How to set up your PFAFF creative icon 2

Yesterday we looked at some of the physical features of the PFAFF creative icon 2 as well as how to use the Quick Start Guide to set up our machine.

Today I want to take a closer look at the built-in aids in the Help Center. This is also a good time to mention that, because of all the built-in aids, this is the perfect machine for anyone who’s just starting out and learning how to sew and quilt. It’s truly like having a teacher built into your machine which makes the creative icon 2 the perfect machine for all levels of sewists!

PFAFF creative icon 2 Help Center

Let’s see what the rest of the Help Center offers.

Techniques and Tutorials

My favorite part of the Help Center is Techniques and Tutorials located at the top of the Help Center. Now, I’m sure you’re thinking like I did, but I already know how to sew and quilt, why do I need to use tutorials? Well, even though I’ve been sewing for a very long time, I find I use the tutorials a lot because they include the stitches used in the technique. Not only are the stitches included in the tutorial on the content tab, they’re set at the best stitch width and stitch length for the technique I’m using. If you’re new to sewing and quilting, the Techniques and Tutorials are your best friend and it’s truly like having a teacher built into your machine.

In Techniques and Tutorials, there are tutorials on Garment and General Sewing, Quilting and Embroidery. On the Quilting tab you’ll find tutorials on Quilting, Free-Motion Quilting, Piecing, Binding and Applique.

Let’s check out Applique where you find instructions and videos for doing satin stitch applique. There are two tabs – one for the instructions and the other is content which is where you find the stitch or stitches for the technique you’re doing. In this case, it’s the recommended satin stitch for appliques. Click on the stitch to load it, and it’s automatically set to the best width and length settings. The best part is you can still adjust the stitch to your personal preference. Pretty cool! Don’t forget to check out the rest of the tutorials – it’s amazing how much information is built into the creative icon 2.

User’s Guide

Yesterday I mentioned the PFAFF creative icon 2 comes with a printed User’s Guide, but there’s also one built into the machine and everything you find in the printed version is also in the built-in version. Remember, when your machine is updated, the creative icon 2 User’s Guide is also updated both in your machine and online.

It’s easy to search for a topic. I typed in Quilting and everything related to quilting came up.

You can choose by category, from Preparations to Embroidery and everything in between!

You can also use the alphabetical A-Z selection for finding what you need in the User’s Guide.

Sewing projects

Your PFAFF creative icon 2 comes with projects built-in, from cushions to bags, and as more become available they’ll be added to the list. I love the sewing projects because they have the instructions for making the project, and the stitches used in the project, in the content tab.

Stabilizer Guide

Not sure which stabilizer to use for your project? Let the Stabilizer Guide assist you.

Needle Guide

Click on a Needle Type and a screen opens up with a description of the selected needle. Great when you’re not sure which needle to use for your project.

Accessory Catalogue

Click on the QR code with your phone or tablet, and you’re automatically directed to the full Accessory Catalogue. You can also check out the special Quilting, Embroidery and Machine accessories in the Accessory Catalogue.

Large customizable screen

Yesterday I talked about the really large touch screen that’s 10.1” and how it responds to touch just like my tablet. Let’s take a closer look at the screen and how we can customize it to our own personal preferences.

On the Start screen, there’s an icon that looks like a person. Click on this icon and a screen pops up where you can enter your name or a name you wish to give your machine. After you type in the name you wish to use, click on Change name. The name you typed in now appears on your Start screen.

When we select Sewing on the Start screen, the Sewing screen opens with a straight stitch selected and we’re ready to start sewing. Whatever stitch we selected shows up on the screen in the actual size the stitch length and width are set for. In the upper left corner of the screen, we have our information window. It lets us know which foot is recommended for our stitch, whether the IDT System should be engaged or not, and whether we need stabilizer for our stitch. The selected stitch number shows up in the information.

We know which presser foot is recommended, but wouldn’t it be great to know which presser foot is attached or if it’s even attached correctly? Our PFAFF creative icon 2 is so smart. It has built-in AI (Artificial Intelligence). It’s amazing and it’s only found on the creative icon 2! My creative icon 2 recognizes the foot I have on my machine and if it’s different from what is recommended for my stitch, it tells me! If my foot isn’t compatible with my stitch, it tells me! If I’ve put my presser foot on the wrong way, it tells me! How cool is that! The active Features also show me if I have my needle up/down active or what I chose for my tie-off options. Just a quick glance at the information window shows me what features I’m using for my stitch.

One feature I really like is that the screen isn’t cluttered with a bunch of different menus open all the time. I can simply select the function I want to use, such as Edit Stitch, and have just what I want on my screen. If I’m not using a function, it doesn’t need to be open until I need it. All available options are found at the bottom of the screen. If I select the Edit Stitch icon, it remains highlighted while the edit screen is open.

If there are settings I know I’ll use over and over again, instead of leaving the Edit Stitch window open, I can ‘detach’ the settings I want, and move them to my screen, such as stitch length and width. I tend to use these a lot so I leave them open on my screen. I can also move any of the detached settings anywhere on the screen to where I want them. If I make adjustments to my stitch, the change is highlighted so I know I’m no longer on the default setting. Makes my life so much easier just working with the settings I need for that particular stitch. I really like that I can set up my screen my way.

Changing screen color

If I’m not excited about the default color of the screen, I can easily change it in the Machine Settings. I have eight different color combinations to choose from. I can also change from millimeter (mm) to inches if so desired.

And here’s what my screen looks like now after selecting a different color theme.

Wi-Fi and mySewnet

The last thing I want to share with you today is the Wi-Fi capabilities of the PFAFF creative icon 2. The Wi-Fi connects to mySewnet which is a Cloud-based service that allows me to sync my computer to my creative icon 2. I love being able to transfer an embroidery design and update my machine via Wi-Fi. If there’s an update available for my creative icon 2, it shows up at the top of the screen. My favorite part is I don’t need to worry about where my USB drive is or if it will work on my creative icon 2. I don’t even need to be near my machine to transfer the design because I can transfer a design to the mySewnet cloud anywhere Wi-Fi is available. As soon as I turn on my PFAFF creative icon 2 it automatically syncs to the mySewnet cloud and my design is there ready to embroider. This also works for the built-in stitches which we’ll look at later this week. I can also access the mySewnet library of hundreds of embroidery designs directly from my creative icon 2. And, finally, the mySewnet Blog on the Start screen provides me with new projects, information and inspiration right on my creative icon 2. The Wi-Fi capabilities of this machine are truly amazing!! The built-in User’s Guide has all the information needed to set-up the Wi-Fi and mySewnet.

Wow, that was a lot of information today and I sure hope you aren’t in overload mode!!! There’s just so much to explore and I’ve only touched on a small portion of all the information that’s built into this amazing machine.

Join me tomorrow when I take you on a tour of the new projector capabilities on the PFAFF creative icon 2.

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Unboxing the PFAFF creative icon 2

Go to part 3: Using the projector on the PFAFF creative icon 2: Perfect for quilting