Mastering Step Fill Density, Length, and Underlay – Levels (Pilot – Operator)

Step fill creates a series of parallel stitch lines that follow the same direction, maintaining continuous stitches at a standard spacing. It is the ideal stitch type for evenly filling large areas in your embroidery designs.

This guide will walk you through how to apply, digitize, and customize Step fills within your eXPerience 8 embroidery software.

Applying Step Fill to an Existing Object

You can easily convert any pre-digitized shape into a Step fill.

1. Select the digitized object on your workspace.
2. Navigate to the Embroidery Properties panel.
3. Choose Step from the available stitch types.

💡 Useful Tip: Once applied, you can easily change the angle of the stitch lines by selecting the Stitch flow tool and adjusting the direction vector.

Digitizing a New Shape with Step Fill

If you want to draw a completely new shape and have it automatically fill with Step stitches:

1. Open the Embroidery Properties panel and select Step before you start drawing.
2. Select your preferred drawing tool to digitize a new shape or insert a ready-made one.
3. When prompted (indicated by the directional icon), define the stitch direction before completing the object creation.

Customizing Step Fill Properties

You can fine-tune your Step fills using the properties menu to perfectly match your fabric. By default, parameters like Density, Length, and Compensation will adjust automatically when you change your chosen fabric type in eXPerience 8. However, you can manually adjust them as needed:

• Density: Defines the distance between two consecutive stitch lines.
  • Lower Density: Creates tighter stitching and fuller coverage. Ideal for heavy fabrics.
  • Higher Density: Provides lighter coverage. Best for lighter, more delicate fabrics.
• Length: Defines the distance between needle penetration points along each row.
  • Shorter Lengths: Creates tighter coverage, perfect for small areas or highly curved shapes.
  • Longer Lengths: Produces a glossier texture but results in looser stitching.
• Compensation: Corrects fabric distortion caused by “pull” during the embroidery process by adjusting how much the Step goes over the initial outline.
  • Lower Compensation: Use for heavy, stable fabrics like denim.
  • Higher Compensation: Use for stretchy or knit fabrics to prevent gaps.

Advanced Settings: Underlay, Overlapping, and Securing Stitches

For optimum embroidery quality, eXPerience 8 offers advanced control over the foundational and finishing stitches of your Step fills.

1. Underlay Settings

Underlay consists of running stitches placed beneath the Step fill to stabilize the fabric and create a base layer. While the software automatically selects the appropriate underlay for your project, you can override this manually:

• Tacking: No underlay is generated. The machine only adds necessary travel stitches to move from point to point.
• Edging: Adds running stitches that follow the shape of the object along the inside edge of the outline.
• Packing: Covers the area with running stitches running perpendicular (vertical) to the direction of the Step fill.
• Netting: Covers the area with a grid of diagonal stitches at 45 and -45 degrees.
• Packing+ / Netting+: Combines the respective underlay style with an additional Edging underlay for maximum stability.

💡 Useful Tip: Underlay stitches are hidden beneath the final fill. To preview your underlay, use the Slow Redraw feature in the software.

2. Overlapping

Objects with complex shapes or specific entry/exit points often require the Step fill to be stitched in separate sections that meet at junctions.

• Default Overlap: Set to 4.
• How it works: This number dictates how many Step rows from one section will overlap with the previous section at their meeting point. This prevents unsightly gaps caused by fabric pull.

3. Fixing and Locking Options

These options control how securing stitches are added at the start (Fixing) and end (Locking) of the object to prevent unravelling.

• Auto (Default): The software intelligently decides if securing stitches are technically necessary based on the object type, stitch density, and overall sequence.
• Always: Forces the software to inevitably add fixing/locking stitches at the start or end of the object.
• Never: Prevents any securing stitches from being added, which forces a soft start/end.