Meet the Husqvarna VIKING Designer Topaz 65

Hi! I’m back, and this week, I’m test-driving the brand-new Husqvarna VIKING Designer Topaz 65, a versatile embroidery and sewing machine, and it’s fantastic!

The last time I posted was regarding the Husqvarna VIKING Topaz 55Q, which is essentially the same machine. However, the Designer Topaz 65 has embroidery capabilities, whereas the Topaz 55Q is a sewing-only machine.

To review the sewing mode functions, refer to my post about Unboxing the New Husqvarna VIKING Topaz 55Q.

One thing I can say about an embroidery machine is that when I bought my first embroidery machine over 25 years ago, I knew nothing about machine embroidery. I was a quilter, and to me, there was no reason I would want or need one. However, after seeing a demo at my local Husqvarna VIKING dealer, I became intrigued and thought it would be neat to have the ability to personalize items. So I bought that embroidery machine (of course, a Husqvarna VIKING) and I’ve never regretted that decision.

So even if you don’t think you are in the market for an embroidery machine, check out these posts, get a demo from your local dealer, and think outside the box. I now use my embroidery machine for all aspects of quilting, embellishing ready-made items, and so much more!

Now let’s turn on the Designer Topaz 65 and have a look. Did you notice how large that touchscreen is? You know what this means! I’ll have plenty of room to edit and combine embroidery designs right on the screen! I can’t wait to get started!

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention reading through the User’s Guide! I do NOT recommend sitting down and reading through it at one sitting. That thought bores me to tears! You need to take one page at a time. Sit in front of the Designer Topaz 65 and touch the buttons. Become familiar with the accessories and explore the available time-saving features and functions of this excellent sewing and embroidery machine. You’d be surprised at what you can learn.

Not only is there a physical copy of the User’s Guide, but there is also a copy built into the DesignerTopaz 65. You can access the digital copy in multiple ways, and you can easily search for topics, which is a lot easier to do than with the physical copy.

The built-in User’s Guide is available from multiple points, and there’s also the Quick Help function. This video will help you understand the various ways to access the User Guide information directly on the touchscreen. Even if digital information is “not your thing,” I think it’s important to understand the future of technology. Our sewing and embroidery machines are more sophisticated yet not complicated, utilizing the latest technology to make our sewing and embroidery experiences even more exciting.

If you do nothing else when you take your Designer Topaz 65 home, be sure to review the machine embroidery section in the User’s Guide and locate the diagram for the Embroidery Edit screen. All the icons and their functions are listed. If you don’t become familiar with this screen, you are not utilizing your embroidery machine to its maximum potential.

Let’s have a closer look at Embroidery Edit. The Embroidery Edit screen features numerous options, so I’ve grouped them into several videos for your convenience. This first video explains the icons displayed in the top two rows.

Next, let’s look at the various ways you can load an embroidery design into the Embroidery Edit screen. While many people are happy to purchase embroidery designs, put them on a USB stick, and load the design from there, there are many other possibilities.

Be sure to check out the Sample Book (available as a PDF in the JoyOS Advisor) for the built-in designs, as well as the online Design Catalogue on the Creativate website. Please note that a subscription to the Creativate digital toolkit is required for many of the designs, although some are available for free in the catalogue.

In the previous video, I mentioned the Machine Settings icon in the top right-hand corner of the screen. Open that up and check the settings. In this menu, you can personalize your machine by adding the clock, changing the screen color and contrast, and many other great features.

There are also numerous ways to edit a design on the Embroidery Edit screen, including scaling, rotating, duplicating, and moving. Here’s a quick overview of some of those editing capabilities.

The last part of the embroidery edit screen on the Designer Topaz 65 is at the bottom of the screen. Here we find the Hoop Options, as well as the Create Shape tool. This video provides a brief overview of how these tools work. Be sure to sit in front of your Designer Topaz 65, with the User’s Guide and push those buttons! I love to play with the Create Shape tool, as I never know what kind of design I’ll come up with!

There are two hoops that come with the Designer Topaz 65:

• Designer Splendid Square Hoop (120 by 120 mm)
• Designer Royal Hoop (360 by 200 mm)

There are numerous options for Embroidery Edit, so be sure to explore them and become familiar with the tools on this screen. Use the physical or the digital copy of the User’s Guide, and let’s not forget the tutorials – more on that later this week. Quick Help is a great way to find information on a topic quickly.

I’m so impressed, and I just love that large touchscreen. It makes editing any machine embroidery design so easy! Be sure to stop by your Husqvarna VIKING sewing machine dealer to get a preview of all that the Designer Topaz 65 can do. You’ll be impressed.

Tomorrow, I’ll review the features of the Embroidery Stitch Out screen, and for the rest of the week, I’ll focus on embroidery techniques you won’t want to miss.

Have a great day!!

Ciao!!!

This is part 1 of 5 in this series