Lock Stitches are several small stitches sewn to prevent stitching from being pulled out. The term "tie in" refers to lock stitches that are placed at the beginning of an embroidery element to lock the first stitches in to place. The term "tie off" refers to lock stitches at the end of an embroidery element to lock the last stitches in to place. You may select one of the lock options for an element. Click here for the general rules for lock stitches and trims in lettering.
It is a good idea to click the "Auto Lock/Trim" button on the toolbar to update your project view. Especially if you have already set your Lock/Trim settings and then continued digitizing.
Lock Stitch If Connector Greater Than: If this element is greater than the set length from the previous element a "tie off" will be inserted into the previous element and a "tie in" will be inserted into this element. To specify the length, click in the area to the right of this option and enter the length. Lock stitches will also be inserted before and after any trims (includes color changes).
None: No automatic lock stitches will be inserted.
Save As Default: Any time that you change a setting or settings and click the Save As Default button your changes will be saved. Even if you exit out of EDS IV and get back in again, your default settings will be saved.
Tie In: Will only insert a "tie in" in every element.
Tie In & Tie Off: Select to insert a "tie in" and "tie off" in every element.
Tie Off: Will only insert a "tie off" in every element.
Trim If Connector Greater Than: You can click in the box next to this function to have trims inserted when the connector (distance between two elements) is greater than a desired length. A check mark in the box symbolizes that this function is on whereas no check mark symbolizes that this function is off. To specify length, click in the white area next to this function and enter the length.
The Lock/Trim Tab allows you to make lock and trim settings per element including the connector length settings. In the situation where multiple elements are selected:
If the elements do not all have the same lock settings, then the property page will not have any of the choices selected. If you select one, then all of the selected elements will now have that option.
If some of the elements have trim on and others off, the Trim checkbox will show up with a gray check mark.
If the elements do not all have the same connector greater than fields, then a 0 will show.
All of the "Lock Stitch" properties also apply to the individual letters in a lettering element as well. Please consider the following tips when it comes to lettering:
Many alphabets already have (tie off) lock stitches already in them. If lock stitches are turned on through the Lock/Trim properties, existing lock stitches will not be deleted and additional lock stitches may be generated.
When "Trim if connector greater than" is on, it places a trim command at the end of each letter in a lettering element, but trims that are generated through the function will not be displayed in the text box on Lettering Tab.
No trims will be allowed between letters of closest point alphabets.
In order to view actual tie ins / tie offs in your view window, you can save the design as a machine format and then open and look at the expanded stitch view.
Lock Stitches and Trims for Lettering:
When inserting a lock stitch or trim into a lettering element, what happens will depend on if the alphabet is a closest point alphabet or a non-closest point alphabet. Refer to the chart below for help.
|
Lock Stitch Function |
Closest Point Alphabet |
Non-Closest Point Alphabet |
|
Tie In & Tie Off |
A lock stitch will exist at the start of the first letter and the end of the last letter. |
A lock stitch will exist at the start of each letter and at the end of each letter. |
|
Tie In |
A lock stitch will exist at the start of the first letter. |
A lock stitch will exist at the start of each letter. |
|
Tie Off |
A lock stitch will exist at the end of the last letter. |
A lock stitch will exist at the end of each letter. |
|
Add Lock |
There will not be any lock stitches generated, unless there are color changes between letters. |
A lock stitch will exist at the end of any letter and the start of any letter where the distance between those stitches is greater than the user specified length. Also, a lock will exist if there are color changes between letters. |
|
Add Trim |
There will not be any lock stitches generated, unless there is a trim between letters. |
A lock stitch will exist at the end of any letter and the start of any letter where the distance between those stitches is greater than the user specified length. A trim will be added between the letters. |
Any time that you are in a property page, you can click "Apply" after making a change and it will immediately apply your change. The advantage of using "Apply" verses clicking "OK" after a change is that you can apply your changes and still move on to making other changes. Once you click on "OK", your changes will be applied and the property dialogues will close and you will be back at the View Window. You can also click "Cancel" and the property dialogues will close without implementing the last change.