Why does my Machine stitch in a different order than your Instructions

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From time to time, we receive questions about a design stitching in a different sequence than shown in our PDF instructions. While I do occasionally make mistakes (yes — I’m human!), almost all of the time the design file is correct — especially when it has already been stitched successfully by hundreds of people.

In 99% of cases, this issue is caused by:

➡️ The embroidery file being opened or transferred through embroidery software before reaching the machine.

Why Embroidery Software Changes the Stitch Order

Many embroidery programs automatically:

Sort colours
Merge similar colours
Re-sequence steps
Remove or combine stops

These features may be helpful for simple filled designs, but they create problems for:

Appliqué
ITH (In the Hoop) designs
Designs requiring precise stops

When the software modifies the file, your machine may show:

Fewer colour changes
Missing appliqué steps
A different sequence than our instructions
No pauses where cuts or placement steps should be

This is why the stitch-out will not match the PDF.

Recommended:

✔ Transfer the file directly from your computer to your machine without opening it in embroidery software.

This keeps the original stitch order exactly as we created it.

Example: Pumpkin Coaster Issue

We received this message from a customer:

“On step 3 it stitched the white fabric around the whole coaster… and my machine only shows 8 colour steps instead of 10.”

Since hundreds of our Customers had stitched this design correctly, the missing steps immediately suggested that software had merged colours.

In her case, steps 3, 4, and 10 were combined by automatic colour sorting.

Fix:

She turned off Color Sort in her software, and her machine correctly showed all 10 steps.
Transferring directly from her computer may have achieved the same result.