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Bernina Artista Designer for Windows 95 is organised in three sections but all within the one program. Unlike other systems, you never find yourself suddenly confronted with an unfamiliar screen layout. It utilises all the standard facilities of Windows 95.
To begin a design, you will often want to use an image you've scanned in or designed in a paint or draw program. Bernina Artista has a 'Picture' section to allow you to do this. You can also scan directly into the program instead of using different software. Once you have your design, move it to the centre of the hoop, click on the word 'Design' and use the Magic Wand to set the stitches. Wonderful! Then you can manipulate your design as you want. When you've finished, click on 'Artistic View' to see what the final design will look like. In all three displays, both grid and hoop are options - which I found useful.
The Magic Wand is all most people will want to set their design. The only complaint I have is the relatively minor one that if there is an area of free space within your overall design, Design will treat it as an area to be stitched over. However, the software is very powerful and you can digitise the stitches exactly as you want them. Manipulation is possible without restriction and this includes full use of the Windows Copy and Paste features. The edit feature (reshape object) is as powerful as the best in the field and, unusually, you can edit a stitch file. You can change the entire direction of areas of stitch by using an 'elastic' arrow. What wonderful results can be envisaged from this option.
Everything about the software seems to be easier than you think. I found myself trying to 'do things the hard way' and then being pleasantly surprised. For example, selecting outline or fill stitch is a simple click at the bottom of the screen (or wherever you decide to place the Stitch and Colour tool bar). Placing images on the screen is very precise. Lettering is fun and my favourite trick of building a spiral of text worked well and was accurate where placed. You can edit blocks of stitch and 'pull' them in different directions. Fabulous. What's the down side? The on-screen Help isn't (helpful) - it tends to state the obvious.
Sewing machine software is expensive but this version provides facilities to write other sewing machine manufacturers' stitch files: for the Brother Super Galaxie, the Husqvarna Orchidea and the Pfaff Creative (but, surprisingly, not the Janome Memory Craft). It worked well on the tests we ran with the Brother and the Husqvarna. All this makes the Bernina Artista Designer software potentially better value for money, although you may have to buy other manufacturers' dedicated software to get the card writer!
You can download an image directly to the machine or save it to an embroidery card - an extra that enables the extension of design options.
List of stockists from: Bogod Machine Co., 50-52 Great Sutton Street, London EC4 0DJ, tel. 0171-253 1198, fax: 0171 250 0016.
This review is from The World of Embroidery, Volume 49 No.4, ©.
highlights from July 1998 issue