Windstar Embroidery Designs

Frequently Asked Questions

Here you'll find the answers and help to the most frequently asked questions. If your question is not answered here, please contact us and we'll do our best to help.

You must have an embroidery machine or have access to an embroidery machine to utilize our machine embroidery designs.
We sell machine embroidery design files as electronic media (software) only.
We do not sell embroidered "patches" or hard copy patterns.

How to Contact Us


Sign In & Purchasing Questions

I am new here. How do I create an account?
First of all, Welcome and thank you for visiting!
Creating an account is very easy. Click on the 'Sign In' link at the top of the page. Then click the 'Create here to create your account' link.
Or simply click here.
Help! I can't sign in!
First make sure you are entering your Username and Password correctly. Capitals don't matter but spaces and other special characters will cause an error.
If you forgot your Password enter your email address in the form provided on the Sign In page and your UserName and Password will be emailed to you immediately.
Important: If you are certain you have created an account but your email address is not located it means your account information has been deleted. This occurs if an email to the address you provided is returned as undeliverable for any reason. This is to make certain we are in compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
Please create your account again using the email address provided to you by your ISP.
How do I order designs?
Shopping for machine embroidery designs is easy, fun and secure.
Begin shopping by making a selection from the design categories on the menu bar to the left,
OR
enter a keyword into the search box located on every page.
Once you have opened a category or your search results are displayed you can browse thumbnail information of the designs. Click on a thumbnail to open the design's detail page.
The detail page has a larger picture of the design, some interesting information and the design's size, stitch count, colors and price.
Select your desired format and available options (if any) and click the 'Add to Cart' button to place it in your shopping cart.
Because you are signed in you are already at the final step of the secure checkout process: 'Checkout: Step 2 of 2'. Here you can review your information and your purchases. You can also remove items if you want.
When you are finished shopping enter your credit card information and click the 'Place Secure Order' button. Your information is instantly transmitted to Authorize.net for processing and is encrypted using Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology.
Note: We do not store nor have access to your credit card information.
That's all there is to it!
Once your order is successfully processed you will directed to the download page where you can instantly download your designs.
I have a coupon code but forgot to enter it. What do I do now?
Do not download your designs. Then please contact us immediately.
What format should I order?
If you are unsure which format to order for your machine there are four things you can do.
Check your owner's manual.
Call your dealer.
Download our free design in the offered formats and see which one is compatible with your system.
Visit the web site of your machine's manufacturer.
What machine formats do you offer?
We offer our designs in Brother (PES), Tajima (DST), Melco (EXP), Husqvarna/Viking (HUS), Janome (JEF), Pfaff (PCS) and Singer (XXX) formats.
Why is ART format not available?
At this time the only way to convert a design to ART format is with Bernina software. We do not own that software.
However, if you own the Artista program or just about any Bernina software, you can convert a design yourself. Simply open a design in another format, a PES design for instance, and save it as an ART file.
Do your designs come with color change information?
Yes. A thread chart or color change sheet is included for every design order.
How are my designs delivered to me?
After your purchase you will be immediately taken to your download page where you will be able to instantly download your designs to your computer and/or have them emailed to you. Embroidery design files are delivered in compressed (zipped) folders, each folder contains the design and its thread chart.
If you opt to have them emailed to you please ensure that your email program accepts mail with .zip attachments from WindstarEmbroidery.com.
Do you offer instant download of designs?
Yes. After your purchase you will be immediately taken to your download page where you will be able to instantly download your designs to your computer and/or have them emailed to you.
Embroidery design files are delivered in compressed (zipped) folders, each folder contains the design and its thread chart. You will need to decompress (unzip) the folders before you move, view or use your embroidery designs.
My download didn't work. Can I try again?
Yes, you can!
If you are currently signed in hover over "Welcome (Your Name)" at the top right of any page. Click "Order History". On your Order History page click the "View Details" link for the order. If downloads are available, try again. If not, please contact us with the order number.
If you are not signed in, do so. You will then have access to your order history.
How can I save money on my design purchases?
Place an order online. It's really that simple. With your first design order you are automatically enrolled in our Customer Rewards program and are eligible for discounts based upon your previous design purchases. It's a great program! Read all about it here.

Receiving Questions

I lost all my designs! Can I download them again?
For security reasons downloads are limited to three initially. If you are currently signed in hover over "Welcome (Your Name)" at the top right of any page. Click "Order History". On your Order History page click the "View Details" link for the order. If downloads are available you can download your designs again. If not, please contact us with the order number.
If you are not signed in, do so. You will then have access to your order history.
Responsibility for the safe storage of purchases from us rests solely with the purchaser. We strongly recommend that all files be backed up to a safe location, for instance removable media (memory cards or CDs) or to an online backup vendor. Search for "online backup" in any search engine for options.
We are not responsible for replacement of lost designs. We reserve the right to remove designs from our site without prior notice or to charge a fee for replacement.
Help! I downloaded my order but now I can't find my designs! Where are they?
Once you click the download button all control passes to your computer. It is impossible for us to know what location on your computer you selected.
The best thing to do is search for system for .zip folders.
How Do I Download to My iPad (or iPhone)?
Visit this link for complete information on downloading and opening .zip folders: How to Save Zip Files to iPhone or iPad.
Why are the designs zipped and what does that mean?
Zipping (compressing) is way to reduce the size of the package being downloaded or sent to your email address. Though the files inside a zipped folder are compressed, no data is lost or compromised.
Zipping programs add the .zip extension to the file name.
How do I unzip the designs?
All zipped folders need to be unzipped (extracted) before you can do anything at all with them. Unzipping is fast, easy and, best of all, free.
If you are using a Windows PC or a Mac, you already have the ability to unzip (or extract) the files from the zipped folder. Simply right click on the .ZIP folder, hover over "Open with" and select "Windows Explorer" or the equivalent on a Mac.
Then move the folder to wherever you want. When you move it will be an unzipped copy. The file will still be in the original .zip folder.
Be sure to note where you put it.
How do I use the color chart?
Every design order includes a color or thread chart. It contains a great deal of information about the design but the most important is the thread color change list. All you have to do is follow the color order as you embroider your design.
Here's how:
Load the design into your machine and verify that the color changes it displays matches with the color chart.
Thread your machine with the first color and begin stitching.
When the machine stops for a color change, thread the next color and continue embroidering.
Continue this process until the design is complete.
The code number of the thread in the color chart corresponds to the thread brand we specified when we digitized the design. Of course you can use any thread you wish.
If you need to convert or compare the code numbers in the color chart to your brand of thread, check our machine embroidery thread charts.
Can I resize your designs?
No. Our designs are manually digitized for optimal results. Resizing will likely produce a poor embroidery due to changes in density, fills, etc. If you wish to attempt resizing make a copy of the original design for experimentation and be sure to test stitch before embroidering the final piece. We offer no support for resized designs.
Help! I'm getting an 'Unrecognized File Format' Error!
This error occurs with PES files and, depending upon the software you are using to open the design, you get a message saying the file is either corrupt or not an embroidery file. Your program does not recognize it as an embroidery file it can open. Here's why it happens:
We create all our designs with APS-Ethos and then convert them to common machine formats. If you see those errors it means you are using older software.
You have a couple of options.
1. Check with the company that created your software to see if there are updates available. Most updates are free downloads that install easily and quickly. If there are no updates it is probably time for you to purchase a new version or a new program entirely.
2. Download our free design in all the available formats to see which one works best with your system. You may even be able to do your own file conversions to create PES files compatible with your software.
My machine can't see the design!
This usually happens because the designs are still zipped (compressed). Make sure your order is unzipped (extracted) before attempting to open it with your embroidery software or transferring it to your machine.
Another possibility: If the colors specified are white or light tones, your machine may not be displaying them.
Why are the colors in my designs different than those on the web site?
Sometimes the colors of a design on your machine's display screen look pretty weird when compared to the pictures displayed on the web site or to the color chart included with your order. Here's why:
Every embroidery machine has a palette of colors to use and it varies considerably from machine to machine. When you load a design into your machine its little electronic brain looks at the colors in the design. Then it looks at the colors it has in its inventory and comes as close as it can to match them up. Sometimes the result is pretty close, sometimes it's way off. But your machine is proud of its work so don't be too hard on it. Pat it on the head, if you can figure out where the head is, and don't worry.
Ignore the colors on your display screen and follow the thread colors on the thread chart. Thread your machine with the first color on the sheet and begin stitching. When the machine stops for a color change, thread the next color and continue embroidering. Continue this process until the design is complete.
I chose to have my designs emailed to me and they never came. What do I do?
Here are a few things to check:
Look in your junk or bulk mail folder for an email from us. If it is there please set your email filter to accept email from WindstarEmbroidery.com.
Make sure your mail box has sufficient free space. If your box is full your mail server may reject or delay the delivery of your order.
Does your email account accept messages with .zip attachments? Many .gov, .mil and .edu accounts won't reliably accept such attachments. If this is the case sign in to your account and click the "Update Your Account" link. There you can change your email address.
If none of those work, please contact us with the Order ID.
How can I view my account history?
If you are currently signed in hover over "Welcome [Your Name]" at the top right of any page. Click "Order History". On your Order History page click the "View Details" link for the order. If downloads are available you can download your designs again. If not, please contact us with the order number.
If you are not signed in, do so. You will then have access to your order history.

Return & Copyright Questions

What is your return/refund policy?
Due to the electronic nature of embroidery design files (software) there is no refund or exchange. Machine embroidery design files are also non-returnable.
What is your copyright policy?
Under no circumstances is the original or altered design file to be sold, traded or shared in any form. Buying, selling, trading, sharing or transferring copies of our design files is a violation of copyright law.
Windstar Embroidery Designs (WindstarEmbroidery.com) retains the copyright to the original design files. This policy also applies to free designs.
Can I sell items with your designs embroidered on them?
When you purchase our embroidery designs you acquire the right to sew the designs out for personal use. You also have the right to embroidery a design on 50 units for profit or charity. To produce more than 50 units using any design a Commercial Use License is required. Please click the following link for more information: Copyright & Commercial Licensing Information.

Other Questions

What is your privacy policy?
Please click this link to read our privacy and security policy.
This link is also on the footer of every page in the site.
What are your terms and conditions?
Please click this link to read our terms and conditions.
I used to receive emails from you about special sales but no longer get them. Why not?
One of two things occured: An email from us to you bounced or you unsubscribed from our list.
Our email provider has a "one and out" policy to comply with the CAN-SPAM Act of 2003.
We suggest that you update your account with a new email address. It is very easy to do. Sign in to your account then click the "Update Your Account" link.
How do I sign out?
Hover over "Welcome (Your Name)" at the top right of any page. Click "Sign Out". By the way, if you have items in your cart and cannot continue shopping signing out does not empty your cart. When you sign in again your cart contents will still be there so you won't have to start all over.

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