DST Color Sequence Sheet
Drop a stitch file to get the thread sequence sheet an operator works from.
The sheet lists every color block in the order the machine sews it, with the stitches in each block, the nearest Madeira and Isacord thread, and how much thread it needs. A DST or EXP stores only the points where the machine stops, so the colors start as placeholders and you set them. A PES or JEF stores its own thread list, so the sheet arrives already filled in with the colors the file was saved with. Everything is read on your device and nothing is uploaded.
How the sheet is built
The sheet is read out of the stitch data itself, not from anything typed in. The reader walks every record in the file in order. A color change record closes the current block and opens the next, so the blocks come out in exactly the order the machine will sew them, and the needle penetrations in between are that block's stitch count.
That order cannot be rearranged. It is fixed inside the file, which is why the sheet is numbered rather than sorted: block three is always sewn third.
Thread is estimated from the stitch count using Madeira's published figures, about 5 m of top thread and 3 to 3.5 m of bobbin thread per 1,000 standard-length stitches. For a 12,000 stitch design that is about 60 m of top thread and 36 m of bobbin across the whole design, split between the blocks in proportion to their stitches.
Thread matching uses CIEDE2000, which compares two colors the way the eye does rather than by raw RGB distance, and reports how far apart they are. The badge on each match is that distance: under 1 reads as the same color, under 3 is very close, under 6 is close.
Making a sequence sheet (step by step)
- Add the file. Drop a .dst, .pes, .exp or .jef file on the drop zone. It is read in your browser and never uploaded.
- Read the run order. Every color block is listed in the order the machine sews it, with the stitches in that block.
- Set the colors. A PES or JEF already knows its colors. For a DST or EXP, click each swatch and set the thread you are actually using.
- Check the thread numbers. Each color gets the nearest Madeira Polyneon and Isacord shade from our reference chart, plus a Pantone reference.
- Check the thread you need. Top and bobbin thread are estimated per block from the stitch count, so you can see which cone runs out first.
- Print or copy the sheet. Print it for the machine, or copy it as text to paste into a works order or an email.
What each column means
| Column | What it is |
|---|---|
| # | The position in the run order. The machine sews block 1 first and stops for a thread change before each following block. |
| Thread | The color for that block. Editable, because a DST or EXP does not store one. A PES or JEF arrives with the color the file was saved with. |
| Madeira Polyneon / Isacord | The nearest shade in our reference chart of about 50 shades each, with a badge for how close the match is. Check against the manufacturer's card before ordering. |
| Pantone | The nearest Pantone reference, for matching the thread to a brand color rather than to another thread. |
| Stitches | Needle penetrations in that block. Jumps and the color change itself are not counted, so the blocks add up to the design's stitch count, not the file's record count. |
| Share | That block as a percentage of the design. Useful for spotting the color that will empty a cone first. |
| Top / Bobbin | Estimated thread for one garment, from the stitch count. Multiply by the run for an order, or use the thread consumption calculator for cones and bobbins. |
Limits and caveats
- The thread figures are estimates. Madeira's 5 m per 1,000 stitches is an average over standard-length stitches. Long fill stitches use less per thousand and dense small satin uses more, so treat the numbers as a guide for ordering rather than a measurement.
- The chart is compact, not a full color card. About 50 shades each for Madeira Polyneon and Isacord, plus about 50 Pantone references, stored with approximate screen colors. The codes have not been checked against the manufacturers' current cards, and where a code cannot be shown reliably the match gives the shade name only.
- Screen color is not thread color. A swatch on a monitor and a cone under shop lighting will not agree. Use the sheet to get close, then confirm against a physical card.
- A DST stores no colors. Anything the sheet shows for a DST or EXP is what you set, not what the file knows. See what a DST file contains.
- PES colors are the nearest Brother thread. The reader decodes the PEC palette, which is a fixed list of 64. JEF thread numbers are Janome's own range. Both are what the file stores, which is not always what the digitizer intended.
- Stops are not always color changes. Some files use a stop for an applique placement or a trim rather than a new thread. Those appear here as a block, because that is what the file says.
Color sequence FAQ
Where the figures come from
- Madeira: thread consumption, about 5 m of top thread per 1,000 stitches
- Madeira UK: bobbins and underthread, about 3 m per 1,000 stitches
- EduTech wiki: Embroidery format DST (color change records, 3-byte records)
- pyembroidery: the format descriptions the DST, PES, EXP and JEF readers follow
- CIE: CIEDE2000 color difference formula, used to rank the thread matches
The stitch readers are shared with our embroidery file info reader and follow the public format descriptions used by the open-source pyembroidery library. Checked 24 September 2026.
Related free tools
Want the sequence right in the file?
Hand digitized by the PlixaLabs digitizing team, digitizing since 2015, and checked by a second digitizer. Flat price per design, set by complexity: see the price list. Standard turnaround 4–8 hours, 24/7.