Guided Fill

Description

Generate curved fill using guide lines.

Guided fill with variegated thread

Layered areas using guided fill for a watercolor effect

Guided fill using the buffer method

Creation

• Create a closed path with a fill color. This shape may have holes.
• Create a guide line to define stitch directions:
  • draw a line with a stroke color and without a fill color
  • select that line
  • run Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Edit > Selection to guide line
• Select both and group them together (Ctrl + G).
• Open the params dialog (Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Params) and select Guided fill as the fill method.

Each group is allowed to contain more than one fill object, but only one guide line is effective and will be used to guide all the shapes of the group, guiding each shape with the intersection of the shape and the guide line. In that case, a shape that does not intersect the guide line will be filled with a regular auto fill. The group is also allowed to contain regular stroke objects. On the canvas, a marker allows to distinguish a guide line from a regular stroke.

If the group contains mutliple guide lines, only one is effective. If the guide line is a composite path, only one subpath is used as a guide line. However it is possible to use sinuous guide line , that may even cross the shape border many times.

Filling Strategies

Three filling strategies are allowed for guided fill:

Copy

Copy (the default) will fill the shape with shifted copies of the line. Depending on the guide line, this will produce ovelaps or irregular coverage.

Parallel offset

Parallel offset will ensure that each line is always a consistent distance from its neighbor. Sharp corners may be introduced.

Buffer

This feature will be part of an upcoming Ink/Stitch release. It is not yet integrated in Ink/Stitch.

The buffer mehods uses offsets around the guideline and even allows a guideline to consist out of multiple subpaths.

Set Start and End Point

Set start and end points for autofill objects with Visual commands.

Parameters

Run Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Params to tweak the settings to your needs.

General Settings

Fill stitching

 

Enables or disables fill stitches for the selected object(s)

Fill method

 

Select Guided Fill

Repeats

Bean stitch number of repeats

 

Determines the number of times to repeat each stitch.

• A value of 0 does not repeat the stitch (normal stitch)
  
• A value of 1 repeats each stitch three times (forward, back, forward).
  
• A value of 2 repeats the stitch six times.
  
• By entering multiple numbers, it is possible to define a custom repeat pattern. For instance 0 1 will create alternating single and triple stitches (≡-≡-≡).
  

Stitch length and placement

Stitch length

Running stitch tolerance

 

Determines the acceptable distance from the path. A lower tolerance will bring the stitches closer together. A higher tolerance allows for stitches to be farther away from the path. A higher tolerance may mean sharp corners may be rounded.

Maximum fill stitch length

 

The length of each stitch in a row. “Max” is because a shorter stitch may be used at the start or end of a row.

Randomize stitch length

 

Allows for randomize stitch length.

Random stitch length jitter

 

Only available if Randomize stitch length is selected. Determines the variation in the length of each stitch.

Minimum stitch length

 

Stitches smaller than this value will be removed.
Overwrites the global minimum stitch length setting.

Stitch placement / Pattern

Guided Fill Strategy

 

• Copy( default), top, fill the shape with copies of the guide lines.
  
• Parallel offset, bottom, will ensure that each line is always a consistent distance from its neighbor. Sharp corners may be introduced.
  
• Buffer
  

Stagger rows this many times before repeating

 

Stitches are staggered so that neighboring rows of stitches don’t all fall in the same column (which would create a distracting valley effect).
Setting this dictates the length of the cycle by which successive stitch rows are staggered.
Fractional values are allowed and can have less visible diagonals than integer values.

Size

Expand

 

Expand the shape before fill stitching, to compensate for gaps between shapes.

Density

Spacing between rows

 

Distance between rows of stitches

Skip last stitch in each row

 

The last stitch in each row is quite close to the first stitch in the next row. Skipping it decreases stitch count and density.

Travel stitches

Stitch length

 

Stitch length (in mm) of the underpaths from section to section

Underpath

 

Must be enabled to let running stitches travel inside shape instead of around the border when moving from section to section

Randomizing

Random seed

 

Change the result of random stitches.
If empty, the seed is the element ID.
Re-roll if you are not happy with the result.

Lock stitches

Minimum jump stitch length

 

Shorter distances to the next object will have no lock stitches.
Overwrites the global minimum jump stitch length setting.

Allow lock stitches

 

Enables lock stitches in only desired positions

Force lock stitches

 

If checked, lock stitches are sewn after this element,regardless of the minimum jump stitch length value.

Tack stitch

 

Determines the type of tack stitch.
Tack stitches are small stitches at the beginning of a stitch. They help to secure the beginning of the thread.
Read more

Lock stitch

 

Determines the type of lock stitch.
Lock stitches are small stitches at the end of stitch. They help to secure the end of the thread.
Read more

Commands

Trim After

 

Determines if the thread is trimmed after sewing this object.

Stop After

 

Determines if the machine is stopped after sewing this object. Before stopping it will jump to the stop position (frame out) if defined.

Underlay

Underlay in Guided Fill doesn’t follow the guide line, but uses the fill angle which can be defined in the underlay params.

Sample Files Including Guided Fill Stitches