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Anatomy of a Design EbookI’m ecstatic about the feedback I’ve gotten on my ebook, Anatomy of a Design: How to Think Like a Digitizer & Become a Better Embroiderer. I’ve gotten a few questions concerning the book so maybe this page will help you. If your question isn’t answered here, let me know and I’ll update this FAQ. -- Lindee Goodall
To view, read, or print the book you need to have Acrobat Reader or some other program that will allow you to open pdf files. To view the embedded videos, you will need to download and install Apple QuickTime for your computer. This software is standard on Macintosh and a Windows version can be downloaded here: https://www.apple.com/downloads/ You do not need to upgrade to the Pro version; the free version is sufficient.
No, but editing or digitizing software is a great tool for
inspecting designs at the level discussed in the book.
The designs available for download via the link in the ebook
are in most common home formats (except art) as well as exp and dst for
commercial machines. All designs will fit within a 5×7 sewing field.
To reduce download time and file size the designs have been
separated from the ebook. To get the designs, simply follow the link,
register with your first name and email and you’ll get a link to the
designs. You’ll then be able to download any formats you need.
By registering, I’ll be able to notify you if there have been
any corrections or updates to either the designs or the ebook. You can
always unsubscribe but then you won’t know, will you? When you do
register, you will get a series of short emails that are designed to
keep you on target with the ebook. These emails don’t go on forever and
if they annoy you, unsubscribe or delete them.
No, PDFs are readable on several OSs and QuickTime runs on
multiple platforms as well.
The ebook has no mechanism in place for preventing opening. If
you can’t open it, make sure you can read other pdf files. If you
can’t, then make sure you have Acrobat installed. Acrobat comes on most
computers these days. If it has been deleted from yours, download and
install a fresh copy here: https://get.adobe.com/reader/
There are “hot links” in primarily in the table of contents
and in the glossary that link to areas within the ebook. For example,
any of the the table of contents entries when clicked will take you
right to that section of the book. Glossary terms that are
cross-referenced will also jump you to the related term. Of course,
these only work in Acrobat. If you print the book, it will act just
like a physical book and you’ll have to find the related information
the old-fashioned way. There are also links to websites mentioned in
the book. These tend to be to just a handful of sites and not visiting
them does not detract from the content in the book.
You do not need an active internet connection to read or print
the book. (Some protected ebooks require an active connection to do
this.) Yes, there are links in the book just as there are in many
physical books these days. If you are viewing the ebook on your
computer and you have a connection to the internet, you can click the
links to go directly to that page. If you are working from the printed
version, you can type in the links. All links are optional and none are
required to use the book effectively.
There are two links to articles on my web site within the
ebook. These articles provide additional information but are somewhat
off-topic from the flow of the book. Since the book was published, I’ve
added more articles to my site that are pertinent to readers of the
book. By linking to these two articles instead of including them, I can
keep the flow of the book moving smoothly and allow you the chance to
see other relevant information. Another reason is that I need to keep
in mind that most people will be printing this ebook; it’s already
slightly over 100 pages. Since the articles are older than the ebook,
it is possible that some readers have already seen them on-line.
I recommend you wait until you’ve been embroidering a bit.
You’ll have your hands full learning about your machine and basic
skills like hooping, stabilizing, needle and thread selection and the
like. Once you’ve mastered the basics and are ready for the next level,
then you’re ready to get the book.
I need to ask you a few questions first. Do you intend to use
software or are you looking for a reason to get software? If the answer
is no, think twice about buying the book. While it may help you
understand and troubleshoot designs that you watch sew, looking at the
design in software will tell you a lot more—even if you never change a
stitch in it. This book is for serious embroiderers who want to raise
their awareness of the entire embroidery process in order to raise
their quality. If you are an occasional embroiderer and you only use a
computer for embroidery to get designs to the machine, then this ebook
is overkill.
If you machine embroider whether as a hobby or as a business
and you are interested in knowing how to optimize your time and your
results, then you are the right person for this ebook. Understanding
how designs are constructed is crucial to making the proper decisions
for fabric and stabilizer. The focus of the book is on how designs are
constructed and what attributes you can measure and verify.
Indirectly. Because I’m a digitizer and I’m explaining a
design from a digitizer’s perspective, you’ll learn about digitizing
but not step-by-step how to digitize.