A clever way to raw-edge applique using dimensional stitches

Welcome back. Yesterday we made buttonholes and sewed the buttons on my sewing machine. Did you try making a buttonhole? How about sewing on a button?

Today, I’m going to try out a new feature on the Husqvarna VIKING Sapphire 965Q. I’ll be exploring the Dimensional Stitches. Essentially, it’s a form of raw-edge applique. Now I know that raw-edge applique isn’t new, but this method is.

Let’s have a look and see what the buzz is all about.

One thing that I haven’t mentioned and I should because I’ve been using it to help me get around. If there’s something that you’re not sure about, or don’t know what its purpose is, simply touch the question mark on the top right-hand side next to the Interactive Color Touch Screen and then touch the item on the screen that’s in question and you get a definition of the item.

How is that for not having to get the manual out and then try to figure out what exactly you’re looking for!

There are eight different Dimensional Stitches to choose from. They’re listed in the H – Specialty Stitches menu.

In the following photo, I’m looking at the third screen of the H – Specialty Stitches menu. For the highlighted stitch, H35, I can see which foot to use, in this case, the S foot. I can also see the outline of the stitch sequence. Notice the black dot at the top of the stitching line. This indicates the start of the stitch sequence.

By selecting the Sewing Information tab, I now have access to all the specifics about this particular stitch. From this screen, I can also make changes to the stitch width and length. This is also where all the information about that stitch appears. In this case, I can see which fabric weight and style has been selected, the size of needle to use and the fact that my work needs to be stabilized in order to get a better-looking stitch. The preset tension is also shown on this page and allows me to override the settings if I have to.

I’ve snapped the S foot onto the presser foot ankle of the Sapphire 965Q. I also used a piece of stabilizer on the underside of my project. I actually used a fusible interfacing as it’s unlikely that you’ll want the stabilizer to be removed. There are lots of options depending on your project. With something new, it’s always a good idea to play. The iron on interfacing also happened to be handier than my stabilizers.

This is another instance where the START/STOP function on the Function panel comes in handy. It’s way easier to let the sewing machine start and stop rather than use the foot pedal.

When you hit the START/STOP function, the Sapphire 965Q starts the stitch sequence, then it stops at the appropriate place.

Take a small piece of fabric and place it directly behind the needle. Butt that little square as snug to the needle as you can.

Then hit START/STOP again.

The sewing machine is now stitching back over the small square of fabric securing it in place, essentially appliqueing the square in place using a stitch in the shape of a heart. Just wait to see what it looks like!

Continue adding the squares as per the stitch sequence. After you have the desired number of appliques, use the STOP function to ensure the Sapphire 965Q stops at the end of the stitch sequence where it automatically uses the FiX function to anchor the end of the stitching.

Next up is to trim away the excess fabric, and now I have this beautiful row of stitched raw-edge applique.

You could put fusible webbing on the wrong side of those little squares and once you have everything trimmed, use the iron to fuse the applique shapes in place. Try to use a fabric that doesn’t fray a lot. I grabbed what was handy and it looks pretty awesome.

That was easy, so let’s try another design. This one is a tulip, and I used red and green fabric with red thread. Perhaps a more neutral thread choice would be better. This is another example of why it’s important to play with the sewing machine. Make stitch-outs, try different thread colors, try different stabilizers or interfacing, and experiment with the stitch widths and lengths and how to correctly position the stitches on your work. You want to be 100% happy with your final results.

I tried several different pairs of scissors for the trimming but found that my little snips worked as well as any of the fancy scissors that I have. They have a nice sharp point that got into all the tight spots. And they were handy!

Here are my two samples. Now those are cute. If I would have had some sense, I would have used those pieces or variations of the stitches on my projects. But I did not. So using these stitches on a project will have to wait for another week.

The problem is not knowing the abilities of the sewing machine until you start messing around with it! If only we all had the time to play. Well now that you know what it can do, you don’t need to mess around – you can get right to stitching!

And here you can see the fusible interfacing that I used on the reverse side to stabilize the stitches.

As with almost all the stitches on the Sapphire 965Q, I can change the stitch width and the stitch length, or in this case, the length of the stitch sequence. There are maximums and minimums in order to keep the integrity of the stitch, but in all cases, I can find something that suits what I want to accomplish.

Isn’t that super exciting? I thought this was a clever way to get small appliques on a small project, like a cushion, a tote bag, or a small bag. I’m going to keep those in mind for my next project.

Dimensional stitches is just one more amazing feature on the Husqvarna VIKING Sapphire 965Q sewing machine that takes your applique projects to a whole new level.

Come back tomorrow because I’ve got another super exciting feature to show you.

Have a super day!

Ciao!