Table of Contents
Video reference: “Hatch Embroidery 3 - Cross Stitch” by GentlemanCrafter
Design a crisp, geometric Bargello in Hatch’s Cross Stitch add-on and take it straight to your machine—without guesswork. This guide turns a short demo into a complete, repeatable workflow you’ll use again and again.
What you’ll learn
- How to configure thread charts, fabric count, hoop size, and grid for cross-stitch plotting in Hatch
- The exact plotting method for a simple Bargello and how to duplicate it fast with Rubber Stamp
- Why to save as EMX first, then insert back into Hatch for cleanup and export
- How to preview your sequence and stitch the design on a Brother machine with predictable results
What is the Hatch Embroidery Cross Stitch Add-on? Overview of Features The Cross Stitch add-on for Hatch Embroidery 3 opens in a separate window from your main workspace. It provides manual plotting tools (Pencil), flexible selection (Polygon and Auto-Select), and a Rubber Stamp tool for rapid duplication. It also lets you set thread color charts, fabric count, hoop size, and grid spacing to match your fabric.
Why Use Cross Stitch in Machine Embroidery? Cross stitch offers a familiar handwork look with machine precision. In this workflow, you’ll design a simple Bargello motif and then repeat it quickly, ensuring consistent geometry and clean stitching. The software’s sequencing—especially when left as generated—helps your machine run the motif with minimal stops.
Pro tip Trust the stitch order created by the Cross Stitch module. Re-sequencing later can break the logic that makes the design stitch efficiently.
Setting Up Your Cross Stitch Design in Hatch Choosing Thread Colors and Fabric Count
- Thread colors: Assign thread charts and pick your colors before plotting. In the example, red, orange, and yellow are used.
- Fabric count: Set to 18 stitches per inch. A smaller count number yields a larger physical design, but the number of stitches remains the same.
Quick check If you change fabric count, the stitch count stays constant. Your design only grows or shrinks physically on fabric.
Configuring Hoop Size and Grid Settings
- Hoop size: Choose your hoop (e.g., 100x100mm). You must set hoop size each time you open the Cross Stitch add-on; it does not persist between sessions.
- Grid: Set the grid spacing to match the fabric count (18). This keeps plotting aligned to your intended fabric scale.
Watch out Forgetting to set the hoop in a new session can push parts of your design outside the stitchable area.
Prep checklist
- Hatch Embroidery 3 installed with the Cross Stitch add-on
- Fabric count decided (e.g., 18) and matching grid spacing
- Hoop selected for the project (e.g., 100x100mm)
- Color choices set in Thread Colors
Designing Your Bargello Pattern Plotting Individual Stitches Manually 1) Switch to design view. If you’re not tracing a picture, turn Picture off and ensure the grid is visible. 2) Select Pencil, choose your first color (e.g., red), and plot by clicking then dragging to place stitch runs. For a simple Bargello rhythm, draw a count of five in one direction, then mirror on the opposite side to form a zigzag block.
3) Add additional colors (e.g., orange, then yellow) to build layered rows of the motif. If you misplace a stitch, right-click to delete just that stitch.
Outcome expectation You should now see a small, multi-color Bargello segment—a unit you’ll replicate across the hoop.
Pro tip Use short zoom-and-pan moves while plotting. Clean edges on this first unit will pay off when you duplicate it many times.
Efficient Pattern Repetition with the Rubber Stamp Tool 1) Select the entire Bargello unit. Use Polygon to draw a box around it and press Enter to confirm the selection. 2) Click Rubber Stamp. Your selection attaches to the cursor—click to place copies across the width of the hoop.
3) To repeat downward: Select the full row, press Enter, then Rubber Stamp to place additional rows vertically until the hoop area is filled. 4) For small misses, Auto-Select a single component and stamp it into gaps—or switch back to Pencil for one-off fixes.
Quick check Scan for consistent color order and equal spacing between repeated units. If a duplicate is misaligned, delete and stamp again.
Operation checklist
- First Bargello unit plotted cleanly
- Entire unit selected accurately before stamping
- Horizontal row alignment verified, then vertical rows placed
- Gaps filled using Auto-Select or Pencil
Finalizing Your Design for Embroidery Saving and Exporting Your EMX File - Save early: Save to EMX with a meaningful name (e.g., Bargello). EMX is the native format for the Cross Stitch add-on.
- Exit the add-on after saving.
Importing into Hatch and Preparing for Stitching
- In Hatch: Insert Design, choose your EMX, and open. You may see a notice that the design isn’t a “grade A or B” object. That’s expected—avoid major resizing and keep it at the design size.
- Clean up: Ungroup if needed and delete any stray elements that came along with stamping.
- Center: Use Center All so the design sits in your hoop and workspace correctly.
- Preview: Run Stitch Player to confirm the sequence and color changes.
Watch out Do not re-sequence the cross-stitch design after import. The generated order is optimized—changing it can cause unexpected travel or stitch artifacts.
Setup checklist
- EMX saved and re-opened inside Hatch
- Stray elements removed; design centered
- Stitch Player confirms expected sequencing and color order
Embroidering Your Cross Stitch Design Machine Setup and Threading
- Export the design in your machine’s format (e.g., PES) and transfer it to your machine.
- Hoop your fabric, load the design, and start stitching. The demo moves from red to subsequent colors in a clean progression.
- Continue through each color change until complete.
Tips for Optimal Stitching Results
- Keep confidence in the generated sequence from the Cross Stitch module—it produces very precise stitching when left intact.
- Remove any on-screen clutter before export; only the intended design should stitch.
Pro tip If you routinely align geometric patterns, a dedicated hooping aid can reduce rehooping errors and speed repeat jobs. hoop master embroidery hooping station
Decision point
- If your design fits within your chosen hoop and you’ve kept the EMX at design size, proceed to stitch.
- If you must change size, keep adjustments modest to preserve stitch quality.
Outcome expectation Your machine runs the pattern in neat, regular cross-stitches with clean color transitions and a balanced fill across the hoop.
Quality Checks At key milestones, confirm the following:
- After plotting one unit: Edges are square to the grid; colors appear in the intended order.
- After stamping across: Adjacent copies align perfectly; no overlaps or gaps.
- After stamping down: Rows tile evenly; corners meet without offsets.
- In Stitch Player: Sequence flows logically; color order matches your plan; no stray stitches.
- On machine: First color lays down cleanly without jumps; subsequent colors fill predictable areas.
Quick check When the first color completes, pause and verify coverage and alignment. If it looks crisp, the rest generally follows suit.
Results & Handoff Deliverables
- Design file: EMX (authoring format from the Cross Stitch add-on)
- Machine file: PES (exported in Hatch and stitched on a Brother)
- Physical output: A finished Bargello cross-stitch on fabric, centered and evenly tiled.
Handoff steps 1) Archive your EMX and PES together so the design and its stitchable version stay linked. 2) Note your fabric count and hoop size in the filename or a text note—especially helpful when you revisit the project or share it.
Pro tip If you refine the Bargello base unit later, keep a “master EMX” and clone versions for variations. That way, you never overwrite a reliable base.
Troubleshooting & Recovery Symptom: Misaligned duplicates after Rubber Stamp
- Likely cause: The initial selection missed a stitch or you clicked slightly off-grid when placing copies.
- Fix: Delete the misaligned copy, re-select using Polygon (or Auto-Select for a sub-part), and re-stamp carefully.
Symptom: Blank slivers or tiny gaps between rows
- Likely cause: Vertical stamping didn’t land exactly on the grid.
- Fix: Use Auto-Select to grab a single component and stamp it into the gap, or patch with Pencil.
Symptom: Extra artifacts after import into Hatch
- Likely cause: Residuals from prolific stamping.
- Fix: Ungroup, select the artifacts, and delete. Re-center and re-run Stitch Player.
Symptom: Stitching stops or backtracks unexpectedly
- Likely cause: Manual re-sequencing broke the optimized order.
- Fix: Revert to the original sequencing from the Cross Stitch add-on. Re-export if needed.
Quick isolation test Open Stitch Player and watch the first 10–20 seconds. If the pathing is smooth and color order matches your plan, the rest is typically sound.
From the comments Viewers responded positively to the clarity of this approach. While there weren’t specific questions to address, the overall takeaway echoed this guide’s emphasis: keep the workflow simple, trust the generated sequence, and the results will be crisp.
Appendix: Practical gear note
- When you scale up similar projects or repeat-hoop, consider tools that streamline alignment and fabric handling. For example, a hooping station for embroidery can standardize placement, and magnetic embroidery hoops can help speed rehooping on compatible machines.
- If you run a Brother setup and prefer magnetic frames, look for options labeled for your model, such as a brother magnetic embroidery hoop or a magnetic hoop for brother.
- This Bargello was stitched on a Brother machine; the same workflow applies broadly after export. If you’re shopping or comparing ecosystems, “brother embroidery machine” is a useful search anchor. Many embroiderers use at least one magnetic embroidery hoop for quick fabric swaps, especially on repeat patterns.
Figure guide
- FIG-01: Hatch home screen
- FIG-02: Accessing the Cross Stitch add-on
- FIG-03: Thread color setup
- FIG-04: Fabric count dialog
- FIG-05: Hoop selection and grid match
- FIG-06–07: Manual plotting with Pencil and choosing colors
- FIG-08: Saving EMX
- FIG-09–10: Rubber Stamp across and down
- FIG-11–12: Insert EMX and preview
- FIG-13–15: Machine stitching and finish