# Stitched Fabric Type — Generative Prompt Template (v4)

**Last updated:** Nov 4, 2026, 1:50 PM PT

## Overview

This is a reusable prompt template for generating images of text that looks hand-stitched or embroidered directly onto a fabric backdrop. It's designed for a conversational AI image tool (Gemini, ChatGPT/DALL-E, etc.) alongside two or three reference images you provide. The prompt makes the model interview you first, one question at a time, and only generate once every answer is in.

**What changed in v2:** a hard "ask first" gate now sits at the very top, the image instructions are labeled as reference material that only activates after the last answer, and the generation command is conditional instead of an immediate order. This stops the model from jumping straight to an image.

**What changed in v3:** line breaks are now a mandatory rule with their own checklist, placed in the active instructions instead of the reference section. You can also type `||` (a double pipe) anywhere in your text to mark a line break, for input boxes that don't allow the Enter key.

**What changed in v4:** the separate yes/no "respect line breaks" question is gone. Line breaks you type (with `||` or Enter) are always obeyed, and they override the text size: if keeping a line unbroken means shrinking the text from large to small, that is expected and correct.

## Required inputs

Send images, not font files: image generators can't read .otf or .ttf files.

1. **Letterform specimen image** (Image 1) — a picture of the stitched alphabet. It defines the letter shapes: heavy, condensed, rounded corners, with a dashed stitch line inset from the edge. The specimen's colors (black fill, white stitch) are only a guide and get replaced by the colors you choose.
2. **Fabric backdrop image** (Image 2) — the fabric the text will be stitched onto (linen, canvas, denim, felt).
3. **Finished-look reference** (Image 3, optional but recommended) — an example of the realism you want: dense thread fill, raised padded edge, uneven dashed stitch, soft shadows. It sets the quality bar and is not copied literally.
4. **Text and layout** — the model will ask you for these one at a time, after it has asked for any of the images above that you haven't attached: the exact word or phrase (with `||` wherever you want a line break), the letter fill color, the stitch thread color, canvas orientation, text size, vertical position, and horizontal alignment.

## Brand color reference

Suggest these by name when the model asks for a fill or thread color:

- GS Twilight Navy: #001425
- GS Morning Blue: #96d8d8
- GS Jersey Off White: #f2eee5
- GS Sunrise Yellow: #fcc42f
- GS Orange: #f54d02
- GS Cyan Blue: #298caa
- GS Dark Grey: #464646

## The prompt template

Start in **normal chat mode** (not an "Create images" mode). Attach your images, paste everything inside the block below, and send. You can leave the bracketed fields as they are; the model will ask for them.

```
############################################################
STOP. THIS IS NOT AN IMAGE REQUEST YET.
############################################################

Your FIRST reply must be ONE short question and nothing else.
Do NOT generate, preview, sketch, or describe any image until I have answered every question below.
Everything under the line "IMAGE SPEC" is reference material only. Do not act on it until my last answer arrives.

If you are about to generate an image and have not yet asked every question, stop and ask the next unanswered question instead.

HOW TO ASK:
- Ask one question per message. Keep each one short. Wait for my answer before asking the next.
- Any field in [BRACKETS] counts as unanswered. Skip any question I have already answered.
- Ask in this order:
  1. If Image 1 (the letterform specimen, a picture of the stitched alphabet) is not attached, ask me to attach it. Skip this if it is already attached.
  2. If Image 2 (the fabric backdrop) is not attached, ask me to attach it. Skip this if it is already attached.
  3. Ask if I want to attach Image 3 (an optional finished-look reference showing the realism I want). I can attach it or say "skip."
  4. What exact text should be stitched? (tell me to type || wherever I want a line break, for example: WELCOME,||WE ARE GOOD||SPORTS. Every line break I type will be obeyed exactly, even if it makes the text small.)
  5. What letter fill color? (a color name or a hex value). Suggest these brand colors by name: GS Twilight Navy #001425, GS Morning Blue #96d8d8, GS Jersey Off White #f2eee5, GS Sunrise Yellow #fcc42f, GS Orange #f54d02, GS Cyan Blue #298caa, GS Dark Grey #464646.
  6. What stitch thread color? (a color name or a hex value; suggest the same brand colors)
  7. What canvas orientation? (1:1 square, 16:9 horizontal, or 9:16 vertical)
  8. What text size? (this is a maximum; my line breaks always win and may force smaller text) (large, medium or small, or a percentage of the canvas width)
  9. What vertical position? (top, center or bottom)
  10. What horizontal alignment? (left, right or center)

LINE BREAK RULES (mandatory, these override text size and everything else about layout):
- In my text, every "||" (double pipe) and every real new line is a line break. Never draw the pipe characters.
- Split my text at those breaks. Each piece is one "segment".
- Draw exactly one line of lettering per segment, in the order typed. Never merge segments, never split a segment across two lines, never wrap a segment, and never move a break.
- Line breaks outrank the requested text size. If a segment is too wide for the canvas at the requested size, make ALL the text smaller until the widest segment fits on its single line inside the margins. Going from large to small is correct and expected. The requested text size is only a maximum.
- Keep one consistent letter size across all lines. Do not shrink individual lines separately.
- If my text contains no breaks, choose the line breaks yourself for the best balanced layout at the requested text size, and never split a word across lines. If I say "one line" or "single line" in my answer, draw it all on one line, shrunk to fit.
- Before generating, silently count the lines you will draw and check them against these rules. Fix any mismatch first.

WHEN I ANSWER QUESTION 10 (and only then):
First apply the LINE BREAK RULES above to my answer to question 4.
Generate the image immediately. Do not ask for confirmation, do not recap my answers, and do not write or return a prompt. Your reply must be the finished image only.

Begin now by asking question 1 or the first unanswered question. Ask only that one question.

############################################################
IMAGE SPEC (use only after all answers are in)
############################################################

AFTER the last answer, create one photorealistic image of the text, made as thick stitched appliqué letters sewn onto fabric, like embroidered varsity or workwear patches.

INPUTS:
- Image 1 (letterform specimen): copy these letter shapes exactly. They are heavy, condensed, with slightly rounded corners and a dashed stitch line running inside every letter, parallel to its edge. Use the specimen only for letter shapes and stitch layout. Ignore its black and white colors.
- Image 2 (fabric backdrop): the surface the letters are sewn onto. Keep its weave, texture, color and lighting.
- Image 3 (finished-look reference, if attached): match its level of realism and material feel. Do not copy its text, colors or layout.
- Text to render: "[INSERT WORD OR PHRASE]". Spell it exactly. Do not add, drop or change any characters. Each "||" in the text is a line break and is never drawn. Obey the LINE BREAK RULES above.
- Letter fill color: [COLOR NAME OR HEX, e.g. light blue or #7EC8E3]. If a hex value is given, match it as closely as possible in the thread color, allowing for natural shading from the lighting.
- Stitch thread color: [COLOR NAME OR HEX, e.g. cream or #F2E8D0]. Same rule: match a hex value as closely as possible.

LETTERFORM FIDELITY (important):
- Use the exact letter shapes from Image 1 as the outlines of the letters. Do not substitute, redraw, restyle, or approximate them with a similar-looking font.
- For every character in the text, locate that character in Image 1 and reproduce its shape, width, proportions, corner rounding and stitch path as shown. Use the uppercase row for capital letters, the lowercase row for lowercase letters, and the number row for digits. Keep the case exactly as typed.
- Keep the letter spacing and weight consistent with Image 1. Do not make letters thinner, wider, more decorative or more uniform.
- For punctuation that is not in Image 1, draw it in the same weight and style, with the same inset dashed stitch.
- The only things that change from Image 1 are the fill color, the stitch color, the thread texture and the fabric it sits on.

HOW THE LETTERS MUST LOOK:
- Each letter is filled with dense, fine, tightly packed thread (satin or tatami fill) in the fill color. The thread direction and texture must be visible, not a flat color.
- Each letter has a thin, slightly padded border in a darker shade of the letter fill color. The border is never black and never a thick outline. The letters sit flat and embedded in the fabric, only a hair above the surface, like thread sewn into the weave.
- A dashed running stitch in the thread color follows the contour of every letter, inset a short distance from the edge. Stitches are short, evenly spaced but slightly irregular, like real hand or machine stitching, with no cast shadow. Follow the inner counters of letters like O, A, B, D, P and R as well.
- The letters must look physically attached to the fabric: a very subtle, tight contact shadow only a few pixels wide, slight fabric puckering near the stitches, and lighting that matches Image 2. They must not look printed, flat, or pasted on.

SHADOW RULES (important):
- No drop shadow. No glow. No black outline or dark halo around the letters.
- The lettering must not look like it floats above or casts shadow onto the fabric. Any shadow is a faint, tight crease where thread meets fabric, nothing more.
- The fabric weave should be visible right up to the edge of each letter, as in a real sewn patch.

LAYOUT:
- Canvas orientation: [1:1 SQUARE / 16:9 HORIZONTAL / 9:16 VERTICAL]. Compose at exactly this aspect ratio.
- Text size: [LARGE / MEDIUM / SMALL, or a percentage of the canvas width, e.g. 60%]. This is a maximum. The LINE BREAK RULES may force the text smaller. Keep the stitch thickness and letter proportions consistent at any size.
- Vertical position of text: [TOP / CENTER / BOTTOM]. Follow this exactly. TOP means the entire text block sits in the top third of the canvas, with the top of the first line about 8% down from the top edge, and the rest of the canvas is left as empty fabric. CENTER means the block is centered vertically. BOTTOM means the entire block sits in the bottom third, with the last line about 8% up from the bottom edge.
- Horizontal alignment of text: [LEFT / RIGHT / CENTER]. Follow this exactly. LEFT and RIGHT mean the text block sits against that side with a margin of about 8%, and lines within it are aligned to that side. CENTER means every line is centered horizontally.
- Keep margins proportional so the text never touches or crowds the edges.
- With multiple lines, keep line spacing even and use the horizontal alignment chosen above.

OUTPUT (after the last answer only):
- Output the finished image itself, not a prompt, caption or description. Do not ask any further questions.
- A single clean image. No mockup frames, watermarks, extra graphics, borders or additional text.
```

## Placement options

These are the four layout choices the model asks about (questions 7 through 10). Line breaks come from your text itself (question 4) and always win over text size. They're independent of each other:

| Choice | Options | What it controls |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Canvas orientation | 1:1 square / 16:9 horizontal / 9:16 vertical | Aspect ratio of the output image |
| Text size | Large / Medium / Small, or a % of canvas width | The maximum size; line breaks can force it smaller |
| Vertical position | Top / Center / Bottom | Where the text sits within the frame |
| Horizontal alignment | Left / Right / Center | How the text lines up within its own space (matters most for multi-word phrases) |

For a single centered word, horizontal alignment usually doesn't matter much. It's most relevant for longer phrases or multiple lines of text.

## Usage notes

- **Most reliable setup: make it a Gem.** In Gemini, create a custom Gem and paste the whole prompt block into its instructions. Then each run is just: attach your images, type "start." Gem instructions are followed far more consistently than a pasted chat message.
- **Use normal chat mode, not image mode.** If an image-creation mode or tool is switched on before you send, Gemini skips the conversation and generates. Switch to image creation only if it replies with text after the last answer.
- If it still jumps ahead, reply "Stop. Ask me the next unanswered question only." and it will usually fall back in line.
- Image-to-image or reference-image support varies by tool. Midjourney (image prompts + `--sref`), GPT-4o/DALL-E, and Gemini all accept reference images differently, so check how that tool wants images attached. Midjourney does not do the question interview, so use the filled-in version there.
- If output drifts from the reference stitch style, try cropping the letterform reference to just 3-4 letters so the model isn't overwhelmed by a full alphabet.
- Keep the fabric backdrop and letterform reference consistent across runs for a cohesive brand book. Swap only the text and placement answers.
- Expect to regenerate a few times; stitched-texture realism is inconsistent across models and may need a couple of attempts per phrase.