Personalize a Purchased Design in Hatch: Fills, Angles, and Sequence Mastery

Video reference: “Machine Embroidery: From Purchased Design to Personalized Project” by Gentleman Crafter

When time is tight but your creative itch is strong, a purchased design is the perfect springboard. In this walkthrough, you’ll turn an off-the-shelf file into a personal piece using focused fill stitches, smarter angles, and a clean stitch sequence—all inside Hatch.

What you’ll learn

• How to import and lock a purchased design so you can add fills safely

• When to use Tatami, Ripple, or Contour fills—and how to tweak spacing and density

• How to vary stitch angles to control pull and preserve detail

• The right way to order your sequence so outlines stay crisp

Primer: What You’ll Personalize—and When A purchased embroidery file—like the book-and-banner motif showcased here—can be enhanced dramatically with new fills and color adjustments. The core idea is “coloring in” existing outlines using Hatch’s digitizing tools, while keeping the stitch sequence clean and density balanced.

• When this approach shines: You have a solid linework design you love, and you want the look of filled areas—without redrawing from scratch.

• Constraints: The imported file is a “lower grade” object inside Hatch (it was digitized elsewhere). That means avoid big resizes that could compromise stitch quality and alignment.

Quick check - After import, confirm the design opens and displays correctly in Hatch.

Watch out

• Large resizes on lower-grade imports can degrade quality. Keep adjustments modest.

Pro tip - Plan your color story early. Even if you’ll adjust later, a rough palette helps you evaluate fills objectively.

Prep: Files, Tools, and Ground Rules Files and software

• Hatch embroidery software (intermediate familiarity recommended)

• The purchased design file (example: UT73244.PES)

Tools and materials

• Your embroidery machine for stitch-out (example context: a Brother model was used at the end)

• Fabric and embroidery thread in your planned palette

Ground rules for success

• Lock the original design before you add fills to prevent accidental edits.

• Vary stitch angles between adjacent shapes to minimize pull.

• Keep background fills light so the focal motif stays in front visually.

Decision point: hooping strategy

• If you’re adding this workflow to a production routine, consider a stable hooping setup that speeds alignment. For some users, a hoop master embroidery hooping station can streamline repeat placements across blanks without changing the digitizing approach.

Checklist—Prep

• Design file imported; design visible

• Color swatches roughly planned

• Original design locked

• Workspace set for tracing and testing

Setup: Color Plan, Locking, and Working Layers 1) Import and lock

• Import the purchased design into Hatch and lock it. That prevents accidental moves while you digitize fills on top.

2) Color visualization - Adjust colors early to preview how filled sections will read against outlines and one another. This is especially helpful for multi-part banners.

3) Understand the import

• As a lower-grade import, treat the original objects as a reference layer. Build new fill objects as separate items with full control over stitch types, angles, and order.

Checklist—Setup

• Design locked; new objects will sit above it

• Palette set for banners, books, and background

• Sequence tab visible for later reordering

Operation: Step-by-Step Personalization in Hatch Step 1: Digitize banner fills with Tatami

• Select Digitize Closed Shapes.

- Trace each banner segment: left-click for straight nodes, right-click for curves, then press Enter twice to commit.

• Choose Tatami for a solid fill that reads cleanly under the banner outlines.

- Adjust stitch angle on each segment so the flow follows the ribbon direction; vary neighboring angles to reduce pull.

Outcome expectation - The banner shows even coverage with directional flow aligned to each fold.

Quick check

• Toggle the stitches on/off and ensure the fill edges align under the banner outlines without peeking past them.

Step 2: Order the banner sequence - In the Sequence tab, move all gray banner fills first, then white fills, with the dark banner outline last. This keeps outlines sharp and prevents gaps.

Outcome expectation

• The banner will stitch in logical layers: interior fills first, outlines finish.

Pro tip

• Use consistent color naming in Hatch so grouping and reordering are effortless.

Step 3: Build a light, wavy background with Ripple - Start with a freehand closed shape that loosely wraps the design’s silhouette. Initially, a solid fill may look heavy. To lighten, switch to a Ripple stitch for a fabric-like texture that reads as background rather than foreground.

- Reduce density by increasing spacing. Remove underlay and disable “travel on edge” to cut needless thread buildup.

- Duplicate, slightly scale, and mirror a second Ripple shape for visual variety. Adjust colors so they complement but don’t overpower the motif.

Outcome expectation

• Two playful background shapes that add motion without stealing focus.

Watch out

• Jump stitches underneath can appear messy in dense fills. If rerouting start/stop points doesn’t clean them, lighten the fill (as with Ripple and increased spacing).

Step 4: Add a sketched fill to the books with Contour

• Hide background elements temporarily to focus.

- With Digitize Closed Shapes, trace the pile of books as larger blocks, not fussy page-by-page pieces—this keeps the look graphic and intentional.

• Try Contour fill for expressive line variations that read like hand-sketched shading.

- Send the book fills behind the banner fills in sequence so banners stay forward.

Quick check

• Bring background and banners back; confirm edges nest cleanly and no fill intrudes past outlines.

Pro tip

• Mid-trace regret? Tap Backspace to remove nodes one-by-one and tidy your path without starting over.

Step 5: Final adjustments and palette choices

• Unhide everything and review proportions, rotations, and colors.

- Use Stitch Player to verify that sequence and density are sensible and that no area gets overly dense.

- Consider subtle color shifts to highlight features—for instance, altering the top page stack color to separate layers. The final palette here leans antique brown for the books.

Outcome expectation

• Stitch Player shows a clean progression: background → fills → outlines, with stable densities.

Checklist—Operation

• Banner fills digitized and angles varied

• Background uses Ripple with reduced density

• Books filled with Contour for a sketched effect

• Sequence orders interior fills before outlines

• Final colors adjusted after Stitch Player review

Quality Checks: Verify Before You Stitch Sequence sanity

• Fills before outlines; foreground items after background.

Density balance

• Background spacing increased; underlay off where appropriate.

• No cluster of overlapping fills that would create thick, rigid areas.

Angle discipline

• Adjacent areas vary stitch flow to minimize pull and distortion.

Visual audit

• Zoom in around edges; make sure fills tuck neatly under existing outlines.

• Play the simulation from start to finish to confirm no unexpected jumps in critical areas.

Quick check

• If a background area still looks “heavy,” widen spacing or reduce passes. Ripple is forgiving when dialed light.

Pro tip

• Print or screenshot Stitch Player passes for complex projects; notes on sequence decisions help if you revisit the file later.

Note

• If you routinely re-hoop or align repeats, some users prefer a magnetic embroidery frame to speed swaps without changing tension settings. Choose what suits your workflow and fabric stability.

Results & Handoff: Exporting and Stitch-Out What you should have now

• A personalized version of the design featuring: Tatami banner fills, a light Ripple background, and Contour fills for the books—all sequenced to preserve clean outlines.

Stitch-out expectations

• Smooth coverage on the banners with visible directional flow

• A subdued background that adds movement but stays in back

• Book blocks that read as sketched shading

Machine considerations

• This workflow is machine-agnostic. The example was stitched on a Brother model, but the digitizing principles are universal.

From screen to fabric

• Export your machine’s preferred format.

• At the hoop, stabilize appropriately for your base fabric and thread weight.

• Run the design; trim jump threads as needed.

Pro tip

• For beginners setting up their first stitch-outs, a straightforward, reliable machine can ease the learning curve—many start with a capable single-needle before upgrading as projects grow. If you’re exploring options, reviews of an embroidery machine for beginners can help you scope features against budget and space.

Troubleshooting & Recovery Symptom: Wavy background looks cluttered

• Likely cause: Density too high; underlay enabled.

• Fix: Increase spacing, remove underlay, and disable travel on edge for that object.

Symptom: Banner edges don’t look crisp

• Likely cause: Outlines stitched before fills, or fills poking past outlines.

• Fix: Reorder sequence so banner fills stitch first and outlines last; trim or nudge fill edges inside outline paths.

Symptom: Visible pull or distortion across the ribbon

• Likely cause: All fills share the same stitch angle.

• Fix: Vary angles between adjacent banner segments to counter pull.

Symptom: Messy jump stitches in background

• Likely cause: Start/stop points create unavoidable travel under layers.

• Fix: Try a lighter, continuous stitch like Ripple; adjust entry/exit points to reduce jumps.

Symptom: Overly dense page or book areas

• Likely cause: Stacked fills or tight spacing.

• Fix: Reduce density or switch to Contour for lighter coverage; test in Stitch Player.

Quick test

• Toggle each object’s visibility and replay the simulation, isolating which layer creates the issue. Adjust that object’s settings first.

Pro tip

• When running many items back-to-back, some users prefer magnetic hoops for faster swaps; just ensure your fabric and stabilizer are secured evenly to avoid shifting during dense segments.

From the comments

• Community reaction: Viewers praised the design and the clear demonstration. If you found this approach helpful, save your favorite settings (spacing, angles) as notes for repeat use on similar motifs.

Appendix: Extras you may consider

• If your machine is a Brother model, this workflow hands off cleanly; you’ll still benefit from the same density and sequence principles used here. If you’re optimizing your hardware setup, explore whether your model supports a dime snap hoop or other magnetic hoops variants to improve throughput without changing the digitizing process.

• Prefer dedicated hardware? Some users like rugged options such as a magnetic hoop category device or a hoop master embroidery hooping station for consistent placement when stitching multiple blanks.

• The same digitizing sequence applies regardless of brand; whether you run a brother embroidery machine at home or a shop setup, Hatch gives you fine-grained control over fills, angles, and ordering.