Table of Contents
- Primer: What Personalization Achieves (and When to Use It)
- Prep: Files, Workspace, and Assumptions
- Setup: Hoops, Text, and Why Size Choices Matter
- Operation: Add Names, Resize, Reposition — Step by Step
- Quality Checks: What “Good” Looks Like on Screen
- Results & Handoff: Save Clean PES Files for Stitching
- Troubleshooting & Recovery: Fast Fixes for Common Snags
- From the comments: Quick answers to common questions
Video reference: “A Day of Family Fun and Embroidery Design” by Sweet Threads Gifts
Want to turn a cute stock design into a personalized gift that looks bespoke? This guide distills a real-world workflow for adding names in SewWhat-Pro, fitting everything into a 5x7 hoop, and exporting clean PES files for Brother machines—without guesswork.
What you’ll learn
- How to load a base embroidery design and keep it framed to a 5x7 hoop.
- A reliable way to add and resize names so they complement motifs (not crowd them).
- Quick checks to catch hoop overflow, overlaps, and odd scaling before you stitch.
- How to save multiple personalized PES files without overwriting your originals.
Primer: What Personalization Achieves (and When to Use It) Adding names to ready-made motifs turns a generic file into something giftable: birthday tees, celebratory totes, and school gear. You’ll use SewWhat-Pro to place and size text precisely inside a 5x7 hoop view and then export to PES for Brother-compatible machines.
- What you’ll customize: existing PES motifs (e.g., a doughnut, a butterfly with a number, a crown heart) by adding names above/below or around the art.
- When it shines: birthdays, sibling sets, and any occasion where a name elevates a design.
- Skill level: a viewer asked if SewWhat-Pro is easy to learn; a community reply said it’s pretty approachable and there are many tutorials. We’ll hand you a clear path so you can succeed fast.
Quick check - Can you open and view PES files, and do you see a 5x7 hoop outline in SewWhat-Pro? If yes, you’re ready to move on.
Prep: Files, Workspace, and Assumptions You need a tidy digital folder and a clear physical surface. This project was done on a computer with SewWhat-Pro, using pre-made PES design files.
Files on hand
- CA Two Sweet Doughnut 5x7.pes
- CA Team Sweet Doughnut 5x7.pes
- CA Crown Heart 5x7.pes
- Horse-Boy 5x7.pes
- Horse-Boy BB 5x7.pes
- SAJ-N_Upper.PES
Workspace
- Computer with SewWhat-Pro open.
- A comfortable, distraction-light spot for design work. (Snacks optional; the creator’s day also featured a family barbecue spread.)
Assumptions
- You have basic comfort navigating embroidery software (opening files, saving copies).
- You’re working toward a 5x7 hoop target and a PES output for a Brother-compatible machine.
Pro tip
- Before you start, duplicate your original PES files in a “_BASE” folder. All personalization happens on copies only.
Checklist — Prep
- Originals duplicated and safely stored.
- SewWhat-Pro launched and responsive.
- Target hoop identified: 5x7.
- A test name selected (e.g., Brielle, Ellisa, Grace) to verify sizing early.
Setup: Hoops, Text, and Why Size Choices Matter SewWhat-Pro displays your design within a hoop view. Keeping that frame visible helps prevent surprises later.
Hoop view
- Set or confirm the 5x7 hoop view before placing text. This keeps your typography decisions honest.
- Recognize that even tiny changes in text height can push you outside the hoop.
Text style and placement
- Use a legible, motif-friendly font (the example workflow referenced an album of fonts; pick a style that matches the design’s vibe and readability).
- Plan text either above, below, or slightly wrapped around the motif—whichever gives clean negative space without touching design edges.
Watch out
- If the name feels cramped, don’t force it. Slightly reduce text size or nudge placement rather than crowding the motif.
Checklist — Setup
- Hoop view visible and set for 5x7.
- Font chosen with readability in mind.
- A tentative text location planned (above/below the art).
Operation: Add Names, Resize, Reposition — Step by Step This is the core personalization flow that was demonstrated—adding names to multiple designs (doughnut, butterfly number, crown heart) and refining size/position for a balanced look.
1) Open your base design
- In SewWhat-Pro, open CA Two Sweet Doughnut 5x7.pes.
- Confirm the design sits cleanly inside the 5x7 hoop outline. Expected result: motif centered, no overflow.
2) Add a name
- Insert text (example names included: Brielle, Ellisa, Grace, Sister, Karyme, Olga, Nikoletta, Athana, Noyes, NoY). Place it above the motif first to evaluate balance.
- Use consistent capitalization that suits your style and readability.
Quick check - At the default size, is the text fully inside the hoop and visually distinct from the motif? If not, prepare to adjust.
3) Resize the text for balance
- Open the resize controls (e.g., Stretch/Shrink) and scale width/height together for even proportions.
- Make incremental changes: a small nudge often solves crowding without deforming the font.
- Expected result: text shape remains true, spacing feels comfortable.
4) Reposition to avoid overlap
- Drag text slightly up/down until it clears the motif with breathing room.
- If placing below, ensure descenders don’t crash into the motif’s bottom edge.
- Expected result: clear separation, no visual collisions.
5) Re-evaluate hoop boundaries
- With text resized and moved, verify the entire composition remains within the 5x7 hoop.
- If text creeps out of bounds, reduce size or adjust placement.
Watch out
- “Almost inside” is not inside. If part of a letter crosses the hoop boundary, shrink or shift it back—don’t hope it’ll be fine.
6) Repeat on additional designs
- Load another base: a butterfly with a number “3.” Add a name, resize gently, and position above or below for symmetry.
- Load the CA Crown Heart design for another pass at placing names such as Nikolette/Nikoletta.
- Expected result: three polished variations, all hoop-safe.
Decision point
- If a name is unusually long: consider a smaller font size, tighter letter spacing, or splitting into two lines stacked neatly.
- If the design feels text-heavy: abbreviate or opt for a short nickname to keep the motif dominant.
Checklist — Operation
- Text placed and sized with no overlap.
- Hoop boundaries respected after every change.
- Final composition looks balanced at a glance.
Context note
- Community members asked for a SewWhat basics tutorial; this workflow focuses on practical name-adding fundamentals and repeatable checks so you can personalize multiple designs efficiently.
As you plan your physical stitching, some embroiderers like to pair well-sized designs with hardware that simplifies hooping—such as hoop master embroidery hooping station—to speed placement consistency across multiple garments.
Quality Checks: What “Good” Looks Like on Screen Run through these quick validations before saving.
Composition
- No overlap: text sits clearly above or below motif.
- Even margin: similar space left/right; slight bias toward the top can look intentional for badges.
Hoop safety
- Every stitch object (letters included) lands within 5x7 boundaries.
- No letters tangent to edges; add breathing room for fabric shift.
Legibility
- Letters read at the real-world size you intend (avoid micro type). If it’s hard to read on screen at true size, it’ll be harder in thread.
Stitch order preview
- Ensure names stitch at a logical point that won’t be covered by later motif layers.
Quick check
- Zoom out to full hoop view. If your eye first sees a clean motif with a clearly readable name, you’re good to export.
If you’re planning a batch with different names, tools that reduce physical hooping time can help. Many readers talk about magnetic hoops for embroidery as an option when setting up repeat placements, depending on their machine ecosystem and preferences.
Results & Handoff: Save Clean PES Files for Stitching You’ll save a separate PES for each personalized variation to keep your set organized.
Save routine
- File > Save As
- Choose PES (Brother-compatible) and use unique filenames that describe the design and name.
- Save each variation as its own PES (e.g., Doughnut-Brielle-5x7.pes; CrownHeart-Nikoletta-5x7.pes).
Watch out
- Don’t overwrite your base or prior variants. Use a clear naming convention.
Expected output
- Multiple PES files, each containing the base motif plus a properly sized and placed name.
From there, your hooping hardware and machine workflow take over. If you use Brother machines, you may also explore options like magnetic embroidery hoops for brother to streamline setup, or systems such as hoop master station to standardize placement across garments.
Troubleshooting & Recovery: Fast Fixes for Common Snags Symptom: Text overlaps the motif
- Likely cause: Font size too large or vertical position too tight.
- Fix: Reduce text height slightly; reposition upward/downward until clear space appears.
Symptom: Text spills outside the 5x7 hoop
- Likely cause: Incremental resizing pushed letters out of bounds.
- Fix: Reduce size a touch, or split long names across two lines. Re-check edges at full hoop view.
Symptom: The name looks stretched or squashed
- Likely cause: Unequal width/height scaling.
- Fix: Reapply proportional scaling; avoid extreme Stretch/Shrink ratios.
Symptom: File saved but not distinct
- Likely cause: Overwriting a prior variant by mistake.
- Fix: Re-open the last known good state. Save again with a unique, descriptive filename.
Symptom: Crowded design with long names
- Likely cause: Trying to fit too many characters for this hoop size.
- Fix: Use a slightly narrower type, reduce font size in small steps, or adopt a short nickname.
Pro tip
- Build a mini “style guide” for your most-used fonts: preferred size, baseline alignment, and margin targets for quick consistency across orders.
If your future workflow includes cap or thick-garment projects that are tricky to hoop, some embroiderers consider accessories like dime snap hoop or other embroidery hoops magnetic variants (ensure they’re appropriate for your specific machine model and fabric before purchasing).
From the comments: Quick answers to common questions
- Is SewWhat-Pro easy to learn? A community reply said yes—it’s pretty approachable and there are many tutorials; they also offered to help with questions.
- Could we get a basics tutorial? The interest is noted; meanwhile, this guide covers a repeatable method for adding names and verifying hoop fit.
- Recipes too, please? One viewer enjoys videos with recipes. While this article focuses on personalization, the day’s family barbecue energy definitely helped power the creative sprint.
Why the order matters (a short wrap)
- Hoop first: Seeing the 5x7 boundary early makes all subsequent decisions sensible.
- Size second: Typography is the most common cause of overflow—solve it early and gently.
- Position last: Once size is right, small nudges lock in balance.
- Save variants: Cleanly named PES files speed production and avoid redo work.
Planning batch runs later? Users sometimes standardize their physical setup with brother 5x7 hoop or compatible accessories like brother magnetic embroidery frame and magnetic embroidery frame—always confirm fit for your model and fabric.