Decorative stitch magic on the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30

So far, I’m very impressed by the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30 sewing machine after setting it up yesterday,  and I’ve barely stitched on it! Today, it’s all about getting familiar with the functions to assist in stitching decorative stitches, and there are some great ones!

Before I forget, I wanted to share another exciting detail about the User’s Guide. You know how fond I am of it. If you’re not into paper or tend to misplace things like that, guess what? The User’s Guide is on the mySewnet app! Yes – open the app, sign into your account, and view the My Machines section. Select the Onyx 30, and you’ll find the User’s Guide!

WAIT – you’ll find more than the User’s Guide. There are videos for getting started, which is fantastic. There’s a learning center with more information and some Tips & Tricks to make your sewing experience much easier! There’s much more to explore – be sure to check that out. I may have to give up the paper copy of the User’s Guide!

The functions I’m discussing today are on the Stitch Control Panel, either in the second row from the top (Sequencing) or the column along the right-hand side.

Needle Up/Down

You’ll find two buttons for Needle Up/Down, and each one does things slightly differently. The one in the Machine Operation Control section raises and lowers the needle when you want. Remember, you can also use the tap feature on the foot pedal instead of the Needle Up/Down on the Machine Operations Panel.

The second one controls whether the needle will stop in the Up or the Down position when you’re sewing.

I’ve created a short video to see these two buttons in action.

Isn’t that exciting? It’s so easy, and I love the flexibility!

Here’s a practical use of the Needle Up/Down function. I use it to bring up the bobbin thread to prevent thread nests. I showed yesterday that they can occur at the beginning of a stitch line, and there are ways to eliminate that, but what if you are quilting? Or starting your line of stitching in the middle of something? We don’t want ugly thread nests on the back. Check the video to find a quick way to bring your bobbin thread to the top of your work!

Side to Side Mirroring

Here’s another exciting feature, and it’s super easy to use. It’s called Side-to-Side Mirroring, which essentially mirrors the stitch. It’s fun to play with this function, especially with decorative stitches. Check out the Sequencing section today for more tips! Select the Mirror Side to Side function; you’ll see the stitch mirrored on the screen, and the mirroring icon will appear on the screen.

Stitch Elongation

This next feature is very cool and works with all the satin stitches in Menu 2. When selecting a satin stitch, the stitch elongation function is automatically activated, and you’ll see its icon in the top right corner of the screen. The default for the Stitch Elongation function is one, meaning it’ll stitch out one complete stitch at the current settings.

By pressing the Stitch Elongation button again, you can change the overall length of the stitch from 1 to 5. What does that mean? It changes the length of the stitch and maintains its density. WOW – I ran out of fabric when I tried it at 5! I want to play with Stitch Elongation and become familiar with all the satin stitches!

Using mirroring side to side can give you some fun designs.

Automatic Stop Setting

I love the Automatic Stop Setting, a cool feature for decorative stitches. In almost all cases, you want to stitch a complete sequence, but knowing when to stop is challenging. Using the Automatic Stop Setting takes all the guesswork out of that!

You must select the Automatic Stop Setting function, start stitching, and press the Tie-Off function when stitching the final stitch. That will finish the stitch sequence and tie off the end of the stitches. Once you select the Tie-Off, the Automatic Stop Setting starts to flash on the screen so you know it’s activated. Brilliant!

When this function is activated, an icon appears on the screen!

Sequencing

The last function for today is Sequencing, which essentially means putting different stitches together to create a row of various decorative stitches.

Select the button that looks like a disk on the left. The area on the screen where the stitches appear is blank, as I have not selected any stitches yet. The icons at the bottom right indicate that I’m in Sequencing and have NO stitches selected (00/00).

I can select the stitches I want in my sequence using the Menu button and the number keypad. The first one I chose is from M2 (054). Notice that all the default stitch information appears on the screen, including the default width and length and the recommended presser foot.

The numbers in the sequencing area changed to (01/01) as this is the first stitch of a sequence of one. If I want to modify this stitch in any way, now is the time to do so. However, I can use the arrow keys to the left to move through the stitches in the sequence. That’s why sequence numbering is so essential.

I added a few more stitches to the sequence, and you can see that I’m on stitch four of four stitches. I decided to mirror this one, and the Mirror Side to Side icon is at the top of the screen. If I don’t want a particular stitch in the sequence, it’s easy to remove by touching the Delete (Garbage Pail).

I used the arrows to move to the second stitch in four stitches, and you can see the Mirror Side to Side icon at the top of the screen. This large screen makes it so easy to identify what functions are activated, and it’s easy to read the numbers.

Here’s what the sequence looks like when stitched out. Just because we can mirror the stitches doesn’t mean we should. The connection between those two I mirrored is a bit awkward. Always check the start and end points of adjacent stitches.

The Repeat button (circular arrows) will repeat the sequence until you stop. I had a bit of fun experimenting with the settings. As you stitch, the screen changes to show the current stitch. Imagine my surprise this morning when I turned on the Onyx 30 to create a new sequence to play with, and the one from yesterday was still there!

Here’s a sample where it started to stitch the second sequence of stitches. The Automatic Stop Setting will work with Sequencing. Remember to check the screen and ensure you have all the settings selected for the job!

The capabilities of the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30 are impressive! I love all the flexibility we have for decorative stitches. I LOVE that I can sew long lines of decorative stitches using the START/STOP and don’t need to use the foot pedal. I LOVE the new way to access the User’s Guide. And there’s so much to love! More importantly, I like the feel of sewing on it. While it’s a small sewing machine, it feels substantial, and pressing the buttons has a nice touch! All that is important if you’re going to be sewing lots!

Be sure to come back tomorrow because I will start a project, and we have a few more things to discuss about decorative stitches before we start.

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 3 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 2: Mastering the setup on the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30 Sewing Machine

Go to part 4: Decorative Stitching with the HV Onyx 30 Sewing Machine