Unboxing the NEW Husqvarna VIKING DESIGNER EPIC 3

Is there anything more exciting than having a BRAND-new top-of-the-line sewing and embroidery machine arrive at your front door? These are the boxes for the Husqvarna VIKING DESIGNER EPIC 3 – a sewing and embroidery machine.

I’m so excited, but let’s unbox the machine and look at it; tomorrow, I’ll unbox the embroidery unit as there is a lot to see in each box.

The first thing we see is a soft cover. I LOVE the soft covers and much prefer them to a hard case. They are easier to store when not in use, and because of the size of this sewing and embroidery machine, a hard case would be massive.

The soft cover will be helpful to keep the machine free from lint and dust when I’m not using the DESIGNER EPIC 3. I love the soft cover.

Then we get some goodies in the top storage area. I’m very impressed with the packing foam. If you want to keep the storage boxes, it’s easy to repack this machine, which is a bonus when some of us pack and unpack frequently!

There’s a PRINTED copy of the User’s Guide. While the User’s Guide is available as a PDF (and it’s built-in the DESIGNER EPIC 3) that you can download, having the printed copy is very nice. There’s the foot pedal, the accessories pouch, and PART of the power cord. Wait for more details.

If you want to see all the accessories (presser feet, bobbins, etc.) in the pouch, you can check out Pages 17 and 18 in the online User’s Guide.

With all the new features of the DESIGNER EPIC 3, a new type of power source is necessary, and you’ll find the second part of the power supply unit supply under the User’s Guide.

You’ll also find a code that will give you three months of complimentary access to the mySewnet Platinum software. This access is HUGE, as it provides a reasonable time frame to explore the software to decide if you want (YES!) access to the mySewnet embroidery software. Life would be dull without access to the embroidery software, as I use it constantly. You also get access to the mySewnet Library for 90 days, and it currently has over 9,000 designs. What I love about the library and the software is the ability to grab designs and get creative.

After removing the top piece of packaging, there she is! The Husqvarna VIKING DESIGNER EPIC 3!

OH – this is so exciting!

The DESIGNER EPIC 3 is sitting on one of my sewing tables, and we’ll talk more about the required space when I open up the embroidery unit. While there were two unique colors you could order (Coastal Mist and Twilight Plum), this is the standard color of Starlight Bronze. At first glance, quite a few changes are visible on the front, the sides, and the back, but I LOVE the clean lines.

I LOVE that ruler along the front, and I use it all the time when I work with quilt block pieces that are similar in size. I’m NOT one to take the time to mark; this is an easy way to find the correct size and orientation of the necessary pieces. There’s also a ruler in millimeters on the front to help size buttonholes. It’s a simple tool but extremely practical.

Once the machine was on the table, I grabbed the two parts of the power cord, connected them, and turned it on! WAIT a minute – this is new. The connections (power, foot pedal, and power switch) are all near the front on the right-hand side. WOW!! Love that. And WAIT – the power switch is now a PUSH BUTTON, not a rocker switch. LOVE that!

And there it is — the DESIGNER EPIC 3 powering up! We will have so much fun this week as we explore this fantastic sewing and embroidery machine together. I don’t think a week will do justice to all the things I heard it can do.

There’s so much new already that it should be called something else besides EPIC, as it’s an entirely different sewing and embroidery machine, and we’ve barely done anything.

Here’s something else that’s new – a SET-UP process that takes me step by step through the initial set-up. WOW – you have to love this. There’s no need to search out what I should do – I just follow the commands on the screen! How simple and easy is this?

The first option is to choose my language. That’s easy enough, and it’s easy to switch to another language should I need to. I’ve used this feature if I need to learn sewing/embroidery terms in French!

Remember, the DESIGNER EPIC 3 is a Wi-Fi-enabled sewing and embroidery machine, so I must connect to the Wi-FI. That’s super easy – you just need your password. I’ve learned to keep a copy of that password in the drawer beside my sewing table.

When you need to type in things, like your password, a keyboard pops up automatically at the bottom of the screen. The X on the keyboard will close it.

By logging into your mySewnet account, you’ll get the maximum benefit of the mySewnet ecosystem. Once connected to the Wi-Fi and your account, you won’t need to log in whenever you turn on the sewing machine. Sometimes, I get booted out, but it’s easy enough to log back in.

Then, the set-up process allows you to enter your name, which is fun as when you turn on the DESIGNER EPIC 3, it greets you by name at the top of the screen. You can also give your DESIGNER EPIC 3 a nickname, for some reason, I’m not one to name my machines, but I know many people do! You also have the option to choose the background color, and there are six choices – three are light, and three are dark.

Having the options in one place during the initial set-up makes starting much more straightforward. Remember, you can change any of these options in your Settings menu.

You can test the camera and projector alignment. YES – there is a camera and a projector on the DESIGNER EPIC 3! You can also calibrate them from the Settings menu.

It’s super easy to align both items, and it took seconds to complete. The best part is that ALL of the instructions are on the screen. No need to ask your dealer or dig out the User’s Guide! NOW, I love the User’s Guide, and there is valuable information in there, but having appropriate messages pop up on the screen at the right time? Well, that’s HUGE!

Be sure to READ all and any of the pop-up messages on the screen. It can save you a lot of hassle!

As if all that isn’t enough, the last part of the set-up menu includes tips on using the capacitive touch screen with specific gestures, Quick Help, and other helpful information. It’s amazing!!!! Be sure to follow/read all the instructions, as it will answer many questions!!!

After you complete the set-up process, you’ll end up on the home screen.

Here’s the CLEAR interface with large buttons to choose between sewing or embroidery mode! WOW — this is amazing!!!

Here are a couple of other great things – look at the light on the right-hand side of the machine. WOW – that’s super bright and useful when I’m winding bobbins.

Notice there are two USB ports on the side of the machine. And did you see the Husqvarna crown on the hand wheel? LOVE!

There’s also a light that illuminates the name on the back of the DESIGNER EPIC 3. WOW – with all that light, everyone will notice my fantastic sewing machine!

The Function Panel is located above the needle, making all functions quickly accessible. Some of the icons have changed to make it easier to identify the functions. That took me a few minutes to wrap my head around those new functions. But the more I use it, the more I love it!

One other change you’re going to find is the speed control. It’s now a physical slider on the front of the sewing machine. Hmm – I was OK with the function buttons, but there’s no room; I can live with this. The change is good because the function buttons got moved because the projection and camera are sitting behind that blank panel, and I’m super excited about those two functions.

I think that’s enough excitement for one day! There is so much NEW on this machine that it’s hard to stop, but let’s take a break and think about all the new things – an easy-to-use set-up menu, Wi-Fi connectivity, camera and projection, new buttons to move between sewing and embroidery modes, and a whole lot more.

Tomorrow, I’ll box the embroidery unit for the Husqvarna Viking DESIGNER EPIC 3, which will blow you away!

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

This is part 1 of 5 in this series

Go to part 2: Unveiling the NEW embroidery unit for the Husqvarna VIKING DESIGNER EPIC 3