Mastering SewWhat-Pro: A Complete Beginner’s Workflow for Editing Embroidery Designs

Video reference: “Basic SewWhat-Pro Embroidery Editing Tutorial” by Dani's Daily Deals

If you’ve ever opened an embroidery design and wished you could size it precisely, tame the color list, or add a polished name beneath—this is your roadmap. We’ll walk through a clean SewWhat-Pro workflow that mirrors a real project: a rainbow applique with clouds and a personalized name.

What you’ll learn

• How to open a PES design and place it on the grid with confidence

• Exactly how to resize without distortion (and quickly undo mistakes)

• How to recolor applique outlines/tack-downs and satin arcs for clarity

• How to merge letter files to build a name and connect cursive smoothly

• How to increase satin stitch density for rich, forgiving coverage

Primer: What This Workflow Achieves (and When to Use It) SewWhat-Pro is purpose-built for editing stitch files before you ever hoop fabric. This workflow focuses on beginner-friendly actions: opening a PES, resizing by percentage, normalizing applique colors for visibility, building a name from individual letter files, and thickening satin stitches so your text pops. It’s ideal when you want creative control beyond your machine’s on-screen editing.

• When to use it: Anytime you need to adjust design size to a hoop, unify thread colors for a clearer stitch plan, or add personalized text.

• What you’ll produce: A refined project file with aligned color steps, correct hoop orientation, and text sized/densified for a professional finish. embroidery machine for beginners

Quick check

• Can you open your design and see it on the grid? If yes, you’re ready to proceed.

From the comments

• Embrilliance is available for Windows as well, not only for Mac (clarified by a community member). Use the editor you’re most comfortable with for your OS.

Prep: Tools, Files, and Fast Housekeeping You’ll need:

• Computer with SewWhat-Pro installed

• A PES embroidery design (example: rainbow with clouds)

• Optional: Individual letter PES files for the name you’ll add

• A basic understanding of your embroidery machine’s flow (hooping, applique placement, tack-down, trimming)

Housekeeping that speeds you up:

• Organize design and letter files into clearly named folders (the tutorial’s letter files lived under a custom “True Fonts” folder). hooping station for embroidery

• Consider disabling SewWhat-Pro’s startup tips if they distract you; you can always re-enable later.

Watch out

• Make sure you’re opening stitch files compatible with your machine (e.g., PES for many Brother models). If you pick the wrong format, the file won’t load as expected.

Prep checklist

• SewWhat-Pro launches without errors

• Your PES design and letter files are easy to find

• Startup tips preference set how you like (on or off)

Setup: Hoops, View, and Safe Resizing Rules Set the stage before editing:

• Open your base design: File > Open and choose your PES.

- Drag the design near the top-middle of the grid so you can visualize space for text underneath.

Safe resizing (the golden rule):

• Don’t drag the design’s corner boxes to resize; that risks distortion.

- Instead, use Tools > Resize Pattern and enter matching percentages for width and height (e.g., 50% to shrink, 150% to enlarge). Undo if the result doesn’t fit your plan.

Why this matters: Percentage-based resizing preserves aspect ratio and stitch relationships better than manual stretching.

Quick check

• The design is visible, positioned on the grid, and you understand where your text will go.

Setup checklist

• Hoop size and orientation in mind for later

• You know where to place text in relation to the design

• You know to resize via Tools > Resize Pattern, not drag handles

Operation: Edit Your Design Step by Step Step 1 — Load and position the base design

• Open your PES. Place the design near the top-middle to reserve space below for a name. This makes alignment easier later.

Expected result: The rainbow-and-clouds design sits on the grid with room underneath for text.

Step 2 — Resize with precision

• Use Tools > Resize Pattern.

• Example: Shrink to 50% (width and height) to see how it behaves. Undo. Then try 150% for a big view. Undo again to restore.

Watch out

• Typing different percentages for width vs. height will stretch the artwork—keep them identical unless you intend to skew.

Step 3 — Normalize applique colors for clarity Many applique sets ship with a designer’s default color logic (the rainbow example used red for placement and black for tack-down).

• Change placement/outline to a high-contrast color (the tutorial used Prussian Blue).

• Change tack-down to another contrasting neutral (the tutorial used Warm Gray).

- Apply these choices consistently across every applique segment so the color sequence on your machine screen is crystal clear.

Why it matters: High-contrast, consistent colors make it obvious when to place fabric, tack, and trim—especially on machines with color displays. brother embroidery machine

Pro tip

• Use colors that stand out on your machine’s monitor even if they don’t match final thread. Your on-screen plan is a roadmap; accuracy beats aesthetics at this stage.

Step 4 — Choose satin stitch colors for the arcs (and plan clouds)

• For the rainbow arcs, the tutorial demonstrates a simple primary scheme: red, yellow, blue.

- Keep clouds gray in software for visibility, but stitch them in white (the tutorial notes white glitter is a pretty choice in the final).

Decision point

• If you prefer primaries, stick with red/yellow/blue.

• If you want a softer palette, choose cohesive alternates (e.g., pinks/purples). Consistency in software helps you follow along later.

Step 5 — Confirm hoop size and orientation - Open Hoop Properties and confirm the hoop you’ll actually use. The tutorial references a 5x7-class hoop (5.12 x 7.09 in) and its rotated orientation (7.09 x 5.12 in).

Quick check

• Does the placed design (plus planned text) fit within the active hoop? If not, adjust placement or resize the elements.

Watch out

• Forgetting to confirm hoop orientation can cause elements to exceed boundaries. Re-verify fit after changing orientation.

Step 6 — Add a name (merge letters) The tutorial builds a name by merging individual letter PES files.

• File > Merge and navigate to your font folder (e.g., “True Fonts”).

- Insert letters one at a time (start with the uppercase initial if that’s your style). Place the first letter on a grid line to anchor alignment.

- Continue merging the remaining letters, placing them so cursive connections will meet cleanly.

From the comments

• A helpful suggestion: use the Lettering icon tab so the font’s letters appear in a right-side panel; this can reduce repeated file browsing while you add characters.

• On BX fonts: the creator noted their machine doesn’t support BX; if yours doesn’t either, merging letters individually is the practical route.

Pro tip

• Use grid lines and zoom liberally while aligning cursive joins. It’s easier to nudge letters now than to fix gaps after stitching.

Step 7 — Resize the name so letters connect cleanly

• Select all letters of the name.

• Tools > Resize Pattern and enter a modest bump (the example uses 125%).

- Re-check each cursive join and micro-adjust placement if needed.

Quick check

• Are all cursive connections touching without overlap? If anything collides or floats, undo and nudge.

Step 8 — Increase satin density for a richer finish

• Select the name.

- Open the density controls (Stitch Density and Pull Compensation) and raise the density factor slightly (the example uses 1.30) for fuller coverage.

Why it matters: Slightly thicker satin stitches better conceal minor fabric show-through and add polish to letter edges. magnetic embroidery hoop

Watch out

• Too high a density can cause puckering or breakage. Start small, preview, and test on scrap if you’re unsure.

Operation checklist

• Base design placed high enough to leave text room

• Applique steps recolored consistently (e.g., Prussian Blue + Warm Gray)

• Rainbow arcs set to your chosen palette; clouds left gray for visibility

• Hoop size/orientation confirmed and design fits comfortably

• Name merged, aligned, and connected; resized for clean joins

• Satin density increased moderately (e.g., 1.30)

Quality Checks: What “Good” Looks Like at Each Milestone 1) Placement and fit

• The rainbow sits high; the name fits below without crossing hoop boundaries.

2) Applique color logic

• Placement and tack-down colors are consistent across steps so your machine’s screen sequence is easy to follow.

3) Cursive alignment

• Each letter connects without gaps or heavy overlaps. If letters collide, reduce size or shift slightly.

4) Satin density preview

• Letters appear fuller in preview. If it looks jam-packed, reduce the factor a bit.

Quick check

• Do a mental “stitch walk” through the color order: placement > tack > trim > satin. If anything seems out of sequence, re-check the color list.

Results & Handoff: Saving, Color Lists, and Next Steps

• Save your edited PES under a new filename so your original remains intact.

• Keep a simple notes file alongside your PES with three essentials: hoop size/orientation, placement/tack-down color choices, and final density factor.

• If you’re tempted to prepare elements in a non-embroidery app (like a cutting program), note the community reminder: Cricut software doesn’t transfer to embroidery machines as stitching. Use dedicated embroidery editors for stitch files. magnetic hoops for brother

Heading to the machine

• The recolored steps should make applique placement/tack-down obvious.

• Trim carefully after tack-downs; return the hoop and proceed to satin stitches.

• Because the clouds were gray in software for visibility, remember to thread white at the machine if you want white clouds. magnetic hoops for babylock embroidery machines

Pro tip

• If you often stitch on the same hoop size, save a “template” project with hoop properties pre-set and a sample baseline text layer you can swap out quickly. magnetic embroidery hoops

Troubleshooting & Recovery: Quick Fixes for Common Snags Symptom: The design looks stretched after resizing.

• Likely cause: Width and height percentages didn’t match.

• Fix: Undo, then use Tools > Resize Pattern with identical width/height values.

Symptom: Colors on the machine screen are hard to distinguish.

• Likely cause: Low-contrast placement/tack-down colors in your file.

• Fix: Reassign to high-contrast colors (e.g., dark blue for placement, warm gray for tack-down) and keep them consistent throughout.

Symptom: Letters don’t connect cleanly in cursive.

• Likely cause: The text is a bit small or letters are misaligned.

• Fix: Select all letters, resize by a modest amount (e.g., 125%), then micro-nudge. Use grid lines.

Symptom: Satin stitches look too thin.

• Likely cause: Density factor too low for your fabric or thread.

• Fix: Increase density slightly (e.g., 1.30). Test on scrap if uncertain. brother 5x7 magnetic hoop

Symptom: I want to add letters faster than merging files over and over.

• Community tip: Use the Lettering icon tab so the right panel displays the font’s character set and recent files—this can streamline letter selection.

Unanswered but commonly asked

• “Can I enlarge letters to 5 inches? Is the program expensive?” No definitive answer provided in the source materials. Try incremental resizing and verify fit in Hoop Properties; check the publisher’s site for pricing.

• “Can I create full fill areas for patches via Add Border?” The creator didn’t provide an answer in the source thread.

From the comments: Helpful clarifications and pro tips

• Startup tips: Yes, you can turn them off if they get in the way.

• Platform choice: Embrilliance runs on Windows too; pick what fits your workflow best.

• Cricut vs. embroidery: Cutting software doesn’t produce stitch files for embroidery machines—stick with dedicated embroidery editors.

• BX fonts: If your machine or workflow doesn’t support them, merging letters one-by-one is a reliable alternative. magnetic hoops for embroidery

Final thoughts With a few disciplined habits—precise resizing, consistent color logic, careful text alignment, and a modest density boost—you’ll produce cleaner, easier-to-stitch files. This workflow favors clarity and control so you spend less time redoing and more time stitching a finish you’re proud of.