That sounds like the start of a bad joke, and in many ways it is. While Singer promotes this machine as a tool for quilters, the system is sadly lacking from a quilter’s point of view. Don’t get me wrong, the machine is beautiful and cuts nicely, but the software used to design cuts and operate the machine is another story.
The software used by the machine is mySewNet, available online for free and on a subscription basis. The subscription options are spendy, and at the moment are around $13 for the Silver level, $25 for the gold level, and around $48ish for the Platinum option. That’s per month. I am not sure if that’s in Canadian or US dollars. In order to get some drawing tools you must opt for the Gold level.
There is a Quilting option in mySewNet, but don't get your hopes up. It won't help you use the machine to cut fabric for your project. It will get you started making a simple quilt using the usual methods. The Crafting options is where the cutting lives.
The free crafting option offers some very simple options, shown below. Yeah. Those are the options. So its not even possible to draw a diagonal line.
Right now I want to cut some HSTs and get on with it. Some playing around with the HST shape in the library worked to get me what I need for my next project, so the software meets my needs for the project currently in mind. Eventually I will want to cut custom shapes. They can't be drawn without a subscription to the Gold level software.
My problem with mySewNet is that it looks to be designed primarily for machine embroidery enthusiasts. If you are into designing/modifying your own embroidery files, the subscriptions might well be worth it, but since I have no interest in machine embroidery, it's not for me. Having read the manual, I know that it's possible to upload the SVG (Scalable Vector Graphics) files to the machine. Lots of software exists out there that can be used for creating SVG files. I chose Inkscape, an excellent and free design tool capable of saving SVG files.
After spending about an hour googling some basic drawing tools for Inkscape, I can now define the size of the drawing area, and draw lines in the software. For now, that’s enough, since I want to cut a whack of HSTs for a batik version of Postcard from Sweden.
My next step is to practice using my own SVG generated in Inkscape on some scrap fabric before tackling the project's actual fabric. Probably over the weekend.
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