Turn a drawing into an embroidery file
Turn a child's drawing, a sketch or a doodle into stitches. Scan or photograph it, and the lines and colors become running stitches, satin and fills.
Drop your image here
PNG, JPG, WebP or SVG · stays on your device
- Free account and preview
- 9 machine formats
- Runs in your browser
Keeps the hand-drawn look
Lines become running or satin stitches and colored areas become fills, so the result looks like the original drawing.
Cleans up the paper
White paper backgrounds are removed and small specks are cleaned up automatically.
A gift people keep
Stitch it on a pillow, tote, blanket or shirt, in any machine's format.
How to convert your drawing to an embroidery file
It takes about a minute, and you can preview every stitch for free before you download.
- 1
Upload your drawing
Drop the file into the box above or open the digitizer. PNG, JPG, WebP and SVG all work, and a free account is all you need.
- 2
Set the size
Type a width, or pick your hoop from 4×4" to 8×12". The proportions are kept.
- 3
Check colors and stitches
Review the thread colors, the stitch preview and the design check. Switch off any color you don't want stitched.
- 4
Download for your machine
Pick DST, PES, JEF, EXP, VP3, XXX or another format, or download all of them in one ZIP.
Free account · No credit card needed
Common drawing sizes
| Pillow or tote | 6–8 in (150–200 mm) |
|---|---|
| T-shirt front | 8–10 in (200–250 mm) |
| Patch or small gift | 3–4 in (75–100 mm) |
Tips for the best result
- Go over faint pencil lines with a dark marker before scanning, so they're thick enough to stitch.
- Photograph in daylight, straight on, with the paper filling the frame and no shadows.
- Color with markers rather than crayon or colored pencil, whose texture turns into speckles.
More detail in our guide to preparing artwork for embroidery.
Skip the per-design digitizing fee
Digitizing services usually charge for every design and take days to send it back. Here you get the file in seconds and can change it as often as you like.
Embrizo
Instant online digitizing
- Price
- From $8 a month
- Turnaround
- Seconds
- Changes
- Unlimited, instant edits
- File formats
- All 9 machine formats
Digitizing service
A person digitizes each order
- Price
- Typically $10–$50+ per design
- Turnaround
- Usually 1–3 business days
- Changes
- Revisions on request, sometimes extra
- File formats
- Usually the one you order
Desktop software
You digitize by hand
- Price
- Often hundreds of dollars upfront
- Turnaround
- As fast as you can work
- Changes
- Unlimited
- File formats
- Depends on the package
| Compare | EmbrizoInstant online digitizing | Digitizing serviceA person digitizes each order | Desktop softwareYou digitize by hand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | From $8 a month | Typically $10–$50+ per design | Often hundreds of dollars upfront |
| Turnaround | Seconds | Usually 1–3 business days | As fast as you can work |
| Changes | Unlimited, instant edits | Revisions on request, sometimes extra | Unlimited |
| File formats | All 9 machine formats | Usually the one you order | Depends on the package |
Service and software prices are typical ranges, not quotes. See the full comparison
More things you can make
Real designs digitized automatically. Each one opens a page with sizes, tips and a live before-and-after.
StitchedClip art to embroidery fileIcons, cartoons, stickers and mascots.Make yours
StitchedHandwriting to embroidery fileNotes, signatures and family recipes.Make yours
StitchedTeam logo embroidery fileCrests, mascots and club badges for jerseys and bags.Make yours
StitchedPet portrait embroidery fileDogs, cats and other pets as cartoon-style portraits.Make yours
StitchedJacket back embroidery fileLarge back designs for jackets, hoodies and vests.Make yours
StitchedLogo to embroidery fileShirts, caps, uniforms and team wear.Make yours
Free account
Start digitizing in under a minute
Create a free account to digitize any image, try every setting and watch it sew. Choose a plan only when you want to download files.
- Digitize and preview any image
- Realistic stitch preview and sew-out
- Save designs to your library
- No credit card needed
Drawing to embroidery questions
The quickest way to see what it does with your artwork is to try it. With a free account, digitizing and previewing cost nothing and take about a minute.
Can I turn my child's drawing into embroidery?
Yes. Scan or photograph the drawing, upload it to the digitizer and check the stitch preview. Bold marker drawings on white paper give the best results.
Will thin pencil lines show up?
Very thin lines are hard to stitch. Lines need to be at least about 1 mm wide at the final size, so go over them with a marker first or make the design bigger.
What size should the embroidery be?
Bigger is better for drawings: 6 inches or more keeps the small details. Use the hoop presets to fill the largest hoop your machine has.
How much does Embrizo cost?
Digitizing is free. With a free Embrizo account you can upload an image, digitize it, change every setting, watch the stitch preview and sew-out, run the design check and save a PNG preview. Downloading embroidery files such as DST, PES or JEF needs a paid plan: Hobby ($20 a month, 20 design downloads), Shop ($50 a month, 100) or Pro ($100 a month, unlimited). Billed annually, plans start at $8 a month. A design counts once per month however many formats you download, and you can cancel anytime. The pricing page has the details.
Is my image uploaded to a server?
No. Your image is processed entirely on your own device in your web browser and is never uploaded. When you download, only the finished stitch data is sent to create your file. If you save a design, only the finished stitch file, a small preview and its thread colors are stored in your account, never the original image.
Keep going
Related tools and guides
- Free toolHoop size calculatorFind which hoops fit your design and how far to scale it down if it's too big.Open
- Free previewText to embroidery fileType a name or monogram, pick a font and download a ready-to-sew lettering file.Open
- Free toolStitch count & price calculatorEstimate stitches, sew time and price for any design size and coverage.Open
Make your embroidery file now
Sign up free, upload an image and see it stitched in under a minute. Your image stays on your device.