In-the-Hoop projects on mySewnet | Customize embroidery patterns

I’m having so much fun this week. I love creating anything I want and learning all about the great features of the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2. Anyone who has access to these fantastic tools and features should learn to use them!

I’m doing more embroidery, but this time, I’ve decided to look at the In-the-Hoop projects that are part of the mySewnet embroidery software. Not only do you have fabulous tools within the software to create anything you want, but you also have access to many projects and designs you can customize.

Here’s a quick overview of the Project-in-the-Hoop feature on the mySewnet software.

Isn’t that amazing? You’ll never need to purchase an embroidered journal cover or pouch pattern again. Use the ones here and customize them to your heart’s content!

Now that the design is on the screen, we must get it to the Designer EPIC 2. Remember, the Designer EPIC 2 has Wi-Fi capabilities, which I’ll use to transfer the embroidery file.

Check out this video to see how easy it is.

Impressive isn’t it? I don’t know how many times I’ve transferred a file, but it still blows my mind to see it happen!

I love seeing how things work behind the scenes, so here’s a shot of my setup as I took pictures and videos for this blog post. You don’t see the tripods and reflective screens, and sometimes there’s barely any room for me! Thank goodness for voice-controlled cameras! But having the computer beside the Designer EPIC 2 means the PDF instructions for the zippered pouch are close at hand.

My setup for filming the videos

Now that we have the file, it’s time to start stitching. I’m using a piece of Inspira Tear-A-Way Stabilizer in the hoop.

I hit Start, and the first thing was the placement line for the outer fabrics and the zipper.

Stitching the zipper in place

I need to be extremely careful when stitching around a zipper. I don’t want the embroidery foot landing on the zipper pull and causing damage to either the foot, the project, or the embroidery machine itself.

So when stitching around a delicate area, remember that you can use your foot pedal instead of the Start button. This way, you are 100% in control of the speed, stopping, and starting. I didn’t know this when I started embroidering, but I now use this feature for delicate work.

Did you know that if you use the Start button for embroidery, you can use the foot pedal to stop the embroidery? Tap the foot pedal, and the Designer EPIC 2 stops. This is good to know if you ever need to stop in a hurry and can’t find the Stop button. Some people don’t attach the foot pedal when embroidering, but I always connect it. It comes in very handy for tight places.

I’m using the Multi-Function Foot Control, which has 3 programmable spots to program a function, such as stitch restart, cut, and fix. I love it for the programmability, but also because it stays put!

Husqvarna Viking Multi-Function Foot Control

Some embroidery files have a series of STOP commands within the color blocks that allow you to place your fabric, cut threads, trim the fabric, or do whatever is necessary during the stitch-out. The stop commands are not visible on the embroidery stitch-out screen, but a pop-up message will appear at the appropriate spot, and using the PDF instructions, you can do what is necessary before moving on.

A stop command on the embroidery stitch-out screen

I moved the zipper pull back and forth whenever the presser foot came close to the pull. Using a pair of hemostats worked like a charm to move it.

Stitching close to the zipper pull

So this project did not go well, and I admit that the ‘failure’ was due to operator error. I’m not worried about it or embarrassed to share it with you. Making mistakes is how I learn, so even though I was initially disappointed, I’m glad it happened.

First, the black fabric as my background wasn’t a good choice. The stitching, representing the camera’s top part, was in black, and it’s not that visible on my black fabric. Shoot – I should’ve picked a lighter background. Yes – I could’ve chosen a lighter thread color.

The camera detail (in black) is not readily visible on the black fabric.

But I forged on thinking I could redo those stitches with a silver thread so they’d show. I used metallic thread for some accents, and it worked like a charm on the Designer EPIC 2. The only thing I did was to slow the speed down, as metallic thread and high speed don’t make a good match.

Using metallic thread

I was adding my applique pieces, changing threads, and was over the hump of inserting the zipper, and things looked good.

The camera design

Then I noticed something funny near the camera lens. To my horror, I realized there was a cut through the entire project! No!

So I took the hoop off the embroidery unit to investigate, and to my dismay, I realized that the density of the satin stitching didn’t work with this fabric.

A cut from dense stitching

OK – let’s step back because this is an important lesson. The project file is fine, the Designer EPIC 2 performed beautifully, and my thread and stabilizer choices were OK. What went wrong? My base fabric choice was all wrong! I used loosely woven black denim. Contrary to popular belief that denim is a strong fiber, it’s not. I questioned myself when I chose it but used it against my better judgment anyway.

It wasn’t suitable fabric for two reasons: the color was too dark, and the fabric wasn’t strong enough for the density of the design.

I’ve seen these zippered pouches stitched on vinyl, so that’s on my list of things to make. With every ‘fail’, my list of projects to embroider is getting longer! But seriously, if we don’t try something, we never learn – I’ve never regretted a single mistake that’s happened!

Let’s move on and look at some of the In-the-Hoop projects from the mySewnet embroidery software that I successfully stitched out.

Aren’t these geckos adorable? I used various materials such as vinyl and Lycra for the tops, with cotton for accents. This one works best with a stretchy fabric as the bottom to allow you to stuff it. I’ve made so many I’ve lost count!

Geckos are on the move!

I made journal covers customized to a specific size and personalized on the outside. They were stitched on vinyl, with cotton on the inside.

Journal covers in vinyl

Use decorative stitches to customize the inside pockets. In this case, decorative stitches such as dimensional applique and laser pictogram stitches dress up the inside edges.

The inside pockets of the journal covers

I added my initial to this phone case, stitched on heavy felt.

A phone case made with red felt

The inside of the phone case

Check out the In-the-Hoop projects in the mySewnet embroidery software. There are so many possibilities, and remember that you can customize many of them. And the larger hoop size (360 x 260mm) of the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 means you can make pretty large projects, which I love!

Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 2 with embroidery unit

I’m returning to the software tomorrow to create another project using fonts, which I’ll stitch out on the Designer EPIC 2.

Have a super day!

Ciao!

This is part 3 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 2: Exploring the laser feature and embroidery unit on the Designer EPIC 2

Go to part 4: Creating a one-word wall quilt | Embroidery AND Applique

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