Digitizing Software
Machine embroidery more...
Overview
Machine embroidery is a term that can be used to describe two different actions.
The first is using a sewing machine to "manually" create (either freehand or with built-in stitches) a design on a piece of fabric or other similar item. The second is to use a specially designed, computerized, embroidery or sewing-embroidery machine to automatically create a design from a pre-made pattern that is inputted into the machine.
With the advent of computerized machine embroidery, the main use of manual machine embroidery is in fiber art and quilting projects. While some still use this type of embroidery to embellish garments, with the ease and decreasing cost of computerized embroidery machine, it is rapidlly falling out of favor.
History
Computerized machine embroidery has rapidly grown in popularity since the late 1990's. As of 2005, the average user can buy a machine and special digitizing program to create their own designs for less than $500 total. Many machine manufacturers sell their own lines of embroidery patterns for those who don't want to create their own. In addition, many individuals and independent companies also sell embroidery designs.
Read more at Wikipedia.org