Custom quilting designs with Creativate Embroidery Software & Epic 3

Now that the applique is done and the quilt top is sandwiched together, it’s time to quilt it. In keeping with marrying the various technologies, I’ll create some custom quilting designs using the Creativate Embroidery Software. 

I’ll be using several tools (Quilt Block Wizard and Spiro) to create my custom embroidery designs. I’ve used these Wizards many times, but I learned something during this exercise. It’s one of the reasons I always tell students that it’s one thing to watch someone teach the software, but it’s another to play with the software to see what it can do for you! You can’t “wreck” the software by selecting buttons – but you can learn an awful lot! 

Note: The Quilt Block Wizard, Spiro, and Modify tab mentioned in this post are in the Extra or Elite membership levels of the Creative Embroidery Software. The Endless and Split Project Wizards are in the Essentials membership level. 

I’m impressed with what I created, and I’ll share it with you today. 

I’ll create a unique design for the sashings, cornerstones, blocks, and the border. I won’t have time to complete it all this week, but you’ll get the idea of what you can accomplish with your quilts. 

It’s also an opportunity for me to use the metal embroidery hoops. There are four metal hoops, and I’ll use three of them for this project:  the Quilter’s Metal Embroidery Hoop 200 mm x 200 mm, the Large Metal Embroidery Hoop 240 mm x 150 mm, and the Small Metal Embroidery Hoop 100 mm x 100 mm. I would NOT be without these hoops. They are especially easy to use for quilting, as you don’t have to worry about the thickness of the three quilt layers in a traditional hoop. The Medium Metal Embroidery Hoop 180 mm by 130 mm didn’t work for my designs. 

I’m a lazy quilter, and if I can avoid a step, I do so. I baste my smaller quilt tops by ironing the three layers together on my large ironing surface, using steam to lightly secure the layers. If you feel that you need to baste, there are many methods of doing so. If you use pins, keep in mind that you may need to reposition them during the hooping process.

I always check the backing after each hooping process to ensure the backing is flat and wrinkle-free. Always work from the center out and periodically repress the three layers. Alternatively, I could have stitched in the ditch, but I decided not to. 

I started by designing a quilting motif for the Diamond Block. This video will give you an idea of the flexibility and creativity you get when creating your custom quilt blocks. 

While I designed the Diamond Block motif first, the one I started stitching was the sashing, which is 2” x 8”. 

Again, with the Quilt Block Wizard, I chose a rectangle and sized it slightly smaller than the sashing size. I selected an Omnimotion stitch and experimented with the orientation to minimize the number of stops and starts in the rows of stitches. Then, I adjusted the size using the proportional tool for one part and deselected it for another part of the design process. I wanted the design to start and end with a complete leaf. I learned a ton within a few minutes of experimentation.  

I also used the Modify tab to eliminate some excess stitches, including the line surrounding the motif, and the small stitches peeking out of the bottom of the design. 

Here’s my design, and I’m thrilled with it. I realized after I started stitching that I had forgotten to lengthen the stitch length a bit. 

I’m using the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3 for the embroidery, and it was easy to send the file via the Creativate Wi-Fi connection. I love this technology because I would be forever looking for my USB stick. 

When hooping your quilt, here are a couple of tips: 

1. Use a smooth, open surface for hooping. You’ll need to move the hoop around under your quilt, and it’s much easier on a smooth surface. I’m using a wooden banquet table.

2. Mark horizontal and vertical reference lines on the quilt to help center the appropriate section with the raised notches on the metal hoop. There are also centering notches on a traditional hoop. My preferred tool for marking is a Clover Chaco Liner. You do not have to be super precise with the hooping, as we’ll be using the Exact Position tool on the Designer Epic 3 to get the motif exactly where we want it to be. 

For this running stitch design, it’s easier to use the Exact Position tool rather than the Projection System. The Set Cursor Point (previously known as Four Corner Check), part of Exact Position, is a valuable tool; be sure to familiarize yourself with it – it’ll save you hours of headaches. I love it! Using these tools to position the design compensates for imprecise hooping. Why spend tons of time getting the design precisely in the hoop when you can use the Exact Position Tool to do the job in mere seconds? The first one or two placements might take a bit longer, but once you know what you’re doing, you can have that design placed correctly in seconds. It took two minutes to stitch each sashing. 

I’m notorious for using matching thread, so you can’t see the design from the front. 

I made the second flower block into a small quilt, and you can see the stitching much better on the back of that one. Other than the stitch length being a smidgen too short, the stitching looks amazing. I did not adjust the tension, but I turned the Deluxe Stitch System off, which I do anytime I’m quilting something where the embroidery stitches will show on the back. 

I used the Sprio Wizard to create a small motif for the cornerstones. I was going to add some background fill in the corners, but the cornerstones are only 2” square, and I need a bit of margin around the motif, so there was no room.  

I used the same motif to create a design for the borders, but I enlarged it to a size suitable for the width of the border. Then I ran it through the Endless Wizard and back into the Quilt Block Wizard. I need to experiment with the math a bit more and may end up creating the border design in a virtual hoop, then breaking it up using the Split Project Wizard. I won’t have time to finish the design process this week, but I have plenty of options to complete those borders. 

While this all may seem like a foreign language to you, it’s pretty simple. Understanding the various Wizards, the basics of the embroidery software, and a little creativity, anything is possible. I can’t wait to play with the software some more, and now that I’m experimenting with custom quilting? Well, my mind is spinning! 

The last thing I’ll do is stitch out that motif onto the Diamond Block, which is what I designed in the video. This one is a bit tricky because of the seams in the block. I paid a little more attention to the hooping process as there isn’t a lot of wiggle room. I also used the Exact Position on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3 to help with the placement. 

OH MY — while it’s not perfect, for a first try, it’s pretty darn impressive! 

There are a couple of things I need to work on, which include making the curved crosshatching in the center a smidgen larger. I could have tried to scale the motif slightly using the scale function in the Designer Epic 3. I could also have used the Scan Hoop feature to get it a touch more centered. I was so excited that I completely forgot both tools! 

OH OH OH!!!!! I’m so excited about my experimentation. The first time is always a challenge for many things. Now I’ll go back and tweak that motif slightly larger in the software, and then use the Exact Position and Scan Hoop tools to see how much closer I can get to filling that square. However, I’m genuinely happy with the results I achieved! 

I still need to design a quilting motif for the Road to Oklahoma Block, but that will have to wait for another day. I’ll see how quickly I can finish this and then post a blog update so you can see the final results. OH – and I also have the center block to quilt. 

Wow – I had such a fantastic week using the Creativate Digital toolbox and the Husqvarna Viking Designer Epic 3. I hope you learned how easy it is to think outside the box with these tools. So many ideas, so little time! 

Thanks for following along. I had so much fun! 

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Creating a machine embroidery applique using the Creativate Embroidery Software