Digitizing Concentric Shapes

Digitizing can be tricky, especially when you are trying to achieve extremely crisp, consistently sized shapes. I am currently working on a series of Zodiac designs that require me to perfectly outline a shape multiple times, so I decided to make a video about how to do it quickly. No more inserting a million holes to get that bullseye effect!

Some additional information:

While the video only shows you have to use the tools, when using this technique you will want to consider pathing, sew order, and overlap. Generally it’s a good idea to sew from the center out, so your inner shape will sew first, and then the next ring, and the next, etc. If you have small shapes you can get around this by using a global underlay to secure your fabric ground, and then digitize everything on top.

For larger and more complex shapes you might consider following the same steps as in the video, but set your Subtract tool to leave 0pts of underlap. This will give you independent crisp shapes you can reorder into your ideal stitch order, and then add offset outline to the shapes that need it.

Play around with the tools and see what you come up with!

-Austin P.