By Julie on April 27th, 2023 This site contains affiliate links to products. We may receive a commission for purchases made through these links.
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I have to admit, I’m in a bit of a monogram rut. It seems like I keep using the same interlocking curly monogram over and over again. And while it’s attractive and serves its purpose, I’m frankly getting a bit sick of it. I need to invest in some new monogram typefaces, digitizing some myself and identifying the 10 best monogram fonts for machine embroidery and hopefully get inspired.
When it comes to the style of the monogram, the best monogram font is dependent on the project. The perfect monogram font for a baby is not going to be a great choice for an adult man or a college girl.
When you start looking at monogram fonts for embroidery on sites like Etsy, it can be like heading down a rabbit hole. There are tons and you may be a bit overwhelmed deciding which monogram font to use for your projects.
Think about your intended recipient for your project and what type of feeling you want to evoke. Is this a beach towel for a kid or a formal hand towel for a master bathroom? These two end uses and recipients are very different and the character of the typeface you choose should reflect those people and products.
For example, I’ve seen the fishtail font stitched out as a monogram on a men’s dopp kit, and it just looks wrong. The fishtail reminds me of mermaids which seem pretty girly for a men’s accessory.
Characteristics of letters
If you are wanting to use a font for a traditional, 3-letter monogram, it’s best if the letters are fairly symmetrical and not italicized. You also will want to make sure that the letters are fairly uniform in size. It would look really off-balance if the letters used in the monogram were sized quite differently.
When I digitize fonts intended to be used for monograms, I make sure that each letter has a similar overall size so that when they are put together as a trio, the monogram appears balanced. You can see the result below a stitched out College Girl monogram font
Project fabric
If you are planning on stitching out your monogram on towels or some other type of nappy fabric, the best monogram font will be one that has tome weight to it. Very thin embroidery fonts will get lost in the nap of the fabric, even if you cover the towel with some water soluble stabilizer before embroidering.
Digitizing quality
It’s hard to determine the quality of digitizing when you are just looking at pictures of embroidered letters online. However, one thing you should check, especially on large fonts is how thick parts of letters are stitched.
Usually the strokes of a letter are digitized as satin stitches. But, when the stroke of a letter gets really wide, the satin stitch will get too long and can easily get snagged. Pro digitizers will compensate for this phenomena by designating a split satin stitch for those areas so that no one satin stitch gets too long.
If you are working with BX fonts in Embrilliance, the software automatically takes this into consideration and turns the stroke into a split satin stitch into a fill when it deems the satin stitch to be too wide.
Are there free embroidery fonts suitable for monograms
As a matter of fact, there are. Check out my previous post about free embroidery fonts. Some of the free fonts could be used to create a monogram.
What should know before buying any monogram fonts for machine embroidery
Embroidery file format
Always check the file formats the digitizer is offering. If you are not interested in converting your files from one format to another, make sure that the seller carries the format you need. I noticed that some Etsy sellers were just offering their monograms fonts as PES or DST files, so make sure to double check. While it’s pretty easy to convert an embroidery file from one format to another, it’s one less hassle if you don’t have to go through if you can just purchase the file in a format that you use.
Many monograms are also offered as BX fonts, which are specific to Embrilliance software. People who own Embrilliance software LOVE them because they are editable within the software. And you can save out the monograms you create in any format.
The caveat is that BX fonts can’t be loaded directly into the embroidery machine. If you don’t have Embrilliance software, they are of no use to you.
Before purchasing any letter set, make sure that the set you are buying contains letters in the size that you need. While you can often get away with scaling up or down a letter just a bit, you should never significantly scale a digitized design, otherwise the stitch density will be too high or too low.
Digitizer review
Before buying any monogram font from Etsy, obviously you always should check the reviews. All of the sellers that I am recommending below have great ratings on Etsy.
How to set up a monogram file for machine embroidery
Once you have your set of letters, you will want to combine those letters into a monogram that you can transfer from your computer onto your embroidery machine. There are a couple of different ways to do this. If you are an Embrilliance user, you can import the BX fonts into the software, type out the letters you need and then save the completed monogram as an embroidery file.
Another option is to map each of the embroidered letters to a key on your keyboard in SewWhat-Pro. This probably sounds tedious, but it is actually not. SewWhat-Pro is pretty smart and recognizes the file name patterns and automatically maps a file named “script-p.pes” to your P key and “script-r.pes” to your R key. Of course you can edit SewWhat-Pro’s mappings if the software does not get it right. Anyway, once you map the individual files to a letter on your keyboard, you simply type out the monogram and edit the letter sizes as needed.
So let’s take a look at some of the best monogram fonts for machine embroidery. I’ll talk about their distinct characteristics and provide some suggestions on where and how they should be used.
Traditional monogram styles for machine embroidery
Very traditional and proper, the Poster Boy monogram is suitable for linens and towels. It has an inherent formal look because it looks like an engraving. Stitch it out on hand towels and linens or even on a mans cuffs. So fancy!
The fishtail monogram font is definitely my sister’s go to. While it’s still on the formal side, it does have a touch of whimsy. It’s also pretty feminine. I mean – it’s called “fishtail” which alludes to mermaids which is pretty girly if you ask me.
Use the fishtail monogram font for little girl dresses and ladies’ clothing… but not on a man’s duffel bag.
Ok – I’ll admit – I’m a little biased. But, I really love my College Girl Font. I meticulously recreated each letter so that they were similarly sized to create a nice, balanced monogram. And, I named it College Girl as I used it to monogram a TON of corduroy bags for my daughter’s friends who were heading off to college… in their college’s school colors, of course.
The Empress monogram succeeds at being super feminine and elegant without feeling too girly. It’s a lovely monogram to elevate a simple fleece or robe for a woman. It’s also pretty legible. Some script typefaces are so ornate you can’t even make out the letter forms, but this one is not.
To me, this rounded monogram from PolkaDotSewing represents a happy medium. It’s not totally circular but it’s not a big block. The continuous curve along the top and bottom communicate that these letters go together, but it’s a bit more subtle that a straight up circle monogram.
This is also a versatile monogram style, it’s neither too masculine no too feminine. You could use it for a couple’s gift, using the center initial for the couple’s last name, the woman’s first initial on the left and the man’s initial on the right. It would look great stitched out on a throw pillow or towels.
The diamond style of a monogram (by Emmabroidery) is such a classic and can be used for both men and women’s clothing and accessories. I can envision this monogram stitched out on a men’s tie or a toiletry bag. But I can also picture it embroidered on a woman’s scarf. Also, because the letter strokes are thick, it’s very suitable for terry cloth towels and robes.
Digitizer, Emma, of Emmabroidery says:
The diamond monogram is a classic choice for embroidering men or women’s initials. It is also flexible for 3, 2, or even 4 letter monograms – you can play around with adding or omitting the center letter. The diamond monogram is a favorite for embroidering on linens, towels, clothing, and even a fun way to make your mark on furniture!
I mean, talk about a classic! The three letter circle monogram is a must have. These filled letters will hold up to just about any fabric. You could use it on anything from a fleece to a throw pillow.
Less traditional monogram styles for machine embroidery
Oh – I am just a sucker for scallops, so of course I love this Scallop Monogram Font by Joyful Stitches. It is fun and playful but still bold. And, because the letters are so thick, it will hold up well on nappy fabrics. So stitch it out on that sherpa or fuzzy blanket. It will look AMAZING.
Image used with permission from Rivermill Embroidery
Want to make a simple Hanes sweatshirt look like a million bucks? Stitch out this classic monogram stacked monogram by Rivermill Embroidery on the front. It is absolutely perfecto for little boys and maybe even a few big boys. It may even be fancy enough for church.
The Adella Block monogram font has a bold, strong look. It’s perfect for athletic bags, masculine towels, robes and accessories. It could even be used for home decor items. The thick letter forms hold up to nappy fabric, even a textured throw.
The Curtsy monogram by The Itch2Stitch has a ton of character. It’s young, feminine and not so serious. And the resulting overall oval shape makes it suitable for items that are wider than they are tall, like girl’s headbands. Go get this monogram file and then check outmy tutorial on making knit headbandsorwoven headbandsand you have the perfect gift for a little girl.
Bold, curvy and hits all the right notes… the Mariah monogram is aptly named. This BX font can easily be distorted to create a unique monogram. And the bold strokes of the letter stand up well to nappy fabrics like blankets and towels.
Looking for a monogram fit for a princess? Then check out the Medieval Monogram font by Magic Hoop. It came right out of a fairytale. Stitch out a monogram with the Medieval font on a tote bag, pillow case, or even some clothing. Instant elegance!
Note: MagicHoop has tons of original monogram bundles in her shop! The Value Bundles are a great way to instantly build a collection of monogram fonts.
If you really want to make a little girls smile, then stitch out her monogram with the Curlz monogram font by MyGlamBoutique. It’s fun and whimsical and simply effuses joy.
So, embroidery friends, what are your favs? Please leave a comment below sharing your favorite monogram fonts for machine embroidery.
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