8 Insider Tips for Mastering Guided Pictograms | HV DESIGNER EPIC 3

Don’t you love the Canvas/Workspace Customization for the Husqvarna VIKING DESIGNER EPIC 3? Not having to open and close menus is AMAZING!

Husqvarna VIKING DESIGNER EPIC 3

Today, I’ll check out a stitch category I haven’t spent much time with, called Guided Pictograms, which is in Menu I.2.

Check out this video to get an overview of how to access the menu and the information related to each programmed design.

Now that we know where to find them, here are some tips to help you stitch them out.

Use a stabilizer. Whether stitching on one or two layers of fabric, you must have something like Husqvarna VIKING Tear-a-Way stabilizer or fusible fleece to stabilize the stitches. I used fusible fleece sandwiched between two layers of fabric.
Slow down. When I stitched these designs too quickly, they tended to go wonky. Play with the speed slider to find your sweet spot.
All the functions, including Stitch Restart, work with these stitches, so don’t be afraid to use them.
Be sure to pull up your bobbin thread to the top. That should be a given for any work you do, but I’m reminding you that it’s essential, especially if you want the back of your work to look as nice as the front.
As mentioned in the video, turn the Projection on and ensure the Stitch Preview and Stitch Guide 1 are activated. Close the Projection menu.
Use the START/STOP function, not the foot pedal, as the number of stitches and the appropriate STOP commands exist in each design, so it’s easier to let the DESIGNER EPIC 3 do the work.
Use the Open Toe foot to stitch these designs. Design 14 (fish) and 15 (candy) automatically have a few extra turns programmed in, and you don’t want to break a needle. You’ll also see some zigzag stitches in designs 6 (four points), 7 (multiple points), and 9 (bowtie)
Use the decorative or zigzag stitch plate.

A pop-up message appears when you select one of these designs. You’ll get this message even if you have already turned the Projection on. You do NOT need to touch OK; the pop-up message will disappear when you start sewing.

A screen on a computerized sewing machine

Pop-up message when you select a Guided Pictogram

Today, I’ll stitch out all 25 designs, and tomorrow, I’ll show you a couple of small projects made with the Guided Pictograms. Let’s get started!

You’ll see a small red arrow on each design in the stitch menu. That shows you the starting point and the direction of stitching. I wish this could be a bit larger as sometimes it was hard to judge where to position my fabric to start. That’s why I’m stitching the designs out so I can judge the size and the position where I want to stitch them. I’m very visual, and I need that information in front of me. You can always take a picture with your smart device and expand it like I did here.

The red arrow indicates the start point and the direction of the stitching

Position your fabric where you want to start. You’ll see only the Stitch Preview line, which is red (you can select any color you wish). The Guided Pictograms use a straight stitch, so the Stitch Preview is a straight line. If I used a different stitch, I’d see it projected onto my fabric. Then, touch START/STOP, and the DESIGNER EPIC 3 will stitch until the programmed STOP command. Make sure you are using your Needle Stop Up/Down function.

The Stitch Preview

You’ll now see the Stitch Preview (red) and a dashed line, which is the Stitch Guide (white).

A red line and a white dashed line on yellow fabric

The Stitch Preview (red) and the Stitch Guide (dashed white)

Rotate the project so the Stitch Guide is on the line of stitching you just stitched. Then, touch START/STOP again and wait for the machine to stop. Continue this way until you return to the design’s beginning.

A red line and a blue line on a yellow fabric

Pivoting and placing the Stitch Guide on the previous line of stitching

Check out the video in this blog post under Projection to see this in action. Sometimes, I spin my fabric around several times before the Stitch Guide lines up with the stitching line! But once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy and uses the Projection well.

When you start to stitch, the Stitch Preview disappears, and you’ll have to rely on the Stitch Guide, so it’s essential to keep that line parallel to the previous line of stitching. Some people like to hold their fabric, some want to guide it, and some like to let the feed teeth do all the guiding. Be sure to test it out and see what works for you. It can also depend on the size of your fabric piece and whether there is any drag on it around the needle. I’m slightly off as I come to the end of the design.

Blue lines and one white line on yellow fabric

Keep the Stitch Guide parallel to the previous line of stitching

There are times you may have to fudge the final join. The slower I went, the easier it was, but the final join could be affected if my fabric shifted somewhat or I didn’t keep the lines parallel. But in the long run, finding the slightly wonky line is not easy. Use the Stitch Preview to help line things up. Every time you stop sewing, the Stitch Preview returns.

The slightly wonky line is barely noticeable

Here are the twenty-four (wait for number twenty-five) designs. There are a variety of stars.

Star-shaped Guided Pictograms

Two complex star outlines on yellow fabric

Two more star Guided Pictograms

Then you have some basic shapes.

Outlines of various shapes on yellow fabric

Basic Shapes of Guided Pictograms

There are also some funkier designs. All these have a name and size, which you can find in the Guided Pictogram menu. Note that FOUR of these designs have NON-straight stitching on them: the Cross (I.2.6), the Star (I.2.7), the Bow (I.2.11), and the Flower (I.2.12). Be sure to use the optional Open Toe Foot for these designs. Also, the Fish (I.2.14) and the Candy (I.2.15) have the jagged edge already programmed in, so you don’t have to pivot. But you must use the Open Toe presser foot to accommodate the stitch. Be sure to read the pop-up messages!

Funky Guided Pictograms

Last but not least, there are two trees and a snail.

Trees and a snail from the Guided Pictogram menu

The stitch used in these programs is a triple stitch, so you get a nice thick line of stitching. Here’s what it looks like on the back.

The “wrong” side of the Guided Pictogram

There’s a lot of variety with the Guided Pictograms, and you can combine multiple shapes. The size and the start point will help when combining individual designs into larger units. Note that you cannot modify the size or stitch length of these designs.

Now, let’s look at the 25^th design (I.2.25).

An information box provides the name and size of each design.

The information box for the Christmas Tree Guided Pictogram

Wait – the information box for the 25^th design is different. Yarn? What’s that all about? If you read the description, the information you need is right there. This design allows you to couch yarn using the Three-Hole Yarn Foot for IDF. I LOVE the Three-Hole Yarn foot and can’t wait to try it.

The information box for the Five-Pointed Star -Yarn in the Guided Pictogram menu

The only thing I changed was to thread yarn into the center hole of the Three-Hole Yarn Foot, but everything else functions the same. It’s essential to read those pop-up messages. I’ll lay the yarn on the Stitch Preview (red) and touch START/STOP.

In this photo, I have reached the first programmed STOP. I’ve lined up the Stitch Guide line on the previous stitching line (with the yarn couched in place).

Line up the Stitch Guide with the previous stitching

Then, position the yarn over the Stitch Preview (red) and hold it in place. Touch START/STOP to stitch the next line of stitching and continue until you get back to the start.

Ready to stitch the next line

And there’s the star with the couched yarn. I used a matching thread, but you can use whatever color you want!

The Five-Point Star – Yarn in the Guided Pictogram menu

Here’s what the back looks like. The zigzag secures the yarn in place. None of the other pictograms have this ability.

Blue zigzag lines in the shape of a star on yellow fabric

The back of the yarn couched Guided Pictogram

Technically, you could couch using any other designs, but instead of using yarn, which requires a zigzag stitch, you can use ribbon. Like the photos of the yarn-couched star, we are at the first pivot point, and the Stitch Guide sits on the first line of stitching, and the Stitch Preview (red) is directly in front of the needle.

Pivoting at the corner

Place the ribbon over the Stitch Preview and continue to stitch

Prepared to stitch the second line

And here’s the completed star with the couched ribbon. Cut the yarn or the ribbon at the end. If you are not making a double-sided item, where the back will show, you can take the ends and, using a yarn needle, pull them through to the back of the work and secure them. In this example, I simply cut the ends of the ribbon. Some ribbons will work better than others, and you need to experiment with the pivot points for folding the ribbon. This sample is my first attempt with this ribbon, and I’d like to neaten those points a bit.

A Guided Pictogram with ribbon

Wait! There’s more! Here’s another thing you can do with the Guided Pictograms. Why not add an applique fabric before you start to stitch? Place the applique fabric onto your background and stitch your Guided Pictogram.