Params

Extensions > Ink/Stitch > Params opens the params dialog, where you can specify all the details for your stitches.

Stitch Types

Ink/Stitch can produce the following stitch types

Params	Stitch Type	Path Object
Stroke	running stitch, manual stitch, zig-zag stitch, bean stitch	(dashed) stroke
Satin	satin column, e-stitch	two combined strokes (with optional rungs)
Fill	fill stitch	closed path with a fill color

Download this document to examine the settings.

Stroke Params

Settings	Description
Satin stitch along paths	Must be enabled for these settings to take effect.
Manual stitch placement	Enable Manual Stitch Mode
Repeats	◦ Defines how many times to run down and back along the path ◦ Default: 1 (traveling once from the start to the end of the path) ◦ Odd number: stitches will end at the end of the path ◦ Even number: stitching will return to the start of the path
Bean stitch number of repeats	◦ Enable Bean Stitch Mode ◦ Backtrack each stitch this many times. ◦ A value of 1 would triple each stitch (forward, back, forward). ◦ A value of 2 would quintuple each stitch, etc. ◦ Only applies to running stitch.
Running stitch length	Length of stitches in Running Stitch Mode
Zig-Zag spacing (peak-to-peak)	◦ Length of stitches in Zig-Zag Mode ◦ The Height is defined by the stroke width
Allow lock stitches	Enables lock stitches in only desired positions

Info: If an object consists of multiple paths, they will be stitched in order with a jump between each.

Satin Params

Settings		Description
Custom satin column	☑	Must be enabled for these settings to take effect.
“E” stitch		Enables “E” stitch instead of satin. Don’t forget to enlarge the zig-zag spacing for this stitch type.
Maximum stitch length		Stitches wider than this will be split up (split stitches).
Pull compensation		Satin stitches pull the fabric together, resulting in a column narrower than you draw in Inkscape. This setting expands each pair of needle penetrations outward from the center of the satin column. You’ll have to determine experimentally how much compensation you need for your combination of fabric, thread, and stabilizer.
Zig-Zag spacing		the peak-to-peak distance between zig-zags
Allow lock stitches		Enables lock stitches in only desired positions

Info: Ink/Stitch considers each pair of Bezier curves, one at a time. It picks the longest of the two and determines how many zig-zags will be necessary to satisfy the zig-zag spacing setting. This makes it so that the outside of a curve will never have sparse stitching like with simple satin.

However, this does mean that the inside of a curve will have a higher stitch density than you specified. Be careful how you design sharp curves, because stitching at too high a density may poke a hole in the fabric!

Satin Column Underlay

Satin Column also supports three kinds of underlay, of which you can use any or all simultaneously.

Center-Walk Underlay

This is a row of running stitch down the center of the column and back. This may be all you need for thin satin columns. You can also use it as a base for more elaborate underlay.

Settings	Description
Stitch length	Length of stitches (in mm)

Contour Underlay

This is a row of running stitch up one side of the column and back down the other. The rows are set in from the edge of the column by an amount you specify. For small or medium width satin, this may serve well enough by itself.

Settings	Description
Contour underlay inset	Inset to cover the underlay entirely by the top layer. Negative values are possible.
Stitch length	Length of stitches (in mm)

Zig-Zag Underlay

This is essentially a lower-density satin stitch sewn to the end of the column and back to the start. Added with contour underlay, you get the “German Underlay” mentioned in this article. For wide columns or challenging fabrics, you can use all three underlay types together.

Settings	Description
Inset amount	Inset to cover the underlay entirely by the top layer. Negative values are possible.
Zig-Zag spacing	The peak-to-peak distance between zig-zags.
Maximum stitch length		Stitches wider than this will be split up (split stitches).

Auto Fill Params

Settings		Description
Automatically routed fill stitching	☑	Must be enabled for these settings to take effect.
Angle of lines of stitches		The angle of the rows of stitches, in degrees. 0 is horizontal, and the angle increases in a counter-clockwise direction. Negative angles are allowed.
Expand		Expand the shape before fill stitching, to compensate for gaps between shapes.
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.
Spacing between rows		Distance between rows of stitches
Running stitch length		Length of stitches used when moving from section to section
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.
Stagger 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 how many rows apart the stitches will be before they fall in the same column position.
Underpath		Must be enabled to let running stitches travel inside shape instead of around the border when moving from section to section
Allow lock stitches		Enables lock stitches in only desired positions

Auto Fill Underlay

Settings	Description
Underlay	Must be enabled for these settings to take effect.
Fill angle	Defaults to 90 degrees angle to the top layer. It’s the best value for most cases. But sometimes you might want to change your underlay directions. It is also possible to enter a comma separated list to receive multiple underlays.
Inset	Inset to cover the underlay entirely by the top layer. Negative values are possible (usefull for “knockdown” stitches).
Max stitch length	Maximum stitch length. Stitches can be shortened at the start or the end of a row.
Row spacing	Underlay row spacing. Defaults to 3x the spacing of the top layer.
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.
Underpath	Must be enabled to let running stitches travel inside shape instead of around the border when moving from section to section

Manual Fill Params

Settings	Description
Manually routed fill stitching	Must be enabled for these settings to take effect.
Angle of lines of stitches	The angle of the rows of stitches, in degrees. 0 is horizontal, and the angle increases in a counter-clockwise direction. Negative angles are allowed.
Flip fill	The flip option can help you with routing your stitch path. When you enable flip, stitching goes from right-to-left instead of left-to-right. Using flip and rotating 180 additional degrees (by adding or subtracting 180 from angle), you can cause fill stitching for a given shape to start from any of the four possible corners.
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.
Spacing between rows	Distance between rows of stitches.
Stagger row 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 how many rows apart the stitches will be before they fall in the same column position.

Presets

You also have the possibility to save your preferred stitch settings and load them when needed.