CHENILLE DIGITIZING
Chenille Digitizing Services
Chenille embroidery digitizing built from moss and chain stitch for varsity letters, letterman jackets, and mascot logos. Hand-digitized for a chenille head, not guessed by flat-embroidery software.
- $25 Portrait · $60 Full Size
- 1–2 hour rush
- Free unlimited revisions
DEFINITION
What is chenille digitizing?
Chenille digitizing is the process of building a machine embroidery file that uses chenille yarn instead of standard embroidery thread. Chenille creates a raised, fuzzy, high-pile surface, which is why it is the classic look on letterman jackets and school letters.
The file is built from two stitch types: moss stitch, which forms the plush raised pile, and chain stitch, which forms outlines and fine detail. A chenille file does not run on a standard flat embroidery machine. It requires a chenille-capable machine, and the file has to be digitized specifically for that stitch structure. A flat logo file cannot be sewn as chenille, and a chenille file cannot be sewn flat.
PROCESS
How we digitize chenille files
Every chenille file is digitized manually. Chenille cannot be automated, because the digitizer is making decisions no software makes on its own.
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Moss versus chain assignment
We decide which areas are plush moss fill and which are chain-stitch outline or detail. Get this wrong and the design either loses its shape or loses its texture.
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Pile height and density
Moss loop height controls how raised the surface sits and how much yarn the design consumes. We set it for the design and the fabric it runs on.
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Chain-stitch containment
Moss stitch spreads. We outline moss areas with chain stitch to hold their edges clean and carry any fine detail the moss cannot.
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Detail simplification
Chenille cannot reproduce small text or thin lines the way flat embroidery can. We simplify the artwork to what chenille yarn can physically hold, before it reaches the machine, and confirm the change with you.
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Sequencing
We order the moss and chain runs so the machine builds the design cleanly without dragging yarn across finished areas.
You send the artwork, you receive a machine-ready chenille file. You never touch the software.
WHAT YOU RECEIVE
What you receive
You receive a machine-ready chenille embroidery file in the format your machine reads, built with the moss and chain stitch data a chenille head needs.
| Format | Machines |
|---|---|
| DST | Tajima |
| PES | Brother / Babylock |
| JEF | Janome |
| EXP | Melco / Bernina |
| VP3 | Husqvarna Viking / Pfaff |
| XXX | Singer |
| ART | Bernina |
Tell us your machine format at upload and that is what lands in your inbox. Every chenille file includes:
- Revisions
- Free, unlimited, until it sews clean
- First order
- $5 on a simple job, so you can check our quality before you commit
- Payment
- Invoiced on delivery. No upfront payment. Monthly invoicing for repeat customers, volume discounts for shops sending regular work
CONSIDERATIONS
Chenille-specific considerations
Chenille is the least forgiving technique we digitize, and the decisions that make a file good are decisions no competitor publishes.
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Minimum detail size
Moss stitch has a floor on how small it can go. A block varsity letter reproduces perfectly. A thin serif, a tight registration mark, or 6mm text does not. When artwork sits below that floor, we rebuild the detail in chain stitch or advise a size change before we start.
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Backing
Chenille is heavy. It needs a stable base under it. Felt-backed letters and twill are standard, and we build the file assuming the backing the finished piece will use.
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Outline logic
A chain-stitch border around a moss area is a digitizing decision, not decoration. It keeps the pile from blooming past the edge and defines the shape at a distance.
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Mixed moss and chain designs
A mascot with a plush body and outlined features is two stitch systems in one file. We sequence them so neither fights the other on the machine.
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Artwork that works
Bold shapes, clear color breaks, and limited fine detail translate to chenille. Photographic detail and small type do not. We tell you which before you pay, not after.
PRICING & TURNAROUND
Pricing and turnaround
Chenille digitizing is priced flat, by size, with no per-1,000-stitches charge.
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Portrait
$25
A single letter, badge, or small chenille patch file
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Full Size
$60
A jacket-back mascot, large letter set, or event logo
Turnaround
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Rush · 1–2 hours, no additional charge
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Complex · 8 hours
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Complicated jacket backs · 12 hours
Revisions are free and unlimited. You are invoiced on delivery, never before.
Upload your artwork
PROOF
See a chenille file we digitized
We show the original artwork, the digitized chenille file, and the sewn stitch-out, so you can judge the file on the result, not on a promise.
View chenille & appliqué portfolioFAQS
FAQs
Can any embroidery machine sew a chenille file?
No. A chenille file needs a chenille-capable machine or chenille head. It will not run correctly on a standard flat embroidery machine, and a flat file cannot be sewn as chenille.
What file formats do you deliver chenille files in?
We deliver in DST (Tajima), PES (Brother/Babylock), JEF (Janome), EXP (Melco/Bernina), VP3 (Husqvarna Viking/Pfaff), XXX (Singer), and ART (Bernina). Tell us your machine at upload.
Can you digitize small text in chenille?
No, not below chenille’s detail floor. Moss stitch cannot hold thin or small lettering. We rebuild fine detail in chain stitch where possible, or advise a size change first.
Do you charge per 1,000 stitches for chenille?
No. Pricing is flat: $25 Portrait or $60 Full Size by size. There is no stitch-count charge.
How long does a chenille file take?
Rush files return in 1 to 2 hours at no additional charge. Complex files take 8 hours, complicated jacket backs 12 hours.
What is the difference between chenille and 3D puff digitizing?
Both create a raised surface, but they are different techniques. Chenille uses plush chenille yarn built from moss and chain stitch. 3D puff digitizing builds height by stitching standard thread over foam.
Ready to get your chenille file digitized?
- $25 Portrait · $60 Full Size
- 1–2 hour rush
- Free unlimited revisions