Size & Stitch Count Limitations
All embroidery machines have limitations -- most notably size and stitch count limitations. If you're new to embroidery, you'll need to understand a couple of things before reviewing the chart below. Size of embroidery area (aka "hoop size"): This is the maximum size that your machine can stitch. Imagine that you have a machine that has a 5 x 7 embroidery area. You should order designs that are 5 x 7 or smaller; a design that is 6 x 6 won't fit in your machine's hoop. Some embroiderers will measure the hoop and think that's the size of the machine's embroidery area. But nope, that's not it. Hoops will always be larger than the actual embroidery area. This is because the machine needs extra room to maneuver the needle. Stitch count limitations: Some embroidery machines (most notably BabyLock and Janome brands) have a limit to the number of stitches that the machine can accept. For example, most Janome machines have a limit of 64,000 stitches. Try to load a design that has 65,000 stitches to the machine, and you'll get an error message. Please note that if there is no stitch count listed by your machine in the chart below, that does not mean that your machine doesn't have a stitch count limit. It only means that we don't know what the stitch count limit is. Some embroidery machines only take embroidery cards. Embroidery cards have a limit to how many stitches they can hold. For Brother machines that take cards, the number is around 32,000 stitches. For BabyLock machines that take cards, the number is usually around 50,000 stitches. Multi-Position Hoops: The sizes listed below are for single-position hoops. You might have a Giga Hoop or a Macro Hoop -- but in many cases, the those hoops require split designs, or designs that have been edited. The designs at Embroidery Library are not split for multi-position hoops. Add the Size to Your User Profile: Once you've found the size that your machine can stitch, please add that information to your user profile. After you've done that, if you add a design to your basket that is larger than what your machine can stitch, you'll get a warning message in your basket. That way you can switch it to a smaller size before completing your order. Where There's a Will...: Keep in mind that you can stitch any design on your machine, no matter the size and stitch count. However, if you have designs that exceed your machine's limitations, you'll need to do something special (edit the design) in order to get it to load properly to your machine. You'll find more details about editing below this chart of machines, sizes, and stitch counts:
Machine Name
Size in Millimeters
Size in Inches
Stitch Limits
Babylock EMP and Ellisimo
=200 x 300 mm
≈7 7/8 x 11.75 inches
Babylock Ellegante (BLG)
=180 x 300 mm
≈7 x 11.75 inches
Babylock Ellageo (BLL)
=160 x 260 mm
≈6.2 x 10.2 inches
Babylock Esante (BLN)
Babylock Ellure (ESL, BLR, BLG)
=130 x 180 mm
≈5.1 x 7 inches
Babylock Esante (ESE, ESE2)
50,000 stitches
Babylock Emore (BLMR)
Babylock Esante (ESI, ESI2)
=100 x 100 mm
≈3.9 x 3.9 inches
32,000 stitches
Bernina Artista 730
=145 x 255 mm
≈5.7 x 10 inches
Bernina Artista 630
Bernina Artista 200
Bernina Artista 185
Bernina Artista 180
=155 x 200 mm
≈6.1 x 7.8 inches
65,000 stitches
Bernina Artista 165
Bernina Artista Aurora 440
Bernina (Bernette) Deco 600
=110 x 110 mm
≈4.33 x 4.33 inches
Bernina Deco 330/340
≈140 x 200 mm
=5.5 x 7.9 inches
64,000 stitches
Brother PR-600/Quattro 6000
≈7.8 x 11.8 inches
Brother Duetta 4500
≈7 x 11.8 inches
Brother Innovis 4000
Brother Innovis 2500
≈6 x 10 inches
Brother Innovis 1500
Brother Innovis 1000 & 1200
Brother Innovis 900
Brother ULT
Brother PC-8500
Brother PC-8200
Brother PC-6500
Brother PE 400D
Brother PE 150
Brother SE-270
Brother PE-170
Brother PE-180
Brother PE-700
Elna Xquisit II
=140 x 240 mm
≈5.5 x 9.4 inches
Elna Xperience
=140 x 200 mm
≈5.5 x 7.8 inches
Huskystar EM-10
=100 x 150 mm
≈3.9 x 5.91 inches
Husqvarna/Viking Diamond
=200 x 360 mm
≈7.9 x 14.2 inches
Husqvarna/Viking Designer 1
=150 x 240 mm
≈5.9 x 9.4 inches
Husqvarna/Viking Designer II
Husqvarna/Viking Platinum
Husqvarna/Viking SE
Husqvarna/Viking Rose, Iris, 1+
Husqvarna/Viking Topaz 20
=260 x 200mm
≈10.2 x 7.9 inches
Husqvarna/Viking Topaz 30
=360 x 200mm
≈14.2 x 7.9 inches
Janome MB4
=240 x 200 mm
≈9.4 x 7.9 inches
Janome 11000
=200 x 200 mm
≈7.9 x 7.9 inches
99,000 stitches
Janome 10000
≈5.5 x 7.9 inches
Janome 10001
Janome 300E/350E
Janome 200E
=140 x 140 mm
≈5.5 x 5.5 inches
Janome 9700
Janome 9500
Janome 9000
=90 x 125mm
≈3.5 x 4.9 inches
Janome 5700
28,000 stitches
Kenmore 19000
=88 x 120 mm
Pfaff Creative Vision
≈7.9 x 14.1 inches
Pfaff 7570
=120 x 115 mm
≈4.7 x 4.5 inches
Pfaff 2144/2170
=140 x 225 mm
≈5.5 x 8.8 inches
Singer Quantum XL6000
≈140 x 240 mm
=5.5 x 9.5 inches
Singer Quantum XL5000
Singer Quantum XL1000
Singer Quantum Futura
≈114 x 170 mm
=4.5 x 6.75 inches
White 4400
101.6 x 101.6 mm
= 4 x 4 inches
Getting Around Size Limits: If you want to stitch designs that are larger than your hoop, that's great! There's a great technique called "splitting" -- basically you cut a design into pieces with editing software, then stitch the sections one at a time on your machine, rehooping the fabric to get the sections to line up. If you're looking for software to split designs, we recommend Embird from www.Embird.com. If you'd like someone to edit the designs for you, contact Marian Ecker at www.MurphysDesigns.com. She's a professional editor, and has split hundreds of designs. Getting Around Stitch Count Limits: If you want to stitch designs that have more stitches than what your machine (or card) will allow, you'll need to split the designs by stitch count. This process doesn't require any rehooping at all, but it does require embroidery software. For instructions on how to split by stitch count, click here.