidery magnetic hoops
Resize only if you have a Grade A design
Hatch marks certain designs as Grade A, which the software can reliably rescale beyond the typical ±10% guideline applied to other imports. This floral Redwork is Grade A, so you can resize to suit your hoop while maintaining stitch quality. Confirm fit inside the hoop boundary after any scaling.
Setup checklist
- Floral Swirl opened via New from Selected
- Design fully inside hoop boundary
- If needed, resized under Grade A flexibility
Operation: Simulate, Export, and Stitch
Review design details and stitch structure
Confirm the single thread color (red is already applied) and open the Sequence panel—you should see one continuous object. In Reshape, note the single start point and the regular stitch path that draws the design. This confirms Redwork’s continuous, outline-oriented structure.
Quick check
- One color
- One continuous sequence
- A single start point visible in Reshape
Match software to your actual materials
Open the design information and set the auto fabric to Linen so Hatch recalculates stitch parameters for that textile. The software recommends two layers of tear-away stabilizer for this setup; note that and prepare your materials accordingly. Also note the stitch count—approximately 3,000 stitches in this example.
Pro tip
- Aligning the software’s fabric setting to your real fabric helps the stitch calculator make appropriate assumptions. It’s a small step that boosts first-pass success. magnetic embroidery hoop
Simulate with Stitch Player
Use Stitch Player to preview the sequence. Increase the playback speed to watch how the design is drawn section by section with slight overlaps. This is an excellent way to confirm travel paths before committing to thread.
Outcome expectation - The preview shows the design stitching in sections with overlaps, forming an even outline by the end of playback.
Operation checklist
- Fabric set to Linen in software
- Stabilizer plan: two layers tear-away
- Stitch Player run from start to finish
- Sequence looks continuous with clean overlaps
Export the design for your machine
When you’re satisfied with the simulation, export the design using Export Design (not Save). Export creates the machine-readable file in the proper format; Save keeps the working file for editing but isn’t intended for direct machine use.
Watch out
- Saving instead of exporting can leave you with a file your machine won’t recognize. Always finish with Export Design. magnetic hoops for embroidery
Hoop, thread, and stitch out
At the machine, hoop your fabric with stabilizer. Load the exported design, thread with your chosen color, and start the stitch-out. This Redwork floral took about 10 minutes to complete.
Quick check
- Fabric is taut in the hoop
- Stabilizer layers are fully captured
- The machine runs continuously with no thread breaks
Operation checklist (machine)
- Fabric hooped with two layers tear-away
- Design loaded from exported file
- Needle threaded with the chosen color
- Stitch-out completes in the expected time (~10 minutes)
Quality Checks: What ‘Good’ Looks Like
- Clean, consistent outlines with even spacing
- No puckering around curves or intersections
- Start/stop points are unobtrusive
- No gaps where sections meet; overlaps look intentional and even
Quick check
- Flip the hoop slightly and inspect the back: consistent tension and no snarls help confirm a solid setup. embroidery magnetic hoops
Results & Handoff: Save, Share, and Next Steps
You should see a neat, single-color floral outline with a hand-stitched feel. In this stitch-out, the top looked great, but the bobbin thread was darker and became slightly visible in places. Next time, matching the bobbin to the top thread will make the outline appear even cleaner.
Pro tip
- For outline-only designs like Redwork, a matching bobbin color helps disguise any minor pull-throughs at tight turns or thread ends. magnetic embroidery hoops for brother
Results handoff
- Keep your exported machine file and your editable Hatch working file. The former is ready to stitch again; the latter lets you tweak fabric settings, scale (Grade A), or placement.
Troubleshooting & Recovery
Symptom: Visible bobbin thread on the top
- Likely cause: Bobbin color contrasts with top thread
- Fix: Use a matching bobbin thread color on future runs
Symptom: Outline looks slightly uneven in tight curves
- Likely cause: Fabric support not firm enough for outline work
- Fix: Ensure two layers of tear-away stabilizer as recommended for Linen
Symptom: Machine won’t load the file
- Likely cause: Working file was saved instead of exported
- Fix: Use Export Design to create a machine-readable file in the proper format. dime magnetic hoop
Symptom: Design doesn’t fit your hoop after resizing
- Likely cause: You resized but didn’t re-check against the hoop boundary
- Fix: Use the hoop preview to confirm boundaries; Grade A designs allow reliable scaling, but you must still validate fit
Quick isolation tests
- Software side: Re-run Stitch Player to confirm sequence integrity
- Machine side: Test stitch a small corner of the design perimeter to check tension and support before running the full outline
From the comments
- Readers responded positively to the simplicity of the workflow, underscoring that a single-color Redwork outline can be both fast and satisfying when you preview with Stitch Player, export correctly, and match your bobbin thread. hooping stations
Appendix: Micro-Glossary
- Grade A design: A Hatch designation indicating the software can reliably rescale the design beyond typical ±10% limits applied to other imports
- Stitch Player: Hatch simulator that previews stitch sequences before export
- Tear-away stabilizer: A support sheet used during stitching; removed by tearing away gently after the design is complete
- Auto fabric: A setting that adjusts stitch assumptions to suit your chosen material (set to Linen here)