Summertime and the sewing is easy, let me show you how!
Time to have a little fun with the Husqvarna VIking H|Class 100 Q. I have been talking about how the machine is perfect for sewing at the cottage, or the backyard. Well the weather was perfect yesterday and how could I resist.
I’ll be back in a couple of weeks with a SEW ALONG. In preparation for that, I thought I would share this little how-to. It involves appliqué and you’ll be able to use the little block in a variety of ways.
I quickly drew this little posy flower. Now we are going to try to applique it.
Now it is time to stitch. I put the Open Toe Appliqué Foot on the machine. I used bobbin weight thread in the needle and in the bobbin. Selected the Stitch 02 – Zigzag and set the machine to stitch an elongated zigzag. Length was 3.0 and width was 1.0. Remember you’ll probably have to play with the settings on your own machine to get that elongated zigzag. It’s time to start stitching!!
I also used the Needle Stop up/down button which is an absolute must when appliquéing. Once I got the hang of the machine, it wasn’t too difficult to get it to stop exactly where I needed it to so I could pivot my work. If the needle was on the wrong side, a simple tap of the very responsive foot pedal moved the needle to the correct side for the pivot.
I was having so much fun and certainly did not want to have to go indoors, so I decided to make a few more posy blocks. This time I tried fusible appliqué.
I wanted to give you a couple of tips on sewing machine maintenance. Over the years I have heard every story in the book about how often the needle needs to be changed. Oh yes – some of them would make your hair curl!
I like to change the needle about every eight hours. But my eight hours of sewing might be accomplished in one day, while yours may be over several months. We MUST get our priorities straight! Anyway, a rule of thumb that I found helpful is to wind four bobbins. When the four bobbins are used up – it is time to do some house cleaning.
At that point, I change the needle, take out the bobbin case and clean as much as I can using the brush provided. If you have a small vacuum, that’s great. I would be careful with compressed air. While you are removing the dust from the bobbin area, the force of the air is driving that dust and lint INTO the machine and you want to get it out!
A dirty bobbin can mess up the tension on your machine big time. So it’s very important that you keep that bobbin case clean. I once had a woman in a machine quilting class ask where she could buy a replacement for the FELT PAD that was in her bobbin case. Ah – that’s lint and shouldn’t be there!
On that note – have fun with the posies. “What size should you use for the background?” Whatever size you want, but 8 or 9 inches is fine. Make a couple – try out the various stitches on your machine and some of those threads that you have been saving.
Features and quality of output on this portable machine are awesome. See you in a couple of weeks with the SEW ALONG.
Have an awesome day!
CIAO!
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