Short answer: at a sharp corner, satin stitches crowd onto the outside point and pile up into a hard lump. Pick a treatment. Mitre (sharp) keeps a crisp point and suits gentle corners. Rounded turns the satin through a smooth arc. Chamfered (capped) cuts the corner flat so no stitches stack. Apply it only to corners sharper than a threshold (135° by default), and let very acute corners (under 55°) chamfer automatically.
Corners are where digitized satin shows its quality. Run a satin border around a star or a square badge with no corner treatment, and you'll see it: thick knots at every point, stitches poking past the outline, and sometimes thread breaks as the needle hits the same spot again and again.
Why corners pile up
A satin column's stitches run across the column. At a corner the column turns, so the stitches on the outside of the turn have to fan out over a longer edge while those on the inside crowd together. At a sharp corner the inside edge is almost a single point, and dozens of needle drops land there.
The three treatments
| Treatment | What it does | Use it for |
|---|---|---|
| Sharp (mitre) | The two satin legs meet on a diagonal, like a picture frame | Crisp geometric corners that aren't too acute |
| Rounded | The satin turns through an arc | Friendly, soft shapes; script and cartoon outlines |
| Chamfered (cap) | The corner is cut flat and the satin turns across the cut | Very sharp points: stars, arrows, chevrons |
Setting it in EasyDigitizer
Select a drawn shape or line and open the Corners section in Properties:
- Corner style: Sharp (mitre), Rounded or Chamfered (cap).
- Size: how big the treatment is, from 0 to 20 mm. At 0 (auto), it's ¾ of the satin width for rounded corners, ½ for chamfers, and 1 mm on fills.
- Corners under: only corners sharper than this angle are treated (default 135°), so gentle bends stay as drawn.
The treatment is non-destructive. Your nodes stay where you put them, and only the sewn shape changes, so you can switch styles freely. A few safety rules are built in:
- Corners sharper than 55° are always chamfered, even when Rounded is chosen, because an arc that tight would still pile up.
- A treatment never cuts back more than 45 % of either edge, so short edges keep their shape.
- After a chamfer on a satin, the two new corners it creates are softened too.
Corners on fills
Fills have corners too. A tatami fill's rows end at every corner, and very acute points get a crowd of short stitches. Rounding or chamfering a fill's sharpest corners by about 1 mm gives a cleaner edge, especially when a satin border runs around it.
Corners on two-rail columns
Columns are shaped by their rungs, so you control their corners directly. Add a rung at the corner, angled along the bisector of the turn, for a mitre. Fan several rungs around it for a rounded turn. Columns don't use the Corners section.
Choosing quickly
- Stars, arrows, chevrons: chamfer.
- Squares, rectangles, badges: mitre (sharp).
- Hearts, clouds, cartoon outlines, script: rounded.
- Lettering: follow the typeface. Block letters mitre, rounded fonts round, sharp serifs chamfer.
Frequently asked questions
What is a mitre corner in embroidery?
A corner where the satin's two legs meet on a diagonal line, like the corner of a picture frame. It keeps the point crisp.
What is a capped or chamfered corner?
A corner that's cut flat, so the satin turns across a short straight edge instead of meeting at a point. It prevents stitch build-up on sharp angles.
Why are there knots at the corners of my satin border?
The corners are too sharp for a plain mitre. Use a chamfered or rounded corner, or lower the corner threshold so more corners are treated.
Does corner treatment change my artwork shape?
Only the sewn shape. The outline you drew stays as it is, and the treatment is applied when stitches are generated.