Curved Crosshatch Fill

Curved Crosshatch fills use curving lines in the crosshatch, which can be used to create a feeling of depth. They are used in quilting, and to create free-standing lace.

To show the Curved Crosshatch Fill dialog

Click a curved crosshatch fill area so that the points defining its shape are shown, then Control–click and choose Properties.
Select Curved Crosshatch Fill in the pop-up menu in the the fill area section of the Create toolbar, then click the Options button and select Fill Area and Line from the pop-up menu.

The Curved Crosshatch Fill properties dialog enables you to set the curve, gap, style, line angle, stitch type and stitch length for the curved crosshatched lines of stitching in the fill, and to use Motif lines for the fill.

Style

Select Diamond, Square, Parallel and Enter Angles.

Diamond creates a symmetrical crosshatch pattern (balanced horizontally).
Square creates a crosshatch pattern of lines set at 90 degrees.
Parallel creates a pattern of parallel lines, with an initial angle of 0 degrees.
Enter Angles can be used to create an asymmetrical crosshatch pattern. Set an angle for each of the two line directions in the crosshatch.

Note: The Pattern Fills 257 to 264 provide banded fill patterns that combine with crosshatch parallel fills to create a weave effect. Set Spacing for the parallel fill at 2.4mm to combine with Pattern 257, 2.8mm to combine with Pattern 258, and so on.

Spacing

Set the spacing to the preferred distance between lines of stitching from 1mm to 20mm in steps of 0.1mm. It is initially set to 5mm.

Curved Crosshatch

Use Lines 1 and 2 to change the curve on the crosshatch lines.

Note: You can also change the curves in the crosshatch lines using the handles in the work area.

Lines 1

Change the position of the origin for one of the sets of curved lines.

Set percentage Curve In and Curve Out from -100 to 100. The initial setting for Curve In % and for Curve Out % is 50.

Lines 2

Change the position of the origin for the other set of curved lines.

Set percentage Curve In and Curve Out from -100 to 100. The initial setting for Curve In % and for Curve Out % is 50.

Stitch Type

Select a stitch type for the curved crosshatch fill. Choose from:

Stitch Length

Set the Stitch Length for the line type used in the curved crosshatch fill. You can set the Stitch Length from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. The initial setting is 2.0mm.

Motif

The selected Motif is only used by the Curved Crosshatch Fill if the Motif Line option is selected in the Stitch Type section.

Click Motif to select a motif in the Motif Selection dialog. See Motif Selection.

Minimum Gap

The Minimum Gap is the minimum amount of extra stitching that is placed between the motifs along the line. This is in addition to any spacing that is part of the selected motif.

Kern

Use Kern to automatically increase the space between adjacent motifs where necessary, so that the motifs fit along the line without overlapping.

Fit Motif To Line

Select this option to make the shape of the motifs follow the curves of the line.


When Fit To Line is off, the ends of each motif are placed on the line.	When Fit To Line is on, each motif is adjusted to fit along the line.

Stitch Type

Select Running or Triple stitch for stitching out the motifs. Set the maximum stitch Length from 1 to 12mm in steps of 0.1mm. Length is initially set to the recommended value for each motif.

Curved Crosshatch Fill in a Teardrop

Choose File < New.
Set the hoop size to 100mm x 100mm - Universal Square Hoop 1. See Hoop Selection.
Click Quick Create to open the Quick Create toolbar.
Ensure that the Fill and Line buttons are selected, and that Appliqué is not selected.
In the Fill pop-up menu select Curved Crosshatch Fill, and in the Line menu select Satin Line.
In Options, choose Fill Area and Line to open the Fill Area and Line dialog.
Set Spacing to 3.5mm.
In the Line tab set Width to 1.5mm.
Click OK to close the Fill Area and Line dialog.
In the Shape pop-up menu, choose Shape 77, a teardrop.
Click Shape

. A curved crosshatch fill area appears on the work area in a selection box with blue handles. The crosshatch follows the curves of the shape. It has four pink triangular handles.
Hold down the Option and Shift keys, and drag a corner handle to enlarge the teardrop from the center so that the teardrop is about 80mm high.
Note: Ensure that all of the pink handles are within the hoop.
Control–click outside the selection box, while keeping the teardrop selected, and choose Finish Box Select.

Note: This deselects the Box Select function.

Drag the handle on the bottom left towards the left. One set of crosshatch lines becomes less curved.
Click and drag the handle at the bottom right upwards. The lines become closer together.

Note: The four handles enable you to adjust the curves of the lines in the fill. Use the handles to make the curves in the fill follow the outline of the shape.

Control–click the fill area and choose Properties in the context menu. The Fill Area and Line properties dialog opens.
In Style, select Parallel, then click OK. The fill is now curved parallel lines.

Note: The Style options set the type of parallel or crosshatched fill. Use Angle to set the angle for the lines.

Open the dialog again and select Square, then click OK to return to the original style.
Open the dialog again and set Spacing to 4.0mm, then click OK. The lines are now further apart.

Note: Use Spacing to set the distance between the crosshatch lines.

Open the dialog and in Lines 1 set Curve In and Curve Out to 0%, then click OK. The horizontal hatching in the fill now consists of straight lines. Set the Curves back to 50%.
Note: Setting Lines 2 to 0% as well would form a square grid. Lines 1 and 2 set the initial curve of the lines in the fill. Use the pink handles to adjust the curves within the shape.
In Stitch Type, note that several line types are available. Select Motif Line, then click the Motif button.
Set the Group to Universal and the Category to Hand Stitches 1. Pattern 1, a chain stitch pattern, is selected automatically.
Set the Height to 1.0mm. The Width will automatically change to 2.5mm because Proportional is selected.
Click OK twice. The Curved Crosshatch Fill now uses a motif in the stitch lines.
Adjust the lines in the fill further, as desired.

Note: Use Curved Crosshatch Fill for intersecting patterns and 3D effects.