Fix Upside-Down Bottom Arc Text in Brother PE-Design: Fit Text to Outline, Then Flip It Correctly

Master Class: Curving Text Under A Circle in Brother PE-Design (The "Zero-Distortion" Method)

Curving text under a circle is one of those “looks easy” digitizing tasks that can quietly wreck a logo if you don’t understand the underlying geometry. In Brother PE-Design (Layout & Editing), bottom-arc text frequently lands upside down or reads backward—even when you follow the manual's placement options to the letter.

For a beginner, this is terrifying. You spend an hour digitizing, the screen looks okay, but the stitch-out is a disaster. For a shop owner, it’s a liability; a misread bottom arc on a batch of 50 hats isn’t just a mistake—it’s a financial loss.

In this "Industry White Paper" style guide, we will move beyond simple steps. We will build the text and path, strip the stitches to create a "ghost guide," apply the Fit Text to Outline function, and correct the orientation using a specific flip sequence. More importantly, we will cover the physical reality of stitching curved text—where hooping, stabilization, and machine choice determine if your letters are crisp or illegible mush.

Setting Up Your Text and Path: The Foundation

Primer: The Physics of Small Text

Before we touch the mouse, understand this: Software perfection does not guarantee a perfect stitch. Small, curved text puts immense stress on fabric.

• The Risk: As the needle creates the satin column of a letter, it pulls the fabric inward (push-pull effect). On a curve, this distortion is amplified.
• The Goal: You will learn to create a text object and a "non-sewing" guide path.
• The Standard: A professional logo has text that follows the arc perfectly without "falling off" the baseline.

Step 1 — Create the Text Object

Do not rush this. Your choice of font determines readability.

1. Activate the Text Tool: Locate the "A" icon on your toolbar.
2. Anchor the Text: Click firmly on the white workspace.
3. Input Data: Type “testing” (or your specific logo text).
4. Generate Stitches: Press Enter or left-click outside the text box.

Sensory Check: You should see the text fill with a simulation of thread texture. If it looks like a wireframe outline, you are in "Outline" mode—switch to "Stitch" view to see the true density.

Step 2 — Draw the Path Shape (The Guide)

1. Select the Shape Tool: Choose the Circle/Oval tool.
2. Draw the Geometry: Click and drag to draw an ellipse below your text. Hold the Shift key if you need a perfect circle.

Checkpoint: You should see a wireframe oval on the canvas. This is currently a "live" object, meaning it has stitch attributes.

Pro Tip: The "Sweet Spot" for Text Size

If your text is smaller than 5mm (0.2 inches) in height, standard 40-weight thread often looks bulky and illegible.

• Beginner Sweet Spot: Keep text above 6mm height for standard 40wt thread.
• Expert Move: If you must go smaller (3-4mm), switch to 60-weight thread and a 65/9 needle. This reduces the physical footprint of the thread, keeping holes crisp.

Preparing the Path: removing Stitch Attributes

This is where 90% of beginners fail. They leave the circle as a sewing object. If you do this, your machine will stitch a heavy satin border under your text, creating a bulletproof lump that breaks needles.

Step 3 — Disable Stitches (Creating the "Ghost Guide")

1. Isolate the Object: Click the oval to select it. You will see the bounding box handles.
2. Kill the Fill: Navigate to Sew Attributes and turn Fill Stitch to "OFF."
3. Kill the Outline: Turn Zigzag Outline to "OFF."

Sensory Verification: The oval creates a visual shift. It changes from a solid shape to a thin, dotted, or faint wireframe line. This confirms it is now just mathematical data—a path for the text to ride on—not a stitching instruction.

Warning: Mechanical Safety Risk
Never assume a shape is "non-sewing" just because it looks thin. Always check your Stitch Order/Sewing Order panel. If the oval appears in the list with a color, it will stitch. A heavy satin border stitching directly underneath small lettering can cause high-density jams, leading to "bird nesting" in the bobbin case or shattered needles flying toward the operator.

Hidden Consumables: The "Invisible" Requirements

Software is only half the battle. To stitch curved text successfully, you need physical stability. Before you proceed, ensure you have these consumables ready:

1. New Needle (75/11 Sharp): Ballpoint needles can deflect on tight curves. Sharps pierce cleanly.
2. Temporary Spray Adhesive (e.g., KK100/505): Vital for floating fabric to prevent shifting.
3. Action-First Prep Checklist:
   • Fabric Check: Is it knit or woven? (Determines stabilizer).
   • Needle Check: Run your finger over the tip. If it catches your skin, throw it away.
   • Thread Check: Ensure the thread path is clear of lint.
   • Bobbin Check: Use a pre-wound bobbin for consistent tension (approx. 18-22g tension).

The Business of Prep: If you are doing hooping for embroidery machine production runs (e.g., 20+ left-chest logos), manual prep is the bottleneck. Inconsistent tension or dull needles create "downtime" where you are fixing machines instead of making money.

Using the 'Fit Text to Outline' Function

Now that we have clean ingredients (text + ghost path), we mix them. This section follows the exact selection and menu flow required by PE-Design logic.

Step 4 — Multi-Selection Protocol

1. Select the Anchor: Click the oval first.
2. Add the Variable: Hold down the Ctrl key.
3. Select the Text: Click the text object.

Visual Check: You must see selection handles (black squares) surrounding both the oval and the text simultaneously. If only one is highlighted, the function will be greyed out.

Step 5 — The Baseline Test (Top Arc)

1. Execute: Click the ABC Fit Text to Outline icon.
2. Settings: Keep defaults (Top / Middle).
3. Confirm: Click OK.

Checkpoint: The text should snap perfectly to the top arc.

Why do this? Even if you want bottom text, always test the top first. It confirms the relationship between path and text is valid. If it fails here, your path is likely not closed or is a complex vector not recognized by the embroidery module.

Troubleshooting: "Where is the button?"

If you cannot find the ABC Fit Text icon, you are likely in the wrong module. Ensure you are in Layout & Editing, not Design Center. Look for text modifications tabs.

The Common Pain Point: The "Upside Down" Bottom Text

When you place text on the bottom arc using the standard menu, the software performs a geometric calculation that often defies human logic. It rotates the text to follow the path's vector direction, which usually results in text that is upside down and reading right-to-left.

Step 6 — The Default Failure

1. Re-open Fit Text to Outline.
2. Select Underneath the line.
3. Check the box for Other Side (to move it inside the circle if desired).
4. Click OK.

The Result: The text moves to the bottom but is functionally illegible.

Psychological Safety: Do not panic. You did not break the software. This is the default mathematical behavior of creating a "hole" in the text path logic.

The Solution: The "Vertical-Horizontal" Mantra

To fix this, we apply a rigid sequence. Memorize this: "Flip V, Then H."

Step 7 — The Correction Sequence

1. Select the Result: Click on your upside-down curved text.
2. Action 1: Click Flip Vertically.
   • Observation: The text is now right-side up, but it reads backward (mirror image).
3. Action 2: Click Flip Horizontally.

Sensory Verification: The text should now "snap" into readability. Read it aloud. Does it flow Left-to-Right naturally?

Expected Outcome: Perfectly oriented, readable text nestled in the bottom arc of your guide.

From Screen to Machine: The Physical "Gap"

You have solved the digital puzzle. Now you face the physical enemy: Distortion. Curved text is unforgiving. If your fabric shifts 1mm, the text looks like a drunk spider walked across the shirt.

The "Hoop Burn" & Stability Crisis

Traditional plastic hoops rely on friction. To hold fabric tight enough for small text, you must tighten the screw significantly. This creates two problems:

1. Hoop Burn: Permanent white rings on delicate items (polos, performance wear).
2. Wrist Fatigue: Trying to hoop thick items (Carhartt jackets) is physically exhausting and slow.

This is where the term magnetic embroidery hoops becomes part of your professional vocabulary. Unlike friction hoops, magnetic systems clamp straight down.

Decision Tree: Choosing Your Setup

Use this logic flow to determine your precise stabilizing strategy.

Start Here: What is the Fabric?

• PATH A: Standard Woven (Twill, Denim, Canvas)
  • Risk: Low.
  • Solution: 1 layer of Tear-away stabilizer.
  • Hoop: Standard Hoop is acceptable. Tension should feel like a "drum skin" when tapped (sharp thud, not a hollow boom).
• PATH B: Stretchy Knit (Polo, T-Shirt, Performance)
  • Risk: High. Stitches pull the fabric in, warping the curve.
  • Solution: 1 layer of Cut-away stabilizer (Mesh or Medium weight). Use spray adhesive to bond fabric to stabilizer.
  • The "Why": Cut-away supports the stitches permanently. Tear-away will leave the text floating on unsupported knit, leading to holes after one wash.
• PATH C: Thick/Hard-to-Hoop (Jackets, Bags, Caps)
  • Risk: "Hoop Popping" (inner ring flying off mid-stitch) or inability to frame.
  • Solution (Level 1): Float the item on adhesive stabilizer.
  • Solution (Level 2 - Tool Upgrade): Use magnetic embroidery hoops. These hold thick seams without forcing you to unscrew the hoop to its limit. They prevent the dreaded "hoop burn" marks that ruin expensive inventory.

The Production Scale-Up

If you are running a single job, manual hooping is fine. However, if you trigger the following criteria:

• Volume: 50+ items per week.
• Pain: Wrist soreness or frustration with re-hooping.
• Bottleneck: The machine is waiting on you.

Then you must consider efficiency tools. Terms like hooping for embroidery machine stations (like the HoopMaster) serve a purpose here—they ensure every left-chest logo lands in the exact same spot. Furthermore, if your single-needle machine is taking 20 minutes per logo due to color changes, this is the trigger point to look at SEWTECH Multi-Needle Machines.

• Single Needle: ~4-5 mins downtime per color change/thread break.
• Multi-Needle: Automates color changes; runs faster; handles caps better.

Warning: Magnetic Field Safety
magnetic embroidery hoops use industrial-grade neodymium magnets. They are incredibly powerful.
* Pinch Hazard: Keep fingers clear of the snapping zone. The closing force can bruise or break skin.
* Medical Safety: Operators with pacemakers or insulin pumps must maintain a safe distance (usually 6-12 inches) as the field can disrupt medical electronics.
* Electronics: Keep away from credit cards and hard drives.

Operation Checklist (The "Pre-Flight" Check)

• Path Hygiene: Is the ghost path definitely non-sewing? (Check stitch simulator).
• Text Density: Is the text density appropriate? (Standard is 4.5-5.0 pts; increase to 4.0 pts for clearer text on knits).
• Underlay: Is Center Run or Edge Run underlay activated? (Crucial for stabilizing the fabric before the satin stitch lands).
• Orientation: Visually confirmed "Flip V -> Flip H" sequence.
• Hooping: Fabric is taut (drum sound) but not stretched (distortion risk).

Troubleshooting: structured Diagnosis

When things go wrong, do not guess. Follow this hierarchy from Low Cost (Consumables) to High Cost (Digitizing/Machine).

Conclusion: The Path to Profitability

You now possess a repeatable, verified method for curving text in Brother PE-Design:

1. Build text and "ghost" path.
2. Fit text to outline.
3. Flip (Vertical then Horizontal) for the bottom arc.

But remember, digitizing is only the blueprint. The house is built on the machine. If you find yourself constantly battling hoop marks, struggling with thick jackets, or losing money on ruined garments, recognize the friction point. It is usually not your skill—it is your toolset. Whether it is upgrading to stronger stabilizers, investing in magnetic embroidery hoops for delicate items, or scaling up to a SEWTECH multi-needle workhorse, the right tool turns a "struggle" into a "standard operating procedure."

You have the knowledge. Now go stitch it perfectly.