What is a tatami stitch?
Tatami is the everyday fill stitch of machine embroidery. The EduTech Wiki's page on tatami fill patterns describes it as an area where the threads are stitched in parallel lines. The machine sews one row across the shape, turns, and sews the next row back, covering the area like rows of bricks.
It is used where a satin stitch would be too wide: backgrounds, large letters, big shapes in a logo. Compared with satin it lies flatter, shines less and holds up better on wide areas, because no single stitch is long. How to decide between the two is covered in satin stitch vs fill stitch.
Which tatami settings matter?
Every digitizing program exposes the same core settings, under slightly different names. The starting values below are the defaults Wilcom gives in its guide to satin and tatami stitches; digitizers then adjust them for the fabric, thread and shape.
| Setting | What it controls | Wilcom default |
|---|---|---|
| Spacing | Distance between rows, which sets density | 0.38 mm |
| Stitch length | Longest stitch in each row | 4 mm |
| Offset fraction | How far each row's needle points shift from the row before | 0.25 |
| Angle | Direction the rows run across the shape | Set per object |
Spacing is the setting that most changes how the fill feels and how many stitches it takes. It is explained in full on our embroidery density page. Rows near the edge of a shape may be shorter than the set length; Ink/Stitch notes that a shorter stitch may be used at the start or end of a row.
How do tatami patterns and offsets work?
If every row put its needle points in the same place, the points would form straight grooves across the fill. The Ink/Stitch fill stitch documentation calls this a distracting valley effect, and staggers the rows so neighboring rows do not fall in the same column.
Commercial software does the same with an offset setting. A 0.25 offset shifts each row by a quarter of the stitch length, so the pattern only repeats every four rows. EduTech Wiki lists the most basic Hatch pattern as four repeated lines with a 25% offset, which gives the smooth, even surface most logos need.
Changing the offsets deliberately creates texture: diagonal lines, weaves and other decorative patterns formed by the needle points. Wilcom's help on other tatami settings also describes a random factor, which removes the split line patterns of regular needle penetrations by scattering stitches inside the shape.
A fill that shows a clean diagonal texture on purpose is a pattern choice. A fill with one or two stray grooves, or gaps between rows, usually points to offsets, spacing or a fabric that pulled apart, and is worth checking before a production run.
How is the tatami stitch angle chosen?
The angle is the direction the rows run. Ink/Stitch measures it in degrees, with 0 as horizontal. A digitizer chooses it for three reasons:
- Pull: a fill pulls the fabric in along the direction of its stitches, so the angle decides which way the shape narrows. That is why fills need pull compensation set along the right direction.
- Light: thread reflects light differently at different angles. Two touching fills at different angles read as separate shapes even in the same color.
- Shape: the angle can follow the direction of the shape, and curved shapes can use contour or turning fills that bend with it.
What goes under a tatami fill?
Almost every tatami fill sits on a fill underlay: a light, widely spaced layer sewn at an angle to the top rows, so the two layers cross and hold the fabric flat. Ink/Stitch enables fill underlay by default. The types and settings are covered on our embroidery underlay page.
Where a fill starts and ends also matters. Ink/Stitch starts a fill as close as possible to the previous object and ends it near the next one, which cuts down on jumps and trims between objects. You can watch a fill's angle and start point sew stitch by stitch in our free DST file viewer.
Before a production run, a quick check of the fills catches most problems:
- The rows run at the angle you expect, and touching fills that should read as separate shapes use different angles.
- Each fill starts near the object before it, rather than after a long jump across the design.
- The fill underlay sews first and sits inside the shape's edge.
- The fill edges tuck under their outlines, with no gap left for the fabric to show through.
Every file we make is hand digitized, with tatami angles, offsets and underlay chosen per object, and checked by a second digitizer. For logos with large fills, see our logo digitizing service, or browse the other digitizing techniques.
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Sources
- Ink/Stitch: tatami stitch (fill stitch) parameters
- Wilcom: mastering satin stitch and tatami stitch (tatami defaults)
- Wilcom EmbroideryStudio help: other tatami settings (offsets, random factor)
- EduTech Wiki: tatami embroidery fill patterns
Sources checked 19 September 2026.