Decorative Stitching with the HV Onyx 30 Sewing Machine

The last couple of days spent exploring the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30 functions have been pretty exciting. The functions are great, and I’m ready to put them to the test today. I’ll use the decorative stitches to decorate my zippered pouch project.

If you wish to make the zippered pouch, I’m using instructions from my Zippered Pouch Tutorial; make it any size you want. I had a partially completed front and back in my stash and dug that out to finish.

Presser feet for decorative stitches

A couple of days ago, we discussed the presser feet included with the Onyx 30. There are the Utility Foot A and Presser Foot B, and from the top, they look identical, so why are both included?

Looking at the back of both, you’ll see a channel cut out of the bottom of Presser Foot B. That allows thicker decorative stitches to pass beneath the foot without jamming. So, when stitching decorative stitches, use Presser Foot B.

If you’re stitching multiple lines of stitches, you can also use the optional Husqvarna VIKING Multi-Line Decorative Foot. It’s much wider than the Presser Foot B and helps keep the lines straight, especially if they are far apart. Notice there’s a right and a left side, making it easy to sew regardless of the position you place your fabric. I love that there’s less need to mark, although you still have to mark your initial lines. The Multi-Line Decorative Foot also had a channel underneath.

Stabilizers

I didn’t mention using stabilizers earlier this week, but you need to use a stabilizer when stitching decorative stitches. Usually, the Husqvarna VIKING Tear-A-Way works fine, but it all depends on the item you’re stitching, so a different stabilizer category might be more appropriate. Stabilizers are categorized by how you remove them (or not) after stitching. There are tear-away stabilizers (Husqvarna VIKING Tear-A-Way), water soluble (Husqvarna VIKING Aqua Magic), heat removable (Husqvarna VIKING Clear n Melt), or a cutaway (Husqvarna VIKING Cut-A-Way) stabilizer that remains in the project.

Within each category are multiple types with different properties and weights, so check out those links for more information on which category is more appropriate for your project.

And now on with the decorative stitching

As I mentioned, I’m making a zippered pouch this week. I like to add some support to the front and the lining. I’m using fusible fleece for the front, so I don’t have to use a stabilizer, as the fleece will provide enough support for the stitches. I use heavy fusible interfacing to give extra support to the lining.

And this is where I LOVE my Singer Professional Steam Press. It provides an even, consistent heat (with or without steam) and easily and quickly adheres the fusible fleece to the front of the zippered pouch sections and the heavy interfacing to the lining. It would have taken much longer if I had used a regular iron. But a couple of seconds per piece, and I was done.

If you make a lot of bags, the Steam Press is a game-changer! I would NOT be without mine.

I even made a small sample with the fusible fleece on the back so I could use it to test the stitches before I started on my pouch. You’ll see why this is an essential step in a minute.

It’s time to experiment with the stitches to see which ones and what settings I want to use. Knowing all the functions and being able to recognize them on the screen was well worth the bit of time I’d spent over the previous days.

What was shocking was the difference between using a piece of muslin with only a tear-away stabilizer and the muslin with the fusible fleece on the back. The stitches on the bottom are with stabilizer only, while the ones on the top are with the fusible fleece.

The difference is how smoothly the machine fed the fabric through. There was much less resistance with just the stabilizer. Remember, the fusible fleece is fuzzy and thicker, so it makes sense that the result is different.

This example is a great visual reminder of why you must test your stitches on the fabric type and stabilizer/inner lining you use in your project. I was pretty happy with the results on the fleece, so I was good to start stitching.

It’s time to find a high-contrast thread so that the decorative stitches will show. I dug out my collection of GÜTERMANN 50-weight cotton thread. I LOVE this thread collection in the pretty metal container.

I ensured that I was starting with a full bobbin. There’s nothing worse than running out of bobbin thread halfway through a line of decorative stitches. And when threading the machine, I ensured I used the correct spool cap for my spool size.

Based on the samples I stitched, I did some calculations and then used my Clover Chaco-Liner to mark some lines. It’s essential to mark the main stitching lines. Then, you can use the Multi-Line Decorative Foot if the lines are far apart or the Presser Foot B if they are close together.

I’m all set. Let’s start stitching. That first line wasn’t stressful as I had done my homework and knew exactly what it would look like! This stitch is 51 from Menu 2.

I used the center red line on the Presser Foot  B foot as my guide against the chalk lines, and it worked brilliantly.

Once I finished two lines, I compared them to the ones without lines. Oh my, the decorative stitching makes it so different. I was committed and was ready to do the second side.

The next step was to use a third line of stitching in the center. Would that look OK? I had tested it on my sample. I tried it on the zippered pouch pieces. It looks amazing! I made the fabric pieces for the zippered pouch a while ago, and I found them in my stash and decided to add the decorative stitches. The open space of solid fabric was intentional, as I planned to add decorative stitching. I just never got around to it before!

I LOVE the three lines, but perhaps that was because that was my original intent, and it didn’t look complete. It seemed too random and open without the middle line.

I completed side one and then moved to side two, and now both pieces are done.

I had to stitch across two seams, and I found that with the extra thickness of the seam allowance and the fleece, the length of the stitch sequence changed slightly in those areas. I’m OK with that for this project, but you may want to consider the seams for a future project.

Yes, some of the lines don’t end at the same point. That was because of the fusible fleece and the seam allowances, and I didn’t always start exactly for each line.

Overall, my eyes register the three lines as one, and I love it!!!

I used all the functions for this exercise. I used the Start/Stop, which was much easier for those long stitching lines than the foot pedal. I used both of the Needle Up/Down functions. I mirrored the stitch for the second line in each section and used the stitch charts to find the decorative stitches I wanted to use. I also used the Tie-Off and the Automatic Stop Setting functions. I tried the Elongation function, but didn’t like the look with the fusible fleece.

The best part is that with the well-designed and easy-to-read screen and the time I spent earlier this week, it was a breeze to stitch those decorative stitches. I love the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30 and am excited to trim my pieces and start sewing the zippered pouch together tomorrow, so be sure to return for that. I’ll be inserting a zipper and adding the lining.

Have a super day!

Ciao!

This is part 4 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 3: Decorative stitch magic on the Husqvarna VIKING Onyx 30