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Fill an area

To fill a closed shape with stitches:

  1. Select the shape with the Select tool (V).
  2. Pick Tatami from the stitch-type picker, either on the essentials bar or in the Properties panel. The picker shows the stitch rather than the word.
  3. Adjust the fill. Angle and Spacing sit right on the essentials bar; the rest is in the Properties panel or the bar's popovers:
    • Angle (°): the direction of the fill rows (default 15°). You can draw it instead of typing it.
    • Row spacing (mm): how close the rows sit (default 0.25 mm). Smaller = denser.
    • Stitch length (mm): length of each stitch along a row (default 4.0 mm).
    • Staggers: how the stitch ends are offset row to row (default 4).

An open shape is closed first and then filled, rather than producing nothing.

Switch the render mode to Stitch to see the result.

Draw the angle​

Next to the Angle field is a picker button. Click it, drag a line across the canvas, and the rows run the way you drew it. Hold Shift for 15° steps, Esc to back out.

Add a pattern​

A tatami fill can carry a tiled motif, so the shape reads as a raised pattern in the stitching. See Add a pattern to a fill.

Underlay​

Leave Edge-walk underlay on (the default) to add a stabilizing running stitch under the fill. Its spacing, stitch length, and inset have their own fields. See Stitch parameters.

If the fill is too large​

A very large or very dense fill can produce an enormous number of stitches. Boldbobbin stops and warns: "This fill is too large (~N stitches). Make the shape smaller or increase its row spacing." Increase Row spacing or shrink the shape. See Design larger than the hoop.

Other fills​

  • For outlines and lines, use Running stitch (with Bean passes for a heavier line, or Passes to run the whole line again).
  • For borders and lettering, use a Satin column: see Create a satin column. A closed shape can also be filled with real satin columns rather than outlined with one: see Inner satin.

The Default fill​

Pick the Pen or Freehand tool with nothing selected and its fill type offers Default, which is the factory setting. Default reads what you drew: an open line becomes a satin column, a closed loop becomes a tatami fill. So you stop picking the same thing every time. Choose one of the three named fills to override it. See Stitch types.