4 more texture blocks for a fidget quilt using odds and ends

What did you think of the Husqvarna Viking Texture Hoop? It’s fun to play with ribbons and embroidery, and the Texture Hoop makes it easy.

Today, I continue with various techniques and functions on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90. There are so many fabulous features, functions, and techniques that I’m only scratching the surface of everything available in this fantastic sewing and embroidery machine.

I love that I can sew on a project without removing the embroidery unit, making it easy to switch between embroidery and sewing mode. I wouldn’t sew a large project with the embroidery unit attached as the large project may cause damage to the embroidery arm. The fidget quilt is small, so I can quickly move between the sewing and embroidery modes.

Since the texture blocks ended up larger than planned, I had to regroup and see how to fit those blocks with the smaller ones.

It was easy. I decided that if I made each of the fidget quilts square, I could get two fidget quilts and only had to make four more blocks. Although I have tons of ideas for other activities to add to the blocks, this is excellent news.

The first activity block I want to make today is a lace-up block using the Oval Eyelet Stitch (A61) in the A Utility Stitch menu.

Now I could mark my fabric and stitch the eyelets out in sewing mode, or I could bring the stitch into embroidery mode, position the number and placement of each and then stitch them out, which is what I did.

I brought one stitch into embroidery edit and duplicated it, so I had four eyelets in the hoop. Then I selected all four stitches as a group and duplicated the group.

It’s so much faster and more accurate to do it this way! And yes, you can take almost any of the stitches in the Designer Ruby 90 into embroidery mode and stitch them out. You may want to program some sequences of stitches before you do that, but the options are there. Be sure to check it out. It’s a game-changer.

I always select the smallest hoop I can get away with, and in this case, I used the 80 by 80mm hoop, so my pre-cut squares at 5½” worked like a charm. Have you noticed how bilingual we are with our measurements in the sewing/quilting/embroidery world? We often talk about the embroidery hoops in metric (80 by 80), but we talk about our fabric in inches. Ah – the wonderful world of different measurement systems.

I’m using the Yarn Embellishment Foot for the next block. It’s easy to set up by inserting the foot into the presser foot ankle and adjusting the little red wheel to ensure the needle is directly behind the red line. A threader comes in the kit to make it easy to thread your yarn through the hole in the foot. Make sure the yarn flows freely through the opening, or you won’t be happy with the results.

There’s a great selection of Yarn Stitches (P28 – P44) in the P Specialty Stitch menu. If you’re not sure how to use any of the stitches in the stitch menus, select the stitch as shown below. Do you see the name of the stitch beneath the stitch menu? If the stitch requires an optional accessory, such as the Yarn Embellishment Foot, the information is included in the description of the stitch. How easy is that?

When working with any decorative stitch, it’s always a good idea, especially if you’ve been practicing to touch the Stitch Restart (top right) button, to ensure the sewing machine is back to the beginning of the stitch sequence. You can slow the sewing machine down by using the speed control function.

I used a chenille yarn, which is in style these days, and the texture you get is so soft. I have chenille yarn in every color! I love the stuff.

I used the Inspira Tear-A-Way stabilizer on the back as these are wide stitches and need some support during the stitch-out process. It’s tricky to rip the stabilizer off the back on these lines of running stitches, so I use my scissors and carefully cut away the excess. Since it’ll be inside the fidget quilt, it doesn’t matter if some stabilizer remains. The rest eventually wears off with washing.

Then, I wanted to add a ribbon loop with Velcro to close it. Because of the nature of this project, everything has to be firmly attached. I used sew-in Velcro rather than the fusible version. Be sure you don’t get them mixed up, as it’s not fun to stitch through the fusible Velcro. It’ll gum up your needle.

I decided to use the 4-way stitches in Menu S. These stitches are actually for mending and allow you to stitch in all four directions without turning your fabric. It’s great if you’re trying to put a Velcro closure on a bag or a pocket, which can be very hard to turn under the needle.

Alternatively, it works incredible for mending! OK – so I’ve never used them for mending!

The stitch length is small and can’t be changed, which provides an excellent stitch for mending or sewing down a patch. These stitches are programmed to stitch in four directions, one after the other. The stitch is programmed to start stitching from left to right, as shown above. When you’re ready to change direction, you touch the physical reverse button on the function panel. The stitch now goes from top to bottom. Hit reverse again, and you go from right to left and then finally bottom to top. It’s a great feature if the item you’re working on is tricky to rotate.

My ribbon is very slippery, so it was hard to grasp it, and the Velcro is thick, but the pieces are well secured. I put a loop on the top part of the ribbon to make it easy for someone to grasp and pull.

I probably should’ve used the T-menu (8-way straight stitch) for more flexibility. There’s so much to learn, and one has to try new things!

I need one more block. My plan was to put a pocket on the block, then embroider something free-standing and use a ribbon to attach it to the block, so the item fits in the pocket. Then I spied an empty plastic bobbin on the table and thought I could use that instead. So, I used one of the scrap pieces of fabric to make a pocket and threaded the bobbin through the ribbon loop. And the last block is done! Notice the reinforced corners at the top of the pocket.

Here are the blocks for the second fidget quilt. I still need to tidy up some of the blocks and thread the shoelace through the eyelets.

So, all the blocks for both fidget quilts are complete. Tomorrow, I’ll assemble the blocks, add some batting, quilt them, and finish the edges.

If I do this type of quilt again, I will not pre-cut my fabric squares, and I likely will make multiples of the same block. You have to set up the machine to sew one block, and I have loads of fabric and odds and ends, so why not sew several and make it worth your while? It’s simple to stitch several quilts at the same time. You can create a different activity block each day rather than try to make them all in one day.

Whether you make one or multiples of them, the fidget quilts are an excellent way to experiment with the fantastic techniques and accessories for the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90.

Be sure to come back tomorrow to see the finished fidget quilts.

Have a super day!!

Ciao!

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: Embroidery is spectacular with the Husqvarna Viking Texture Hoop (tutorial)

Go to part 5: 4 presser feet made to PIECE, QUILT, and BIND! Let’s finish a fidget quilt!