Sequin embroidery files: what they contain and which formats carry sequins

What is inside a sequin embroidery file?

In an ordinary file every point is a stitch, a jump, a trim or a color change. A sequin file adds instructions for the sequin device, which is explained in what sequin embroidery is. In digitizing software these are:

• Sequin drops: Wilcom EmbroideryStudio has a Drop Sequin function that places a sequin at the current needle position, described in its help on inserting manual sequin drops.
• Fixing stitches: the running stitches that hold each sequin down. Wilcom builds sequin runs from run stitches with drops along them, and tells digitizers to set a fixed run length that matches the sequin type.
• Device and sequin selection: on a twin device, whether the left or right sequin drops; with several devices, which sequin slot each drop uses.
• Device on and off: the device is lowered for sequin areas and lifted for ordinary embroidery, so the file has to switch cleanly between the two.

Because the file refers to slots rather than to named sequins, it should travel with a sheet that lists which sequin, size and color goes in each slot and position, in the same way a DST travels with a color sheet. Most sequin designs also contain ordinary embroidery, such as outlines and lettering, sewn in a planned order. See trims and stitch sequencing.

Which file formats carry sequin commands?

Wilcom notes that when a design is exported to DST, both Drop Sequin and Drop Bead are replaced by jump codes, and that sequins and beads are encoded the same way in the machine file. So a DST sequin file only works on a machine that reads those codes as sequin commands. The open-source pyembroidery library, which reads and writes many formats, states that DST is the only format it currently supports with sequins.

How is a sequin file set up for a device and sequin size?

1. Choose a sequin-capable machine format. In Wilcom this is done in the machine format settings. If the chosen format has no sequin capability, a sequin object is saved as fixing stitches with no sequin drops.
2. Match the sequin palette to the device. The palette is set up for a single, twin or multi-sequin device. On a twin-sequin machine, each drop is set as the left or right sequin.
3. Map sequins to slots. Wilcom supports up to 8 sequins and 8 beads per design. Some machines offer up to 16 slots per device, and each used slot is mapped to a sequin when the file is saved.
4. Set spacing for the sequin size. The run length between drops is fixed to suit the sequin loaded, so they overlap evenly.

Because of this, a sequin file is not universal. The same artwork for a single 5 mm device and for a twin device with two sizes gives two different files. The machine hub notes that special commands such as sequins do not always survive a conversion; see embroidery machines and formats.

Can a sequin file be converted to another format?

Only with care. Converting between machine formats moves stitches, but each format encodes sequins differently, and a converter that does not understand them turns drops into plain jumps or drops them entirely. Our embroidery file formats guide lists sequins among the machine-specific commands that may not carry over. The safe route is to export the file directly for the target machine from the working file, or have it rebuilt.

The free embroidery file info reader shows the stitch count, jumps, trims, color changes and header of a DST before you load it. For files built for your machine, device and sequin size, see our sequin embroidery digitizing service, and for other techniques, the specialty embroidery guides, including chenille embroidery.

Sources

• Wilcom EmbroideryStudio help: sequin and bead export
• Wilcom EmbroideryStudio help: sequin machine capabilities
• Wilcom EmbroideryStudio help: select a sequin-capable machine
• EduTech wiki: DST embroidery format (sequin mode)
• ZSK: sequin devices (Z00 format for twin sequins)

Sources checked 19 September 2026.