QUILTsocial | Issue 20

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

ISSUE

20

EAT, SLEEP, QUILT, REPEAT!

Learn to make Half Rectangle Triangles Creating a Disney gang growth chart with the Brother Innov-ìs Luminaire XP2

6 quilted

projects

+

13

tutorials

making a framed hexie table runner

Embroidery adventures with HUSQVARNA VIKING® Designer Ruby™ 90

Editor's Letter Machine embroidery is always an adventure! Some might say it's a daunting one because it appears to be difficult or time consuming when many colors are involved. But really the adventure lies within the latest sewing machines and their embroidery capabilities updated in the recent years to an astonishing level.

It can be as simple as pressing the go button, depending on what you want to get out of your machine embroidery experience you'll be met with lots to explore from extensive embroidery tools the machines have built in. As with everything in life, there's so much to explore!

In this issue are project suggestions that involve machine embroidery using the Brother Luminaire XP2 and the HUSQVARNA VIKING Designer Ruby 90.

These are useful articles, I might even say tutorials, that help you get a taste of what can be done. The rest is up to you, how far will the adventure take you to create your ultimate project?

We also play with HSTs' long-lost cousin, the Half Rectangle Triangles (HRTs). Not a popular quilt block, but one that serves to get us out of a quilting rut perhaps. Robin Bogaert shows us the best way to work with HRTs to accomplish accurate quilt blocks and a quilted runner.

Paul Léger created an adorable baby quilt meant to be placed on the floor for bonding playtime. He used the Whimsicals collection

by Michael Miller Fabrics. What's not to love about the candy and lollipop designs?!

Enjoy the issue, until next time, be adventurous in your quilting experience.

Cheerfully,

Ah...the adventure!

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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 Carla A. Canonico, John De Fusco BLOGGERS/CONTRIBUTORS Elaine Theriault crazyquilteronabike.com Paul Léger paullegerquilts.ca Robin Bogaert quiltingintheloft.com Kelly Carter kellyscreativesewing.ca Pam Voth noroomforphonies.com GRAPHIC & WEB DESIGN Carla A. Canonico carla@QUILTsocial.com

* projects * techniques * product reviews

GRAPHIC ASSISTANT and SOCIAL MEDIA Sondra Armas WEB and IT SUPPORT Alejandro Araujo WEBSITE / BLOG : https://QUILTsocial.com Like us on Facebook : QUILTsocial Follow us on Pinterest : quiltsocial Follow us on Instagram : 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. ©2021 QUILTsocial. All rights reserved. Issue 20 ISSN 2368-5913.

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

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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Elaine’s Quilting Tech Tips!

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Advertiser Index 64 A Needle Pulling Thread Magazine 27 Brother Q Series 63 Brother Luminaire 2 62 Business Directory 17 Husqvarna Viking 19 Mary Ellen Products Best Press 59 Northcott Fabrics 02 PFAFF 04 QUILTsocial.com 07 #TheSewGoesOn

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EAT, SLEEP, QUILT, REPEAT!

issue 20

CONTENTS 8

Learn to make Half Rectangle Triangles with THIS easy technique!

10

6 easy steps for making perfect Half Rectangle Triangles

12

THE easy way to trim Half Rectangle Triangles perfectly every time

14

1 pressing technique for flat seams every time!

15

Why and how Odif 505 basting spray makes quilting easy!

20

Creating a Disney gang growth chart with the Brother Luminaire XP2

21

Sewing a growth chart panel on Brother Luminaire XP2

22

Quilting in the hoop with the Brother Luminaire XP2

24

How to add letters to an applique with the Brother Luminaire XP2

25

Completing the Growth Chart on the Brother Luminaire XP2

28

Tension perfection is a breeze with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90

32

Wi-Fi features on the HV Designer Ruby 90 plus more tension tips

35

6 essential tips for double-sided machine embroidery on a placemat

40

Creating a machine embroidered postcard to mail to a friend

45

Jazz up a synthetic rattan table topper with machine embroidery

48

UNIQUE folding cutting mats for all your quilting needs

50

Sew Easy Rulers make quilting so easy!

52

Gütermann thread for all your sewing projects

54

The right scissors for every sewing task!

56

10 easy steps to the perfect quilt binding

60

My quilting life: framed hexies and bunnies

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don't miss these projects & tutorials online!

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The Double T block makes this Halloween table runner a real treat

.com READ NOW

READ NOW

8 clever tips for Stitching an Endless Embroidery Design

Frame it with a

Pop-Out Picture quilt READ NOW

The many uses of

Odif adhesive sprays

READ NOW

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and there's so much more! | issue 20

Ottawa Sewing Centre

902-435-7380

www.kellyscreativesewing.ca 804 Main Street Dartmouth, Nova Scotia B2W 3V1

kellyscreativesewing@gmail.com Specialize in Sewing, Embroidery machines, Sergers and Long arm Quilting Systems

BRAMPTON SEW N SERGE www.BRAMPTONSEWNSERGE.com

Sales & Service of Baby Lock, Brother, and Elna sewing machines, and Q'nique longarm quilting machines

905-874-1564

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7-289 Rutherford Rd S, Brampton, ON L6W 3R9

Your Authorized Dealer for:

1390 Clyde Ave, #107, Ottawa, ON K2G 3H9 Your Authorized Dealer for:

K&A Quilt Studio Where Friends and Creativity Meet!

Ottawa Valley Authorized Dealer Sewing, Knitting & Having a Good Time Authorized distributors

Phone: 519-425-4141

Arnprior Shopping Centre 375 Daniel St S, Arnprior, ON K7S 3K6

info@kaquiltstudio.com 90 Samnah Crescent Ingersoll, ON N5C 3J7

www.kaquiltstudio.com

613-623-0500 www.sewinspired.ca info@sewinspired.ca

#TheSewGoesOn While we are sew at home, together we keep the spirit of sewing alive.

Be part of a passionate sewing community. Share your sewing and quilting projects on Instagram using #TheSewGoesOn

Look for giveaways, supplies and special offers!

Share your love of sewing

7

Learn to make Half Rectangle Triangles with THIS easy technique!

Robin Bogaert

I’m appealing to quilters who want to try something new. If you feel like that’s you, then this feature will be refreshing. I’ll be working with Half Rectangle Triangles – an exciting technique!

You heard it, not the Half Square Triangles we have all done before… this is a different technique using rectangles. HRTs, as they’re called, are slightly more challenging but very rewarding to learn and use. I promise you, the results are worth it. I’ll show you how to easily piece HRTs and sew them to make a modernlooking table runner to spruce up your spring décor.

Modern Half Rectangle Triangle Table Runner

To assist in this process, I’ll be using UNIQUE sewing Fast Fade Fabric Markers, Gütermann Thread (50wt for piecing and 12wt cotton for quilting), SCHMETZ Quilting Needles, Fairfield Quilter’s 80/20 Batting, Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray, my Omnigrid rulers, an Olfa Rotary Cutter, a Komfort KUT Rotary Cutting Mat, and Fabric Creations cotton fabric.

Let’s get started… materials fabric

• 3 fat quarters of light, medium, dark in one colorway and 3 fat quarters of light, medium, dark in a second colorway

• 1 fat quarter for background • 2 fat quarters, or 15” x 35” piece of fabric, for backing • quilt batting thread

• thread (50wt for piecing and 12wt cotton for quilting)

Materials needed for Half Rectangle Triangle Table Runner

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other

• water soluble or air erasable pens for sewing • quilting needles (size 75 for piecing and size 90 for quilting recommended)

• quilting ruler for squaring (4” x 8” used) • rotating and self-healing cutting mat (makes it easy for • • • • • • •

squaring) quilt basting spray or basting pins (spray is easiest) rotary cutter freezer paper or copy paper (freezer paper works best) scissors pins ¼” sewing machine presser foot (very important) sewing machine

Fabric is cut and ready for marking and sewing

Cutting 1. Iron all your chosen fabrics.

2. Cut 4 – 3½” x 5” rectangles from each of the 6 colored fabrics.

If using 2 lights, 2 mediums and 2 dark colors, there should be 24 colored rectangles (lt. blue, med. blue, dk blue, lt. red, med. red and dk. red).

3. Cut 24 background rectangles 3½” x 5” (white as shown).

4. Sew together 2 fat quarters for the backing, or use a 15” x 35” piece of fabric.

5. Cut 15” x 35” of batting.

6. Cut accurately, 3 to 4 pieces of freezer paper (recommended) or printer paper – 2½” x 4½”.

These awesome sewing notions will make cutting and sewing Half Rectangle Triangle units a breeze. I encourage quilters and sewists to follow along as I show you how to use UNIQUE sewing Fast Fade Fabric Markers, Gütermann Thread, SCHMETZ Quilting Needles, Fairfield Quilter’s 80/20 Batting, Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray, Omnigrid rulers, Olfa Rotary Cutter, Komfort KUT Rotary Cutting Mat, and Fabric Creations cotton fabric to complete a really pretty table runner.

Fabric used from Fabric Creations for the table runner…so pretty!

Photos by Robin Bogaert

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6 easy steps for making perfect Half Rectangle Triangles

I will demonstrate the sewing process to make the individual HRTs using SCHMETZ Quilting Needles, UNIQUE Sewing Fast Fade Fabric Markers, Omnigrid rulers, an OLFA Rotary Cutter, a Komfort Kut Rotating Cutting Mat and Fabric Creations Cotton Fabric.

Let the fun part begin!

I’ll show you how a diagonal line is drawn on the background rectangles.

Special attention must be shown to the direction of the diagonal lines with Half Rectangle Triangles in order for them to be sewn and laid out in the proper direction for this project. This is very important.

With Half Square Triangles, we don’t have to pay attention to the direction of the diagonal line. This will take some getting used to with Half Rectangle Triangle units. I recommend you pay attention the method I just showed you, and if the directions are followed accurately, the results will be gorgeous!

Marking the background pieces with diagonals to the left and diagonals to the right

Modern Half Rectangle Triangle Table Runner

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Step 1 Mark the background fabric as shown with your Fast Fade fabric marker and a ruler. I used a 4” x 8” ruler with this project because it worked out to be the perfect size for marking and trimming each unit.

Rotate your cutting mat to move the mat around for marking and trimming easily.

You’ll need 16 background rectangles marked on the wrong side with the diagonal towards the right and eight marked on the wrong side with the diagonal towards the left, as shown.

Step 2 Lay all the medium and dark colored rectangle fabric (cut previously) above the 16 right diagonally marked backgrounds, and the light-colored fabric above the eight left diagonally marked backgrounds.

Marking the wrong side of the background pieces, ready to lay out for sewing.

Step 3

Step 5

Lay the marked background rectangles right side down on top of the light medium and dark fabrics as shown.

This looks awkward yes, but it’s the way Half Rectangle Triangle units work the best. They don’t operate like the square shapes. You need eight of the light fabric units and 16 of the medium and dark fabric units.

Take all the pinned Half Rectangle Triangle units to a sewing machine and, with a ¼” foot attached, sew ¼” from the diagonal line on both sides.

Your fabric pieces should look like this:

Note: Accuracy and a ¼“ foot is very important!

Light, medium & dark fabric sewn, cut and stacked.

Step 7

Sew ¼” on both sides of the marked diagonal lines.

Press all HRT units with a hot, steamy iron with seams towards the colored fabric (away from the background), as shown.

Step 6 Cut apart along the blue line, as shown.

Laying out the fabric for sewing.

Step 4 Pin all the fabric units for sewing as shown.

I like to use flat flower head pins to keep the units secure and flat for sewing.

HRTs pressed with seams towards the colored fabric.

Fabric cut with a rotary cutter and ruler, down the center marked blue line to make the HRTs

At this point, the table runner is halfway done! Join me when I show next a very unique and easy way to trim up these units and lay out the table runner for sewing, using some freezer paper, Gütermann Thread, SCHMETZ Quilting Needles, UNIQUE sewing Fast Fade Fabric Markers, Omnigrid rulers, Olfa Rotary Cutter, Komfort KUT Rotary Cutting Mat and Fabric Creations cotton fabric.

That’ll be the method for trimming Half Rectangle Triangles to go in your quilting rulebook. It’s a keeper!

Fabric pinned, ready for sewing

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THE easy way to trim Half Rectangle Triangles perfectly every time It's trimming and layout time! This part is fun because we’ll get to see the visual idea of how it’ll all come together.

Step 3 Trim each HRT carefully with a rotary cutter and rotate your Komfort Kut cutting mat, this makes it easier to get around all sides! Use a ruler as a guide to cut carefully along the paper. The freezer paper can be used numerous times before it loses its stickiness.

Step 1 Some trimming of each HRT is needed before the layout starts. To do this, cut out 3-4 pieces of freezer paper or copy paper, 2½” x 4½” each, and mark an arrow in each corner of the papers with a water-soluble or fast fade marker.

Freezer paper ironed to the right side of a lightcolored HRT, to use as a trimming guide

Trim the HRTs to 2½” x 4½” using freezer paper, a rotary cutter, ruler, and rotating cutting mat.

Freezer paper cut and corners marked with a fast fade fabric marker.

Step 2 Press each freezer paper piece with wax side down onto the right side of the HRTs until they stick temporarily. Match the corner of the freezer paper to the diagonal lines as shown. The arrows are drawn to help with positioning.

Note: If using paper, you may need to pin them to the center so they hold in place.

Freezer paper ironed to the right side of a medium-colored HRT, to use as a trimming guide

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The HRTs are all trimmed and measure 2½” x 4½”.

Step 4 It’s layout time, and time to get the visual idea as to how this table runner goes together! As a reference, I’m including a layout guide with letters L, M and D to show where the Light, Medium, and Dark fabrics are placed.

I also recommend the table runner be sewn row by row so there’s no confusion. The first two rows are simply repeated over and over until there are eight rows.

Keep reading I’ll explain the ironing method needed to get a lovely flat table runner, and final construction of the quilt top using Gütermann Thread, SCHMETZ Quilting Needles, UNIQUE sewing Fast Fade Fabric Markers, Omnigrid rulers, Olfa Rotary Cutter, Komfort KUT Rotary Cutting Mat and Fabric Creations cotton fabric.

Rows 1 and 2 are repeated until there are 8 diamond shapes.

Layout guide showing placement of Light, Medium, and Dark fabrics

Half the table runner is laid out.

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HRT rows 1 and 2 are pressed in opposite directions and connecting seams are pressed open to make the piecing lay flat.

1 pressing technique for flat seams every time!

It's assembly and pressing time! You’ll see it all come together with the help of with Gütermann Thread, SCHMETZ Quilting Needles, UNIQUE sewing Fast Fade Fabric Markers, Omnigrid rulers, an Olfa Rotary Cutter, a Komfort KUT Rotary Cutting Mat and Fabric Creations cotton fabric. The hard work is done; this table runner will now sew together like a dream!

Step 1 To construct the top, I sewed two diamonds together at a time (six Half Rectangle Triangle units make one diamond), using the quilt layout as a guide for HRT placement.

Here’s a tip to get your seams to lay flat. After you sew your Half Rectangle Triangles together, press the seams in each row in the opposite direction to the next row, so the seams nest and points match. Pin rows together at the intersections. After sewing the rows together, press the connecting seams open, as shown. There you have it – all the seams lay nice and flat!

Step 2 Sew the double-diamond units together to complete the table runner. The table runner is constructed out of four double diamond units – eight diamonds in total. Once sewn together, the top should measure approximately 12” x 32” without binding.

Table runner top is complete.

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As you can see, the table runner created some secondary patterns with what looks like butterflies in the center and a woven effect with the elongated half rectangle triangles.

Sew fun!

Why and how Odif 505 basting spray makes quilting easy!

I’ll demonstrate the sandwiching and quilting process with Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray, Fairfield Quilter’s 80/20 Quilt Batting, SCHMETZ Quilting Needles and Gütermann Thread. I also want to show you some exciting, alternate layout arrangements for this Half Rectangle Triangle (HRT) pattern. Maybe I can inspire quilters to try their own experimentation with HRTs?

Step 4 Spray the backing lightly with Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray. I personally love the spray baste method and have used it for many years.

This is the method I currently use for all the quilts I sew on my domestic sewing machine.

Sandwiching the Modern Half Rectangle Triangle Table Runner Step1 Sew the backing together (I used two fat quarters). You can use yardage – you’ll need a piece approximately 14” x 36”.

Make sure you have about 2” extra lengthwise and widthwise for quilting spread.

Batting rolled and ready to be spread on spray basted backing fabric.

Step 6 Spray the batting lightly with quilt basting spray.

Step 2 Cut a piece of batting 14” x 36”.

Step 3 Tape the backing right side down against a hard surface, such as a floor or large table, so it’s flat (but not taught).

Lightly spray the wrong side of the quilt backing with quilt basting spray

Step 5 Roll up both the batting and quilt top (wrong side out); set the quilt top aside.

Lay the rolled batting on top of the table runner. Roll out and smooth the batting on top of the backing with your hands.

Note: The batting and backing layer may not match in size; just ensure it fits the table runner top with 1“ room on all sides to spare.

Backing of table runner is taped right side down against a flat surface

Lightly spray baste the batting layer.

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Step 7 Place the previously rolled table runner wrong side down on top of the batting layer at one end. Roll it out and spread evenly and smoothly on batting layer.

Quilting the Table Runner I quilted the table runner using 12wt machine quilting thread, a size 90 machine quilting needle, a free motion foot, and with the feed dogs down. I wanted the quilting to show with a simple meander stitch. The purpose of such a simple stitch is to get the job done and focus on showing off the beautiful Fabric Creations Cotton Fabric.

Quilt top laid on top of basted batting, ready to roll out.

The pattern for this table runner is repetitive. Often for smaller projects with repetitive patterns, I opt for a simple quilt pattern that will enhance the fabric and flatten out the project so it can lie nicely on a table.

Quilt top all rolled out and smooth, ready for quilting.

I squared up the quilt and used the darkest coral/red color for binding. Need help to learn how to bind? Feel free to download my free step-by-step PDF printable Quilt Binding Tutorial.

If you’re interested in trying Half Rectangle Triangles in other quilt layouts, here are some alternate ideas: The quilt below is a modern offset design. Leave the surrounding area white to make it even more modern and quilt it with simple lines (the black lines are design lines showing the block spaces and they can be ignored).

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Ready for quilting with glasses, thread, machine needles and quilting gloves.

The quilting is completed with a simple meander stitch.

M A D E for S E W E R S M A DbyE S for ERS ™ E WSEERW S™ M Aexpert D Elevel S RS Achieve expert level results, regardless experience by S Efor W regardless EE RW S™ofofEexperience Achieve results, or fabrics fabrics chosen chosen with these must-have features. or these features.

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Valid at authorized HUSQVARNA 650. **Automatic Thread Cutter not available on OPAL™ are trademarksThread of KSINCutter Luxembourg II, S.a.r.l. **Automatic not available on HUSQVARNA OPAL™ 650. and the “H” Crown Device are trademarks of Husqvarna AB and are used under license. ©2021 KSIN Luxembourg II, S.a.r.l. All rights reserved. All pricing decisions are at the sole discretion of the retailer. No prior purchases. ® ® in Canada. *EXCLUSIVE SENSOR ADVISOR, SYSTEM™ not available on OPAL™ 670 & 650. SAPPHIRE and OPAL Valid at authorized HUSQVARNA VIKING, MADE FOR SEWERS BYVIKING SEWERS,retailers EXCLUSIVE SENSOR SYSTEM, SEWING MYSEWNET, DESIGNER SAPPHIRE, ™ 650. **Automatic Thread CutterLuxembourg not availableII,on OPAL are trademarks of KSIN S.a.r.l.

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At Participating Canadian Dealers – Find Great Deals and Specials Offers In-Store – Contact Your Local Dealer Today!

©2021 KSIN Luxembourg II, S.a.r.l. All rights reserved. All pricing decisions are at the sole discretion of the retailer. No prior purchases.

Valid at authorized HUSQVARNA® VIKING® retailers in Canada. *EXCLUSIVE SENSOR SYSTEM™ not available on OPAL™ 670 & 650. **Automatic Thread Cutter not available on OPAL™ 650.

17

The next quilt shows an alternating block layout.

As you can see, the sky’s the limit with HRT block designs!

I know I could go on for days with this design, and using fantastic quilting notions like Odif 505 Temporary Quilt Basting Adhesive Fabric Spray, Fairfield Quilter’s 80/20 Quilt Batting, SCHMETZ Quilting Needles and Gütermann Thread make it so easy! But we’re at the end of this Half Rectangle Triangle series. I hope you’ve enjoyed it, and I hope you’re inspired.

Stay safe, and sew happy!

Queen-sized 84'' x 88'' quilt design made using the same layout as the Modern Half Rectangle Triangle Table Runner

A queen-size 84'' x 88'' quilt with an alternating HRT design.

A queen-sized 84'' x 88'' quilt with offset Half Rectangle Triangle blocks.

Robin Bogaert

www.quiltingintheloft.com

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Creating a Disney gang growth chart with the Brother Luminaire XP2

Kelly Carter

The Brother Luminaire 2 Innov-ìs XP2

Snowman sticker for scanning

I hope you’ll join me as I work with my Brother Luminaire Innov-ìs XP2 Embroidery, Sewing and Quilting machine. We’ll experience quilting in the hoop with the Disney Gang to make a fun growth chart for your kids. So, let’s get started!

Remove one of the snowman stickers from the adhesive sheet that came with your Brother Luminaire XP2 and place it over the center of the crosshair line markings you made earlier. Be sure the crosshair line aligns with the marking on the snowman sticker.

We’ll begin by cutting the main fabric (white tone on tone) and getting it ready for embroidery. Cut one piece at 15” x 15” – this will fit in the large 105⁄8” x 105⁄8” quilter’s embroidery hoop included with your Brother Luminaire XP2 machine. Cut the rest of the six main fabric (white tone on tone) blocks at 10” x 8”. They’ll fit in a 5” x 7” embroidery hoop.

Place the embroidery unit into the Brother Luminaire XP2. Turn on the machine and select Disney. In the Mickey folder, select the Arrow Up key to open the screen to view more designs.

Place the hooped fabric into the Brother Luminaire XP2 embroidery unit and lock into place using the lock lever.

When I embroider on light fabric such as cotton, I always stabilize it with Mary Ellen’s Best Press – an alternative to the spray starch you find in the grocery store.

The result is a cleaner and more aligned embroidery design. Apply it two times on each side of the fabric, allowing it to dry between each application. Once the starch has been applied, the fabric should be a little stiff, but still easy to manage.

Mark all seven blocks with crosshair intersecting lines in the center using an erasable fabric marker.

A closeup of the applique hand we’re working on So cute!

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Hoop the 15” x 15” of main fabric in the large 105⁄8” x 105⁄8” quilters embroidery hoop with a 15” x 15” piece of light tearaway stabilizer. Ensure the stabilizer is under the fabric and try to align it in the center of the hoop as much as possible.

Using the slider bar, select pattern number 020 and tap on the design, the Disney Gang; select Set. Tap on the Embroidery key and the design will appear on the screen. Select Layout and select the Snowman icon, then select OK. A new screen will open, instructing you to choose an area where you wish the snowman to be scanned. Select Scan.

By default, it will scan the center of the hoop, which is what you want; select OK. The machine will scan and detect the marker and instruct you to remove the marker when complete. Remove the marker and select OK. Tap on the Layout key to close the window and your color order will appear. Begin your embroidery.

Repeat these instructions to finish the rest of the gang, using the 5” x 7” embroidery hoop for the remainder of the characters.

Sewing a growth chart panel on Brother Luminaire XP2 I’ve been embroidering on computerized machines for over 20 years, and still, I love to sit and watch this amazing technology bring threads on fabric to life! The sewing division has come a long way… to think sewing was once a necessity, and now it’s a passion.

Amazing!

We’ll cut the embroidery blocks down to the block size required for this project and sew them together with sashing and an outer border.

1. Cut the 15” x 15” block to 10” wide x 8” high.

2. Cut the remaining blocks to 10” wide x 7” high.

3. Cut 8 sashing strips at 10” x 1½”. We’ll use the sashing strips between the blocks to create the panel.

4. Turn on your Brother Luminaire XP2, and if you still have the embroidery unit on, touch the Sewing key on the home screen to instruct the machine to set up for sewing. The machine will move the embroidery arm to the left position for the sewing mode.

5. Thread the top thread and use a matching thread in the bobbin case.

Select the Q category at the top of the screen. These are the common stitches used for quilting. Select stitch Q-01 P (Piecing stitch) and change the stitch length to 1.8 using the Arrow Down key.

6. Snap on the ¼” piecing foot that came with your Brother Luminaire XP2.

7. Pin a 10” x 1½” sashing strip to the top of the 10” x 8” block and sew into place. Be sure to match the raw edges of the sashing and the block, and keep the edges aligned against the flange (the right side of the foot) on the pressure foot. This will give you a perfect ¼” seam allowance.

Photos by Kelly Carter

8. Press the seams towards the sashing fabric.

9. Pin a sashing strip to the bottom of the block; sew and press in same manner as the first sashing strip.

10. Sew a 10” x 7” block to the other side of the sashing strip; press seam towards sashing strip.

11. Continue with the remaining sashing strips and blocks until all blocks are sewn together with sashing strips between each block, and at top and bottom.

12. Lay the panel on a flat surface, and using a measuring tape, measure the length from top to bottom through the center of the panel. Cut two strips of sashing fabric using this measurement x 1½” wide. Sew a strip to each side of the panel, easing as necessary; press seams towards sashing.

13. From a coordinating fabric, cut two outside border strips 3½” wide x the length you measured in the previous step. Sew these two border strips to each side of the panel and press seams towards the outside border fabric.

14. Measure the width of the panel through the center; cut two outer border strips 3½” x the measurement of the width of the panel. Sew these outer border strips to the top and bottom and press seams towards the outer border fabric.

15. Cut backing and batting 2-3” larger than the perimeter of the finished panel.

16. Lay the backing fabric wrong side face up; lay batting on top of backing and align edges. Lay the finished panel on top of the batting, right side up.

Sewing a 10” x 1½” sashing strip to the top of the 10” x 8” block using ¼” piecing foot included with your Brother Luminaire XP2.

Sashes sewn and pressed between the blocks.

This process is so much fun and accurate, and your quilting comes out perfectly when you use the Brother Luminaire Innov-ìs XP2 embroidery, sewing and quilting machine!

Measuring the width of the panel through the center of the growth chart.

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Quilting in the hoop with the Brother Luminaire XP2

8. Select the Size icon on the right-hand side of the screen, change the size of the square to fit inside of the block.

Change the length and width using the icons in the Size screen. Use the Move keys left, right, down, or up to position the block. Select OK to close the window.

Now we'll add quilting around the embroidery blocks using the embroidery hoop. You’ll be amazed at how easy this technique is using the Brother Luminaire 2 Innov-ìs XP2 Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery Machine.

You can start the quilting process with the first block or the last block of the banner, it doesn’t really matter. Use the quilter’s hoop 275mm x 275mm (105⁄8” x 105⁄8”) provided with the Brother Luminaire XP2 during the quilting process.

1. Hoop all three layers – backing, batting, and quilt top. I didn’t use stabilizer with this project. When I hooped my project in the hoop I had it as tight as I possible and tried to have it centered.

2. Turn on the Brother Luminaire XP2 and select My Design Center.

3. Slide the hoop into the hoop lever and lock into place. Select the Scan icon.

4. Select the Image Scan. Select Scan, and OK. The machine will take a snapshot of the image in the hoop and display it on the screen. This will take 50 seconds or less.

5. The image will appear faded; tap the Darker Image Scan icon a few times until you’re satisfied with the contrast.

Use the Lighter Image Scan icon to lighten the contrast.

The Contrast Tool

6. Select the Shapes Tool to open the files and select a shape.

7. Select the square Shapes Tool shape for an outline stitch in the block; select OK.

Resizing a design Shapes Tool

A red box should appear on the screen over your image.

Snapshot of re-sized red box

The red box will show on the screen Snapshot of faded image

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If your block isn’t perfectly angled in the hoop use the Rotate icon next to the Size icon to get the angle correct.

It doesn’t have to be perfect as it won’t show once it’s stitched

9. Select the Outline Property icon, select the Running Stitch icon and select a color. (I chose green.) Select OK. 10. Select the Paint Can icon and tap on the red box – it should turn green. If it doesn’t change, lighten the image using the Contrast feature for better visibility. If you make a mistake, remember you can select the Undo key at the bottom of the screen to undo the error.

Outline Property Tool

Snapshot of Select tool

12. Select the Paint Can icon, and, with the pen provided with the machine’s Snapshot of paint can accessories, tap inside the green outline box. You’ll see the block filled in with a quilt fill stitch.

14. Select the Eraser icon to choose size and shape. I found the circle was the better one to use for this project. Choose Snapshot of Eraser icon the circle and select OK. You’ll need to erase all the stitches laying on top the embroidered design. Remember, if you make a mistake, use the Undo key to correct. Zoom in and out and pan around the design to get to other areas of the design. Each time you switch from Erase to Pan, you’ll need to select the icon again and select OK for each command.

Here’s a short video showing you how to erase unwanted lines. The video may help further explain the steps you need to take to use the Erase function.

Snapshot of Outline Tool

Snapshot of contrast features

11. Select the Fill icon, select Quilt fills, and tap on the Select icon. A window will open with all the different quilting fills you can choose from. To view them all, tap on the scroll bar and slide it down the window and you will see all the designs. They’re all so pretty it’s hard to choose just one, but I used pattern 038. When you have chosen your fill, select OK. Next, select a color that’ll be easy for you to see. (I choose red.) Select OK.

Snapshot of the quilting fill design

Now comes the cleanup. Grab yourself a cup of tea because your childhood coloring techniques will be put into action.

13. Select the Zoom key and zoom to size 800%. Select the Pan key (the icon that looks like a hand at top left of screen) and pan over to the left side of the block. Hold the pen to the right side of the screen and drag it to the left. You’ll see the image move. Drag it all the way to the left corner. TIP If your stitches are too light, darken the contrast by using the Contrast image keys.

Once your erasing is complete, zoom out to 100% check your work. When you’re satisfied, select Next. Leave the setting at default, select Set, and select OK. You’re ready to embroider the quilting on your block.

15. Thread your Brother Luminaire XP2 with the thread color of your choice and begin embroidering. When the embroidery is complete, remove the hoop and hoop the next block. TIP Always check to make sure all layers are smooth in the hoop before beginning the embroidery on each block.

16. Select the Home key at top right corner on the screen and select OK. Select My Design Center and begin the next block using same technique as for the first block.

Snapshot of Fill icon

Icon for Quilt Stitch

A closeup of the erased lines

Snapshot of Contrast Image feature

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How to add letters to an applique with the Brother Luminaire XP2 The growth chart project is almost complete, and we have just one more detail to add. I’ll show you a quick and easy way to create an applique using an embroidery design and add words to the design. Come along and follow me as I work through this technique.

Snapshot of resize keys

Snapshot of felt placement with design

Snapshot of design on screen

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1. Turn your Brother Lunimaire XP2 on and select the Disney Icon. Select image number 025 – the gloves. TIP You can use the slider bar to locate the design. Select Set. 2. Select the Add icon at the bottom of the screen; select Font category #2 and choose a font you wish to use in the space inside the gloves. (I used font #11).

3. Type the name you wish to place on one of the gloves and tap Set. Select Edit, select Move, and use the arrows at the bottom of screen to move the name to the center of the glove.

Alternatively, you can tap, hold, and drag the text into the glove with the pen provided with the accessories of the XP2.

4. Select OK. Select Size and use the proportional key to resize the name to fit inside the glove. Select OK. 5. Select Rotate and use the keys on this screen to rotate the text to your liking.

Resize the text in proportion with the glove if necessary. Select OK. 6. Repeat these steps to add the child’s birth date on the other glove.

7. Select the Embroidery key, select Layout icon, and select the Applique icon. A black box will appear around the design; select Layout.

8. Thread the Brother Luminaire XP2 with black embroidery thread and put black bobbin thread in the bobbin.

9. Hoop the 272mm X 408mm [105⁄8” x 16”] embroidery hoop with tear-away stabilizer. Slide the hoop into the hoop slot and lock into place.

10. Embroider the first color – the black rectangle (applique stitch). This is the placement alignment for the white felt fabric.

11. After the stitching is complete, place the white felt within the stitching lines of the applique stitch and hold in place at opposite corners while stitching the next color (gloves).

Move your fingers around the outside area of the felt to hold it down while stitching out the design. Be careful not to get your fingers in the way of the needle!

12. When the embroidery is complete, remove from the hoop. With a pair of sharp scissors, cut along the straight outline stitch. Remove the stabilizer and press if necessary.

This process is done – the Brother Luminaire 2 Innov-ìs XP2 Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery Machine made this easy breezy!

Completing the Growth Chart on the Brother Luminaire XP2

Let's finish the project on the Brother Luminaire 2 Innov-ìs XP2 Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery Machine using basic sewing techniques.

1. Turn on the Brother Luminaire XP2 and select the Sewing icon. Select stitch number 03 and change stitch length to 3mm.

2. Thread your machine with black thread and place black thread in the bobbin as well. You can use either cotton thread or all-purpose thread.

3. Replace the all-purpose presser foot and shank with the Muv-It Foot included with the Brother Luminaire XP2. Snap on the Dual-Feed Stitchin-the-Ditch Foot. Stitch in the ditch around the inside perimeter of the outside border. Pin through all the layers on the outside of the banner.

Stitch in the ditch with the Muv-It Foot and Dual Feed Stitch-in-the-Ditch Foot.

4. Change the Dual-Feed Stitch-in-theDitch Foot to the all-purpose foot that came with the Muv-It Foot. Set your machine to a stitch length of 4mm and sew around the outside of the banner using a ¼” seam allowance.

5. Using either a rotary cutter or scissors, trim the excess fabric, batting and backing from of the edges of the banner.

6. Set your machine to a zigzag stitch 3mm wide x 3-4mm long and sew around the outside raw edge of the banner. This makes the binding easier to apply.

7. Measure the length of the banner and cut a white strip of fabric 2” longer than the length x 5” My banner measured 61”, so I cut the white fabric 63” x 5”.

8. Fold the strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together, and sew with a ¾” seam allowance. You’ll end up with a long tube.

9. Finger press the fold opposite the seam. Shift the seam so it aligns with the finger-pressed fold and press with iron for a sharp crease on both sides. The seam will now be in the middle of the back of the strip. Set strip aside.

10. With white chalk, mark a line ¾” away and parallel to the sashing border on the banner. Align one of the creased edges of the white fabric strip along the marked line, overhanging the raw edges at top and bottom. Pin well.

11. At the machine, change thread color to white. Select Category 2 on the main page, select stitch 2-04, change stitch length to 4.0mm, and L/R shift to -1.25mm.

12. Change presser foot to the Dual Feed Stitch-in-the-Ditch Foot. Place the foot guide along the edge of the crease on the white strip and sew with the applique stitch along folded side. Repeat for other side of white strip.

Sew the white fabric tube to the panel with the Stitch-in-the-Ditch Foot and an applique stitch.

13. Place the banner on a flat surface and align a ruler or measuring tape alongside the white fabric. Use this measuring device to transfer markings to the white fabric strip with a fabric marker for measuring the height of your toddler.

14. Cut two pieces of 6” x 6” squares from the same fabric as used for the backing. Fold each square on the diagonal, wrong sides together, with the corners meeting; press. Pin in both corners at the top of the banner, aligning the raw edges with the edges of the panel. Baste in place using a 4mm stitch length.

Fold the 6'' squares in half on the diagonal and press.

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A closeup of the applique hand

15. Measure around the outside perimiter of the banner. Divide this number by the width of your fabric to determine how many binding strips you’ll need to cut. My banner perimeter measurements were 18 + 18 + 61 + 61 = 158. I added 8” for mitered corners, so my total was 166”. I divided 166” by the width of my binding fabric (43”) and came up with 3.86. I rounded up to get 4 strips.

16. Cut the number of strips at 2½” x width of your binding fabric.

17. Replace the white thread with a thread to match the binding and sew the strips together end to end to make one long strip.

18. Fold the strip in half lengthwise, with wrong sides together; press. Place the all-purpose foot on the Muv-It foot and select the straight stitch.

19. Pin the raw edge of binding to the wrong side of the banner and sew a ¼” seam, mitering at the corners. Once the binding is stitched into place, you may wish to press well for easier turning.

20. Turn the binding to the right side of the banner and pin into place. Replace the all-purpose foot with the Dual-Feed Stitch-in-the-Ditch Foot. Place the guide alongside the fold and position the needle using the L/R shift feature to move it to the right so it just grabs the fold. Sew into place.

21. Position the two embroided Mickey hands we created earlier on the banner and pin to secure.

22. Set your machine for straight stitch, place the free motion embroidery foot on the machine with the feed dogs lowered, and stitch the hands into place with free-motion stitching. If you’re not comfortable with free-motion stitching, engage the feed dogs, snap the N Foot on the shank and sew the hands into place with a straight stitch.

23. Measure and cut a ¼” dowel to fit inside the back corner openings to hang the project.

To hang the banner, measure and lightly mark 24” up from the floor on the wall. Align the 24” marking on banner with the mark on the wall. Place a nail in the wall or door to align with the dowel, and hang the banner. You’re ready to start measuring your toddler and recording the date using the line guides.

I hope you’ve enjoyed learning new techniques using some of the features Brother Luminaire 2 Innov-ìs XP2 Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery Machine has to offer. The XP2 has so many timesaving features to make your projects quick, easy, and professional looking! I hope you enjoy this growth chart with your little one and watch how they grow over the years.

Kelly Carter

kellyscreativesewing.ca

The Disney gang growth chart is finished!

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The quintessential Q-Series.

Loaded with professional quilting features.

Brother offers a lineup of sewing, quilting and embroidery machines that are designed to take your quilts to the next level – the Q-Series. Each model is designed with the quilter in mind.

8.3” from needle to arm More room to the right of the needle to easily maneuver fabric when working on projects of all sizes.

Automatic height adjuster™ (AHA®) feature* The AHA® feature helps ensure consistent stitch length on all fabric thicknesses by keeping the presser foot pressure consistent, regardless of fabric thickness, leading to uniform stitch quality across uneven surfaces.

Pivot function* The presser foot automatically lifts as the needle remains lowered for fast and easy fabric manipulation.

Visit an authorized Brother dealer today to find out more!

To find an authorized Brother dealer, visit brother.ca/store-locator *Feature not included on all models, please visit brother.ca for complete list of product features. 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. ©2021 Brother International Corporation (Canada) Ltd. 1, rue Hôtel de Ville, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Québec, H9B 3H6. 06/2021 2021_1241

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Tension perfection is a breeze with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90

Elaine Theriault

The Designer Ruby 90 is lit with super bright LED lights that eliminate any shadow from the work surface surrounding the needle. However, there might be times when you need to dim those lights, like early in the morning when no one is ready for bright light. It’s easy to turn the lights up or turn them down, right on the Function Panel.

Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90

I’m introducing you to the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90.

The Function Panel on the left side of the needle

I’ve got some great embroidery ideas planned, but we’re also going to focus on the basics. Over and over again, I get questions about sewing machine tension.

What is tension, and how do I adjust it?

How should the stitches look? Etc.

• The FIX button ties off a stitch whenever

Before we get to that discussion, let’s have a quick tour of the Function Panel on the Designer Ruby 90. The Function Panel is located just above the needle in two sections.

• The STOP function is great to conclude

The Function Panel on the left includes the Automatic Needle Threader – you’ll love this feature. Even though there’s plenty of room to work around the needle due to the size of the Designer Ruby 90, you’re going to love the Automatic Needle Threader. If you have many thread changes, this is super handy.

Then there’s the Stitch Restart button, which is invaluable when doing decorative stitches. After doing your test stitches, push that function to return your stitch to the starting point. You’ll never start partway through a stitch sequence again!

The Function Panel on the right side of the needle

The last button in this section is the START/ STOP button. It’s huge, so you’ll always find it quickly. Use this function in conjunction with the speed control for staying perfectly in control.

The speed control has five settings. I frequently use it to slow down the sewing machine when doing dense areas of embroidery and staying in control when doing decorative stitches. Or you may want to use it to control your speed when doing free motion quilting.

The Function Panel to the right has more of the essential operating functions of the Designer Ruby 90. you engage it. Use it at the beginning or at the end of a row of stitching. I especially love it for applique as it secures the ends of my applique stitches. a decorative stitch sequence. No guessing required!

• To the right are the Presser foot up and extra lift and the Presser foot down and pivot These two functions allow you to raise and lower the presser foot manually. They are invaluable to many types of stitching, but I especially love them for applique and free motion quilting. When they are used in conjunction with the Needle Stop Up/ Down button, this feature is fabulous.

• The Needle Stop Up/Down works like a charm to keep your work in place when free motion quilting, pivoting for applique, and a whole lot of other applications.

• Use the CUT function to cut your top

and bottom threads. That also resets the fix function to automatically tie off the stitch when restarting your next line of stitching.

• And lastly, there’s the Reverse 28

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That’s a whole lot of functions, right at your fingertips. I’ve given you a very brief overview of what those functions can do.

Some of them have the flexibility in how you use them, which is awesome! And I especially love the silver color of those buttons. It’s a small detail, but I love it!

Let’s talk about the built-in help. The Designer Ruby 90 has the JoyOS Advisor, which provides tutorials, videos, a built-in User Guide, assistance with setting up for a particular task, and a whole lot more.

I’ve got a short video for you that shows the JoyOs Advisor in action. This first video briefly explains the Knowledge Center within the JoyOS Advisor. Here you’ll get tutorials on the basic operations of the machine, threading the needle, winding a bobbin, etc. Take a look.

Isn’t that just the best? It’s so easy to select a tutorial, and I can watch it over and over again. I didn’t mention it in the video, but from whichever screen you’re in on the Designer Ruby 90, you can return to the JoyOS Advisor by selecting the large button at the top of the screen.

Now that the Designer Ruby 90 is threaded, let’s take a quick peek at how the JoyOS Advisor helps to set up the tension and select the proper stitch, depending on what type of sewing you want to do. Here’s a short video that shows how easy this is.

Wow – that’s so exciting. The Designer Ruby 90 does all the setup work for me. I make a couple of choices, and it does all the hard work. I love it!!

Now that we’re in the sewing mode screen, there are many numbers and symbols on the screen, and I’m not sure what they are. No worries!! Let’s look at how valuable the Quick Help tool is to identify the elements on the screen.

Check out this video I love the Quick Help, and I regularly use this feature to get the appropriate name of the function or access the built-in User’s Guide.

Speaking of the User’s Guide, did you know that the entire guide is accessible on the screen of the Designer Ruby 90?

Yes – it is. And it’s just the best. And did you know that there are multiple ways to access the User’s Guide? Let’s take a look at this short video to show you what I mean.

So even if you’re a paper person and need that physical User’s Guide, you often don’t even know the name of the feature in question. By using the Quick Help on the screen, you at least know the name of the function you need to explore! But it’s so much easier to access the User’s Guide right on the screen.

I know that we don’t always want to sit down and browse through a User’s Guide, but I would suggest that you sit down at your machine one day and spend some time using the Quick Help to explore the many areas of the multiple screens. If you do that for a few minutes before you start to sew, you’ll very quickly learn all the great features you have available to you.

I have a small exercise for you to become super savvy about sewing machine tension. Why is this important? Especially if you have auto-tension on your sewing machine? You may want to use different thread weights, try unusual fabrics, or the tension needs tweaking. It’s essential to understand this, so make sure you do this exercise.

To start, this is the diagram on tension from the Designer Ruby 90 User’s Guide.

It’s in the physical manual, as well as in the built-in one, so you can never say you don’t know where to find it. Have a good look at the three scenarios to know what is happening and how to adjust the tension if something is wrong.

Now let’s get back to basics. You’ll find the tension dial on a mechanical sewing machine just above the needle.

A tension guide from the User’s Guide The tension dial on the Husqvarna Viking Emerald 116

I swear that someone put the fear of God into people about touching the tension on their sewing machine.

Whether someone has a mechanical or computerized sewing machine, many people don’t know where the tension control is, and they’re afraid to touch it.

Essentially the correct tension is when the stitch is formed right in the middle of your fabric. If the top thread is running flat along the top of your project and you can see dots of the bobbin thread, then the top tension is too tight. And if the top thread is being pulled to the back, then the top tension is too loose.

See how we discussed the issue with tension relative to the top thread only?

I prefer not to touch the tension in the bobbin case unless I have a second bobbin case. If you do get a second bobbin case, be sure to mark it somehow so that you don’t get it mixed up with your good one. You can almost always fix the tension by playing with the top tension.

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OK – so here’s the exercise. Get yourself a piece of fabric – muslin or other solid fabric works best. Get something that you can use to write on the material with, and different color threads for the top and the bobbin, preferably a different color than your fabric.

In sewing mode, the screen shows us the settings chosen by the JoyOS Advisor on the Designer Ruby 90. The default tension setting is 4.6. Notice that the 4.6 is black, which indicates the default setting.

If I change the default tension, the number turns green. You have to love the flexibility here!

So, what does this mean? Well, zero means there is zero tension on the top thread. Nothing! The number is sitting at 9.8, as shown in the photo; the top tension is as tight as it can be.

The best way to understand this is to stitch out several rows of stitching and change the tension each time. Trust me – it doesn’t take long to do!

Use two layers of fabric as you rarely sew with just one layer of fabric. Set the tension to the highest number and stitch a straight line on your fabric.

Then drop the tension down to 8.0 and stitch another line. Continue lowering the tension by a whole number until you get to zero. Make sure to write down the tension setting for each row.

The tension is at 9.8, which is now green as it’s no longer the default

Supplies to test the tension on the sewing machine

Let’s have a look at the screen in sewing mode. I used the JoyOS Advisor to select Woven Medium as the fabric type and weight, and chose the seam technique.

The JoyOS Advisor chose the traditional tension disks as the optimal thread delivery method.

Tension on a computerized sewing machine, using traditional tension disks, ranges from 0.0 to 9.9. The numbers on the dial of a mechanical sewing machine range from 0 – 9.

You can see in this example how the fabric pulls when the top tension is set high. And you can feel that the fabric is stiff and the thread is prickly. It’s not a good feeling. As the top tension decreases, the thread becomes more relaxed, the fabric lies smoother, and the overall feel is softer. As the top tension decreases to zero, we see more looping on the top of the fabric.

The default settings for a straight seam using a woven medium weight fabric

Lines of stitching to test the tension

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Let’s say that you’re not 100% happy with 4.0, so you try 5.0. Still not happy?

You can fine-tune between 4.0 and 5.0 to find a setting that works for you.

Now let’s have a look at the back. Oh boy– look what happened when there was zero tension or a very low tension on that top thread. It’s not pretty, and you know tension like that will not hold your quilt together. It gets progressively better, and by the fifth line (which is very close to the default setting), the stitching looks fine on the front and the back.

Here’s the other half of the back of my sample. I couldn’t even stitch with the top tension at 9.0. I could sew for about one inch, and then the thread broke. I tried it several times. Not pretty, but now I know!

Very poor tension when the tension is set to zero or close to zero

So, this is an excellent exercise to undertake. This kind of ‘play’ will make you a better sewist, and it’ll make you appreciate how valuable a tool the JoyOS Advisor is. Keep in mind that you can override the JoyOS Advisor whenever you need to – whether you work with different thread weights or you need to tweak the tension.

Here’s the beauty of working with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90. While it’s good to know all about the tension and how to adjust it, I don’t think I’ve had to change the tension once. The JoyOS Advisor did all the work, and I just selected the fabric and technique. The tension is so good that I can sew black fabric using white thread. I don’t need to change the thread color, and it’s not visible from the front. That’s worth every penny of this sewing machine!

The back of the sample playing with thread tension

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Did you do the tension test? Learning about tension makes you appreciate how helpful the JoyOS Advisor is. And the tension test will make you a better sewist when going beyond standard weight thread and quilting cotton.

I’ll chat about the deLuxe Stitch System and why you should become familiar with it.

Wi-Fi features on the HV Designer Ruby 90 plus more tension tips

The deLuxe Stitch System is a different method of thread delivery than the traditional tension disks. Based on the stitch type and other settings, the Designer Ruby 90 selects the appropriate form of thread delivery.

Essentially, it’s a set of three rollers that sit below the traditional tension disks.

Instead of the thread being dragged through the tension disks, which can cause a lot of friction for delicate threads, the rollers meter out the appropriate amount of thread required for that stitch.

A stich out of a zigzag using various settings of the deLuxe Stich System A default setting of 50 for the deLuxe Stich System

Like the traditional tension disks, there’s a range of settings for the deLuxe Stitch System. If you’re not happy with the look and feel of the work, you can raise or lower the tension using this function. As already discussed, it’s essential that you become familiar with how changing this setting can affect your work. A slight increase or decrease can take your project from OK to spectacular!

Remember, when you see the number in blue, it’s no longer at the default setting.

Wow! There’s quite a difference once you move above 50, which is the default setting for Woven Medium. The top thread is so tight that the red bobbin thread is showing through. Looking at the back of the stitching lines, it seems like the bobbin thread (red) is pulling when there is zero tension on the top.

Again, it’s a good idea to run through the ranges, so you can appreciate how to fix the tension should you run into an issue.

The deLuxe Stich System sits below the traditional tension disks

It’s a brilliant system, and it works like a charm for delicate threads, especially metallic and invisible.

It also works great for any decorative stitching and embroidery. You want those stitches to be well-formed with no bobbin thread showing, and the deLuxe Stitch System does a great job of that.

The numbering system works similarly to that of traditional tension. The numbers range from 0 to 95, with zero being no tension on the top thread, and at 95, the tension on the top thread is as tight as it can go. The deLuxe Stitch System works in increments of 5.

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The setting for the deLuxe Stich System is not at the default, so it has turned blue

I was curious how the stitches would appear by repeating the sample exercise with the traditional tension disks and a straight stitch. I grabbed a piece of muslin and used two different colors of thread. This time, I selected a zigzag stitch which automatically selects the deLuxe Stitch System. I ran through all the settings from 0 – 95 to see what would happen to the quality of the stitch.

The back of the stitching lines using the deLuxe Stitch System

The deLuxe Stitch System works in both sewing and embroidery modes. I’ve got a great example to share with you on when and how to change the settings.

You can turn it off when working in embroidery mode on the Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen. You can also switch between the thread delivery methods in Settings, which you’ll find in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

Let’s leave the tension alone for now.

I want to share another impressive technology feature of the Designer Ruby 90. It’s a Wi-Fi-enabled sewing and embroidery machine! WOW!! It’s taken a while for the sewing industry to make this happen, but I know it’s here to stay. I love technology!

Why is this feature so neat? Well, imagine never having to worry about the latest firmware updates. Whenever an update is necessary, you’ll get a message on the screen letting you know that an update is available. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, the update can be downloaded immediately and installed, or you can download it and install it later, or do the download another day. You are in control of when the updates occur!

The Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen

There are many ways to customize the Designer Ruby 90 to work for you.

There are temporary settings for sewing and embroidery, as well as the default settings. The temporary settings resets to the defaults when you turn the sewing machine off. The default settings remain until you change them. So if you want to turn the FIX off because of the project you’re working on, you can do that. You might want to change the screen’s color or the intensity of the lights, and you can do that in the settings menus. The important thing is that you have the flexibility to customize the Designer Ruby 90 to your way of working. And I love the clock on the screen, and when I sew on a machine that doesn’t have a clock, I miss it!

The Settings menu

So, how easy is it to get started with mySewnet? To set up a free account, follow the steps on the website.

However, a Wi-Fi-enabled sewing or embroidery machine, like the Designer Ruby 90, is necessary to make the most of this technology.

Once I have a mySewnet account, I need to set up the sewing machine. In the top left-hand corner, you’ll see a message for me to sign in. I can’t sign in until I connect to the Wi-Fi. That’s easy – click on the Wi-Fi symbol in the top left-hand corner.

You also get access to the ecosystem called mySewnet, which includes a blog that sends projects, tips and ideas right to the screen of your Designer Ruby 90. You will not get inundated with messages – there’s one or two every couple of weeks, and it’s perfect for helping you learn your machine or get some inspiration. The tutorials lead you right to the appropriate stitch menu or tutorial. It’s like having a class come right to you!

You also get access to cloud storage to save modified stitches, embroideries you have created or move files between the mySewnet embroidery software on your computer to the embroidery machine. All those tasks can occur via the mySewnet ecosystem.

And let’s not forget the apps you can download to your smart device that communicate to your sewing and embroidery machine. If you want to check them out, they are called mySewMonitor, QuickDesign, and JoyOS Advisor. Yes – the JoyOS Advisor with all that valuable information is available right on your smart device. There’s so much here that you can do – well, it’ll blow your mind! The apps are free, where you usually download apps.

This is the future of the sewing machine, and we ought to embrace it. You can check out one of my previous blog post on QUILTsocial about mySewnet ecosystem where I’ve discussed this technology once before.

The start-up screen where I connect my router and sign in to mySewnet account

Once I touch the Wi-Fi button on the screen, the Designer Ruby 90 searches for the available routers nearby. Select your router and enter your password.

Setting up the router to access the Wi-Fi connection

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Once you’re connected, you’re going to sign in to your mySewnet account.

Make sure that you keep track of your passwords and username. Once you click on the area to enter your username (your e-mail address), a keyboard pops up that allows you to enter your information. Two areas that may throw you off base – the @ symbol is in the special character section of the keyboard! And I always enter a comma instead of a period on my e-mail address.

So watch for those two little things.

The bobbin winder is on the side of the Designer Ruby 90, along with a thread cutter, so you don’t need scissors to get your bobbin prepped. You can also see the two USB ports for the Designer Ruby 90. So if you need to use a USB stick to transfer files or attach the Multi-Function Foot Control, these ports are conveniently located on the side of the machine.

The telescopic thread stand

Wow – isn’t that all so very exciting?

There are so many features and functions that I don’t know which one is my favorite.

The login screen to connect to the mySewnet account

Once you’re connected to the Wi-Fi and signed into your mySewnet account, the Designer Ruby 90 automatically syncs your account. That way, if I’m connected to my phone, my laptop, or the sewing machine, I have access to the same files.

WOW — this is so handy.

The files are syncing between the Designer Ruby 90 and my mySewnet account

The bobbin winder with a built-in thread cutter and two USB ports

As I mentioned, there are over 650 embroidery designs built-in, and the signature series has some great outdoor designs.

Here’s another super handy feature of the Designer Ruby 90. I love the builtin telescopic thread stand. It holds two cones of thread. These are the 5,000-meter cones, and this stand is the best, whether you are embroidering, winding your bobbins, or sewing with the large cones! I can still use the smaller spools of thread if that’s what I have, but size doesn’t matter, and I love having my thread go up and then down into the threading mechanism. That longer distance to the threading mechanism helps to keep the thread from tangling.

As I was embroidering my project that you’ll see, I got a pop-up message as the bobbin was running low.

Signature embroidery designs

The low-bobbin pop-up menu

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6 essential tips for double-sided machine embroidery on a placemat What do you think of the deLuxe Stitch System on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90? I LOVE the deLuxe Stitch System because it allows me to choose which thread delivery method I want when doing something a bit different. I’ve got some great tips to share, so let’s get started!

I love making projects from scratch, but sometimes you need a quick hostess gift, and there’s no time. So I scout around for ready-made items that I can embroider.

I found some fabric placemats that were plaid on one side and brown on the other. The signature designs in the Designer Ruby 90 have an outdoorsy theme, so the color of the placemats will be perfect.

In the following image, notice that the deLuxe Stitch System is on, as well as the Automatic Thread Cutter and Automatic Jump Stitch Trim. It’s essential to pay attention to all the boxes on this screen. You can control how your design gets stitched out with the settings here. So be sure to pay attention to it—more on this in a minute.

Information about the selected embroidery design on the embroidery edit screen

I’ve made some changes to the embroidery options on the Designer Ruby 90 as I prepared to stitch out the design. Let’s have another look at the Welcome to Embroidery Edit screen.

• I’ve changed the stitch plate to use

the Straight Stitch Plate. It provides much better support for forming stitches.

• I selected the large metal hoop to match the one I’ll be using.

• I’m using the Baste around hoop

option to help secure my fabric and stabilizer since I’m not using a traditional two-part embroidery hoop.

TIP 1 Choose your design carefully When choosing an embroidery design, be very mindful of the size and the number of stitches. You don’t want an extremely dense design if you’re doing an embroidery design that is visible from the front and the back (think finished items and garments). You also need to know the size to see if it’s appropriate for your finished article. Knowing the stitch count, along with the size, gives you an indication of the density, which is a vital component as to what kind(s) of stabilizer to use and how much you need.

TIP 2 Set up the options on the Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen

• I’ve deselected the deLuxe Stitch System.

• I’ve turned off the Automatic Thread

Cutter and Automatic Jump Stitch Trim.

The Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen

I can’t use a traditional two-part embroidery hoop as the design is relatively large, and my placemat isn’t much larger than the design, so I’ll use the Large Metal Hoop. I’ll be using Inspira Aqua Magic (water-soluble) stabilizer, so the stabilizer will dissolve in warm water when the project is complete.

That last step means I’ll have to cut the threads on the front during the embroidery stitch out process, but that’s OK. It’s much better to do that than trim the threads on the back once the embroidery is complete. Remember, I want the back of the placemat to look as good as the front.

Keep that in mind when embroidering on a garment. You want the underside of the embroidery design to look clean and neat.

The Large Metal Hoop and a roll of Inspira Aqua Magic Stabilizer

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If you have an eagle eye, you probably noticed that my placemat was a bit shy of the top of the hoop, so it’s not as secure as it could be. Will that cause problems? You’ll notice in the following picture that there’s a wee bit of pulling near the top that’s directly related to this situation. I should have basted a piece of fabric to the top of the placemat so I could secure it with a magnet. Then I wouldn’t have gotten any puckering.

Once it’s washed, it probably won’t make a difference, but one should always aim to do things right!

The Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out with suggested changes

The default tension setting is 2.8

Here’s my placemat hooped in the metal hoop. I’ve cut a piece of Inspira Aqua Magic stabilizer and placed it on the underside of the placemat. The large metal hoop comes with four powerful magnets, but you’ll notice that I have six on this project. You can purchase additional sets of magnets, or if you have the Medium (180 by 130mm) or the Small Metal Hoop, you can borrow a magnet or two from those hoops.

Just remember to not place more than eight magnets on a metal hoop. The additional weight from the magnets can cause premature wear and tear on the embroidery arm.

Trial and error (my favorite way of learning) taught me that the tension is a bit too loose at 2.8, and some of the top threads would appear on the bobbin side. Since this is a double-sided embroidery project, I want the tension to be perfect on both sides. I upped the top tension to 4.0.

Puckering due to insufficient support at the edge of the placemat

Some settings can be modified on the Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen as well as the Embroidery Stitch Out screen. One of them is the Color Options. There are four color changes in the embroidery design, but I wanted to use only one color. I chose the icon for Monochrome to eliminate all the color stops.

What I love is that there are several places to do the same job, so if you forget, you don’t have to go back and forth!

TIP 3 Change the tension One other significant change that I made was to the tension. Since I deactivated the deLuxe Stitch System, the Designer Ruby 90 defaulted to traditional tension and gave me a setting of 2.8.

The top tension is 4.0 The placemat secured to the Large Metal Hoop with six magnets

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TIP 4 Use matching thread in the bobbin I used a 40-weight embroidery thread in the bobbin. If the design is supposed to be double-sided, it only makes sense that I put a similar thread in the bobbin as I use on the top. In this case, I used the same color, but you can use two different colors if you want to. Test first!

The first step is a line of basting stitches around the perimeter of the hoop.

A line of basting stitches around the perimeter of the hoop

I’m using the Sensor Q-foot for embroidery. It’s a great foot, which helps secure the fabric in place, and provides more stability during embroidery. I took this picture to share with you another little mystery in the world of machine embroidery.

TIP 5 Match up the arrows when using a traditional embroidery hoop When using a traditional embroidery hoop, there are small arrows on the inner hoop that must match the arrows on the outer hoop. Do not make the mistake of switching that around. It can significantly affect the placement of your design, and if the design is too close to the edge, you can break a needle on the edge of the hoop. Watch those arrows!!!

Match up the arrows on the bottom of the traditional two-part embroidery hoop

TIP 6 Attach the hoop properly When you attach your hoop to the embroidery arm, ensure that it’s securely in place. I’ve made the mistake of thinking it was in place, but in fact, it was a wee bit off. That’s not good! So snap it solidly into place and wait for the click!

If you ever studied an embroidery hoop, you probably noticed that the horizontal center is not actually in the center of the hoop. It’s about 1” below the real center of the hoop. Why is that? Well, the Sensor Q-foot needs space so that it can stitch around the top of the hoop. So the center of the hoop is slightly lower than the real center to accommodate the length of the foot. Simple!

Now that we did all the hard work, it’s time for the Designer Ruby 90 to do its work. I hit START, and since I’ve made this a monochrome design, I can technically walk away! But I’m memorized by watching the stitch-out process, so I don’t stray too far away.

The embroidery is stitching out

Oh my gosh – this is looking great. But wait! It’s lunchtime, and I like to eat at the same time every day. How will I keep track of my embroidery? By using the mySewMonitor on my smartphone – that’s how.

Remember I mentioned that the Designer Ruby 90 is a Wi-Fi-enabled embroidery machine, and do you remember that I connected it to my mySewnet account? That means I can use the app on my phone as a monitor for the embroidery.

Even though the app shows four different colors, the stops are removed, moving automatically from one color to the next.

Match up the arrows on the bottom of the traditional two-part embroidery hoop

The length of the Sensor Q foot requires additional space at the back of the embroidery hoop

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A detailed view of the back of the machine embroidery

Let’s have a close-up look at the stitches on the front. The tension looks fabulous!

I know – you want to see the back. Well, it’s just as spectacular as the front! It looks fabulous! And it’s immaculate on the back because the Automatic Thread Cutter and Automatic Jump Stitch Trim were not on, and I trimmed all the threads from the front.

The mySewMonitor app on my smartphone

Wow – I LOVE this feature. So I went and had lunch and was soon notified that the embroidery was finished.

Oh my – It looks fantastic!!!!

Here’s a close-up of the back of the embroidery. Those stitches look as good as the front! The water-soluble stabilizer is still in place, but since it’ll rinse away in warm water, there’ll be no tugging when I remove it.

Seriously??? If I didn’t know which side was the front, I doubt I would be able to tell. I’m so excited about this result!! These tips I gave you are game-changers for stitching anything that requires the back to look as good as the front. But let’s not forget that I had assistance from the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90, which happens to contain some fantastic technology.

The stitches on the front of the embroidery My completed embroidery design!

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Keep in mind that the style of embroidery design that I chose also helps. I chose an open design. The back might not look as good with a more densely stitched tree. And if there were multiple colors, I would have to change the color of the bobbin thread and the top, and I’m not into that much detail. So choose your designs wisely.

Now, it’s possible to have the stitching mess up. In this instance, the bobbin gave me trouble because I left a long thread tail at the beginning, which got caught during the embroidery process.

I happened to be standing right at the embroidery machine when I heard the change in the sound. I immediately hit STOP and looked at the back. That’s not pretty, but fortunately, it happened on the underlay stitches. So I got out the scissors and cleaned this up. I backed up the stitching position until I got back to the right spot, wound a new bobbin, and hit START. Problem solved, and it was a total operator error!

My two-sided machine embroidered placemats A little problem on the bobbin thread

That’s why it’s so important to make mistakes. If you make mistakes, you learn from them. By learning from them, you know how to fix something. Some people might throw in the towel, but so many things are easy to fix, and once you know how, there’s no stopping!!!

I cut away the excess water-soluble stabilizer and rinsed the placemat in warm water to remove the excess. I was so thrilled that I made a second placemat. I washed them both, and here they are! Stunning!

Just like that, I dressed up a simple readymade item into an adorable placemat that will look great at the cottage or in the RV. And if one side gets dirty – no problem. They are completely reversible so that I can flip them! I’d rather be machine embroidering than doing laundry!

I hope you enjoyed my two-sided machine embroidery placemat project.

And using the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90 made it so easy to get perfect results.

The back of the machine embroidered placemat

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Creating a machine embroidered postcard to mail to a friend Well, what did you think of that doublesided machine embroidery done with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90?

Imagine how awesome your embroidery can look on a jean jacket or other piece of clothing.

We’re going on an adventure! A friend of mine recently moved to a somewhat remote northern community. Someone thought it would be awesome if we sent her postcards that would be waiting for her when she arrived. Alas, my postcard will get there a bit late, but that’s OK. And you get to see it before she does!

The outdoorsy themes in the signature collection of the Designer Ruby 90 inspired me. Wait! There are other outdoorsy designs unrelated to trees and camping in the signature design collection. I’ve got an idea that I’ll be exploring, so watch for that.

I found five designs in the Designer Ruby 90 that could work for my postcard. I knew that I couldn’t use them all simply because the postcard is only 4” x 6”. I could’ve brought them directly into the Embroidery Edit screen, but I knew at least one had to be modified. And I could’ve saved myself some time, got them all into the Embroidery Edit, and saved them as one file in the mySewnet Cloud. Instead, I saved each one individually.

Here’s the file sent from the Designer Ruby 90 to the mySewnet Embroidery Software.

Embroidery design sent from the Designer Ruby 90 to the mySewnet Embroidery Software

If you have multiple computers with the embroidery software installed, make sure you know which is which. The first time I sent the file, I couldn’t figure out why it wasn’t on my laptop. Later that afternoon, I went to my desktop computer, and there was the file! I sent it to the wrong device. So the moral of that story is to make sure your devices are clearly labeled!

In total, I brought five designs from the signature series of the Designer Ruby 90 into the mySewnet Embroidery Software.

I wanted to play with the sizes, and I wanted to eliminate one bear as I knew I wasn’t going to have room for both. I quickly realized that the two larger trees would be too large, so I selected them and then deleted them. Because the designs were still separate, as shown in the filmstrip on the left, it was easy to select the ones I didn’t want and hit delete. Again – there are many ways to make this happen.

Five designs from the signature collection on the Designer Ruby 90

I went into Edit Design and removed the large bear. This is what I have left to play with.

Some of the saved files are in my mySewnet Cloud

If I were only sending one file to the mySewnet Embroidery Software, I could do that directly through the mySewnet ecosystem without saving. But then I would have to save the other files separately as each time you send a file, a new window opens in the embroidery software. Let’s say that there are many ways to get the files from one device to the other.

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The three machine embroidery elements for my postcard

The menu to send an embroidery design through the mySewnet ecosystem to connected devices

So it looks pretty good, but when I used the measuring tools in the embroidery software, my design was just a wee bit too tall. Hmm – what to do? So I went back into Edit Design and moved the word ‘AWAITS’ so it sat further to the right, allowing me to move the bear image further up. I measured again, and the design was just a fracture too tall.

This time, I shrank the tree and the bear, being mindful of the density of both designs. I scaled them down to 95%, and that gave me the proper dimensions.

Remember that all devices (sewing machine, computers, smart devices) need to be logged into your mySewnet account for that to work. And to prevent anything weird from showing up on your embroidery machine, you have to permit it to receive a file.

I left the deLuxe Stitch System on as the back will not be visible. I also chose the Automatic Thread Cutter and Automatic Jump Stitch Trim as there are little letters in the design, and I didn’t want to cut the thread between them.

I also selected something else on this screen, and I hesitated before I did it. I chose Color Block Sort, which is fine because it sorted the colors and placed them in sequence by color. So all the black color changes occur one after the other, with a color stop between the various elements of the design.

Wow!! Wow!!! I love being able to change the designs like that. I just needed a bit more space, and editing the files gave me that option. I remember when I first got access to embroidery software.

I was so excited and then totally lost when it came to making it work. I’ve since learned that it’s super easy (with a little bit of practice) that you can do practically anything. What I did in this file is so simple! I used the Platinum version of the mySewnet Embroidery Software.

Now that the design is the correct size and the elements are where I want them to be, I used the Export function to create a stitchable file.

Now I’m ready to stitch out the embroidery design, so I go to the Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen.

However, I also selected Color Block Merge without paying attention to my design. This feature merges the colors and eliminates the STOP commands.

Wait for the lesson!

Pop up message asking permission to receive the embroidery file from mySewnet Embroidery Software

Alternatively, I can send the file directly to the Designer Ruby 90 through the mySewnet ecosystem.

The File menu of

I chose my thread colors and a fresh pre-wound bobbin. I have a story to tell about both of those choices, so stay tuned for that.

the mySewnet Embroidery Software

The Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen

A pre-wound bobbin and threads for my embroidery design

I hooped the fabric with INSPIRA TearA-Way Stabilizer in Do All Quilter’s Hoop, which is a traditional two-part hoop, and was the perfect size for my postcard.

Using the Send feature to transfer a file through the mySewnet ecosystem

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I also added an extra layer of Tear-A-Way beneath the hoop as the designs were dense and I didn’t want any puckering.

You can also use INSPIRA Fuse N Tear on the back of the quilting cotton to ensure that it doesn’t move. Then add a layer of Tear-A-Way beneath the hoop to help stabilize the project.

The embroidery is looking fantastic! I love when a design is well digitized.

The tree is starting to stitch out The embroidery design as it starts to stitch out

In the following photo, you can see how I moved the word ‘AWAITS’ to the right of the design. And see how clean those small letters are? No threads to trim since I used the Automatic Jump Stitch Trim.

I changed the thread color and backed up the stitches to the beginning of the topstitching on the tree. I didn’t bother with the underlay stitches since they would be covered anyway. And phew – you can’t tell I did that!

The second layer of the Tear-A-Way stabilizer positioned beneath the embroidery hoop

Then I moved into Embroidery Stitch Out, and away I went. From time to time, I did monitor the design on the embroidery machine, and I also had a peek at the mySewMonitor app on my phone. Yep – everything is working just fine!

No threads to trim between the small letterings

At some point, I wandered back to the embroidery machine to check on the stitching and stop!!! I thought that the bear and the tree were two different colors, so I would be asked to change the thread. No – the original designs were the same color thread, and by selecting the Color Block Merge, I eliminated the STOP command.

The green stitching on the tree completely covers the black mistake

And here’s my final design. I love it! It’s the correct size to be trimmed down and made into a postcard.

Oh boy – the learning never stops at my house! But that was my fault for not verifying the colors before I did that.

Lady Luck was on my side, and it just started to stitch out the top stitches of the tree when I wandered by.

Embroidery Stitch Out in progress

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The completed embroidery design

Since my blog articles seem to be about learning by doing, I thought I’d share another little blip that happened. Even though I showed you a full bobbin at the beginning of the article, I had a partial bobbin that I wanted to use up. So when the bobbin sensor came on, I sat there and watched the embroidery stitch out.

When the bobbin ran out, I stopped the Designer Ruby 90 and changed the bobbin. I backed up the stitches until they overlapped the previous ones and then continued.

Remember that I have the Automatic Jump Stitch Trim selected so that the jump stitches appear on the back–no big deal. You can trim them or not. They won’t show through the fabric I used as the background, so I’m not worried about it.

Not a problem – right? We do that all the time. But the bobbin ran out right in the middle of that impeccably digitized bear.

The fill pattern is so smooth that the wee glitch shows. OK – so I had to take a close-up picture to show you.

The lesson here is to watch where you do your bobbin changes. I didn’t realize the fill pattern on the bear was so smooth. And I probably should have removed more loose stitches before I hit START. It looks fine, and I’m not going to worry about it, but I thought I’d share that little tidbit. Another operator learning experience!

Isn’t the digitizing on the bear amazing?

It can be a challenge to get all those pieces to fuse evenly to each other, so even for something as simple as this, I plugged in the Singer Steam Press, and it quickly fused all three layers. I love the Singer Steam Press!

Using the Singer Steam Press to fuse the postcard

Then I trimmed the postcard (all three layers) to 4” x 6”.

The backside of the embroidery

Then I pulled out my supplies to make the postcard. I used muslin for the backing, and I have a rubber stamp with a postcard image. I used a very heavy stabilizer as the filler. All the pieces (back, filler, and front) were trimmed to 6¼” x 4¼”.

Trimming the postcard to 4” by 6”

The final step is to finish the edges. There are many ways to do that – you can create a rustic edge using raffia or twine and couching it to the edge. Instead, I chose the Grass stitch and a matching thread for the top and the bobbin.

A loose thread when the bobbin ran out

Supplies to make the postcard

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I decreased the width of the stitch to 5.0, so it wouldn’t cover the top of the tree or the bear’s paws. And I mirrored the stitch, so it was in the correct orientation to stitch to the edge of the postcard.

I also used a larger needle because of the thickness of my project and the Open Toe Foot.

The best part? I didn’t have to remove the embroidery arm to do this simple project. Yep – I can sew with the embroidery arm attached. I don’t want to work on a large project that could damage the embroidery arm, but small projects – why not?

OH MY GOSH – this is adorable!!! My friend is going to love it – Stitching the postcard with the embroidery unit attached well, I hope she does.

The machine settings to do the Grass Stitch

My Adventure Awaits postcard

Stitching the grass stitch along the edge of the postcard

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The back of the postcard

And there you have it – a super simple way to make an embroidered postcard. I decided to modify a couple of designs, but you’re sure to find something that works with over 680 embroidery designs built into the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90. Don’t want to make a postcard? I could have used the slightly larger trees and some of the other signature designs to make a small wall hanging.

I’m so excited – I want to make more machine embroidered postcards. How fun would it be to receive one of those in the mail?

Jazz up a synthetic rattan table topper with machine embroidery The best part is that those designs are part of the signature design collection for the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90, so combining the designs to make the postcard was easy.

I did not print out a diagram to help with the placement, so I went by eye. There were many ways to position the motifs on the table topper, but my main goal was to try machine embroidery on this unusual material and get the back to look as good as the front. Working with the placement diagram is good as it helps to visualize the size of the motif with the size of your project. It can help get the positioning just right, and it’s extremely helpful if multiple hoopings are required.

The signature collection is full of fun outdoor designs, and I promised to share some non-camping-related designs.

I’m only using one motif here, so here’s a screenshot of some of the other signature designs. There are many fun themes to use on readymade items or to embellish a project you create.

A synthetic rattan table topper

The first two things to consider are how to hoop this item and what kind of stabilizer to use. I won’t be able to hoop this in a traditional hoop, and since it’s going to be a table topper, I want the back to look as good as the front.

I took a large piece of the Aqua Magic Stabilizer and cut a piece large enough for the entire backing of the table topper.

My motifs won’t be close to the edge of the table topper, so it’s OK that the stabilizer is a bit short on the sides.

The motif that I chose is small and fits in the Small Metal Hoop (100 by 100mm), so that’s perfect. No need to worry about securing the table topper in a traditional two-part hoop.

A sampling of the designs in the signature collection in the Designer Ruby 90

Since I want the back to look as clean as the front, I chose INSPIRA Aqua Magic Stabilizer for the primary stabilizer. Since this surface is rough, I wasn’t sure how the needle and thread would react to this material, so I decided to use a topper and chose INSPIRA Water Works soluble film.

I’m working with another readymade item, and it’s not fabric. I found this round table topper, and while it looks like rattan, it’s synthetic rattan made of plastic. It looks pretty boring on its own, but what if I can embroider on that?

A piece of Aqua Magic stabilizer for the wrong side of the table topper

Then I drew some reference lines using chalk, which is my favorite marker.

For the most part, the chalk marks completely disappear by the time the project is complete, if not before, so be careful. I hate removing lines, so white chalk is my best friend when it comes to marking.

Let’s give it a try. I’m making up the process as I go along and will share my formula with you. Fingers crossed!

The small metal hoop and water-soluble stabilizers

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After marking the reference lines, I secured the project and the stabilizers to the small metal hoop. Those powerful magnets are so handy as all three layers were very secure.

I wasn’t sure what type and size of needle to use. There was an INSPIRA Topstitch needle (Size 90) in the Designer Ruby 90. I thought, why not try this needle and see what happens. I wasn’t sure if bigger or smaller would work best.

Even though the motif had three different colors, I used one color of thread in the bobbin. I wasn’t going to wind a bobbin for each color when two of them were red, and the third, yellow, was used sparingly.

It turns out the Topstitch needle wasn’t a good idea because I hadn’t gotten very far, and the needle broke. So I used an INSPIRA Embroidery Needle (Size 75), and it worked like a charm!

The other thing I made a conscious decision about was when I selected the design. I chose a motif that wasn’t too dense. This design has 6544 stitches, and I figured it would be OK for the size.

I could probably use an even denser design for future embroidery on this material, but this one worked well for my experimenting.

I used a 40wt embroidery thread on the top, and I used a 40-weight embroidery thread in the bobbin! I know – it took me a long time to realize that I didn’t have to use a bobbin weight thread in the bobbin. But choose your designs wisely – the heavier thread in the bobbin is not a good idea for dense designs.

I was super excited about the quality of the stitches. The following photo shows the front of the motif after the first two colors. I still have one thread to trim away, but so far, this is looking amazing.

The table topper is attached to the small metal hoop with powerful magnets

Let’s have a look at the Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen. The magnets secure the topper to the small metal hoop, so there is no need to use the Baste Around Design or Baste Around Hoop functions, as those needle marks would never come out. I turned off the Automatic Thread Cutter and Automatic Jump Stitch Trim, meaning I’ll manually cut the threads during the embroidery process. I also turned off the deLuxe Stitch System.

The Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen

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Starting the embroidery stitch out process

As I mentioned, I had no idea how well the design would embroider on that rough plastic. Even though I haven’t checked the back yet, I’m excited!

The almost finished embroidered motif

Progress on the floral motif stitching on the synthetic rattan table topper

The back of the machine embroidery motif looks awesome

So, if you’re impressed by the stitching in that photo, LOOK at the back!! Oh my – this is amazing! I was jumping up and down when I saw that. There’s a little bit of the top thread coming through to the back, but that’s perfectly normal since I didn’t adjust the top tension. I left it at the default of 2.8. My thread color in the bobbin was also a slightly different shade of red.

Here’s another great tip. When you have to trim the threads from the top, hold onto that top thread as you hit START. If you don’t, it might get pulled to the back of the work and cause a thread nest. So hold that thread! The Designer Ruby 90 will stitch a couple of stitches and then stop, giving you a pop-up message to cut the tail of the top thread. Do not cut the active thread, or you’ll be restarting the color. It can be a bit tricky to see. But in the following photo, you can see that one thread is tight (that’s the active one that’s threaded into the needle), and the loose one is the one to cut!

OH MY — that little table topper dresses up my side table in the gazebo perfectly!

I’m so excited!!!

A pair of Double Curved Embroidery Scissors

Yes – I know the location of those motifs is predictable, but I’m OK with that. I need to print the template for another motif(s) and find an interesting way to position it on my second table topper.

The first one was a test. Hmm – Imagine a straw hat for the beach! I found a burlap tote bag that will also make a great bag to embroider. Or how about a set of rattan placemats and coasters perfect for the outdoor living space.

There’s not enough time!

Cut the loose tail end of the thread

And that wraps up this feature with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90.

We’ve barely scratched the surface of the signature collection of embroidery designs. And the combination of the flexible tools for embroidery settings, along with the excellent stitch quality – well, anything is possible. I didn’t even touch on all the unique decorative stitch techniques! Those will have to wait for another feature!

Thanks for following along, and be sure to pop into your Husqvarna Viking dealer and have a chat about the Designer Ruby 90. You won’t be sorry!

Have a great day!

Ciao!

Elaine Theriault

Here’s the first motif stitched out. WOW!!

That looks impressive. I have to say that I was a bit apprehensive about stitching on this material, but the Designer Ruby 90 performed like a champion, and the results are super impressive.

crazyquilteronabike.blogspot.com

Four floral motifs on my table topper

Here’s the back of the table topper with the excess Aqua Magic trimmed away.

All that remains is to give it a quick rinse in warm water and let the thread dry.

The gorgeous floral motif on the synthetic rattan table topper

Then I went ahead and stitched out three more motifs.

I used my INSPIRA 6” Double Curved Embroidery Scissors and trimmed away the excess water-soluble film from the top and the Aqua Magic from the back.

The back of the machine embroidered table topper with most of the stabilizer trimmed away

The table topper dresses up the side table in the gazebo

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UNIQUE folding cutting mats

for all your quilting needs

Paul Léger

After 15 long months, pandemic restrictions are finally starting to lift in some locations. With the lifting of the restrictions, many are beginning to plan their next retreats and workshops. In anticipation, I pulled out my retreat/workshop bin. Yes, I have a dedicated bin always at the ready to load in the car for a sewing adventure somewhere other than home!

When I looked in the bin recently, it became obvious that I needed to add some and replace other items. Not to mention, I also needed to get myself something better than the bin I’d often used for quilting road trips in the past. With all this in mind, I decided for this feauture, I’d highlight items I like to pack and take on a retreat, a workshop, or even just a sew day away.

Must-have quilting tools

Along with the introduction of some wonderful products and tools, I’ll show you how to make a charming child’s quilt that can be used for years.

For this issue's quilt project, I selected fabrics from the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics. What drew me to this collection are the colors and the collection’s panels.

Together, they make a nice gender-neutral quilt for a young child.

Here are the fabric requirements for this quilt:

• • • • • • •

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This quilt measures 64'' x 75''.

2 panels of Figurine – grey (DC9535) 2¼ yards of Cute Critters – moon (DC9538) 1½ yards of Favorite Flowers – metal (DC9529) ¼ yard of Trio – toffee (DC9531) ¼ yard of Bits and Bobs –aulait (DC9533) ½ yard of Double Quotes – straw (DC9534) 4½ yards of Cute Critters – grey (DC9538) for backing

From the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics

Trim the panels.

Use the Sew Easy 6½” x 24” ruler and Komfort KUT 45mm rotary cutter to trim the panels.

We’ll need three quilting tools, and you'll need your sewing machine.

For starters, I used the UNIQUE Folding Cutting Mat – 17” x 24”. Great for travel, this large mat folds in half, making it easy to pack and not awkward to carry to a workshop or retreat. A prime example of when this mat comes in handy is when traveling by plane to get to a faraway quilt show – this mat fits perfectly in a suitcase!

Along with this folding mat, I used the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler – 24” x 6½” and the Komfort KUT Rotary Cutter – 45mm (1¾”).

The Whimsicals collection’s panel has a horizontal orientation. This differs from most panels, which are vertically oriented. With the panel’s horizontal layout and direction, I knew this aspect would take me out of my comfort zone but make a great-looking quilt.

I decided I would only use the center part of the panel. I measured and calculated and figured I would also be able to use 1¼” of the light-colored outer edges from the panels. I wasn’t too worried about the measurements from side to side and top to bottom. I’ll show you a little trick in the quilt’s design to ensure everything fits together perfectly.

Step 1 Trim all four sides of each of the two panels.

After trimming the panels, measure the width and height. My panels measure 22” high x 36” wide.

Photos by Paul Léger

Step 2 Attach a border around both panels. For this step, 6 strips measuring 2½” wide by the width of fabric are needed. I used the Favorite Flowers fabric as shown for these strips.

Sew all strips end to end to make one long strip piece, and from it cut the following pieces:

• 4 – 2½” x 22” pieces • 4 – 2½” x 40½” pieces

Six strips are needed for panels’ borders.

The shorter strips are sewn to the sides first, followed by the long strips, which are sewn on the top and bottom of the panels.

With the strips sewn on all sides of both panels, this work is done.

Earlier, I mentioned the UNIQUE Folding Cutting Mat – 17” x 24”. This mat is great for retreats and for some workshops. The reason I say some workshops and not all is there are some workshops where the personal workspace is small. When I know the workspace will be limited, or I won’t need a large mat, I bring the UNIQUE Folding Cutting Mat – 12” x 17”.

This smaller mat can be used either folded or open.

Panel with a border added

When carefully putting the rotary cutter in the travel toolbox or bin, don’t forget to bring extra Komfort KUT Replacement Straight Blades – 45mm (1¾”). I always bring more than one extra blade. I do not want a run-in with Murphy’s law!

UNIQUE 17'' x 24'' and 12'' x 17'' folding cutting mats with Komfort KUT’s replacement 45mm rotary cutting blades

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Sew Easy Rulers make quilting so easy!

In addition to cutting mats and rotary cutters, when travelling to a retreat or other sewing events, I always bring a selection of rulers such as the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler – 24” x 6½”, the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler – 12” x 6½”, the Sew Easy Square Ruler – 6½” x 6½” and the Sew Easy Quilting Ruler – 14” x 1”. With these four rulers in my kit, I’m able to work on any project I have planned.

I’ll make 16 – 9½” x 9½” (unfinished) candy blocks. For these blocks, I’ll use the following two fabrics from the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics:

When designing a quilt block, I always look for a work-saving method for assembling the block. In planning this candy block, I found a way to assemble the block’s center while creating the block’s Half Square Triangles (HSTs) at the same time! Here’s how it’s done: First, on the wrong sides of the 36 – 3¼” x 3¼” Cute Critters fabric squares, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Next, draw a parallel diagonal line ½” away from the first line.

• Cute Critters – moon (DC9538) • Favorite Flowers – metal (DC9529) UNIQUE 17'' x 24'' and 12'' x 17'' folding cutting mats

From the Cute Critters fabric, cut the following pieces:

• 36 – 3¼” x 3¼” squares • 36 – 2½” x 5½” rectangles • 36 – 2½” x 7½” rectangles From the Favorite Flowers fabric, cut the following pieces:

• 18 – 5½” x 5½” squares

Sew Easy rulers

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Whimsicals fabrics selected for the candy block

Draw two parallel diagonal lines ½'' apart on the wrong side of each of the 3¼'' x 3¼'' squares.

Then, with right sides together, place two of the 3¼” x 3¼” Cute Critters fabric squares on two opposite corners of each of the 5½” x 5½” squares. Ensure the smaller diagonal line you drew ½” from the corner-to-corner diagonal line is closer to the outer corner.

Place two 3¼'' x 3¼'' squares on opposite corners of each 5½'' x 5½'' square.

For each set, sew a seam along all the drawn lines on both 3¼” x 3¼” squares.

When all four seams are sewn, cut the corners away halfway between the two lines of stitching.

With right sides together, sew an HST onto one short end of a 2½” x 7½” rectangular fabric piece.

Sew an HST onto one short end of a 2½'' x 7½'' rectangular fabric piece.

After sewing seams along all four drawn lines, cut away the corners between each set of two seams.

Sew the combined 2½” x 7½” rectangle/ HST units to the block center and press.

When the block’s various units started coming together, there was a bit of pressing to do. At home, I use my large Oliso Pro TG1600 Smart Iron and regular ironing board. But when I’m at a workshop, retreat or sew day – and even sometimes at home and working on a project that requires constant pressing – I’ve been known to use my Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron with a UNIQUE quilting Wool Pressing Mat. These two products are made for each other and, when you’re travelling and sharing workspace, they don’t take up much room at your workstation.

Flip the corners open and press.

Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron and the UNIQUE QUILTING 14” x 14” Wool Pressing Mat

Press the fabric units open to create the block’s center and HSTs.

Next, sew a 2½” x 5½” rectangle, right sides together, onto opposite sides of the block’s center 5½” x 5½” square and press.

Sew the 2½'' x 7½'' rectangle/HST units to the opposite sides of the center block.

Repeat the above steps to make 15 more blocks for a total of 16 candy blocks. Sew the 16 blocks into pairs.

Note: Ensure the rectangular pieces in this and the next two steps are sewn as shown!

Sewing & Needle Arts +1 306-682-0772 www.hausofstitches.ca 626 Main St, Humboldt, SK S0K 2A0, Canada

Sew a 2½'' x 5½'' rectangular pieces onto each side of the center block.

Sew the candy blocks in pairs.

Your Authorized Dealer for:

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Gütermann thread The Oliso M2Pro Mini Project Iron with the Wool Pressing Mat from UNIQUE quilting

for all your sewing projects

Before I start assembling the lollipop quilt block, I want to talk about thread choices.

I’m often asked which thread I like to use. The answer is quite simple. I use 50wt thread for piecing and sometimes a heavier thread weight for quilting. Gütermann makes good quality cotton and polyester threads in multiple weights in 100, 250 and 400-meter spools. My go-to thread choices are neutralcolored Gütermann 50wt cottons such as Butterfly and Light Slate.

If a retreat or workshop activity will include English Paper Piecing, consider getting the convenient Gütermann 26 pc 100% Cotton 100m Thread Set with storage box. You’ll find a color in that box for all fabric-matching needs.

Now that I’ve discussed which threads to use, I’ll create four 9½” x 8½” (unfinished) lollipop blocks.

To make these blocks, I’ll use the following three fabrics chosen from the Michael Miller Fabrics Whimsicals collection:

• Cute Critters – moon (DC9538) • Bits and Bobs – aulait (DC9533) • Double Quotes – straw (DC9534) From the Cute Critters fabric cut the following pieces:

Selection of fabrics from the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics

• 8 – 1½” x 7½” strips • 4 – 1½” x 9½” strips • 16 – 3” x 3” squares From each of the Bits and Bobs and Double Quotes fabrics, cut the following:

• 1 – 4½” x width of fabric strip When I began designing this block, I had a dilemma. How do I keep its construction simple? I found I was overthinking it, trying to keep it simple by avoiding weird angles while keeping a circular feel to the block. Then the answer became clear: use Half-Square Triangles (HSTs)! Adding a simple corner triangle helps to create the illusion of a circle.

Start by drawing a vertical line at 4½” intervals across the wrong side of one of the two 4½” x width of fabric strips.

Assorted Gütermann 50wt cotton threads

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Next, draw a diagonal line from the top of a vertical line to the bottom of the next vertical line. Pivot the ruler and draw another diagonal line to the top of the next vertical line, continuing across the entire strip.

Draw vertical and diagonal lines on the wrong side of one of the 4½” fabric strips.

Place both 4½” fabric strips right sides together and pin. Sew a seam ¼” away from both sides of all diagonal lines.

Cut apart on all the drawn vertical and diagonal lines.

Sew four HSTs right sides together to make a four-patch pinwheel block.

Repeat to create four pinwheel blocks.

Sew four HST units together to form a pinwheel block.

On the wrong side of each 3” x 3” square, draw a diagonal line from corner to corner. Place a 3” square, right sides together, on every corner of each pinwheel with the drawn lines positioned as shown in the photo:

On opposite sides of each four-patch, sew a 1½” x 7½” fabric strip. Sew a 1½” x 9½” fabric strip onto the top of each block.

Sew fabric strips to sides and top of each pinwheel block.

The sweet part of the lollipop is now complete!

Having spare sewing machine needles is a must in any sewing or quilting kit, and having multiple sizes available guarantees you’ll have a needle on hand for all your needs. Before ending this part, I want to suggest which sewing machine needles should be included in any well-stocked retreat bag. At a minimum, I always have one cassette containing five Klassé Sharps Needles – Size 80/12 and one of Klassé Sharps Needles – Assorted Sizes 60/8, 70/10, 80/12.

Cut apart at every vertical and diagonal drawn line.

Press open and square up each HST unit to measure 4” x 4”.

Place a 3'' x 3'' square on every corner of each pinwheel block.

Sew on each diagonal line, then cut ¼” away from each seam on the side closest to the block’s corner. Press corners open.

Klassé sharps sewing machine needles

Trim each HST unit to measure 4'' x 4'' square.

Cut ¼” away from each seam and press open.

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The right scissors for every sewing task!

Gütermann 50wt cotton threads

INFINITI embroidery, sewing and tailor scissors

In addition to packing your Gütermann threads, Klassé sewing machine needles, UNIQUE quilting Folding Cutting Mats, Komfort KUT rotary cutters and replacement blades, and Sew Easy Quilting Rulers so they’re ready to go on a sewing adventure, don’t forget to pack scissors! I seldom leave home without three or more pairs – I like to be ready for anything!

Although the INFINITI Embroidery Scissors – 4½” (11.5cm) were designed for embroidery, I always have them next to the sewing machine to cut threads. Two other pairs of scissors I must have with me when I’m on retreat are the INFINITI Sewing Scissors – 6” (15cm) for cutting fabrics while at the machine, and the INFINITI Tailor Scissors – 8¼” (21cm) for when I need to cut larger fabric pieces – especially when there’s fabric stabilizer fused to the fabric. Believe me, they’ve all come in handy.

Now I'll show you how to make the ‘stick’ for the lollipop block.

Sew a 4½” x 18” strip to both sides of a 1½” x 18” strip.

Sew the stick units to one side of each of the lollipop quilt blocks.

For this part of this quilt project, I’ll use two fabrics selected from the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics:

• Cute Critters – moon (DC9538) • Trio – toffee (DC9531) From the Cute Critters fabric cut the following:

• 4 – 4½” x 18” strips • 6 – 2½” x 9½” strips From the Trio fabric cut the following:

• 2 – 1½” x 18” strips Sew a Cute Critters 4½” x 18” strip to each side of the Trio 1½” x 18” strips.

Two of four lollipop quilt blocks for the quilt.

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Sew a lollipop unit onto each side of the two panel units created.

Once the three candy block rows are sewn, stitch them to the panel sections.

Sew one candy block row to the top of one panel and another candy block row to the bottom of the same panel section.

Sew the third candy block row to the top of the second panel section.

Sew a lollipop block to each side of the two panel units.

Now we’ll create horizontal rows using the candy blocks. Each row will be made up of six candy blocks.

At this point, the panels with the lollipop quilt blocks attached should measure 58” wide, unfinished. If the six candy blocks were simply sewn together at this point, they would measure just 54” wide. We’ll need to make up for the 4” missing from the candy blocks strip unit.

Fortunately, this is an easy fix. I’ll simply add two 2½” x 9½” filler pieces into each row of candy blocks. Now, I could add just one wide filler strip in the middle of the row, but I don’t think I’d like the way that would look. Back to Plan A – I’ll add one filler piece between candy blocks two and three and another between blocks four and five in each of the three rows of candy blocks. That will make up the missing four inches.

TIP! Before cutting and adding the filler strips, it is important to double-check the width of the panel section. If the panel section is wider or narrower, adjust the size of the filler strips to fit.

Join both panel sections together and the quilt top is almost complete!

At the beginning of this article, I wrote about the three pairs of scissors by INFINITY I like to always have on hand, especially when I’m away on a quilting retreat – the INFINITI Embroidery Scissors – 4½” (11.5cm) INFINITI Sewing Scissors – 6” (15cm) and the INFINITI Tailor Scissors – 81⁄4” (21cm).

There are two other types of scissors in my collection: I like to use the LDH One Piece Thread Snips when chain-piecing and there’s a lot of thread cutting to be done, and the LDH 9” Pinking Shears.

Sew candy quilt block rows to the top and the bottom of the panels.

Why pinking shears? Three reasons why I have pinking shears:

• to cut along the fabric’s raw edge

before washing to reduce fraying;

• for when I’m brave enough to try sewing clothing; and

• my mother told me I needed to have pinking shears.

LDH thread snips and LDH pinking shears

Add fabric filler strips to make a row of blocks wider.

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10 easy steps to the perfect quilt binding I showed off the scissors I like to take have in my arsenal of quilting tools. My favorites are:

• sew the strips with a simple ¼” seam, or • sew a 45° diagonal seam.

Press seams open.

• INFINITI Embroidery Scissors – 41⁄2” [11.5cm]

• • • •

INFINITI Sewing Scissors – 6” [15cm] INFINITI Tailor Scissors – 81⁄4” [21cm] LDH One Piece Thread Snips LDH 9” Pinking Shears

Press seams open.

Two fabrics from the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics.

I prefer the second option, given its appearance and, with the seams pressed open, I like how the bulk of the seam spreads out over 2½”.

LDH pinking shears and thread snips along with INFINITI tailor, embroidery and sewing scissors.

You can’t go wrong with this assortment of scissors at the ready!

You can’t go wrong with this assortment of scissors at the ready!

By the time I’d finished assembling the quilt top, I knew I wanted to add a small border around it.

To sew a 45° diagonal seam, draw a diagonal line on the wrong side of both ends of each strip. Only one end of the strip needs to have a diagonal line. I do this so that no matter which end of the strip I pick up, there’s a line ready for me!

Note: The fabric used in the photo below is to better show where to place the diagonal lines and will not be part of the quilt.

Repeat with remaining strips to create one long strip, and repeat to create two long strips. Set one long fabric strip aside for the binding.

I learned a long time ago not to cut fabric based on what the measurement of the quilt should be. Because our cutting and sewing styles all differ, as can our ¼” seams, I always physically measure my quilt. At this point, the quilt top should measure 58” x 89½”.

Measure the quilt’s left and right sides first, then cut strips to the required length and sew them to each side of the quilt. Next, measure the top and the bottom of the quilt. Cut strips to the correct length and sew them to the top and bottom.

I used two fabrics from the Whimsicals collection by Michael Miller Fabrics for the border and binding:

• Quotes – straw (DC9534) • Favorite Flowers – metal (DC9529) To construct the border and binding, I cut seven strips measuring 2½” x width of fabric from each of the two fabrics.

One fabric will be used for the border and the other will be used for the binding.

Draw a 45° diagonal line on the wrong side of the fabric at each end of the 2½” wide strips.

Place the short ends of two strips right sides together at a 90° angle to one another. Sew along the drawn diagonal line and cut away excess fabric, leaving a ¼” seam allowance.

Sew the strips of one fabric together, end to end, to create one long strip.

There are two options for sewing the strips together:

Sew along the drawn diagonal line and trim ¼” from the seam towards the outer edge.

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Border added to the quilt top.

Step 5

The quilt top is now complete. My friend Irene Lafleche quilted it and got it back to me before I finished writing this article!

While waiting for the quilt to come back, I want to mention probably one of the most important tools everyone must keep next to their sewing machine – in fact, I have several. The UNIQUE Seam Ripper is a great size and has a comfortable ergonomic grip.

Repeat these steps until the binding is sewn around the entire quilt. Stop sewing 10”-12” away from where the first seam begins.

Sew the binding to the quilt edge beginning the seam 5'' from the end of the fabric strip.

Step 3 Stop sewing ¼” from the edge of the quilt edge.

Stop sewing binding 10''-12'' from the start of the first seam.

Step 6 Pin down the first 5” section of the strip that was not sewn down. Find the diagonal line by opening the binding strip. Place a pin where the diagonal line meets the edge of the quilt fabric.

UNIQUE sewing seam ripper.

Now that the quilting is done, it’s time to attach the binding.

TIP! Read through all steps before starting.

Step 1 Fold the binding strip in half lengthwise, wrong sides together, and press along the full length.

Stop sewing ¼” away from the quilt’s edge.

Step 4 Fold the binding up so it’s in line with the next edge of the quilt, creating a 45° angle in the binding fabric, then fold it down to match the edge of the quilt.

Place a pin where the diagonal line meets the quilt’s edge.

Step 7 Pin the other end of the strip to the quilt and over the end of the strip with the 45° diagonal line. Trim the binding strip to ¼” to the left of the pin.

Fold the full length of the binding strip in half lengthwise with wrong sides together and press.

Fold the binding strip away from quilt.

Step 2 With the quilt facing up, line up the raw edge of your binding strip with the raw edge of the quilt. Begin sewing a ¼” straight stitch seam approximately 5” from the end of the strip.

Cut the fabric strip ¼” to the left of the pin that indicates where the diagonal line meets the quilt’s edge.

Fold the strip down and continue sewing along the quilt’s next edge.

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Step 8

With the binding in place, the quilt is complete!

Sew both binding ends together by sewing over the 45° diagonal line.

I’ve introduced many of the tools I always bring with me when I attend a retreat, workshop or a sew day with friends.

Secure folded binding in place with UNIQUE Quilting Clever Clips.

Attach both ends of the binding strip by sewing them, right sides together, along the diagonal line.

Step 9 Trim the seam allowance to ¼” and finger press the seam open. Align the edge of the binding with the edge of the quilt and sew it in place.

This feature was a fun, and we covered a lot of learning! I look forward to teaching more techniques!

The blue Vivace Quilting Accessories Tote.

Sew the last section of binding strip to the quilt.

Step 10 Once the binding is sewn in place, simply fold the binding over the edge of the quilt and sew it in place on the back side either by hand or machine.

To hold binding in place when sewing, I like to use small UNIQUE quilting Clever Clips. They make a huge difference in the sewing process. If a wider binding is used, consider using the large UNIQUE quiting Clever Clips. Both sizes are also great to use when making bags or doing English paper piecing.

Paul Léger

www.paullegerquilts.com

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I mentioned I have a bin packed with quilting supplies ready to go at all times. I also mentioned I needed to find something better than a bin. Well, I found something! The navy VIVACE Quilting Accessories Tote (it also comes in purple!) is the perfect size to carry all my Sew Easy rulers, UNIQUE cutting mats, INFINITI Scissors, and many other tools and notions. There’s even enough space to add fabrics for projects. It was worth the investment, and it sure beats a bin!

My Whimsicals collection quilt ready for a young one.

ESSENTIALS Banyan Batiks Essentials: Banyan BFFs & Shadows

Add a pop of color and texture to your batik projects with our wide selection of ongoing hand-made Banyan Batiks Essentials!

The popular Shadows line adds a soft watercolor effect while Banyan BFFs - our newest addition to the Essentials range, features a beautiful design in 48 fun multicolor options.

Visit www.BanyanBatiks.com and use the Product Finder tool to locate a shop that carries these must-have fabrics!

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My quilting life: framed hexies and bunnies

Pam Voth

Quilting is one of the most versatile hobbies! The choices of thread, fabric and designs are endless. I have tried many different projects in my short quilting life and one of my favorites is definitely hexies. I tried framed hexies and created a bunny table runner for Easter. This idea came from my mentor, Heather.

She’s had a rough winter with a fall that dislocated her shoulder. Did that keep her down? No way! She made an amazing quilting comeback with her own framed hexie table runner. Her resilience and spirit have inspired me to try many different projects, starting with zipper pouches and continually adding to both my skills and repertoire.

Framed Hexie Table Runner

Using the hexie rulers I borrowed from my quilting mentor, I cut many hexies out of a variety of spring fabrics. I started with no real plan and just matched fronts to backs randomly as I cut. I did some fussy cutting to ensure that the bunnies were prominent on the hexies.

Ready to cut the large and small hexies

Pink Gütermann topstitching thread is matched to the spring fabrics

This project marked my first experience using topstitching thread, Gütermann Dekor Rayon thread.

The Gütermann Dekor Rayon thread has what seems to be an endless color selection and I was thrilled to be able to match these perfectly with my hexie fabric!

Cutting the smaller hexie

Peach, orange and yellow Gütermann Dekor Rayon thread is matched to the spring fabrics!

Pink Gütermann topstitching thread is matched to the bunny fabric

Photos by Pam Voth

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I ironed and clipped the large hexie to the batting and the smaller hexie. The only trick is to match the wrong side of the large hexie against the batting. I used the large hexie to center the small hexie and the batting, then pinned in place and folded the edging twice and clipped. It was important to iron after each fold.

Once the hexies were ironed and clipped, I machine stitched using the Gütermann Dekor Rayon thread, sewing the border to the inside hexie with a 1⁄8” seam.

I completed a pile of hexies and then arranged them to make my table runner.

The Gütermann Dekor Rayon thread made a huge difference. It matched perfectly and brought out the colors in the hexies.

I handstitched the hexies together to make the table runner.

This table runner is amazing on both sides!

I couldn’t stop myself from using this beautiful thread to match more fabrics to create more hexies. You can use them for coasters, table runners, even a small quilt. It’s inspiring and beautiful when thread matches the fabric perfectly and brings out the colors in the fabrics. It ‘binds’ everything together.

Pam Voth

quiltsocial.com/author/qs_pam/

Close up of the back of the table runner

Hexies ready for sewing and ironing

Completed hexies ready to be hand stitched together to make the table runner

With one project complete, I’ve really fallen in love with framed hexies and I plan to make a couple more table runners to give away this spring.

Stay tuned for my new adventure. I’ll be working on my version of the Spectrum QAL 2020 right here on QUILTsocial, sharing my experience with each block.

I’m so excited to dig into my fabric selection, Riley Blake Designs Delightful.

I continue to practice gratitude every day. I have so many things to be thankful for, my quilting group and the opportunities and inspiration it has provided me with – and most importantly, the friendships are definitely at the top of my gratitude list.

Table runner from the other side

More hexies with Gütermann Dekor Rayon and Cotton threads for my next project

The completed table runner

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BUSINESS DIRECTORY

To list your business in this space please call 1.866.969.2678.

CANADA Brampton Sew & Serge 289 Rutherford Rd S, Unit 7, Brampton, ON L6W 3R9  905.874.1564  bramptonsewnserge.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.

Brandon Sewing Centre 821 Princess Ave, Brandon MB R7A 0P5, 204.727.2752 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!

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!

Carellan Sewing Centre 1685 Corydon Ave, Winnipeg MB R3N 0J8 204.488.2272, facebook.com/CarellanSewingCentre Country Concessions 35 King Street N, Cookstown, ON L0L 1L0 (new address) 705.458.4546, countryconcessions.com Gitta's 271 Lakeshore Rd E, Mississauga, ON L5G 1G8  905.274.7198  gittas.com  questions@gittas.com Nestled in the east village of Port Credit, Gitta's 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.

Hardanger House, designs by Betty Stokoe Oldham PO Box 1623, Penhold, AB T0M 1R0  403.742.2749  bettyoldham53@gmail.com  tnplisting.com/hardanger-house 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.

K & A Quilt Studio 90 Samnah Cres, Ingersoll ON N5C 3J7 (New Location!)  519.425.4141  kaquiltstudio.com Where friends and creativity meet! Authorized distributor of Husqvarna VIKING sewing machines, and a Kimberbell Certified Shop. We stock full collections of quilting fabrics, featuring Northcott and Moda, plus lots of patterns, books, and samples to inspire you!

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.

Ottawa Sewing Centre 1390 Clyde Ave, #107, Ottawa, ON K2G 3H9  613.695.1386  ottawasewing.com  ottawasewing@gmail.com Authorized Dealers for Brother, BabyLock, Elna, Q'nique & Grace quilting frames. Specialize in sales, parts & servicing for all makes & models of quilting/embroidery/sewing/ serger/overlock machines & cabinets by Sylvia Design.

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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 Stitch By Stitch 550 Days Rd Unit 1, Kingston ON K7M 3R7 613.389.2223, stitchbystitchkingston.com That Sewing Place 16610 Bayview Ave #10, Newmarket, ON L3X 1X3 905.715.7725, thatsewingplace.ca 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!

The Stitcher's Muse Needleart #101 - 890 Crace St, Nanaimo, BC V9R 2T3  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 & 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.

Upper Canada Quiltworks – Quiltworks Studio PO Box 64, Brockville, ON K6V 5T7  613.865.7299  uppercanadaquiltworks.com  uppercanadaquiltworksstudio@gmail.com Quilt patterns and books, fabric and notions, felted wool, wool kits, punchneedle patterns and supplies and Valdani embroidery floss. Workshops in quilting, punchneedle, wool applique, rug-hooking, sewing, sign painting & more!

UNITED STATES A Quilter's Folly 8213 Brodie Ln #100, Austin, TX 78745 512.899.3233, aquiltersfolly.com A-1 Singer Sewing Center 1012 S Oliver St, Wichita KS 67218 316.685.0226, a-1singer.com American Folk Art and Craft Supply 1415 Hanover St, West Hanover, MA 02339 781.871.7277, americanfolkartonline.com Charlotte Sewing Studio 1109 Tamiami Trl Unit 2, Port Charlotte FL 33953 941.235.3555, charlottesewingstudio.com Close to Home Sewing Center 277 Hebron Ave, Glastonbury CT 06033 860.633.0721, closetohomestores.com Cottage Quilts * Sew Creative Studio 1310 Center Dr Unit A, Medford OR 97501 541.500.8071, cottage-quilts.com Discount Fabric Warehouse 933 Kanoelehua Ave, Hilo HI 96720 808.935.1234, discountfabricwarehouse.com

El Cajon Sew & Vac 1077 Broadway, El Cajon CA 92021 619.442.2585, sewezr.com Hursh's Country Store 2425 W Main St, Ephrata PA 17522 717.721.2575, hurshscountrystore.com Jessamine Quilt Shop LLC 1301 Old Cherokee Rd, Lexington SC 29072-9047 803.490.1031, jessaminequiltshop.com JS Linen and Curtain Outlet 1250 Northside Dr, Statesville NC 28625 704.871.1939, jslinenoutlet.com/js-quilt-shop Just Sew Studio 51 Third St NE, Waite Park MN 56387 320.654.1580, justsewstudiomn.com Keeping You Sewing 226 4th Ave S, Clinton IA 52732 563.242.6135, keepingyousewing.com Lone Star Quiltworks 4301 S Texas Ave, Bryan TX 77802-4360 979.595.1072, lonestarquiltworks.com Maryland Vacuum and Sewing Center 26845 Point Lookout Rd (Rt 5), Leonardtown MD 20650 240.309.4019, mdvacsew.com New England Sewing 501 Hartford Rd, Manchester CT 06040 860.647.8119, nesewing.com Options Quilt Shop 102 E Commerce St, Jacksonville TX 75766 903.586.9546, optionsquiltshop.com Paramount Sewing & Vacuum 3960 Rickey St SE, Salem OR 97317 503.990.8186, paramount-sew-vac.com Pick Your Stitch 6701 Manlius Center Rd, East Syracuse NY 13057 315.437.0962, pickyourstitch.com Quality Vac and Sew 1213 Gilmore Ave Ste E2B, Winona MN 55987 507.452.2203, qualityvacandsew.com Quilter's Attic Sewing Center 118 Maple Ave, Pine Bush NY 12566 845.744.5888, quiltersattic.com Quilters' Corner @ Middlebury Sew-N-Vac 260 Court St Ste 4, Middlebury VT 05753 802.388.3559, middleburysewnvac.com Quintessential Quilts 940 East Main St, Reedsburg WI 53959 608.524.8435, qquilts.com Select Sewing 2415 East 65th St, Indianapolis IN 46220 317.255.6332, selectsewingservice.com Sew Special 688 W Main St, Uniontown PA 15401 724.438.1765, sew-special.biz Sew What? Fabric Shoppe 7 W Front St, Addison NY 14801 607.359.4308, sewwhatfabricshoppe.com Sewing Solutions 1505 S Glenburine Rd, Ste G, New Bern SC 28562 252.633.1799, sewingsolutionsnc.com Sierra Sewing, Quilting, and Vacuums 8056 S Virginia St Ste 6, Reno NV 89511 775.823.9700, sierrasewing.com Singer Factory Distributor 4914 W Irving Park Rd, Chicago IL 60641 773.545.6834, singerfactorydistributor.com Suddenly Sewing 5850 Kroger Dr Ste 110, Fort Worth TX 76244 817.741.5400, suddenlysewing.com Thimbelina's Quilt Shop 118 North B St Ste B, Livingston MT 59047-2662 406.222.5904, thimbelinasquiltshop.com Wise Monkey Quilting 501 Hwy 39 N, Denison IA 51442 712.393.7979, wisemonkeyquilting.com

Light Years Beyond

Presenting the Luminaire 2 Innov-ís XP2. Brilliant new quilting innovations and app-based features available from your mobile devices let you find perfection in every stitch.

13.1"

Enjoy StitchVision technnology and see your designs projected on fabric before you begin to embroider.

Experience the comfort of sewing on 65 square inches of workspace, the largest of any Brother machine.

The Luminaire 2 has the magic of 192 built-in Disney embroidery designs and 10 decorative Disney stitches.

Stop your stitch in the perfect place just by placing the Snowball End Point Sticker on your project.

Large 10.1” HD LCD touchscreen display with capacitive technnology.

Enjoy 2-colour quilting sash designs, built-in hexagon shapes for auto split sash, single or triple stitching, and more.

Visit an authorized Brother dealer today to find out more! brother.ca/en/XP2 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. ©2021 Brother International Corporation (Canada) Ltd. 1, rue Hôtel de Ville, Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Québec, H9B 3H6. 05/2021-2021-1222

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A NEEDLE PULLING THREAD QUILT SEW KNIT CROCHET CROSS STITCH EMBROIDER HOOK RUGS

A NEEDLE PULLI NG THREAD

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Visit www.ANPTmag.com to order

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Get quilting!

EMBROID

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