QUILTsocial | Issue 14

social UILT Q

Visit QUILTsocial.com to download a PDF version of this issue.

ISSUE

14

eat, sleep, quilt, repeat !

essential tips! * piecing using decorative stitches * how to quilt words * 5 steps for adding a flange in the binding * making a modern quilt design using traditional quilt blocks * flip & stitch quilting technique * exploring the capabilities of Brother Luminaire XP1 Husqvarna Designer EPIC

QUILTsocial | issue 14

Elegant functionality.

Attention to detail and innovative features make a PFAFF® quilting machine a perfect accompaniment to your creativity.

• PFAFF® Colour Touch Screen

• PFAFF® Colour Touch Screen

• 201 Stitches

• Exclusive PFAFF® Stitch Techniques

• Speed Slider

• Exclusive Stitch Creator™ Feature

• Extra Presser Foot Lift

• Large 250mm sewing space

• Needle Up/Down

• Straight Stitch Plate and Sensor

PFAFF, PERFECTION STARTS HERE, QUILT AMBITION, QUILT EXPRESSION, IDT and STITCH CREATOR are trademarks of KSIN Luxenbourg II, S.a.r.l. ©2019 KSIN Luxenbourg II, S.a.r.l. All rights reserved.

QUILTsocial | issue 14

www.pfaff.com/en-CA

editor's letter There are several things to take away after reading this issue, one of which is exploring the new Brother Luminaire and the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. So much easy sewing and quilting is made possible using their numerous features.

Knowing all of your sewing machine's capabilities is helpful in your creative aspirations. I remember buying my first sewing machine and being surprised when the dealer signed me up for a class that would teach me how to use it. I have to say I was very surprised.

Well, isn't it obvious? It was obvious to me how to sew by machine, after all, I had been sewing on my mom's since I was twelve. But after many years, there were new features on sewing machines. You know how much sewing machines have changed over the years, not only in terms of added features and built-in stitches, but now technology is already upon them in a stunning way to make your sewing and quilting experience a jaw dropping joy. The thing is, to some, it may seem as though sewing machines are more complex, but that's not so. They have more features and are able to do more for you than ever before.

Remember when smartphones first came to market?

Same, here are machines that can make your creative ideas soar! Check out a few quilt stores, ask that they show you their machines, they'll be happy to sit with you; and for Pete's sake, do take the class on how to use your newly purchased machine!

The other take away from this issue, are three key tutorials: adding a flange to a binding as an accent for your quilt, how to quilt words, and how to sew seams using decorative stitches. These techniques are different, not often used, but if you give them a try, you'll have experienced something new to you.

Enjoy your quilting hours!

Cheerfully,

follow me on QUILTsocial | issue 14

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eat, sleep, quilt, repeat

PUBLISHER, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, ART DIRECTOR Carla A. Canonico carla@QUILTsocial.com PUBLISHER, ADVERTISING SALES John De Fusco john@QUILTsocial.com PHOTOGRAPHERS John De Fusco, Carla A. Canonico BLOGGERS/CONTRIBUTORS Christine Baker fairfieldroaddesigns.com Julie Plotniko juliesquiltclass.blogspot.com Elaine Theriault crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.ca Jean Boyd patternsbyjeanboyd.com GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN Carla A. Canonico carla@QUILTsocial.com Sondra Armas WEB and IT Support Alejandro Araujo

* projects * techniques * product reviews

WEBSITE / BLOG : https://QUILTsocial.com Like us on Facebook : QUILTsocial Follow us on Pinterest : quiltsocial Follow us on Twitter : @QUILTsocial WHERE TO GET YOUR COPY QUILTsocial is a quarterly eMagazine published by A Needle Pulling Thread. It is available free for personal use online at https://QUILTsocial.com.

A limited number of printed copies of QUILTsocial are available for purchase at select quilt shops and specialty stores. Ask for it at your local shop. QUILTsocial is not available by subscription.

QUILT SHOPS If you are interested in carrying QUILTsocial in your store, please email john@QUILTsocial.com.

EDITORIAL Designers and other contributors who would like to be considered for future issues please email carla@QUILTsocial.com with a brief description of your work and your proposed project for the magazine. ©2019 QUILTsocial. All rights reserved. Issue 14 ISSN 2368-5913.

No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher.

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daily blog weekly giveaways monthly newsletter quarterly magazine fun Facebook page yummy Pinterest page app on iTunes/Google Play ALL of the above!

All designs, patterns, and information in this magazine are for private, non-commercial use only, and are copyrighted material owned by their respective creators or owners.

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FREE!

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Elaine’s Quilting Tech Tips!

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QUILTsocial | issue 14

Advertiser Index 60 A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine 23 Banyan Batiks 59 Brother 58 Business Directory 55 Coats 56 eQuilter.com 31 Gütermann Creativ 53 Husqvarna Viking 56 Melissa Marginet 02 PFAFF 04 QUILTsocial.com

QUILTsocial

issue 14

c o n t e n t s 06

Wall quilt tutorial: decorative stitches and curved piecing, let’s do it!

08

Sewing seams using decorative stitches?

10

Preparing applique shapes for machine applique

12

Machine applique the Brother Luminaire way

14

Quilting options on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine

16

Making a modern quilt design using traditional quilt blocks

17

Finishing the Banyan Batiks Tie One On table runner

19

Quilt pattern ideas for using leftover fabric, Banyan Batiks Tie One On

20

Making a quilted table runner out of a placemat pattern

21

Flip & stitch to make a marvelous mug rug

24

Say it with free motion quilting, a designer cushion

26

Mark, layer, baste, easy preparation for machine quilting

28

Quilting words – so much to say using Gütermann Dekor thread!

29

Making quilted words pop, it’s all about the thread

32

A gourmet finish for a quilted designer cushion

34

5 steps for adding a pop of color with a flange in the binding

38

6 steps to add lettering to your quilt sashings

42

6 steps: adding lettering to quilt sashings using machine embroidery

46

User’s Guide, Quick Help, JoyOS Advisor: sewing help at your fingertips

49

6 steps to creating an embroidered quilt label using the Designer EPIC

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Wall quilt tutorial: decorative stitches and curved piecing, let’s do it!

In this feature, I'm doing some fusible applique to create a leaf design wall quilt using a few more of the many decorative stitches available on this machine.

I used some scraps of Banyan Batiks by Northcott that I had left over from previous QUILTsocial posts for my leaves. I like batiks because I’ll do raw-edge applique and the edges won’t fray. I used 5 different blacks for the background (using up scraps again!) but you could use all the same fabric if you wish.

Here’s what you need to get started

• 5 strips cut 1½” – 3” wide and 8” – 10” long (you’ll be cutting more strips later)

• ¾ yd [0.7m] for sashing, border and binding • 2⁄3 yd [0.6m] black for backgrounds or a variety of black Brother Luminaire Innov-ís XP1 machine and fabric for the Leaf wall quilt

Just recently, I introduced you to the new Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine and showed you how to use decorative stitching, along with the projector feature, to make a table runner and some placemats. You can find all the instructions in my post, StitchVision on the Luminaire for visible decorative stitch placement.

Table runner with decorative stitching done using the StitchVision on the Brother Luminaire machine.

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scraps

• 1 piece of template plastic, 8½” x 11” • 3 pieces of light-weight fusible web, 8½” x 11” cutting instructions

• Lay 5 or 6 strips of varying widths on the cutting table.

• Using a rotary cutter, cut a gentle, curvy line on one side of the 2nd strip.

Strips cut 1½” – 3'' wide

Photos by Jean Boyd QUILTsocial | issue 14

Cut a gentle curvy line on one side of the second strip.

‘Almost empty’ screen on the Brother Luminaire

Now comes the fun part! Sew the strips together using decorative stitches.

With the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine you have hundreds of stitches from which to choose. It’s hard to pick just a few favorites! Here’s a great video about decorative stitches on the Brother Luminaire machine that you might like to look at before you actually start sewing.

It’s a good idea to do a few practice rows of stitching before working on your strips. I tried out a few stitches, adjusting both width and length, to see what I liked. It’s also a good idea to mark down the settings you used when you find a stitch that you really like. I like using the “start/stop” button on the front of the machine instead of the foot pedal, along with a slow stitching speed, for better control while sewing. I used a variegated thread to give more interest to the finished pieces.

Nobody likes to run out of bobbin thread partway through a seam, and it’s even worse if it runs out while doing decorative stitching! Fortunately, there’s a warning screen that comes up on the Brother Luminaire with a little sad faced emoji. In fact, the machine stops sewing when this screen comes up. If you just have a few more stitches to sew, you can do that and then the warning sign comes up again. No excuses now for sewing a whole seam with no thread in the bobbin!

Strip set sewn together with decorative stitching using the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine

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Sewing seams using decorative stitches?

Have you had the chance to cut your fabric strips?

Let's start sewing!

• Use the 5 strips that you cut out yesterday and lay • • • • • •

them on your cutting table.

You’ve already cut a gentle, curvy line on one side of the 2nd strip.

Place the curved strip on top of the first strip, overlapping by about ½”.

Sew a row of decorative stitches along the curved edge.

After you’ve finished sewing the first row of decorative stitching, turn the piece over and cut away the excess fabric from the back.

Keep adding strips in the same way until you have a piece that is 10” – 12” wide.

Make 2 or 3 fabric strip sets like this, using different color arrangements, to create different strip sets.

Overlap the curved strip by about 1½” on the first strip.

Sew a line of decorative stitching along the curved edge to join the 2 strips together.

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QUILTsocial | issue 14

The first 2 strips are joined together with a decorative stitch.

I really like the way the tension is automatically set for every stitch and each one I tried turned out perfectly.

Another accessory that I’ve come to love is the bobbin clip.

Placing bobbin clips on bobbins helps prevent the thread from unwinding from the bobbin. You can also clip the bobbins together for easy storage.

Keep reading to see how to use your decoratively stitched fabric to make the applique shapes for the leaf wall quilt.

I’m sure you’ll really enjoy using the many decorative stitches on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine!

Bobbin clips. A great way to keep your bobbins organized and untangled!

Finished strip set embellished with decorative stitching

Trim away excess fabric from the back.

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Preparing applique shapes for machine applique There are so many decorative stitches to choose from on the Brother Luminaire, you could spend hours playing with them!

Now it’s time to cut the background pieces for the applique shapes. I like to cut the backgrounds a little bigger than required and then trim them to size after the shapes have been appliqued.

• Cut out the template plastic on the printed lines.

• Cut along the center line on each

shape to make 2 templates for each leaf.

• Number the plastic templates.

Cut the following from black background fabric 2 – 10” x 8” 2 – 11” x 9” 1 – 12” x 10” 1 – 12” x 11” Templates for the applique shapes • Click on the leaf applique shapes.

• Print the shapes on a piece of paper.

• Cut out the paper shapes leaving about 1⁄8” around the outside edges.

• Lightly glue the paper shapes to a sheet of template plastic.

Trace around the templates on the fusible web.

Cut each leaf shape template into 2 pieces.

• Following the manufacturer’s

• • • •

• •

Glue paper shapes to template plastic.

•

instructions, press a piece of fusible web to the back of each fabric strip set.

Trace 2 of each leaf shape on the fusible web. You can reverse some shapes for more variety if you wish.

Place the shapes on an angle for a more interesting design.

Cut out each shape on the drawn lines.

Carefully remove the paper backing from the fusible web, one shape at a time, as you need it. I like to use a pin or needle to score the paper backing, making it easier to remove.

A thin layer of fusible web will remain on the fabric.

Place the leaf shapes as desired on the background fabrics. I left a little of the background fabric showing so it looked like a leaf vein. You can mix and match shapes from different strip sets for added variety.

When you’re satisfied with the placement of the shapes, fuse them in place, following the manufacturer’s directions.

Fuse a piece of fusible web to the back of the strip set.

Cut out the leaf shapes and fuse them to the background fabric.

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medium leaf

small leaf

large leaf

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Machine applique the Brother Luminaire way Now you get to use more decorative stitches on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine. I decided to use a blanket stitch – there are 2 to choose from – but you could also experiment with other stitches to finish the edges of the applique shapes.

Because I was using a large cone of thread, I took advantage of the fold-able 2-thread spool stand that magnetically attaches to the top cover. Have a look at this video about the Luminaire XP1 Thread Rack that really shows the advantages of this feature and how it works.

I was so anxious to get started sewing on the Brother Luminaire again, I used the N foot instead of the J foot (as recommended on the screen right in front of me!), but it worked perfectly anyway. When I noticed on the screen that I should have used the J foot, that made it even better because the foot has a clear plastic section at the front so you can see where to stitch more easily. After choosing the stitch, I didn’t have to make any adjustments. I love the automatic thread tension feature on this machine!

I also used the securing stitch feature at the beginning and end of each leaf shape and sewed with a slow speed for greater control of the fabric.

Preparing blocks, sashing and border Now that the leaves are all appliqued, it’s time to trim the blocks and sew on the sashing and border.

Trim the blocks to the following sizes 1 large leaf: 9½” x 10½” 1 large leaf: 8½” x 10½” 2 small leaves: 6½” x 8½” 2 medium leaves: 7½” x 9½”

• • • •

Cutting instructions for border

• 2 – 3½” x 24½” • 2 – 3½” x 26½”

Cutting instructions for sashing 2 – 2” x 9½” 2 – 1½” x 9½” 2 – 1½” x 6½” 1 – 1½” x 16½” 1 – 1½” x 15½”

• • • • •

Front panel on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine

The blanket stitch on the LCD screen on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine.

The top for the Leaf wall quilt is finished!

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Putting it all together

Fold-able 2-thread spool stand attaches with magnets to the top of the Brother Luminaire

I used the ¼” foot that comes with the Brother Luminaire Innov-ís XP1 to sew the blocks and sashing together. There’s also a ¼” guideline on the needle plate so you really can’t go wrong in finding the perfect ¼” seam!

• Follow the diagram below to sew the top row together. Press seams toward sashing.

• Follow the diagram below to sew the bottom row together.

• Sew the top and bottom rows together.

• Sew on the 3½” x 26½” side borders.

Press seams toward borders.

• Sew on the 3½” x 24½” top borders.

Press seams toward borders.

¼” foot for the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine

Use the quarter inch foot to sew the leaf blocks and sashing strips for the top row, following this diagram.

Use the quarter inch foot to sew the leaf blocks and sashing strips for the bottom row, following this diagram.

Finished leaf shape

Use a blanket stitch to sew down the applique shapes.

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Quilting options on the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine 3 free motion feet are included with the Brother Luminaire sewing and embroidery machine.

The serpentine stitch and twin needle used to finish this placemat in the May 23, 2019 QUILTsocial post.

Straight stitch needle plate

Now it’s time to quilt and there are many options to talk about when using Brother Luminaire Innov-is XP1!

Quilting in the ditch around the blocks and border would be a good place to start. The dual feed foot allows you to do this very easily. There’s also an optional ‘stitch in the ditch’ foot that would make this process almost foolproof. See what the Dual-Feed Stitch-in-the-Ditch Foot looks like.

Use the needle plate lever to remove the needle plates.

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Many of the decorative stitches can also be used for quilting. In last month’s QUILTsocial post, I used the serpentine stitch. You can read my post, The Luminaire XP1, its camera and projector for decorative stitches fun. You’ll also see how I used the projector feature on the Brother Luminaire quilting and embroidery machine to keep the stitching lines straight.

Brother XP1 The Luminaire Sewing, Embroidery and Quilting Machine

Free motion quilting is also an option. When in free motion mode on the Brother Luminaire, the internal sensor detects the thickness of the fabric and the quilting foot is raised to the height specified in the machine settings screen. I know, jawdropping feature.

Settings can be changed on the settings screen. For example, you would increase the setting when sewing very soft fabric so that it’s easier to sew.

There are 3 different free motion feet included – foot C, foot O and foot E. Full instructions for using the 3 different feet are given in the on-screen manual.

When using the free motion quilting foot C you have to use the straight stitch needle plate. This is so easy to do on the Brother Luminaire – just slide the needle plate lever on the bed of the machine and the needle plate pops up so you can easily replace it. No screwdriver needed! Watch this video to see how to remove the needle plate on the Luminaire!

Here are a few of the decorative stitches that I think would work well for quilting my Leaf wall quilt. I especially like the handquilting stitch (far right) and the hemstitching stitch (next to the hand-quilting stitches).

Decorative stitches that would work as quilting stitches.

You can also lengthen and/ or adjust the width of the decorative stitches.

I hope you’ll fun experimenting with decorative stitches when quilting your next project!

Over the last 2 months, I have managed to use only a few of the wonderful features on this new Brother Luminaire Innov-ís XP1 sewing and embroidery machine. You can see many more features of the Luminaire machine on the Brother website. Be sure to check it out!

Thanks for joining me. I hope you’ve enjoyed learning about the features on this wonderful machine!

Jean Boyd

PatternsByJeanBoyd.com

QUILTsocial | issue 14

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Making a modern quilt design using traditional quilt blocks Jean Boyd

Fat quarter bundles of the Banyan Batiks Tie One On collection

Table runner made from Tie One On fat quarters

In this feature, I’ll show you how to use 8 fat quarters from the Banyan Batiks Tie One On collection in the Ventura colorway, along with some coordinating fabrics from the Ketan collection, to make table runners and placemats.

All fat quarters are not created equal! Most fat quarters are 18” long, but if you’re buying fabric in metric measurement, they will be 20” long. Similarly, some fabrics are not a full 44” wide.

Fortunately, all the Northcott Banyan Batiks that I have used are 44” wide. It’s nice to know you have that extra little bit of fabric in the width. For the projects this week, all the fat quarters are 18” long and 22” wide.

The plan is to use up all the fat quarters and not have little pieces left over. Let’s get started! Here are my fat quarters from the Tie One On collection. Not showing in the picture is one gray print fat quarter.

I’ll be using 3 different gray Banyan Batiks Ketan fabrics for bindings and accents #442 Steel Gaze, #441 Silver Lites and #639 Midnight Caller.

Fat quarters from the “Tie One On” collection in the Ventura colorway

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Let’s start by making this table runner. The finished size is 22” x 38”.

Photos by Jean Boyd

Cut each Tie One On fat quarter, on the lengthwise grain, into 3 – 5” strips and 2 – 2¾” strips. There will be a narrow strip left from the fat quarter, but don’t throw it away – you’ll be using it too! The strips will be approximately 18” long.

Choose 3 different fabrics from the 5” strips. I used 2 pink #1 strips, 2 pink #2 strips and 3 gray strips for a total of 7 – 5” strips Cut each strip into 2 pieces, varying the length of each piece.

4 patch blocks Cut 5” strips into 2 pieces.

These will be used as accent pieces with the strips. Choose 4 or 5 – 2¾” strips that are not the same colors as the 5” strips.

• Cut the strips in half so they are about

Sew 2¾” segments together.

9” long.

• Sew 2 different strips together,

• •

• • Sew 2¾” strips together in pairs.

joining the long sides. Try to make as many different combinations as possible. Don’t press the seams yet.

Cut the strips into 2¾” segments.

Sew the segments together to make 4 patch blocks, finger pressing the seams as you are sewing, so they nest together. Try to have 4 different fabrics in each block.

The blocks should measure 5”.

You need a total of 7 – 4 patch blocks. There will be some segments left over, and they’ll be used in the next project.

Completed 4 patch blocks

Finishing the Banyan Batiks Tie One On table runner When planning a project like this, I find it very useful to put all the pieces on a design wall to arrange them. You could also use a table or other flat surface.

I finally decided on this arrangement. I’ll be adding strips of Banyan Batiks Ketan #442 Steel Gaze in between the pieced strips.

You’ll need ½ yd [0.5m] of this gray fabric as it will also be used for the binding. This is enough fabric to cut the binding 3” wide for a ½” finished size binding.

Putting it all together

• Sashing strips: Cut 3 – 1½” x WOF from gray Ketan #442.

• Cut each strip in half to make 6 strips 1½” x 22”.

• Sew the 5” strips and 4 patch blocks together to make the design you’ve chosen.

• Sew the 1½” gray strips between the 5” strips. Trim all the edges as necessary to make them even.

5'' strips and 4 patch blocks ready to be sewn

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Now you’re ready to quilt your Banyan Batiks Tie One On runner. I like to use a fairly thin, lightweight batting for table runners and placemats. Baste backing (I used Ketan #282 Carnation), batting and quilt top together.

Sew the 1½” gray strips between the pieced blocks.

Sew the 1½” gray strips between the pieced blocks.

I decided to do some simple straight-line quilting, but again, there are many quilting options for you. Choose the one you like best!

Because this is a fairly small piece, you might like to use it to practice a new quilting technique that you’ve always wanted to try. Make sure you use an even-feed or walking foot when machine quilting.

Binding I like to use a ½” finished size binding. You can find my full instructions for binding in this QUILTsocial blog post from August 11, 2016, Change up the way you make your quilt binding.

Use a walking foot for quilting.

I hope you’ve enjoyed making this table runner using Banyan Batiks Tie One On fabrics.

Sew on binding with a ½” seam.

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Quilt pattern ideas for using leftover fabric, Banyan Batiks Tie One On Let’s Get Started

• Each placemat is made from 2 – 5” strips and 7 – 2¾” squares.

• To make 1 placemat, choose 2

different 5” strips. Cut the strips so they’re 16¼” long.

• Cut 7 – 2¾” squares from the remaining 2¾” strips. Choose fabrics that will contrast with your 5” strips.

You might have some 2¾” squares left from the table runner, and you can use those as well.

• Sew the 2¾” squares together to make a strip that is 2¾” x 16¼” long.

• Sew the strips and squares together to make the placemat top.

5” strips and 2¾” squares ready to be sewn together

• Cut batting and backing so it’s

about 1” larger all around than the placemat top.

• Layer the placemat, batting and backing and quilt as desired. I used some simple, straight line quilting. To get my quilting lines spaced evenly, I used the quilting guide and attached it to my walking foot. Most machines come with this handy addition. Check out you accessories box to see if you have one!

• Trim the placemat so there is ¼” of batting and backing showing all around.

Using a quilting guide attached to the walking foot

Banyan Batiks Tie One On placemats ready to use

Binding

• You’ll need a strip 3” wide x about 68”

long. You could cut 3 – 3” x WOF from a fat quarter or 2 – 3” x WOF from yardage you have on hand.

• You could also use strips from 2 or 3 different fabrics. Sew the strips together to make a strip long enough to go all around the placemat.

• Sew on the binding using a ½” seam allowance. Get detailed instructions for sewing on the binding.

Now you have a choice to make! You have enough leftover 5” and 2¾” strips to make a set of 6 placemats. Or you can make 4 or 5 more placemats and use them as part of a table runner.

Binding sewn on with ½” seam allowance

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Making a quilted table runner out of a placemat pattern Let's make another table runner, this time using placemat shapes.

Following the same instructions, make 4 or 5 more placemat tops, using 2 – 5” strips and 7 – 2¾” squares for each placemat.

Each one will be different, giving this table runner a modern, scrappy look.

When you cut the original 8 fat quarters into 5” and 2¾” strips, there was one narrow strip left at the end. Now you can use that strip to join the “placemats” together to make the table runner.

4 more finished placemats

These strips will probably be different widths. You can trim them to a common size or use them just as they are. My runner has 4 “placemats” so I needed 3 joining strips. Sew the placemats together with the narrow strips.

Trim excess fabric from the narrow strips so all edges are even.

• Cut batting and backing so it’s • • • • Sew narrow strips between the placemat sections

•

• •

Finished fat quarter-friendly placemat table runner

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about 1” larger all around than the placemat top.

Layer backing (I chose red Ketan #262 Azalea), batting and top.

Quilt as desired. Again, I did some simple straight line quilting.

Remember to use your even-feed or walking foot for quilting.

Trim so there is ¼” of backing and batting showing all around.

Measure your runner to determine what length of binding strips you need. Cut 3” strips (for a ½” finished size binding) from the Banyan Batiks fabric of your choice. I used the gray Ketan #441 Silver Lites.

Fold binding strip in half, wrong sides together and press.

Sew on the binding using a ½” seam allowance. You can see detailed instructions for making and sewing the binding in my QUILTsocial blog post, Change up the way you make your quilt binding.

Do you still have some small strips and/or squares left over from your Banyan Batiks Tie One On fabrics?

Keep reading.

Flip & stitch to make a marvelous mug rug After making your table runner and/or placemats, you probably still have some strips or squares left over. Let’s make a quick mug rug or table mat and use up all those leftovers!

• Start by layering a backing piece and

a piece of batting. My backing was approximately 13” x 17” but yours will depend on the width and length of strips you have left over.

• Starting in the center, place 2 strips, right sides together on the batting and backing. I put my strips on an angle so I could use both long and short leftover strips.

• Using a walking foot or even-feed foot, stitch the 2 strips together, through batting and backing.

Layer batting and backing.

Table mat from leftover strips

Stitch strips, right sides together.

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• • • •

Flip strip over so the right side is showing.

Keep adding strips until the batting/backing are covered.

Trim off excess fabric to square up the edges.

You can leave this piece the size it is now (mine was about 12” x 16”), or cut it to make 2 or more mug mats.

• The quilting is already done, so you just need to sew on a binding and your piece is finished!

I hope you’ve enjoyed using and learning more about Banyan Batiks this week. The Tie One On collection comes in 4 different colorways. I used the Ventura colorway but each of the other colorways would give its own unique look to these projects.

Keep adding strips until batting and backing are covered.

There are more fabrics being added to the Banyan Batiks collection all the time. Be sure to check out the Northcott website to see all the newest fabrics. And remember to click the Product Finder Button on the Northcott site to find out which shops have your favorite Banyan Batiks!

Backing and batting are covered with strips.

Trim excess fabric to square up the edges.

Jean Boyd

patternsbyjeanboyd.com

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Finished table mat uses up the leftover Banyan Batiks strips from the table runners.

With bright, high contrast colors such as purple, orange and turquoise, Banyan Batiks’ latest novelty collection Ride On creates a unique 3D effect using mists of color and a touch of metallic.

Featuring fun hand-printed tire tracks, retro bikes, gears, wheels and a double border print, bike enthusiasts are sure to love these cool and colorful batiks. Available in four distinctive colorways, it will be hard to pick your favorite‌ so you might just have to get them all!

Visit BanyanBatiks.com to view the entire collection, and use the Product Finder tool to search for a local quilt shop that carries Ride On. 23

Say it with

free motion quilting,

a designer cushion Julie Plotniko

Say it with free motion quilting – designer cushion

Free motion quilting is one of my favorite things to do and I’m always exploring new and exciting variations.

I had fun using applique words in my QUILTsocial blog post 5 easy steps to make a quilted spring banner and wondered could I also create words with quilting?

With my beautiful Gütermann Dekor rayon thread the answer, of course, is a resounding yes! materials Gütermann thread – a quilters palette My thread of choice for quilting this project is the beautiful Gütermann Dekor Rayon.

Gütermann Dekor rayon thread color 7337 Bright Aqua

This lovely rayon thread comes in a wide variety of colors, is easy to work with and gives a soft sheen to the stitching.

A small selection of Gütermann Dekor rayon thread

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Photos by Julie Plotniko

I like quite dense quilting so I needed 2 of the 220-yard spools.

Though the wrong side of the stitching will not show I like to use the same thread in the bobbin.

This way I will not have to worry about the back thread showing on the top and my machine tension will be easy to set. fabric – a quilter’s canvas My fabric for this project is Canvas from Northcott. I love the way the subtle color changes add extra detail to my quilting.

• 5⁄8 yd for pillow front and back, color 9030-11 was used for the sample • ½ yd of a contrasting color for a ruffle to match the thread, color 9030-63 was used for the sample • 20” square of plain fabric for the back of your quilted piece, this will be on the inside of the pillow and will not show • 2 – 20” squares Fairfield Soft & Toasty natural cotton batting threads • 1 spool Gütermann 50wt cotton in a color to match your main fabric • 1 spool Gütermann 50wt cotton in a color to match your contrasting fabric

Canvas by Northcott

needles

• 1 package SCHMETZ quilting needles other 1 UNIQUE fast-fade marker 1 UNIQUE wash out marker 1 package Heirloom 1½” safety pins 18” Fairfield Decorator’s Choice pillow form sharp pair of small curved scissors 2½” – 3” letter stencil or stick on letters rotary cutter, ruler and mat painters tape

• • • • • • • •

Some additional supplies

equipment sewing machine with • darning foot • ¼ foot • standard sewing foot • walking foot Prepare your fabric From your main pillow fabric cut:

• 1 square 20” for pillow front • 2 pieces 18½” x 11” for the pillow back

Fabric and batting ready to go

From your contrasting fabric cut:

• 3 strips 5½ x width of fabric

We’ve gathered our materials, cut our fabric to size and are off to a great start.

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Mark layer baste easy preparation for machine quilting Good preparation is the key to success.

Use a stencil or stick on letters to mark your inspirational word.

I used the word ‘dream’.

Be bold, place your letters on an angle, a curve or even scattered randomly.

This is a form of stuffed quilting in which some areas use two layers of batting to give a raised, 3-dimensional effect.

Imagine, inspire, create, quilt or even phrases of poems would be lovely. (You might just need a bigger cushion!)

Once happy with the positioning of your letters use a fabric marker to transfer the writing to your fabric.

Our Gütermann Dekor rayon thread will really make the quilting stand out!

Preview the positioning of your letters before you mark. The stick-on poster letters are great for this as they make it easy to see the positioning.

I chose UNIQUE fabric markers for this project as they mark clearly and are easy to remove.

Marking Matters Before we layer our pillow front we need to mark the areas that we will quilt the first time. These are the areas that will have the trapunto effect.

With painters tape secure the 20” square of fabric for your pillow front to a flat surface. Be sure that the right side of the fabric is facing up.

Preview your letters.

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Funky, playful writing can also be fun!

Our pillow front will be quilted twice in some areas to create an effect called trapunto.

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Simply draw around them when you’re ready to mark.

UNIQUE markers come in two types, fastfade and wash-out.

Use a base line to ensure that the letters are straight.

You need to consider how quickly you’ll get the marked design quilted before choosing which marker to use.

Use a ruler to create a base line.

Angles can be fun.

The fast-fade marker is meant to do just that.

Next, mark some freehand motifs. I used flowers, leaves, and dragonflies.

It fades away fairly quickly so that you don’t need to worry about washing the marks out before using your project.

Make them big enough that you’ll be able to easily trim the batting from around the outside of the design once it’s stitched.

To be completely removed it does need to be washed out, like all other markers.

The wash-out marker will make lines

Don’t worry if you’re not satisfied with your drawings at first. UNIQUE markers make it easy to make changes. I always do!

If you’re nervous about drawing directly onto the fabric you can create your designs on paper first. Coloring books are a great design source if you aren’t comfortable with freehand drawing.

Though traditional basting is done with either machine or hand stitching this is not satisfactory when machine quilting as the dense stitching over top makes the basting thread difficult to remove.

For the designer cushion, baste with safety pins.

This will hold the layers firmly in place as well as make it easy to trim away the excess batting to create the trapunto effect.

Using Heirloom safety pins lightly pin baste your marked fabric to the single layer of batting.

Remove the painters’ tape once you’re finished drawing.

UNIQUE fast-fade fabric marker

that will not disappear until the item is washed.

Draw designs on paper first.

If you don’t feel that you will quilt your design immediately after marking then it would be better to use a wash-away marker.

This is also the time to make any

Layering fabric and batting Place one of the 20” squares of Fairfield Soft & Toasty natural cotton batting on a flat surface.

Cushion front marked, layered and pin basted

Our designer cushion front is marked, layered, basted and ready for us to start stitching.

Position the marked fabric square on top of the batting and smooth in place.

Note: Normally a quilt sandwich is made from three layers, a backing fabric, batting and front fabric.

UNIQUE wash-out fabric marker

adjustments you need.

I found the E in my stick-on letters a bit narrow so I adjusted it more to my liking.

In this case, we do not need a backing fabric for the first layer as parts will be trimmed away of the batting to create the trapunto effect.

Basting for success There are several methods that can be used to “baste” or hold the layers of a quilted item together.

This is done so that the layers won’t slip out of place and cause puckers.

Letters marked and adjusted

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Quilting words – so much to say using Gütermann Dekor thread!

I hope you’ve been having fun getting ready to free motion quilt words and more for a designer cushion.

Was it hard deciding what you wanted to say? Maybe you’re already making more than one?

We learned how to mark, layer and baste your piece. Now it’s time to create our trapunto using wonderful Gütermann thread.

Prepare your machine for free motion quilting Put a new size 75/11 SCHMETZ Quilting needle on your machine.

A quilting needle will pierce the multiple layers of batting and fabric quickly and easily. The size 75/11 is appropriate to the type of thread used in this project as well as the size of patterns being stitch.

Next, put a darning foot on your machine.

This is sometimes called a pogo or free motion quilting foot. There are a variety of different types of darning feet available for most machines. Use the one that you’re most comfortable with.

Drop or cover the feed dogs.

These are the little teeth in the base of the machine that usually feed the fabric forward. Check your machine manual if you’re not sure how to do this.

It’s time to quilt!

Thread the machine to start with Gütermann 50 weight cotton thread in a color similar to your background fabric.

This is a great confidence booster for new quilters as there’s no need to be too precise with the outline stitching.

The first set of stitching allows to trim away the excess batting while giving you a practice run at following the design.

After you stitch the second time this first line of stitching will be almost invisible even if you don’t quite manage to stitch directly over top.

If confident at covering the same line of stitching twice, simply thread your machine with your Gütermann Dekor rayon thread in both the top and bobbin.

A variety of darning or free motion quilting feet

Let’s get quilting Outline quilt each of the letters.

Stitch the outlines only of the drawn designs. The detail will be stitched later.

For now, we just want to be able to trim away the extra batting.

Stitch in order of size starting with the largest design. This will help keep your piece square.

Remove any Heirloom safety pins that are in the way as you stitch.

Don’t worry if there’s some twisting or buckling between the motifs as you will be trimming the extra batting away.

When we disengage the feed dogs were able to freely move the fabric in any direction. We’ll also be in control of the stitch length.

Thread your machine. We're stitching all of the lines that were drawn on the fabric.

Once the batting has been trimmed stitch over the same set of lines a second time.

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Sewing machine ready for free motion quilting.

Stitch the first time with thread that matches the background fabric

Time to layer again

Now for the magic

It’s time to create the final quilt sandwich.

Turn your piece over and very carefully trim away all of the batting outside the stitched lines.

This time use painters tape to secure the plain fabric for the inside of the cushion to a flat surface.

Put a little tension on the batting to get as close to the stitched lines as possible without cutting the thread.

Take care not to allow any little folds in the fabric that might result in cutting a hole along the stitching line. If a mishap does occur I find fusible interfacing is a great fix.

Smooth the second 20'' square of Fairfield Soft & Toasty natural cotton batting on top.

Batting trimmed outside outline stitching – back view

Once fully quilted the item will be as good as new.

Finally, smooth the partially quilted square on top of the batting and lightly pin baste with Heirloom safety pins.

Our quilted words are looking so pretty!

You’re all ready for the next step when we bring everything to life with beautiful Gütermann Dekor rayon thread and lots of background quilting.

Layer again with a backing fabric and second square of batting

Making quilted words pop,

it’s all about the thread Now it’s time to really make those quilted words pop as beautiful Gütermann Dekor rayon thread brings life to our designer cushion!

All of the stitching from now on will be done with Gütermann Dekor Rayon thread that contrasts with the background fabric.

I used a single color throughout a variety of colors either solid or variegated would be equally gorgeous. The thread really brings this design to life so don’t be shy about color. Use your contrasting fabric to help you decide.

Anchoring the letters and designs with stitching Having stitched around the letters and drawn designs on the front of your designer cushion once already.

The second line of stitching should be directly on top of the first or as close to it as possible.

The first time around you probably stitched with Gütermann cotton thread the same color as your background fabric. If so then you’re OK if you miss the line a bit. The cotton thread will just blend in with the background fabric and add more texture. This is especially true with the wonderful line of fabric called Canvas from Northcott.

If you stitched using the contrasting thread for the first line of stitching try to be as accurate as possible when recrossing the same lines.

Outline stitch over top of the previous stitching

The first set of outline stitching was very plain, just enough to be able to trim the extra batting away.

When you stitch around the second time you can add more detail. Don’t overdo it or the trapunto areas will lose their puffiness.

Now we need to stitch those same lines a second time. This anchors the designs to the additional layer of batting and gives them more definition.

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Background fill makes our quilting special There are an infinite number of designs you could use to quilt the background of your designer cushion.

It’s pliable enough to stitch small designs while the lovely sheen adds a whole extra dimension to the background stitching that helps the words and other trapunto elements stand out even more.

I chose a swirl design because it reminds me of the movement of wind and water.

Aside from the lettering, our designs are fairly organic.

‘Dream’ could mean you’re sleeping … floating on a cloud.

Outline stitch over top of the previous stitching

TIPS for free motion quilting on an existing line Free motion quilting on an existing line, either drawn or stitched can be tricky.

‘Dream’ could also mean to follow your dreams, dream big, you’re capable of your dreams.

Swirls seemed to fit this theme.

I used a little squiggle for the areas that were too small for the swirls to fit in.

Keep your background stitching small.

The best way to stay on a line is to look ahead to where you want to be. It’s kind of like when you drive your car. If you look at the road directly in front of the car you’ll weave all over the place.

If you really go off course just add an element. Pop in an extra leaf or flower.

How about a curlicue or vine?

There are no mistakes, only happy accidents!

Look at something you don’t want to hit well… we all know what happens there!

When you’re free motion quilting you don’t want to look at the needle. This is like looking down at the road, you’ll be off the line most of the time. Try to look ahead of where you’re actually stitching on the design. In other words, look where you want to go.

Try to look for obvious pause points where it will be easy to stop and reposition your hands.

Above all, relax and have fun!

Swirl design background quilting

Consider both your comfort level as well as what you like when choosing your background design. This is a great time to try stitching new designs.

Keep the scale of the design small in relation to your other quilting. If the background design is too large your main elements will start to disappear.

Gütermann Dekor rayon thread helps to achieve beautiful results.

Quilting backgrounds can be relaxing and fun!

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Just add a stem or vine if you stray off a line.

We’ve completed the quilting and it looks amazing thanks to our Gütermann Dekor rayon thread.

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A gourmet finish for a quilted designer cushion Preparing your pieces Trim the quilted cushion front to measure 18½” square. Set aside for now.

Topstitch close to the inner fold.

Your backing pieces will now have one finished side and three unfinished.

Press and set aside for later.

Square up the short sides of your 5½” strips

Trim the quilted cushion front

Prepare your machine with a new SCHMETZ 75/11 Quilting needle and the standard sewing foot.

Thread with Gütermann 50 weight cotton thread in a color to match your backing fabric.

Fold under ¼” to the back on one long side of each of your backing pieces and press.

Fold under and press again

Creating and attaching the cushion ruffle Using a rotary cutter and ruler, square off the short ends of your previously cut 5½” strips of accent fabric.

Be sure to remove all of the selvedges.

Fold under ¼ a second time to cover the raw edge and press.

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Using a ¼ seam sew the three 5½” strips together on the short sides so that you have one long piece.

Bring the two ends together taking care not to twist the strips. Sew the ends to create a large loop.

Press the seams open.

Fold edge of one long side under ¼”

Fold under and press again

Put a ¼” foot on your machine and change to Gütermann 50 weight cotton thread in a color that matches the accent fabric.

Say it with free motion quilting – designer cushion

Fold in half lengthwise, wrong sides together and press.

Machine baste the ruffle in place using a slightly shorter basting stitch.

Take care that the raw edges are even.

I used my standard sewing foot but you can use a walking foot if you prefer.

Turn right sides out, press and insert the 18” Fairfield Decorator’s Choice pillow form.

Put the standard sewing foot back on your machine and lengthen your stitch length to as long as it will go.

Leave a long tail and stitch a row of basting stitches all the way around the loop about ¼” away from the raw edge.

Stitch a second row of basting stitches just to the inside of the first.

By using a matching thread color I won’t have to worry about taking out the basting stitches later.

Baste the ruffle to the cushion front.

The finish line With the right sides together and the raw edges even pin the first half of your cushion backing to the cushion front.

Repeat for the opposite side.

Completed designer cushion back

Thanks for joining me for this week’s project.

Your backing pieces will overlap in the center.

I hope you enjoy your new designer cushion quilted with Gütermann Dekor rayon thread.

Take care not to catch the loose edge of the ruffle piece.

I just know you’ll get many requests to say it with free motion quilting!

Two rows of basting stitches.

Julie Plotniko

Using pins or your UNIQUE Quilters’ fastfade marker, divide the ruffle piece into four equal sections.

juliesquiltclass.blogspot.ca

Mark the center of each side of the cushion front.

Pin the ruffle piece in place matching the marks on the ruffle piece to the marks on the cushion front.

Take care not to twist the ruffle.

Pull up the gathering stitches until the ruffle is the same size as your cushion front.

Pin the cushion back pieces in place.

Using a slightly generous ¼” seam and a normal stitch length stitch the backing in place.

Pin so that the ruffles are evenly distributed and all raw edges are even.

Make sure that the ruffle has a little extra fullness on the corners.

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5

steps for adding a pop of color with a flange in the binding

Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC with the optional extension table

Elaine Theriault

Are you ready for another super exciting article of tips to make your sewing and quilting easier and better! Let’s not forget that I’ve got an awesome sewing machine to demonstrate all those tips and tricks with.

The flange (red) fabric is cut 1½” wide by the width of fabric (WOF) and the binding (green) is cut 1¼” by WOF.

I’m having fun with the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC, a sewing and embroidery machine. I’ll show you some interesting things from both a sewing perspective and I’m going to play around with some embroidery as well. Really, it’s all about playing and having fun!

Let's start with another type of binding.

This is a great technique if you’re in the habit of sewing your bindings on by machine. It’s all about a binding with the added pop of a little flange.

Let’s jump in and see what it’s all about.

By the way, the quilt that I’m putting this binding on has a lot of green background in it. The binding is the same color as the background and I thought the flange would be a perfect way to pop out the colors in the blocks of the quilt.

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There’s a lot of green in the background of this quilt

Step 1 - Cut the binding strips

After you’ve chosen your binding fabric and the accent (flange) fabric, you’re ready to cut the binding strips.

To calculate the number of strips required, I’ve outlined here THE formula for calculating the necessary yardage for binding your quilt so please pop over there to work out the numbers.

Notice there is ¼” difference between the two strip widths. This will produce a flange that’s 1⁄8” wide. You can easily change the width of your binding (this formula will produce a binding that is 2¼” wide), just keep the flange ¼” larger than the binding fabric. If you want a smaller (or larger) flange, then The accent strips on the left and the adjust the difference binding strips on the between the two right are cut strip widths.

That’ll make a whole lot more sense when you see how the binding is created so bear with me.

Photos by Elaine Theriault QUILTsocial | issue 14

Step 2 - Join the strips

Once you’re done with the flange strips, repeat the process with the 1¼” binding strips.

Now that all the strips are cut, it’s time to join them together. You need to join all the flange strips together to create one long strip. I like to use a diagonal seam as that reduces bulk in the binding.

I don’t bother to cut off the selvages before I join the strips, and you can see that I’ve overlapped the ends. I have two reasons for that overlap. When I trim the seam, the selvages will be trimmed off, but more importantly, those overlaps allow me to more easily see where to stop and start my diagonal seam.

When you’re done, you’ll have two long skinny strips of fabric – one that’ll become the flange and the other is the binding.

Step 3 - Sew the flange to the binding

Sewing the strips together with the embroidery unit still attached to the Designer EPIC

to the machine. I was doing some embroidery, but I needed to stitch these seams together. I love the fact that we don’t have to take off the embroidery unit to sew. Now if I were sewing something large, I would remove the embroidery unit as I don’t want to damage it.

It’s time to sew the two long strips together. My two strips (I’m using Northcott Banyan Batiks in my example) happen to be the same length. I don’t want the two joins to fall in the exact same place where they’ll create unnecessary bulk so I’m going to offset the end of the strips by about 2”.

Offset the ends of the strips if the joins of the two strips will be positioned beside each other.

Sew the two long strips together using an accurate and consistent ¼” seam allowance.

Using the 45-degree line on the ruler to draw my line for the diagonal seam

I’ve covered joining the seams in a bit more detail in my post, Binding a Quilt. Let’s just say that I’ve written a lot about bindings!

Trim the excess corners (and selvages) away leaving ¼” seam allowance

Once the seams are sewn on the diagonal, trim away the excess leaving a ¼” seam allowance. You’ll be trimming the selvages away at the same time.

The joins of the two strips are offset from each other to prevent unnecessary bulk.

You can see in the photo below that the seams of the two strips are offset so they don’t create unnecessary bulk when the binding is attached to the quilt.

The seams are pressed open to reduce bulk.

Press the seams open to reduce bulk. I don’t bother to trim off the dog ears.

Step 4 - Pressing the binding

Carefully press the seam towards the binding fabric. It’s best to do this from

Pin the intersection to prevent it from shifting when you stitch on the drawn line

I used a ruler to draw a line and I pin the strips together. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I know lots of people eyeball this seam as those strips are only 1½” wide. It’s just that I like to be consistent so I always do it this way. Call me ‘set in my ways’!

Then I sewed those diagonal seams together on the Designer EPIC. Notice that the embroidery unit is still attached

A long skinny strip of fabric for the flange and a second long strip for the binding

The seam allowance is pressed towards the binding fabric.

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the FRONT of the binding to prevent tucks from occurring along the seam.

Make sure you don’t distort the binding – in other words, try to keep the seam straight as you press the length of the binding.

binding (green) will be touching the back of the quilt. If I started with the other end, I would only be able to see the flange fabric when I flipped the binding to the front of the quilt. Don’t believe me? Try it!

Then you’ll press the binding in half with wrong sides together. Keep those long raw edges even. See how that flange just peaks over the edge of the binding?

My flange measures about 1⁄8” but as

A note of CAUTION. This binding with the flange measures 2¼” wide. The binding that I normally make is 2½” wide.

I had to adjust my seam allowance to compensate for the difference in width.

This is CRITICAL. If you’re not sure what seam allowance to use, make a sample or play around until you know that the width is correct. Stitch a few inches and remove the quilt from under the presser foot and test the width. Is it OK? If so, keep going. If not – adjust it!

Fold the joined binding/flange strips in half to reveal the narrow flange on the right side of the binding.

I mentioned, if you want that flange a wee bit narrower, then reduce the difference between the two strip widths to perhaps 3⁄16”.

The binding is wound into a figure eight and ready to sew on the quilt

Be careful when you wind the binding as you want to have the appropriate end ready to start sewing. With regular binding, it doesn’t matter which end you start with, but with the flange, it’s important which end you start with.

You’ll see what I mean in a minute.

Step 5 - Sew the binding to the quilt

The process of sewing a binding with a flange to a quilt is the same as if you were sewing a regular binding to a quilt.

There is ONE exception and that is which end of the binding strip to start with. To review the process of starting, turning corners, etc. I’ll refer you once again to my post, Binding a Quilt for more details.

Remember we’ll be stitching this binding to the front of the quilt with the Designer EPIC, therefore we’ll start by sewing the binding to the back of the quilt. This is the same way we would sew a regular binding to a quilt if both sides will be sewn by sewing machine.

So which end of the binding do you start with? In the photo below, you can see that I start with the end where the

The beginning and ending ends of the completed binding strip are offset to prevent the joins from being side by side.

My seam allowance is slightly larger than ¼”, using the Quilter’s ¼” piecing foot as a guide.

I used my Quilter’s ¼” Piecing Foot to stitch both sides of the binding and it worked like a charm. Remember to put a little bit of tension on the binding as you’re sewing it. That helps to prevent a wavy edge to your quilt. Notice that I was sewing slight larger than a ¼” seam allowance but not by much.

I should mention that I removed the embroidery unit from the Designer EPIC. I didn’t want that quilt falling onto the embroidery arm and potentially damaging it. I put the extension table onto the sewing machine and I LOVE how the quilt just glides over that beautifully curved edge.

Do some experimenting and see what you come up with.

In the photo below, you can see how both ends of my binding were offset to prevent the diagonal seams of the joins from sitting beside each other.

Wind the binding strip as shown at the start of this feature.

The extension table makes it a snap to bind a quilt and the figure eight of binding never gets twisted

Start stitching the binding to the back of the quilt with the flange facing UP

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Notice that the figure eight of binding just sits right there on the edge of the table. No twisted binding and no gadget to remember to use (or find). I’ve used this method for countless bindings and I just love easy and simple it is to bind a quilt.

Now we have a gorgeous binding with a pop of color in the flange to accent the fish in the quilt.

Doing a binding this way takes a bit more time in the prep work, but the end result is so worth it.

Now that the binding is sewn to the back of the quilt, it’s time to stitch it onto the front of the quilt. This is where the flange does its second job (the first is to add a pop of color to the front of the quilt). Essentially, I’m stitching in the ditch between the flange and the binding.

Set up the sewing machine with a thread that matches the quilt backing in the bobbin. And for the top thread, you want one that matches the flange.

A beautiful colored flange on the front of the quilt and you can barely notice the stitching on the backing.

Carefully stitch in the ditch between the flange and the binding. I covered in detail how to get those mitered corners just right.

Stitching the binding to the front of the quilt by stitching in the ditch between the flange and the binding

A note about the quilt – it is NOT my design. I was asked to test a pattern for a designer. This is the finished product. I was waiting for this moment to add that flanged binding. Now to hand-stitch the sleeve and it’s done!

When you pull that binding to the front of the quilt, make sure that you pull it over so that the stitching in the ditch will cover the existing line of stitching that was created when you sewed the binding to the back of the quilt. No one wants to peek under your flange and see a line of stitching there.

The colored flange adds just a touch of color to the outer edges of the quilt

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I wanted to say something about thread color. Don’t drive yourself crazy to find a thread that exactly matches your fabrics.

I have a drawer of mostly small spools of thread that have collected over the years.

Most likely because I was topstitching something or I just liked the color.

Who knows how one collects this stuff.

Anyway, all the colored spools of thread are in one spot. When I need to choose the thread for the backing or the binding, I open up this drawer and I find the BEST match, not the EXACT match. I’m much more likely to have a BEST match than I am to have an EXACT match. I certainly don’t have time to run to the store each time I need a bit of thread to bind a quilt.

A drawer full of various colors of thread

Having a fast sewing machine like the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC makes this job a whole lot easier and faster.

Not only the speed but the penetration power of the Designer EPIC makes quick work of stitching that binding in place. I had barely started and I was DONE!

As an example, here’s the color of thread that I used for the bobbin in the final step of the attaching the binding. That is nowhere near an exact match to that backing, but when you run a single strand across the backing, the thread pretty much disappears.

Thread used for the bobbin when sewing the binding to the quilt – it’s not an exact match

6 steps to add lettering to your quilt sashings

Step 1 - Choose the sashing

I went through my stash and found four possible fabrics to use for the sashing.

I like my lettering to be legible, but I don’t want the words to dominate the quilt.

I eliminated the one on the left. It’s a very busy print and the wording won’t show up at all. The two colors in the print are working nicely together and if I were to add something else, it would be too much.

While it’s important to choose the right color of fabric for the sashing, it’s even more important if you’re adding lettering.

Here’s my stack of blocks that I’m working with. There are 111 blocks in total and I’m including all the blocks in one large quilt. The blocks are all different with various colors on the outer edges of the blocks. I need to find one fabric that’ll work with all the blocks.

That leaves me with the gold and the green. Both of which are fairly monochromatic. Let’s audition each with the blocks and see what happens.

Quilt blocks that will be sashed and made into a quilt.

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I eliminated the burgundy one as well.

Why? The pattern is very spread out and my sashings will finish at 1” x 6”. The pattern in the sashing will vary too much and the words won’t show up as well as they could. Let’s not forget that the sashing is to provide a framework for the blocks. The burgundy fabric will not provide a cohesive look.

Let’s see how the dark green works. I placed the same blocks on the green and look how they pop off that fabric.

I want the blocks to be the star of the quilt, not the sashing.

the top two, but I finally settled on the top thread. See how the second from the top blends in so much that we can barely see the thread. The top thread, however, has a slightly lighter value than the fabric and also a slightly different hue of green. Looks good to me. Remember how I try to pick the BEST match with what I have, rather than the EXACT match.

Four different fabrics that could work for the sashing.

I grabbed some random blocks. Hmm – that gold is not doing anything for me or the blocks. The blocks just seem to fade into the sashing. This’ll make for a ho-hum quilt considering that it’s going to be a very large quilt.

The blocks become the focal point, not the sashing.

Even the blocks with dark outer edge seem to look better on the green than they did on the gold.

Choosing between five different thread colors

It looks like I’ve made my decision.

I swapped out the Straight Stitch plate for the Zigzag Stitch plate. I think it’s pretty obvious why I had to do that. The needle will be moving to the left and right and I need an opening in the stitch plate to allow that to happen. Even though this stitch plate is large, there’s a handy spot to store it in the bottom of the accessory box.

The other thing to consider is how much fabric you have. Since I had equal amounts of the green and the gold, that wasn’t a factor in my decision.

Step 3 - Setting up the Designer EPIC

One of the great features of the Designer

Fabrics with dark outer edges still stand out on the green fabric.

The blocks appear to blend right into the sashing.

I also tried some of the darker blocks on the gold sashing and while they look better than the previous ones did, blocks with darker outsides are in the minority. I think I’m going to eliminate the gold for the sashing.

Step 2 - Choosing the thread color

I want the words to be subtle yet I want people to be able to read the words if they want. I don’t want the words to be visible unless you’re looking for them.

I went to my thread box and pulled out a couple of spools of embroidery thread that somewhat matched the green fabric. The bottom three were very light – too light for what I wanted so I eliminated them.

It was a bit of a tough decision between The Zigzag stitch plate on top and the Straight Stitch plate on the bottom

Blocks with dark outer edges pop on the gold fabric

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EPIC is the Stitch Width Safety. When the Straight Stitch Plate is in use, the stitch width safety features kicks in. You cannot move the needle to the right or the left so there’s no danger of choosing a zigzag stitch when you have the Straight Stitch Plate installed.

After I removed the Straight Stitch Plate, I got this popup message. It’s a handy reminder. Just because you’ve removed the Straight Stitch Plate, you can still run into problems if you haven’t changed to the appropriate foot or other accessories.

when stitched out, do a sample of each.

Try the upper case, try the lower case, try the special symbols or the numbers to see the style of the fonts.

This step is very important, otherwise, you’ll get a lot of puckering which won’t look nice.

I chose Block alphabet because it’s simple to read and this is important when the thread will be closely matched to the fabric.

Let’s say that you were piecing with the Quilter’s ¼” Piecing Foot. There’s no room for the needle to move out of center position so this popup is a good reminder to remove the foot and any other accessories that may damage or break needles on the sewing machine.

As per the Exclusive Sewing Advisor, I’ve A narrow strip of stitch n tear stabilizer to stabilize the line of stitching

Font menu with five built-in fonts

Step 4 - Prepping the fabric

Popup message regarding the Stitch Width Safety

attached the B foot. The B foot is perfect for stitching the lettering. There’s a channel on the underside of the B foot.

This allows the height of the stitching to move smoothly beneath the foot with no jamming.

My sashings will be 1” x 6” finished. I don’t want the hassle of centering the lettering on a 6½” wide strip so I cut the strip about 8” to have some room to center the lettering when I cut the sashings apart.

While it’s hard to see in the photo below (as I said – I wanted these words to be very subtle), you can see the puckering at the beginning of the word BUZZARD in the top row of stitching. That’s because when I inserted the stabilizer, it didn’t go all the way to the beginning of where I was going to stitch. Lesson learned – make the strips a bit longer!

In the second row of stitching, you can see that there’s no puckering.

I used a choc-o-liner and a ruler and marked a line every 2” on the fabric. This will be the guideline for the stitching.

I’m using one of the five built-in fonts.

Puckering at the beginning of the lettering where there was no stabilizer

Step 5 - Stitching out the wording

The fabric is marked every two inches with chalk for stitching guidelines.

The B foot with a channel on the underside to prevent raised stitches from jamming

There’s a separate menu for the fonts which you can reach by touching the green tab in the next photo.

If you’re not sure how the letters will look

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The lettering is too dense to stitch on the single layer of fabric by itself. I’ll need to use a stabilizer as well. I’m using a stitch and tear product. Rather than cut one large piece to put on the backing, I used some smaller strips that were leftover from another project.

In the next photo, you can see that the Block Alphabet is highlighted. This is the one that I’m using and I’ve typed in the block name (Basket). I used all uppercase letters because that’s what I wanted.

The keyboard on the bottom of the screen is very easy to use and extremely responsive. That’s very important. I also programmed a FIX which will tie off the threads at the end of the stitch sequence – in this case, at the end of the word Basket. I’ve also included a STOP function. This will tell the Designer EPIC to stop stitching once it reaches the end of the word. If the STOP function was not programmed into this sequence, the machine would keep stitching the same word over and over again, which is not what I want.

One of the block titles was too long to fit within my 6” parameters. I tried the block name using small letters and it was still too long. Fortunately, I’m able to shrink the words by playing around with the program length. Originally it was something like 190mm and I’ve shrunk it down to 128.3mm which will fit within my 6” sashing. I only shrunk those that did not fit. Everything else, I kept at the original size. But how handy is that? No need to truncate the block name, just shrink it a wee bit.

There’s lots of information on this screen.

I’m also seeing that the length of the word (the program) is 48mm. Since I’m not good with millimeters (mm), it was very handy to have the imperial and metric rulers along the bottom front edge of the sewing machine and also along the edge of the extension table. For some things, I only use metric, for others I only use imperial and for others, I’m good with both. For small measurements – I use inches and I can’t seem to visualize millimeters in my head.

Based on the length of the word in mm, I guessed where the stitching should start.

When I cut the sashings apart, I’ll center the words and if it can’t be centered exactly, it’ll be close enough. These words are NOT obvious so no one will notice it it’s a wee bit off center.

Before hitting START/STOP, make sure you slip your strip of stabilizer under the fabric and center it along that chalk line.

Start the stitching process by touching the START/STOP function that’s conveniently placed right above the needle on the function panel. No need to use the foot pedal for this.

The function panel of the Designer EPIC

It’s VERY important that as the sewing machine stitches the lettering that you keep your hands on the fabric to ensure that the center red mark on the B foot is centered on the chalk line.

Trying to shorten the length of this program by using lowercase letters

Here you can see where I’ve shrunk down the block name so it would fit within the sashing perimeter.

Yes – I know it’s hard to see the lettering.

It does show up a little easier in real life.

But the top version was too long, so I used the program length to shorten the block name until it fit in the 6” sashing.

Keep the center line of the B Foot centered on the chalk line

This is what happens when you don’t pay attention to that line. I started off with the word centered on the chalk line and then – oops – the word went wonky. You need to have your hands on the fabric at all times to guide it.

The speed of the Designer EPIC means that each row of stitching went very fast so it wasn’t a big deal to pay attention for that short period of time.

The stitch sequence has been programmed including a FIX and a STOP.

The bottom line of stitching has been shrunk to fit the 6'' sashing.

Oops – didn’t follow the chalk line.

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Step 6 - Trim the sashing

Before you trim the sashing, carefully remove the stitch n tear stabilizer. It’s not necessary that all the bits be removed from the lettering. Get the bulk of it out.

The rest will disintegrate when the quilt is washed.

Place the ¾” line of the ruler along the chalk line. Cut the excess away.

Turn the piece around and cut a 1½” strips with the lettering centered in the middle.

Place the 3⁄4'' line of the ruler on the chalk line to center the wording on the sashing

6 steps: adding lettering to quilt sashings using machine embroidery

The sashing has been trimmed to 1½” x 6½”

Then centering the word lengthwise, trim the strip so that it measures 6½”.

I’m in the process of finishing the rest of the lettering in the sashing and until I can lay out all the blocks on the design wall, I won’t be able to start stitching the sashing to the blocks. It didn’t take long to stitch out the entire width of fabric (about 21 words per width), but it does take some time to trim them up since you want the words to be centered within the sashing.

I’ve done this with another quilt that had a large number of blocks in it.

This is a really fun way to dress up your quilt. I like to include elements that will draw the audience in to have a closer look. Once they realize that the block names are in the quilt, they begin searching to know the names of certain blocks.

On the upper right you can see the name of the block (Tic-Tac-Toe) is stitched in the sashing which corresponds to the block that it’s sewn to.

Using the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC to perform this task was easy and fast.

And that’s important when you have 111 block names to stitch out.

Step 1 - Set up the Designer EPIC for machine embroidery

It’s very easy to slide off the extension table and add the embroidery unit to the Designer EPIC. Be sure that there is plenty of room on all sides of the embroidery unit. It’s big and you don’t want anything to obstruct the path of the embroidery arm when it starts to stitch out the embroidery.

Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC with the embroidery unit

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The block name is stitched into the sashing.

I need to choose the appropriate hoop size. My sashings will be 6” finished so I don’t need to use a wide hoop. I have three to choose from and ended up using the 150 x 240. Those numbers represent the hoop size in millimeters (mm).

It’s great to have such a wide variety of hoop sizes. This is just a small sampling of the hoops available for the Designer EPIC.

While the colors used in the blocks were red and white, the fabrics were very scrappy and it was going to be hard to find a sashing fabric that worked with all the blocks. After auditioning several reds in the quilt store, the fabric that matched the best was from the Northcott Toscana collection.

In some cases, the red from the outer edges of some of the blocks is bleeding into the sashing, but that’s OK. Again, I wanted the lettering to be

Three of the many different hoops sizes available for use with the Designer EPIC

to the same width as the fabric strips.

I hooped the stabilizer and the fabric together and tightened the hoop.

There’s a clip on the newer hoops to tighten them and I miss that on this hoop. However, I’m happy that the older hoops still work on the Designer EPIC so I’m not complaining.

You know that I struggle with the metric system for small measurements.

Once you have picked the hoop size, you have to select the hoop on the sewing machine. Thankfully, all the hoops have the hoop size molded into the frame so it’s easy to know which one you’re using.

Auditioning some of the blocks on the red sashing fabric

subtle so if someone was interested in reading the names, they could, but I didn’t want the names to be a dominant part of the design.

Hoops sizes are molded into the frame of the hoop.

Cut the strips of fabric slightly wider than the hoop.

I didn’t cut the length of the strip of fabric to fit the hoop. I’ll do all the embroidery with that strip intact and then cut the sashings apart when I’m done.

I chose a thread that very closely matched the sashing fabric. Perhaps a

Step 2 - Choose the fabric and thread

There are 150 blocks in this set. This time it’s not the name of the block that I want to add to the sashing, but the name of a known Canadian female that was selected to represent each block.

I’ll make three separate quilts with the

A red embroidery thread that very closely matches the sashing fabric.

shade too close?

Step 3 - Prepping the fabric

I used the width of the hoop as a guide to cut the fabric strips which were cut from the width of the fabric. The strips need to be wider than the hoop so once the fabric is hooped, the edges of the hoop can hold the fabric in place.

150 red/white blocks measure 6'' square when finished.

The stabilizer and the fabric are hooped together.

You’ll also need some HeatnBond tear away stabilizer. I used one layer and cut it

150 blocks. The blocks are very busy and need a sashing to separate them. I wanted to keep all three quilts strictly red and white. I love the clean look of the red/white combination and did want to add another color to any of the quilts.

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Step 4 - Choosing the font

There are seven embroidery fonts in sizes from 10mm to 80mm to choose from. In the photo below, you can see the sizes represented by the number to the right of the font name.

You need to start out by choosing the hoop size. In the bottom left, you can see the 240 x 150 size is selected. This will set the embroidery edit screen with the corresponding hoop size so you’re designing your words exactly as they will be stitched out. The hoop space is shown in purple below. You can customize that color if you choose.

I wanted to keep the lettering as small as I could so I chose Mesa 12.

I programmed the names into the Embroidery Edit screen. It’s easy to bring up the font menu by touching the green tab with the letter A on it.

Notice that one of the names was too long for the hoop so I had to make two lines.

You can zoom in if you need very precise placement, the number of designs (I have six) and the total stitch count are all outlined on this screen.

If you’ll do some embroidery, it’s very important to become very familiar with all the tools to get the best from your embroidery machine.

Step 5 - Embroidering the letters

Once I was happy with the placement and that everything was spelled correctly, it was time to get to the actual stitching.

After touching the green GO shown on the screen above, I get a Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen. This is where I can review that I’ve all the correct accessories in place – the correct foot and hoop and any other settings that I might want to change, such as basting in the hoop (or not), and other very important options.

It’s like a checklist of some very important components to successful embroidery. I love it!

The embroidery font menu which shows the font name and size

I’m a very visual person and I like to see the size of the font rather than select it from a menu on the screen. I have some of the fonts stitched out which makes it easy to see what the font looks like in the various sizes.

When I did the stitch-outs, I used the font name and the font size as the wording which makes it very easy to know which is which. I need to get the rest of the fonts stitched out and if I were really good, I’d have them in a nice book.

Embroidery edit screen

There are loads of other tools in the Embroidery Edit screen. I remember having to do all the editing on the computer, transferring the design to a FLOPPY disk (OK – that was 20 years ago) and then loading it into the embroidery machine.

The Embroidery Edit screen is a very powerful tool and allows you to contour the letters to a shape, resize, move, rotate and a whole lot more. There’s so much that can be done with the lettering that it’s hard to fit it all in one magazine feature!

Stitch out of some of three of the embroidery fonts

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The Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen

Let’s not forget that I need to thread the machine. I used a red bobbin weight thread in the bobbin and my red embroidery thread on top.

Step 6 - Cut out the sashing pieces

The embroidery foot is attached and I have a red thread for the top and the bobbin.

It’s easy to hit the START/STOP button on the Function Panel and let the embroidery machine do all the work.

Notice that the STOP function is highlighted. You do NOT want that feature selected when you’re doing this kind of stitching as the embroidery machine will stop after each letter.

Which is OK if you wanted to change the thread color for each letter. But since my letters will all be the same color, I turned off the STOP feature and all the letters stitched one after the other.

Function panel of the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC

And soon enough the embroidery was done. That sound is always music to my ears. If I happen to be upstairs, I can always check the app on my smartphone to see what stage the embroidery is at. I love that feature.

That’s made possible because the Designer EPIC is connected to the Wi-Fi. I know – how crazy is that!

Embroidery is finished!

It takes a bit of time for these letters to be stitched out. Why? Well, the jump stitch for each letter is hidden on the back of the work, unlike the method we used where you could see the connecting stitches.

OK – that was an important call. The lettering is much more legible and I tried a cleaner font as well. I think I like this option although, in person, that thread is very bright. But from a foot away from the quilt, it’s probably won’t be that noticeable.

It’s amazing and all done with the touch of the START/STOP button. So if you’re looking for a cleaner look, this is the way to go.

WAIT – before you say it, I’ll say it – I’m not so

Sashing has been trimmed to size.

sure that my thread color is the best. I mean those words are almost an exact match for the fabric. Since these are the names of people, they are less recognizable than the names of quilt blocks.

I may have to use a slightly lighter color of thread, otherwise, we’ll never be able to decipher what the words are. Mind you, the words are easier to read in person than in the photos.

I slept on it and NO that thread color has to be changed. If I’m putting in all that work, those names need to be much more legible than they were on the original sample.

This is why it’s important to makes samples. Just because you think the color is right, it doesn’t mean the color is right.

I looked through the thread box and chose two different colors. One red had a yellow undertone making it an orange red, the other had a blue undertone, making a purple-red. I like the ‘orange’ red best.

A much better thread choice

I may end up trying another, slightly duller color (if I have in my thread box).

Otherwise, I think I’m good with this one.

And it’s that easy to add letters to your quilt sashing. Imagine the possibilities for personalizing ANYTHING. It’s also a way to make your quilts your own! Play with the different fonts and sizes that are included with the Designer EPIC. Or if you’re really ambitious, you can take ANY font that’s a true font and convert it to a file that you stitch out on the Designer EPIC. Imagine the possibilities……

There we have it – another way to get the lettering on our quilts (or other items) and it’s so easy to make it happen with the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC.

Two new colors auditioned on the sashing fabric.

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User’s Guide, Quick Help, JoyOS Advisor: sewing help at your fingertips I’m touching a bit more on some lettering, but I thought it was equally important to spend some time showing you how easy it is to learn the ins and outs of the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. Let’s face it, this sewing and embroidery machine has a lot of stuff going on. If you’re familiar with the Husqvarna Viking sewing machines and/or are somewhat familiar with machine embroidery techniques, the learning curve won’t be that difficult, but if you’re brand new to Husqvarna Viking or machine embroidery, learning to operate the Designer EPIC could be daunting.

The good news is that there are three extremely useful tools to help you learn how to use the Designer EPIC.

1 - The User’s Guide

The User’s Guide by chapters on the interactive screen of the Designer EPIC

The User’s Guide no longer comes as a hard copy with the sewing machine.

That’s not a problem as the entire User’s Guide is available on the interactive tablet right on the sewing machine. All the pictures, all the table of contents – everything is right there at your fingertips.

One of the alphabet tabs is expanded to show the list of topics

And if that isn’t enough, you can also search on the topic/feature/function that you’re specifically looking for.

There are even instructions on HOW to use the User’s Guide. You gotta love that!

The User’s Guide is available for you to browse through by chapter as we’re most familiar with in a hard copy of the User’s Guide.

However, the topics are also listed in alphabetical order so if you’re looking for a specific function or feature, it’s easy to go through the alphabet tabs to find what you’re looking for.

When you touch any one of the tabs, the list is expanded so you can see the individual topics that start with that letter.

It’s so easy to maneuver through the lists.

The topics in the User’s Guide listed in alphabetical order

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Use the SEARCH box to find a specific topic

It’s great to have this online version of the User’s Guide right at your fingertips and not have to remember where you stored your copy.

The User’s Guide is also available online as a .pdf document. You can access the document online where you can view it on your tablet or computer but you’ll have to be connected to the internet in order to view the document. You can also download the document to your tablet or computer where you’ll be able to browse the User’s Guide anywhere even if you’re not connected to the internet.

Technically, you could print that .pdf document out if you absolutely wanted a hard copy, but we’re becoming so technically savvy these days that almost nothing you buy comes with a hard copy of the user’s guide. I’d like to think that anyone who uses this amazing sewing machine wouldn’t need a hard copy guide.

I’ve said it before and I’ll keep saying it until everyone believes me. There’s a LOT of good information in the manual.

And every time I read the User’s Guide, I usually learn something.

I’ve changed the grid lines to ½” spacing.

Now it’s easy to position those lines of lettering. I’ve also left ½” above and below each of the lines with an extra ½” between for wiggle room.

2 - The Quick Help

It’s so much easier to do something when you know what you’re doing.

Let’s say that you’re sitting at the sewing machine and there’s a function or button on the screen and you’ve no idea what it is or what it does. You can’t even search through the User’s Guide because you don’t know what you’re searching for.

Yep – that’s happened to me a lot.

So if you touch the QUESTION MARK in the top bar and then touch whatever button/function that you’re puzzled about, you’ll get a pop-up window that gives you a brief description. And if you want more information, there’s usually a link that you can follow that’ll provide even more details.

If I need to position the lettering exactly, I can use the POSITION functions on the bottom right to get the lettering just where I need it to be. It’s also easy to center these lines of lettering (side by side) using the Position functions.

I know that I need to become more familiar with the metric system for measurements less than 12”. I need to make that a goal, but it’s a challenge when we use rulers with inches for all of the cutting of our projects.

That’s like having an expert teacher right at your side and guiding you through the functions of the Designer EPIC. When I wanted to know more about the grid lines that were in the “hoop” on the screen so I could better position my rows of lettering, I touched the Question Mark and got more information.

The User’s Guide accessed through the internet on a tablet

However you access the User’s Guide, it’s a good idea that you browse through it.

There’s a lot of information in that User’s Guide, and the folks at Husqvarna didn’t write it because they had nothing else to do that day. It was written to make your life easier. They’ve also made it accessible for all styles of learning. You don’t want to touch the Designer EPIC until you know everything, then read the User’s Guide from front to back. You want to dive in and learn each topic as you need – then read the topics.

However you choose to use the User’s Guide, I would suggest that you take one section at a time and preferably sitting at the sewing machine, go through it. Identify all the physical parts of the sewing machine. Then identify the various functions on each of the screens. Soon you’ll know all the bits and pieces and you’ll be well on your way to becoming an expert on the Designer EPIC.

Hey – I learned that I can set those grid lines to 4 preset metric settings, or 4 preset imperial settings (YEAH!) or I could create a custom setting for the grid lines. I didn’t know that before!

Now I’ll remember how those grid lines work for future!

Grid lines are set at ½” which makes the placement of the lettering much easier (for my metric challenged brain)

Did you notice that I changed the purple background to grey? I did find the purple distracting so I changed it to orange which was also distracting.

Using the Quick Help to get information on the grid lines

I found the neutral grey was the best choice, but you can change that up once a day if you felt like it. There are lots of colors from which to choose.

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The other thing if you were clever enough to catch it – I forgot to change the hoop size and the hoop selected is large – 360 x 240. Some of those lines of stitching will be too long for my blocks so they’ll have to be resized or I may have to revert to two lines of stitching which will mean the sashing is going to have to be 1½” wide finished, not 1” as was my original intention.

You can also download the JoyOS Advisor to your Smartphone. It’s an app that’s available in the App store. So if you happen to be shopping and need to know what stabilizer to buy, you’ll have that information with you. The list of tutorials on sewing, quilting and embroidery techniques is HUGE.

Within the Knowledge Center is information on Stabilizers, which is something that all of us need to know.

There’s a Quick Start Guide if you’re stuck, some workbook projects and some sewing instructions.

I ran out of time to play with it, but I saved the file to my USB so I can go back and play with it and once I’m happy, then I can save it.

Topics covered in the Knowledge Center of the JoyOS Advisor Partial display of embroidery technique tutorials available in the JoyOS Advisor

I’ve run out of time but I wanted to at least touch on one more thing about lettering.

Within each of the sections, there are tutorials and videos that’ll provide more information on that particular technique.

That’s exciting especially if you’re new to any of the techniques covered.

Once you have a line of lettering, it’s a simple process to edit that lettering and have it placed along different line shapes rather than just a straight line of stitching. This would be awesome for labels. The best part about this – you don’t have to do any calculating. You don’t have to manipulate those curves – you just select the functions that you want and the embroidery editor will do all the hard work for you.

Options to change the background color of the “hoop” and the grid lines

3 - The JoyOS Advisor The third option when searching for information is called the JoyOS Advisor which is comprised of four sections. The Sewing Advisor, the Quilting Advisor, the Embroidery Advisor, and the Knowledge Center. All four are filled with excellent tutorials, videos, projects, and other very helpful information.

Quilting tutorials in the JoyOS Advisor

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It doesn’t get any easier than that.

All these information sources do NOT replace a good class from your Husqvarna Viking dealer. The class will give you a good overview of everything that’s possible, but it will be difficult to remember it all.

These amazing reference tools will help you when there’s no one to guide you at home.

The key to remember is to search through or read through the information in bits. Sit at the sewing machine. Touch the buttons, see what happens when you push all the buttons. You can’t really hurt anything and all you have to gain is knowledge.

I’ve barely touched the surface of the options available on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. There’s truly a whole lot more to explore and I hope to touch on more options.

6 steps to creating an embroidered quilt label using the Designer EPIC Before I get started, I thought I’d share this story with you. I love technology and for the most part, I’m pretty good with it. However, I was struggling to download the User’s Guide to my tablet.

I did what I was supposed to do, but nothing happened. So I booked a service appointment (thankfully on the phone) with the tablet manufacturer. They called me on time. While the customer service rep was logging the call, I thought I would try to download the User’s Guide one more time.

You guessed it – in a matter of seconds that file downloaded into the tablet.

But now I have the User’s Guide on my tablet and I can reference it wherever or whenever I want. I’m excited about that.

Step 2 - Position the rows of letters

Next up was to position the rows of lettering into a nice looking label.

Since I still have the grid lines set at ½”, it’s easy for me to visualize how they’ll look when the label is stitched out.

Remember that you can adjust the size of those grid lines depending on what you’re making.

I’ll make a quilt label using the embroidery functions of the Designer EPIC. I don’t normally make a quilt label until a quilt is finished and there was no quilt that was in need of a label. OK – I’m lying about that. I decided to make a label for one of the quilts that I made the sashings for earlier.

There’s a story about this label that’ll give you a smile.

Step 1 - What info goes on the label

I started off with a piece of paper so I could make notes of what I wanted to include on the label. Not too much, but enough to let people know about the quilt when I’m not around to tell them.

I started off with the name of the quilt, the designer’s name, a few lines about where and when the quilt was started and who made it, where and when.

Once all that information was noted, I went to the Embroidery Edit screen. I started off by choosing the hoop size that I wanted to use – 200 x 200.

Changing the text to print on a curved shape is as easy as selecting the shape from the popup menu

The rows of lettering have been entered into the Embroidery Edit screen

Then I added in the lines of lettering.

There are 9 lines in total. At this point, I didn’t really care how they looked on the edit screen. I just wanted the spelling to be correct and all the words included.

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Step 3 - One final check

Before you hit GO, it’s not a bad idea to double check the spelling and the placement to ensure that everything is exactly as you want it to be. It would be bad to stitch out the label and spell your name or some other vital piece of information incorrectly.

I also zoomed right out so that I could see the label as it would appear stitched out (smaller but you get the idea).

Notice that I played around with the text shaping tool. It was easy and if I wasn’t sure of something, I looked it up in the User’s Guide and then I wasn’t afraid to play around on the screen.

The label has been edited and ready to stitch out Using the grid lines and the positioning tools to place the rows of lettering

Oh, notice in the picture above, the spring mechanism on the new hoops.

That system is so much easier to close the hoops with than the screw from the one I used the other day. I’m not complaining as the old hoops work on the new embroidery machines and that’s a good thing. I use this hoop a LOT. I love it.

I was struggling a little bit with the positioning so I zoomed in to make it easier to see where the lines were positioned. I also used the positioning tools that are situated in the bottom right and also the big positioning wheel in the center of the bottom section of the screen. That made it much easier to position everything. I love the flexibility of the tools and the Embroidery Edit screen.

Step 5 - Choose the thread color

The label has been edited and ready to stitch out

Choosing a thread color won’t be as hard as it was earlier in the week. This time, I want that thread to have as much contrast as possible. I think it’s easy to see that brown thread on that gold fabric will stand out. I used a brown bobbin weight thread in the bobbin.

Step 4 - Hoop the fabric

I used the 200 x 200 hoop as a guide as to how large to cut my piece of fabric for the label. It’s important that the fabric be larger than the hoop so the edges of the hoop can support the fabric.

I cut a piece of stitch n tear stabilizer that was large enough to fit the hoop and hooped both the fabric and the stabilizer.

Zoomed in to better view the rows of lettering on the grid lines

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QUILTsocial | issue 14

High contrast thread to show up on the quilt label

When I was in the Embroidery Edit screen, I chose the 200 x 200 hoop.

When I enter the Embroidery Stitch screen, the Designer EPIC asks me to attach the 200 x 200 hoop. It’s just another way of confirming that everything matches.

This saves you a lot of time when the embroidery is complete. There’s no need to trim threads as the Designer EPIC did all that fiddly work for you. This option makes the final product look much neater as well.

Step 6 - Have a cup of tea while the label is stitched out

If you have your Smartphone and the Designer EPIC signed into mySewnet, you can use the app on your Smartphone to monitor the embroidery stitch out progress.

In the photo below, you can see that the Color Block List on the embroidery machine screen and my Smartphone match. As long as you’re both connected to the internet, you’ll see the status of the embroidery stitch out. This is fabulous – love this technology.

The stitch out is just started

Before I left the embroidery machine, you can see the monitor has moved to the second letter on the first row. In case you’re wondering what all those numbers mean; the first number is the row of stitching and the second number is the sequence of the specific letters.

Pop up message to attach the chosen hoop size

Because my label consists of lettering that will be the same color, it’s important that I turn off the STOP function. I don’t want the embroidery machine to require attention after every letter. There are options to choose from to make the machine at certain points of the design (thread color changes). In my case, all the letters are the same color of thread so I’ll let it stitch out with no intervention.

Function panel with the STOP function lit up

If you remember from the other day, you get a checklist when entering the Embroidery Stitch Out screen. One of the options is Thread Cut Options. You can turn the Automatic Thread Cutter and Automatic Jump Stitch Trim on or off. You’ll notice in the final label that each letter is separate. There’s no thread connecting one to the other. The Automatic Jump Stitch Trim was selected and that means that all the thread ends are pulled to the back of the work.

The mySewMonitor app shows me the progress of the stitch out

In this photo, I’ve just started the embroidery - and I went for lunch.

The embroidery has started and moved onto the second letter which is shown on the app and the embroidery screen

As I was enjoying my lunch, I got a notification on the Smartphone app to check the upper thread. I ran down to the studio and fixed the problem and back up to finish my sandwich. No need to hang my head over the railing to see if I could still hear the machine working. I LOVE that app!

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While I could have checked my phone for the status of the label, I wanted to get a picture of the label in progress. You can see that it’s almost done.

Here’s the final label. I have to take it out of the hoop and tidy up the spaces between the words. A small task compared to having to remove all the jump stitches which the Designer EPIC did automatically!

I love how the label turned out.

The label is almost finished

Then I got another notification on my phone. The embroidery is FINISHED!

An alert on mySewMonitor app to check the thread

While we’re waiting for the Designer EPIC to finish stitching my label, I thought I’d share with you a couple of other labels. I didn’t make either of them, but hopefully, it’ll give you a couple of ideas for quilt labels.

They can be fancy like this first one which includes a motif as well as the writing.

The final quilt label 'Embroidery is finished' notification on mySewMonitor app

I ran downstairs to see that in fact the label was finished. That didn’t take as long as I had thought it would.

Quilt label with an embroidered motif to match the fish on the quilt front

Or they can be simple like this one which was appliqued to the backing before the quilt was quilted.

Did you read the label? Did you notice the dates? There is NO way that I’ll get that quilt finished this year so I put on the label that it was (will be) finished in 2019. I’ve given myself a bit of breathing space but how much do you want to bet that come December of 2019, I’ll be madly trying to finish that quilt? NO – I won’t let that happen.

There you have it – a beautiful label that didn’t take long to make. The hardest part was deciding what to put on it.

The label is FINISHED

The Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC is an awesome sewing/embroidery machine.

The flexibility, the technology, and all the features make our sewing, embroidery and quilting needs possible. My head is spinning with the possibilities.

I hope you enjoyed the feature and that you found some inspiration.

Elaine Theriault

Quilt labels do not need to be elaborate.

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QUILTsocial | issue 14

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Q U I LTs o c i a l b l o g g e r s in this issue

Julie Plotniko

Jean Boyd

Elaine Theriault

Julie Plotniko is a quilting teacher, blogger and designer from Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada.

Teaching for almost 40 years, recent credits include Quilt Canada 2016 and 2017, many quilt guilds and groups throughout Canada and CreativFestival Sewing and Craft Shows in Victoria, Abbotsford and Toronto. When not on the road Julie works and teaches at Snip & Stitch Sewing Center in Nanaimo, BC. Her favorite things include free motion quilting (standard bed and mid-arm machines), precision piecing, scrap quilting, machine embroidery, blogging, designing and of course teaching.

Julie believes that to see a student go from tentative beginnings to having confidence in themselves and their abilities is one of the greatest rewards that life has to offer.

Jean has been designing and publishing patterns since 1997. Her work has been published in several magazines across North America. Jean holds a Fiber Arts Certificate in quilting and has taught extensively throughout Canada, including six national Quilt Canada conferences. She was named "Canadian Teacher of the Year" in 2003 by the Canadian Quilters Association and has won numerous awards for her quilts.

Elaine made her first quilt at the tender age of 13. The urge to quilt resurfaced when her daughter moved from a crib. The rest is history – she now teaches several days a week, makes quilts on commission and quilts for others on the long-arm.

juliesquiltclass.blogspot.com

patternsbyjeanboyd.com

crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.ca

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

To list your business in this space please call 1.866.969.2678.

Brenda Franklin Designs 7570 Mapleton SR 18 RR 1, Alma, ON N0B 1A0  519.638.9958  bfdesigns.on.ca  help@bfdesigns.on.ca More than 500 charts available for counted needlework, latch hook rugs, beadwork, beaded knits and knitting patterns. Mail/fax order or ask for our products at your local shop. Contact us for custom designs or needle felted sculpture.

Impressions Embroidery & Engraving #8-449 Mayor Magrath Dr S, Lethbridge, AB T1J 3L8  403.942.3934  impressionslethbridge.ca  impressions22@shaw.ca Our shop does embroidery and laser engraving.

Laser engraving is a beautiful process for fabric, as nothing cuts cleaner and more precisely than a laser. We now carry a nice array of fabric as well to compliment the abilities of the laser.

That Sewing Place 16610 Bayview Ave #10, Newmarket, ON L3X 1X3  905.715.7725  thatsewingplace.ca  jaret&liana@thatsewingplace.ca Introducing That Sewing Place as your sewing source and Authorized Dealers for Bernina and Brother machines. Jaret & Liana focus on placing your sewing needs first, providing outstanding support, service, and training.

Brampton Sew & Serge 289 Rutherford Rd S, Unit 7, Brampton, ON L6W 3R9  905.874.1564  sewnserge.com  monique@bramptonsewnserge.com Welcome to Your One Stop Sewing Centre! We are authorized dealers of Baby Lock, Husqvarna Viking, and Singer sewing machines and sergers. We also offer a full schedule of sewing classes for everyone.

Kelly's Creative Sewing 804 Main St, Dartmouth, NS B2W 3V1  902.435.7380  kellyscreativesewing.ca  kellyscreativesewing@gmail.com We offer sales and on-site service of high-end domestic embroidery, sewing machines and sergers, as well as a variety of educational programs.

The Quilt Store / Evelyn's Sewing Centre 17817 Leslie St, Unit 40, Newmarket, ON L3Y 8C6  905.853.7001 or toll-free 1.888.853.7001 The Quilt Store West 695 Plains Rd E, Unit 6, Burlington, ON L7T 2E8  905.631.0894 or toll-free 1.877.367.7070  thequiltstore.ca Now with 2 locations to serve you, we are your Quilt Store Destination! The staff here at The Quilt Store is always on hand to provide Quilt Wisdom, Quilt Inspiration and most of all we pride ourselves as the place to make... All Your Quilt Dreams Come True!

Bytowne Threads - Ottawa, ON  1.888.831.4095  bytownethreads.com  mlj@bytownethreads.com Featuring Aurifil thread from Italy. Long staple Egyptian cotton threads - 270 colours in 12, 28, 40 and 50 wt; 88 colours in 80 wt. Polyester Aurilux 240 high sheen colours. Wool threads - 192 colours.

Many kits available. Check our website!

Needles & Knits 15040 Yonge St, Aurora, ON L4G 1M4  905.713.2066  needlesandknits.com Fabulous selection of yarns. Extremely knowledgable and expert help. Cozy and friendly atmosphere. Classes. Guild night every first Tuesday of the month. Tea with Tove, the owner, every Thursday from 6-8pm.

Canadian National Fabric - Brampton, ON  https://canadiannationalfabric.com/  info@canadiannationalfabric.com We are an online fabric shoppe offering a wide variety of fabrics, patterns, books and notions for all your sewing needs. Flat rate Canada wide shipping of $5. Shop in person available by appointment!

Needleworker's Delight / Silkweaver Fabrics Plaza K 181 Route 1 South, Metuchen, NJ 08840  732-388-4545  needleworkersdelight.com  info@needleworkersdelight.com Standard & specialty Zweigart Fabrics & canvas, hand-dyed fabrics, floss, fibers, towels, tableware, leaflets/designs, painted canvases, notions, tools, baby items, home decor, and so much more!

Country Concessions 1 Dufferin St, Cookstown, ON L0L 1L0  705.458.4546 or toll-free 1.888.834.4407  countryconcessions.com  info@countryconcessions.com Visit our lovely and unique quilt shop in the quaint village of Cookstown. We have over 7000 bolts of cotton fabrics plus a wide selection of patterns, books & notions. You will be so glad you came for a visit.

Pine Ridge Knit & Sew 17477 Hwy 2 PO Box 68, Trenton, ON K8V 5R1  613.392.1422  pineridgeknitsew.com  yvette@pineridgeknitsew.com We have knitting machines by Artisan and Silver Reed, embroidery machines by Husqvarna/Viking & White. Sewing notions and supplies, books and software. Hands-on lessons and classes. Wide variety of yarns, threads, dress and pant zippers.

Gitta's 271 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON L5G 1G8  905.274.7198  gittas.com  questions@gittas.com Gitta's, named after owner Gitta Al-Basi, nestled in the east village of Port Credit, is the place where stitchers meet with their stitching friends, shop for stitching supplies and see the new stitching designs from Europe and the United States.

Serenity Knits 525 Brooker Ridge #102, Newmarket, ON L3X 2M2  905.710.3283  serenityknits.ca  info@serenityknits.ca We offer a wide selection of high quality yarns as well as needles, hooks, patterns and notions. We also offer a large variety of classes from beginner to the more advanced.

Hardanger House, designs by Betty Stokoe PO Box 1223, Stettler, AB T0C 2L0  403.742.2749  bettystokoe@gmail.com  tnplisting.com/hardanger-house.html Hardanger embroidery charts and kits. Designs feature contemporary adaptations of this traditional cutwork embroidery from Norway. Shop online at etsy.com/shop/HardangerHouse. Some digital downloads available.

Haus of Stitches 626 Main Street, Humboldt, SK S0K 2A0  306.682.0772 or toll-free 1.800.344.6024  hausofstitches.ca Our one of a kind store offers everything you need for sewing, quilting, knitting, rug hooking and needlework. Authorized dealers for Janome and Elna.

Heartfelt Fibre Arts 42 Industrial St, Toronto, ON M4G 1Y9  647.920.3616  heartfeltfibrearts.com  info@hearftfeltfibrearts.com Canadian Fibre Arts supply store specializing in high-quality, unique fibre and tools for all of your knitting, felting, rug hooking and stitching needs.

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Sew Fancy Inc. Guelph, ON  519.824.4127  sewfancy.com  sales@sewfancy.com Your Premier Canadian Source for Specialty Sewing Supplies including Smocking, Heirloom Sewing, Goldwork, Silk Ribbon Embroidery, Needle Tatting, Swarovski Crystals, Sashiko, Quilting and more. Visit the website for the latest in sewing supplies.

Sew Inspired 375 Daniel St S, Arnprior, ON K7S 3K6  613.623.0500  sewinspired.ca  info@sewinspired.ca Your Ottawa Valley PFAFF® Authorized Dealer. We have a large supply of quilting & sewing supplies, knitting supplies, as well as in stock PFAFF® sewing machines. We also have a listing of sewing and quilting classes.

Sew With Vision 480 Parkland Dr, Halifax, NS B3S 1P9  902.479.2227  sewwithvision.net Authorized PFAFF, HUSQVARNA VIKING, and SINGER dealer and service provider offering an extensive line of sewing, embroidery and serger machines, as well as long-arm quilting systems.

The Stitcher's Muse 99 Commercial Street, Nanaimo, BC V9R 5G3  250.591.6873  thestitchersmuse.com  info@thestitchersmuse.com A divine little shop with supplies for all your hand stitching needs! Friendly, knowledgeable, helpful staff. Cross stitch, canvaswork, needlepoint, embroidery, counted thread, lace making and more. Books, patterns, fabric, threads, tools.

The Yarn Guy 15 Gower St, Toronto, ON M4B 1E3  416.752.1828 or toll-free 1.800.836.6536  theyarnguy.com  info@sewknit.ca See us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter!

Knitting machines, sewing machines, repairs, parts for Passap, Studio, Singer, Silver Reed, Superba, White. Sewing notions and supplies, books, ball yarns, coned yarns, TAMM yarns, Paton's yarns, Bernat yarns, Phentex yarns, Bernat kits & crafts.

Ultimate Sewing Centre 191 Bloor St East, Oshawa, ON L1H 3M3  905.436.9193  ultimatesewing.com  ultimatesewing@bellnet.ca For all your sewing needs be sure to call Durham’s largest one stop shop: Janome and Elna Sewing Machines, Sergers, & Embroidery machines, over 3000 bolts of first quality cottons, Floriani Embroidery supplies, the latest notions, books, & patterns, year round classes, and so much more!

Upper Canada Quiltworks PO Box 64, Brockville, ON K6V 5T7  613.345.3956 Fax: 613.342.3327  uppercanadaquiltworks.com Visit us online for a wide selection quilt patterns and books. Techniques include felted wool, fusible appliqué, punchneedle, rag quilting and printing photos on fabric.

Take your projects from pattern to perfection If it’s your dream to create breathtaking quilts, the Innov-ís BQ3050 is the sewing and quilting machine to make it happen.

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Enjoy precision and quality with the Quilter’s Accessory Bundle – included with the purchase of every BQ3050 machine • Dual Feed Open Toe Foot • Dual Feed Stitch-in-the-ditch Foot

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Visit an authorized Brother dealer today to find out more!

Photos are for illustration purposes only. Brother and its logo are trademarks of Brother Industries, Ltd., Japan. All specifications are subject to change without notice. All registered trademarks referenced herein are the property of their respective companies. ©2019 Brother International Corporation (Canada) Ltd. 1, rue Hôtel de Ville, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Québec, H9B 3H6. 04/2019-2019-532

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QUILTsocial | issue 14

Get quilting!

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