SVG to JEF
Turn SVG into a stitch-ready JEF file for Janome and Elna — free, in the browser, nothing to install.
Convert now — no account neededWhat to know about starting from SVG
SVG is the ideal starting point. It is already made of shapes with exact edges and flat colour regions, which is the same thing a stitch file is made of — there is no pixel guessing in between.
SVG to JEF specifically
Vector edges plus Janome's hoop field. The geometry converts about as well as it can, so the thing to get right is the size: JEF records the intended hoop, and a Janome will decline a design that does not match the hoop it has. Decide the finished width against a hoop you own before you export.
How to convert SVG to JEF
- Upload your SVG. Nothing much. Flatten any live text to paths if your editor offers it, and make sure gradients and blur effects are simplified, because thread has no way to fade.
- Set the finished size. Work in millimetres and set it before you judge anything else — every decision about detail depends on how big the design will be. Detail that survives at 150mm disappears at 60mm.
- Reduce the colours. Each colour is a thread change on the machine. Pick the fewest that still read as your artwork.
- Check the preview, then export as JEF. The stitch preview plays the design in the order the machine will sew it, so you can catch problems before there is thread in the hoop.
About the JEF format
JEF is the native format for Janome and Elna. JEF stores thread colours and also records which hoop the design is meant for, so it is worth picking the right hoop size at export rather than letting the machine complain about it later.
What makes the difference to the result
Digitizing is not tracing. The converter decides how each region gets filled, which direction the stitches run, where the underlay goes and how much to compensate for the fabric pulling the design in as it sews. Those decisions are what separate a design that stitches cleanly from one that puckers, gaps at the edges or takes twice as long as it should.
- Size before everything. A shape narrower than about 1.2mm cannot be stitched as its own satin column; it has to be widened or dropped.
- Fewer colours, better result. Every extra colour is a thread change, a trim and a chance for registration to drift.
- Flat beats subtle. Gradients, glows and soft shadows have no equivalent in thread and become banding.
- Check the stitch order. The simulator plays it back so you can see the sequence before you sew it.
Common questions
Is converting from SVG really better than from PNG?
Yes, measurably. An SVG is already closed shapes with exact edges, which is what a stitch region is, so no edge has to be inferred from pixels. Flatten live text to paths first, and simplify any gradient or blur — thread cannot fade.
Why did my Janome refuse the design?
Usually the hoop. JEF records which hoop a design expects, and Janome machines decline anything that does not match the hoop they think is attached. Set the finished size against a hoop you actually own before exporting.
Does JEF store thread colours?
Yes, as an index into Janome's own thread chart rather than as an RGB value. Each colour you choose is matched to the nearest thread Janome sells, and if two of your colours would land on the same entry, one is pushed to its next-nearest so the two stay distinct.
JEF or SEW for a Janome?
JEF unless the machine cannot read it. SEW is the older format from the Memory Craft 5700, 8000 and 9000 era and caps at twelve thread colours; JEF has no colour ceiling and records hoop information.
Is it free?
Yes, to start. A free account converts up to three designs a day at up to three thread colours and three inches, with every export format available. Premium lifts the colour and size limits and raises the daily allowance.
Related converters
Already have an embroidery file in the wrong format? That is a different job — no digitizing needed, just a re-encode. Use the embroidery file converter. Working with text rather than artwork? Browse the embroidery fonts.