brother's artspira app expands crafting to the digital realm

Artspira – a digital canvas for creation

Brother – the sewing, embroidery, quilting and craft giant known for their technically-robust and reliable sewing machines – has expanded into the digital realm with its latest creative tool, Artspira. This cloud based digital design app, designed for use on smartphones, gives embroiderers and crafters the tools, patterns and inspiration to design on-the-go.

Brother’s Artspira app open new creative horizons with digital design tools and online creative community

all images courtesy of Brother

over 100 years of Brother’s innovation

Over the past 100 years, Brother has become known for its high-quality, affordable sewing machines and for leading the way when it comes to producing innovative crafting technology that lasts. From perfecting mass production in 1932 to the release of its electronic machine in 1976 and launching the world’s first sewing machine with in-built camera and projector, the company has shown a commitment to continually advancing what’s possible in the crafting industries.

With Brother at their side, creators can realize advanced sewing, embroidery, quilting, GTX garment printing, crafting, paper cutting, fabric printing, and label making projects within their own homes and businesses. To maximize the value and lifespan of their equipment, the multi-disciplinary Brother LTV (Long Term Value) team uses their over 100 years of home craft knowledge, combined with real world research to develop creative solutions crafters and designers actually want.

the Artspira app pairs wirelessly with Brother’s ScanNCut DX and wireless-enabled embroidery machines for even more creative possibilities

Crafting, Customization without a computer

This end-user orientated approach led to the inception and creation of Artspira (download here) – a platform aimed at supporting the design needs of brother’s diverse, global crafting community. Launched in 2022, mainly in the USA and Europe, the Artspira app unlocks new artistic avenues for users of all skill levels. Crafters, from those taking their first steps to seasoned artisans, can now benefit from this easy-to-use mobile platform designed for Brother embroidery and ScanNCut users, breaking new ground in an embroidery industry previously dominated by desktop-based design software.

Using the Artspira app, users get access to cutting and embroidery patterns that could be customized and sent wirelessly to any Brother wireless-enabled ScanNCut DX or embroidery machine. Building on this capability in 2023, version 1.2 expanded to allow users to transform their favorite pictures into ready-to-use ScanNCut DX cutting patterns and draw their own basic embroidery designs. Feeling some creative block? Artspira also releases 4 in-app magazines every month, filled with inspiring projects.

projects like this tote bag can be downloaded from the in-app Artspira magazine

mobile design capabilities modernize crafting

In October 2023, Brother introduced Artspira+, its first subscription-based app service, to its global base. While the regular Artspira app is still available to users, Artspira+ subscribers gain access to enhanced digital tooling across the app: portrait digitization (line drawing), converting digital images into embroidery stitch data, embroidery line weld and stitch shape fill, and turning images into a handmade cross stitch feel. Another highlight is the AR embroidery pattern placement tool that projects a digital placement on projects before it’s stitched out. They’ll also have a massively expanded embroidery and cutting pattern library, 20 more fonts, and 80 more cloud save slots. This is now at the fingertips of everyone.

The app’s user-friendliness stems from rigorous market and data research conducted by the LTV group and real-world testing across Brother’s in-house pool of creative experts, ensuring designers of all levels can easily dive into their crafting projects. With a primary focus on the crafting market, the platform seeks to provide a centralized hub for the global crafting community, where practitioners from all levels of industry can discover an assortment of projects, patterns, and design inspiration for multiple crafting machines, all within one convenient space.

Users in USA can access fabric printing patterns and design capabilities when operating their fabric printer and tabletop single-needle embroidery machine. Over time, further connectivity and community integration is planned, opening up the world of Artspira to creatives everywhere.

Artspira+, Brother’s first subscription-based app service, gives users access to even more embroidery and cutting design features