2 more tips for sewing success with the Designer Jade | 35

Welcome back! I’m pretty excited about everything I’ve seen on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Jade | 35. Today, I’ve got a few more features to show you including another small, but well designed element.

Let’s dive right in and have a look at the SET menu.

The most important option in the SET menu is the top tension.

Whenever I teach a class and we talk about tension, I hear so many people say “I have auto tension so I don’t have to touch the settings”.

ACK – it’s so important to learn about tension and not be afraid of those settings!

While tension tends to be a bigger issue with quilting, I’ve seen too many quilts where the tension for the piecing has been off. It’s a shame to spend all that time on a quilt that isn’t going to last because it wasn’t stitched properly. Check back to this post about tension – you owe it to yourself and your quilts to do some experimenting so you can really appreciate how to fix the tension on your sewing machine.

Now if you start off using a good quality sewing machine like the Jade | 35, the chances of having an issue with the tension are going to be greatly slim. However, there will be times when the thread/needle combination may require that you adjust the tension.

For instance, using a finer thread on top usually requires a looser top tension. Always do a test run on a sample and see what the tension looks like. And keep an eye on the tension as you’re piecing. Make sure those stitches are secure!

The default setting for the fix and the cut functions is set to on. However, if you do not want them – you would simply turn them off in the set menu. I tend not to use the cut feature – I’m so used to not using it (GASP!) that I turn it off manually when I start to sew, but it would make more sense to turn the function off in this menu. It’s just a question of habit!

I know that I’m a minority here – people just LOVE the cut function.

There’s also an option to set the width of the twin needle if you’re going to work with one.

The next set of options in the Set Menu include the Stitch Width Safety, an audible alarm (beep), the contrast in the graphic display and the language for the menus.

The Stitch Width Safety is a really good feature. Let’s say that you want to use that Quilter’s 1/4″ Piecing foot that I love so much. If you set the stitch width safety to on, then the needle will NOT move from the center position. Remember the Quilter’s 1/4″ piecing foot has a single hole for the needle. So if you were piecing and now want to do applique, you would have to change the settings for the Stitch Width Safety and at that time, you need to remove the Quilter’s 1/4″ Piecing foot.

You also won’t be able to use a twin needle when the Stitch Width Safety is on. In the example below, the Stitch Width Safety is not selected and there is a solid line outlining the box for the Twin Needle.

In the photo below, you can see that the Stitch Width Safety is ON and the box for the Twin Needle is dashed meaning that I can’t select the Twin Needle option.

The Stitch Width Safety is currently set to on. Now I’m trying to select another stitch that’s not straight stitch. In the example below, I’m trying to use a zigzag (2:05), but the sewing machine will only use a straight stitch. It won’t go into the other stitch when the Stitch Width Safety is on.

What a very useful feature and will prevent accidentally breaking a needle which isn’t good for the sewing machine or the operator.

There are nice clear diagrams right on the body of the Jade | 35 that show me how to thread the sewing machine.

In the photo below, I can see how the thread is supposed to come off the spool (from the front) so that it will feed nicely through the thread guides. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

The other thing about threading the Jade | 35 that I thought I would mention is when you’re using two spools of thread as for a twin needle.

You can see below that there are two different spools of thread on the sewing machine. I always worry about those threads getting tangled up.

Not so with the way the spools and the thread guides are positioned. They are quite separate from each other and there’s no danger that the threads can get tangled.

A very nice design.

What do you think? An entry level sewing and embroidery machine that has so many wonderful features. Features for safety, features to make sewing easier, features to help you explore new fabrics and techniques. And the stitches are so beautifully formed. Wow – I’m impressed!

I’ll be back tomorrow with some more stitch samples. Stay tuned for that. Have a great day! Ciao!