Luggage Tag

Luggage Tag

Creating a diamond luggage tag with Sue O’Very

Lesson twelve demonstrates how to:
  • Use the Magic Wand and Knife Tool
  • Deactivate Proportional Scaling
  • Align several objects
  • Embroider an in the hoop design
Download reference fileEmbroidery instructions

In the Hoop Project: Creating a Luggage Tag with Sue O’Very

Today I'm teaching you how fast and easy it is to digitize an In the Hoop Luggage Tag. Since you will be essentially “Sewing” the tag inside the embroidery hoop, it is important to know when to tell your machine to start, stop, and what materials need to be stitched at the proper time.

In this lesson you will learn to digitize a Diamond Tag and how to stitch it out.

Let's have some fun!

Red highlighted words 
They mark a function which is shown in the picture with a red circle.
The circle is sometimes very small, so keep looking for it! 
 

Luggage Tag Reference

Luggage Tag Reference

In this exercise, you will be digitizing a diamond by importing a basic shape.

You can download Sue's original design as a BERNINA Embroidery Software 9 art-file. The art-file can't be used on your embroidery machine. You need to export it on a USB-stick or via the WiFi-Device as a machine file in order to stitch it out. Check Lesson one if you need a reminder how to export a design to your machine.

Download Original

This design will consist of seven (7) stitch sequences: 

#1  - Single outline stitch of the Diamond Shape (the Placement Stitch)
#2  - Single outline stitch of the Diamond Shape (the Secure Stitch)
#3  - Single outline stitch of the open rectangle (the Placement Stitch for the ID card)
#4  - Triple outline stitch of the open rectangle (the Secure stitch for vinyl)
#5  - Decorative stitch of the open rectangle (the Decorative stitch for the vinyl)
#6  - Triple outline stitch of the Diamond Shape  (the Construction Stitch for the front and back)
#7  - Triple outline circle for the eyelet
 
You can use the same color thread for the entire design if you like. Since the machine is color blind, it doesn’t care what color thread we put on the machine, however we need the machine to stop in between the steps. The only way to make this happen is to change the colors for each step. That is why when digitizing it is more important to refer to the different colors as “Stitch Sequences” rather than colors.
 

From the beginning

From the beginning

Open BERNINA Embroidery Software 9 and switch to "Embroidery Canvas". Change the hoop size to the BERNINA Medium Hoop, 130 x 100. I demonstrated how to change the hoop size in lessons 1-4 if you need a reminder of the detailed process.

Import a Basic Shape

Import a Basic Shape

Select the Auto-Digitize Toolbox and choose Insert Artwork. Navigate to the location of the artwork. Follow the path:

C:\Users> Public> Public Pictures> BERNINA 9 Pictures> Artwork> 02 Basic shapes.

Select the Diamond shape, Shape 12 and click Open.

Resize the image to fill the hoop. Hold the "Shift" key on your keyboard and click and drag the upper right control point (black square) until the diamond shape fills the hoop. Release the mouse to set the shape.

Digitizing the Outline

Digitizing the Outline

Select the Magic Wand Centerline in the Auto-Digitize Toolbox. Click on the Diamond clipart which opens the Prepare Bitmap screen. Press OK.

Zoom into the image using your mouse wheel (or use the zoom tools in the top toolbar on the right) and place the cursor on the black outline around the image. You will see red cross-hatches around the outline. Click to set the stitches. 

Press the key "Esc" to deactivate the Magic Wand Centerline tool, then select the outline you just created. Change the color to #1, Blue.

This will be stitch sequence #1, a single outline stitch, you will stitch this on the stabilizer directly to show placement for the main material.

Select a corner of the white area of the image and press Delete to remove the background picture.

Activate Show Objects in Color Film. Select the outlined diamond and select Copy and Paste so that there are two blue single outline stitches in Color Film.   

While stitch #2 is selected, (the second blue diamond), change it to red. Now you have one single outline stitch in blue and one single outline stitch in red.

Creating the ID card holder

Creating the ID card holder

Now an ID card holder will be created. Select the Digitizing Toolbox and select the Rectangle tool, the Single Outline, and Color #3.

Draw a rectangle inside the diamond by clicking in the upper left area inside the diamond and dragging to the lower right. Click to set the diamond. Press "Esc" to deactivate the rectangle tool.

Select the green rectangle and deactivate Proportional Scaling. Change the dimensions in the Transform Toolbar to 2” in Width and 1.25” in Height. Press the key "Enter" to activate the change.  

If needed, move the rectangle closer to the top of the diamond. Press "Ctrl + A" to select all objects and in the Arrange Toolbox, select Align Centers Vertically. Deselect by pressing "Esc".

The Knife Tool

The Knife Tool

In order to insert a card, an opening will be created in the right side of the rectangle. Select the rectangle in Color Film and open the Edit Toolbox and select the Knife. The outline turns pink. Left click inside the top right side of the rectangle and then outside the top right, left click just below the lower right side of the rectangle, and finally inside the lower right side of the rectangle.

Press "Enter" to set the cut. In Color Film, you will now see the green rectangle is in two parts, the right line and the rest of the rectangle. Select only the right line and delete it leaving the two diamonds and the open rectangle.  

Select the edited green rectangle. Select Copy; then Paste. Change the Outline stitch to Triple outline and color #4.

While the yellow copy is selected, click on Copy and Paste. Change the yellow copy to Color #7. Select Blackwork outline.

Select Object Properties; Open the Outline tab. Click on Select.

In the dialog box that opens, select pattern B0060Aa.

Change the Size to 0.2 and the spacing to 0.2. Press OK. 

There are now three open rectangles in Color Film: Stitch sequence #3 the green single outline, #4 the yellow triple outline, and #5 the Blackwork outline.

Select the first diamond in Color Film. Select Copy; then Paste. This will place a blue single outline at the bottom. Change it to Color #8 and select the Triple outline in the Stitch Toolbar. This will be stitch sequence #6.

The last and final stitch sequence, #7, will be a small triple outline circle which will be the eyelet. To create this circle, open the Digitize Toolbox and select the Ellipse tool. Select the Triple outline and Color #9.

Click on the left side of the diamond shape and drag until the circle is the right size.  

Click again and press "Enter" to set an even circle.

Press "Esc" to deactivate the Ellipse tool and reposition the circle if needed.

Open the Menu "File"
> Save as "Luggage Tag".
> Send the design to your machine by exporting to a USB stick with Card/Machine Write or via WiFi with Send to BERNINA WiFi Device.

Time to embroider the Luggage Tag

Preparations

Preparations

  • Use a Top Stitch 80/12 needle with matching thread on the top and in the bobbin.
  • Cut two pieces of cork or vinyl material 5” square, one for the front and one for the back and a piece of clear vinyl 3” x 2-1/2”.
  • Hoop one piece of Medium Weight Tear-Away stabilizer.

Start the Embroidery

Start the Embroidery

Sew stitch #1, the single outline stitch directly onto the stabilizer, this will show where to place the cork.

Place the front piece of cork right side up over stitch #1 and secure with OESD Embroidery Tape Tear Away.

Sew stitch #2, the secure stitch. This will hold the cork to the stabilizer.

Sew stitch #3, the open rectangle ID single outline stitch.

Place the clear vinyl over the open rectangle aligning one short edge of the clear vinyl with the open part of the rectangle. Tape along the top and bottom.

Sew stitch #4, the triple outline rectangle.

Once finished stitching remove the hoop from the machine. Do not remove the project from the hoop and place on a flat surface. Use 4.5” Duckbill Applique Scissors to cut as close to the top, left, and bottom vinyl sides of the triple outline as possible without cutting the stitching.

Insert hoop into machine and sew stitch #5, the decorative stitch.

Remove the hoop from the machine and turn the hoop to the wrong side facing up.

Cover the back stitching with the second piece of cork, right side facing up and tape along the top and bottom.

Insert the hoop into the machine and sew the diamond triple outline, stitch #6 and then the eyelet placement stitch, stitch #7.

Once stitching is finished, remove the hoop from the machine and the materials from the hoop. Remove the Tear-Away stabilizer carefully holding the stitches while tearing away.

Cut around the outside of the stitching about ⅛” but do not cut the stitching.

Cut the eyelet open with a small pair of scissors or a hole punch tool and feed a ribbon inside forming a loop.

Finished!

Finished!

Cut a small piece of paper to fit inside the tag, write your name or message on it, and slip it into the clear vinyl ID slot. Great job!

This was the last Skillbuilder Lesson for the BERNINA Embroidery Software 9! You can always revisit the lessons if you are unsure of a step.

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