Guides
Machine applique, explained with numbers.
Written by people who digitise and stitch. Each guide states its sources, and the tools on this site use the same constants.
Machines & formats
Janome JEF files explained: colours, hoops, and converting from PES
How JEF stores colours as Janome chart indices, why the machine shows a different thread name, what the hoop flag does, JEF versus JEF+, and converting PES to JEF.
7 min read · updated Oct 20, 2026
Brother PE800, PE535, SE600, SE700: file format, hoop size and applique tips
What the Brother PE800, PE900, PE535, SE600 and SE700 read (.pes, .phc, .dst per the manuals), their 4x4 and 5x7 fields, transfer options, size limits and applique setup.
9 min read · updated Oct 13, 2026
Embroidery file formats explained: PES, DST, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX, HUS and what each one stores
What is inside a stitch file, why DST has no colours, how PES versions differ, what changes when you convert, and which format your machine wants.
5 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Embroidery hoop size chart (mm and inches) and how to check if a design fits
Sewing fields in mm and inches for Brother, Janome, Bernina, Viking, Pfaff, Singer and commercial hoops, the 3 mm clearance rule, and what to do when a design is too big.
8 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Embroidery thread colour conversion: Isacord, Madeira, Sulky, Robison-Anton and Brother charts
How thread colour charts work, why conversions are never exact, what ΔE numbers mean, and how to match a design file or convert a catalogue number across brands.
4 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Which embroidery file format does my machine use? Brand and model table
Brand-by-brand table of native embroidery formats (PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX, DST), what each machine also reads, and its largest hoop, with manufacturer sources.
7 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Design & artwork
Applique letters and monograms: fonts that work, sizes that stitch, frames
Which of the 17 bundled fonts are safest for applique, why script joins into one piece, the 25 mm cap-height floor, classic monogram layout, frames, knockout vs stacked.
10 min read · updated Oct 13, 2026
Preparing artwork for applique: SVG vs PNG, thin details, tips and holes
What traces into a clean applique: SVG vs PNG, minimum feature width against satin width, blunting sharp tips, letters with holes, closing line art, and PNG cleanup.
9 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Cutting machines
Make a cut file from an applique design you already own
Recover the fabric outline from a PES, DST or JEF applique design and write an SVG or DXF cut file: how detection works, manual block choice, allowance, licences.
11 min read · updated Oct 6, 2026
Silhouette Cameo applique for machine embroidery: SVG or DXF, scale and cut
Cut applique fabric on a Silhouette Cameo: which Studio edition opens SVG versus DXF, the 1:1 import check, blade choice for fabric, and fusing before you cut.
9 min read · updated Sep 29, 2026
Brother ScanNCut applique: from SVG to FCM and back to the embroidery machine
Cut applique fabric on a Brother ScanNCut: mm SVG into CanvasWorkspace, save as FCM, when to let an SDX read the PES itself, support sheets, blade depth, alignment.
10 min read · updated Sep 22, 2026
Cricut applique for embroidery machines: cut fabric that matches the stitch line
Cut applique fabric on a Cricut Maker or Explore so it lands inside the satin: SVG sizing in Design Space, mats and blades, fusible backing, order of operations.
11 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Applique basics
Applique cut allowance: how much larger than the placement line to cut the fabric
The number every tutorial leaves out: where the cut allowance comes from, the two ways it fails, an interactive calculator, and why 0.5–0.8 mm beats a fixed 1.5 mm.
6 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Machine applique for beginners: the three stitches, the fabric, and the first stitch-out
How embroidery-machine applique works: placement run, tack-down, satin border, what to buy, how to hoop, pre-cut vs trim-in-hoop, and a first 100 mm heart stitch-out.
9 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Placement, tack-down, satin: how an applique embroidery file is built
The three colour stops in every applique design, what each one does, the stitch settings behind them, and where cut allowance and pull compensation fit in.
6 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
How the stitch-out prediction works, and what it cannot know
What the percentage in the studio means: the satin measurements, the error model and its sources, the pass rule, the Monte Carlo trials, and what the model cannot know.
5 min read · updated Sep 8, 2026
Publishing next
- How to open PES files on Windows, Mac, iPhone and in the browser (free) · Oct 27
- Resizing an embroidery design: what is safe, what breaks, and how to fit a hoop · Nov 3
- Fabric and stabilizer for applique: woven, knit, felt and what pull-in does · Nov 10
- Applique stitch types for embroidery machines: satin, zigzag, blanket, E-stitch, bean · Nov 17
- Applique troubleshooting: fabric showing, raw edge peeking, shifting, puckering, fraying · Nov 24
- Pull compensation on applique satin: why the edge shrinks and how much to add · Dec 1