Project settings — Hoop, units, grid and fabric

Where do I find project settings?

Inside the editor, tap the gear icon at the top-right of the top bar. This opens a popover distinct from the app-wide App settings in the Gallery — everything here is saved inside the project file and travels with it, including if you send the .hoop file to someone else.

Where do I change the hoop size?

Right at the top of Project settings: four presets (160×260, 130×180, 100×100, 130×80 mm) plus width/height fields and an Apply button for a custom size. The same preset list appears when you first create a project — this is where you change it afterwards.

How do I rotate the hoop?

The Rotate hoop 90° button, right below the hoop size — tap it repeatedly for successive quarter-turns. A “Rotate design too” toggle next to it decides whether your artwork rotates along with the hoop or stays fixed while just the hoop orientation changes around it.

Where do I switch between mm and inches?

The Display units segmented control (mm / inch) in Project settings. This is a per-project setting, not a global one — each project remembers its own preferred unit. If you’re used to StitchSend or another tool where units are an app-wide preference, this is the one place that’s different: change it here, per project, not in the app settings sheet.

Where’s the grid?

A segmented picker: Off, 5 mm / ¼ in, 10 mm / ½ in, or 25 mm / 1 in. Purely a visual drawing aid on the canvas — it has no effect on the stitched result.

What does “Minimize color changes” do?

When it’s on, StitchPencil batches objects that share a color together in the machine stitch-out sequence wherever it’s safe to do so (i.e. without changing what’s visually on top of what) — fewer thread changes at the machine. It’s an optimization over your drawing order, not a replacement for it; see Layers & sequence for how the actual stitch-out order is shown and can be adjusted by hand.

What does “Cut thread when jumping” do?

A Rarely / Normal / Often segmented control right under “Minimize color changes”. It sets how far the thread is allowed to travel from one object to the next before the machine cuts instead of dragging a connecting thread across.

• Rarely (10 mm) — the fewest machine stops, but longer loose threads to snip by hand once the hoop comes off.
• Normal (6 mm) — the default, and the right answer for most designs.
• Often (3 mm) — the tidiest sew-out, at the cost of more stops and more thread ends to secure.

Whatever you pick, connectors that end up hidden under later stitching are never cut — there is nothing to snip, so there is no reason to stop the machine. If you find yourself trimming a lot of threads by hand, move the control toward Often; if the machine keeps stopping, move it toward Rarely.

What does “Smart satin ends” do?

Applies push/pull compensation at the point where two satin columns join, so the seam doesn’t visibly gap or overlap once the thread has pulled the fabric in during stitching.

What is “Crossing underlay”?

Off by default. When enabled, StitchPencil adds an extra underlay bar specifically where two satin columns cross each other, giving the intersection more stability under the top layer of stitching.

What does “Overlap under covers” do?

A Tight / Normal / Generous control (0.4 / 0.7 / 1.2 mm) sitting under Target fabric, because it describes the cloth rather than any one shape.

It sets how much of a fill Remove overlaps leaves tucked underneath the object covering it. Trim flush and the two edges pull apart on fabric until a gap shows along the seam; leave too much and you sew bulk nobody sees. Softer and stretchier cloth wants more. Normal is what every project used before this control existed, so nothing changes unless you move it.

Unlike its neighbours here, this setting does not regenerate anything on its own — it is read at the moment you run Remove overlaps, and that operation edits the object’s shape. Changing it later cannot un-cut what was already cut.

What does “Target fabric” affect?

A Woven / Knit-Jersey / Fleece-Towel picker. It drives density, underlay choice, and pull compensation throughout the whole project — stretchier fabrics get more underlay and a bit more pull compensation automatically. The same field reappears in the pre-export Fabric Check sheet (see Export) so you can confirm or change it right before sending a file to your machine.