Using the Spiro Wizard in mySewnet Embroidery Software

It’s the end of the week, and I still have so much to share! Today I’ll be wrapping up a couple projects I worked on this week – including the table mat I started yesterday – using the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90. The projects I didn’t get to will have to wait for next time.

Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90

Earlier this week, I used an endless embroidery design to embellish the top of a tote bag and one of the Omnimotion Stitches (K menu) to decorate the handles. That covers the fancy stuff, but let’s get to the job of sewing the tote bag together. One of the challenges with sewing a tote bag and making it look professional is dealing with many layers of fabric, linings, and interfacings. This tote bag was no exception. Let’s see what happened.

The tote bag is relatively large, and with all the Décor-Bond on the inside, it can be quite burdensome to sew together. However, the ample throat space (+ 12″) on the Designer Ruby 90 allowed for plenty of room to maneuver the tote bag as I assembled the pieces.

I turned the bag inside out, and the last step was to topstitch around the top. I removed the (optional) extension table to access the free arm, making the top stitching process much more manageable. You’ll have to maneuver around those handles, but there’s loads of space to make that happen.

Here’s a tip – clean the area before you put your bag under the free arm. There’s a good chance you might find a bit of dust and lint!

Using the free arm to topstitch the top of the tote bag

I used the B Foot to do the final round of topstitching at the top. I didn’t get scientific with the measurements; I just ran the foot down the center of the space between the endless design and the edge of the tote bag.

Using the B Foot to topstitch the top of the tote bag

When I sewed the top seam to secure the bag to the lining, I took a slightly larger than ¼” seam allowance, and the topstitching landed right on the seam. I won’t even count how many layers of fabric I stitched through when I got to the bag handles and the side seams – let’s just say it was many layers! The Designer Ruby 90 ate up those layers like it was nothing.

Now I did two things to make it easier. I switched to an Inspira Topstitch needle. I wanted a large, strong needle to assist in drilling a hole for the thread to go through. The second thing I did was to slow down. I used the Multi-Function Foot Control to get decent speed on the easy parts and slowed down when I came to the thicker parts.

I also let the Exclusive Sensor System control the stitches as I went over those incredibly thick parts. Look at the quality of the stitches. That’s very impressive.

Beautifully formed stitches through many layers of fabric and interfacing

Here’s the finished tote bag. I’m thrilled with the result, and I’m sure its new owner (who doesn’t know I made it for her) will also be thrilled.

The completed tote bag

What did I learn while making the tote bag?

• I want to use the right product for the interlinings. I’ll use Inspira Fusible Fleece for the next bag because it’s fusible and thinner but still gives lots of body to the bag.
• The band and the handle are great places to embellish with either machine embroidery or decorative stitches. Imagine the embroidery or embellishments you could do on the body of the tote bag!
• Use the right needle and thread combinations (embroidery needles for embroidery, topstitching for topstitching, etc.)
• Let your machine use its features and functions, like the Exclusive Sensor System, to assist with those very thick areas

I’m sure there’s a couple of other learning moments I forgot to add. But the bottom line is you need to understand the capabilities of the sewing/embroidery machine you use. The Designer Ruby 90 has so many capabilities, there wasn’t a task it couldn’t do. And every job it did, it did amazingly well. I love it!

So, let’s go back to the circle mats I was embroidering yesterday. I decided to forge ahead and embroider all three of them, and I learned a few things along the way. Let’s see what happened there.

Here’s the completed design I started yesterday. That’s so amazing! I love how it turned out.

A Spiro design embroidered on a mat made from macrame cord

It’s so exciting! I went back to the mySewnet EmbroiderySoftware, and I played around with the Spiro Wizard to see what else I could create.

I played around with some designs, and since I wasn’t ready to stitch them out, I saved them to the mySewnet Cloud. When I was ready to stitch the designs, I opened the mySewnet Cloud, which is easy to do on the Designer Ruby 90. I selected File Manager, then mySewnet Cloud, and all my designs saved in the mySewnet Cloud were right there.

Accessing saved embroidery designs in the mySewnet Cloud

This time when I hooped the project, it was centered properly. However, if the chalk marks are out of whack, the design won’t be centered. You’ll see in the finished design that it’s not quite centered, and this was the result of the chalk lines not being centered.

I guess if you’re picky, the design is technically one stitch off, but I didn’t think it would make too much difference, so I left it.

The marked crosshairs are one stitch out

If your design doesn’t start in the center, and you want to double-check your placement, use the Position button on the Designer Ruby 90 and select Center/Remove Hoop Position.

Moving the hoop to the Center Position

For these designs, I used a matching thread color and weight in the bobbin.

I also disengaged the Automatic Jump Stitch and Automatic Cut Function. Since the back of the design will be visible, I wanted it to look neat. That means I had to cut the threads manually. It makes me realize how much I love the Automatic Jump Stitch and Automatic Cut Function, but it doesn’t work for every embroidery.

A pop-up message to cut the thread tail

Be sure to cut the thread tail and not the active thread. One will be loose; the other will have tension on it. Check before you cut, as it can be hard to tell which is which. Sometimes, I let the Designer Ruby 90 stitch a few extra stitches and then stop it to better see which thread to cut.

Cut the thread tail, not the active thread.

Watching these designs stitch out is mesmerizing. Even though I know what the final design will look like, it’s fascinating to watch and reminds me of when I was younger, and I played with a drawing toy that gave you similar designs. We never knew what the result would be!

The second Spiro design during stitch-out

Now it’s time to unhoop the third design. It looks amazing!

A Spiro design in the 200 by 200 Quilter’s Hoop

Remove the stabilizer. Start by carefully trimming as you do not want to cut the thread or the finished item.

Carefully trim away the excess stabilizer.

If you’re not sure how to remove the stabilizer, you can always read the product instructions. Oh yes – make sure you tuck that paper label inside the roll of stabilizer. However, should it ever go missing, you can find the information on the downloadable JoyOS Advisor app.

The stabilizer guide on the JoyOS Advisor smartphone app

The Inspira Aqua Magic Plus requires a bit of extra time to rinse away the excess stabilizer. Let the items dry, and give them each a good press with a press cloth!

Rinsing away the excess water-soluble stabilizer

Don’t forget, I can use the mySewMonitor app on my smartphone to monitor the embroidery progress without being in the room. I love technology and I’m so excited to see it incorporated into sewing and embroidery.

Progress of the embroidery stitch out on the mySewMonitor app

Here’s some advice – watch the density of the stitches. I used a 40-weight thread on the top and the bobbin for all three of the Spiro designs. I used a size 14 embroidery needle and Aqua Magic Plus stabilizer. I selected a triple stitch from Spiro Wizard when creating the three designs to prevent the motifs from sinking into the softness of the macrame yarn.

The first design was roughly 15,000 stitches. I had a few thread breaks, all of which was because of the density around the center.

The second design was over 32,000 stitches, which is much denser than the first one, and I got a lot of shredding, so I had to watch while the design was stitched out.

The third design had 16,000 stitches with barely any density in any area, and there was zero thread shredding.

I’m thrilled with all three of them. The circle mats, which I can use for trivets or small table toppers, are stunning and easy to make. The embroidery design added some extra body to the circle mats.

The front of the first motif with approximately 15,000 stitches

Here’s the back, which looks pretty good. It’s very clean, except for one spot near the end due to a shredding issue. That’s very impressive.

The back of the first Spiro design

The second motif has twice as many stitches as the other two, as you can see, and it was a challenge to stitch because of the high-density areas and my thread choices. I persevered, though, and it looks fabulous.

The front of the second motif with approximately 32,000 stitches

The back of the second one is pretty clean, considering the weight of the thread and the number of stitches in the design.

The back of the second motif with approximately 32,000 stitches

Here’s the third motif, consisting of two separate Spiro designs. The stitch count is approximately 15,000, and there is no stitch build-up anywhere on the design. I had no shredding on this one.

The front of the third motif with approximately 15,000 stitches

I must confess, I had to look closely to tell the front from the back!

The back of the third motif with approximately 15,000 stitches

Wow, that was such a wild journey, but I learned a ton. I love experimenting and allowing myself to make mistakes or to learn as I’m doing.

Hopefully, as you followed along, you learned a tip or trick about machine embroidery, or perhaps you’re making a tote bag or experimenting with the software or your decorative stitches. If so, be sure to send us a photo so we can ooh and aah over it.

That wraps up another fantastic week with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90. What a fabulous sewing and embroidery machine! There wasn’t a thing it didn’t do amazingly well, whether it was stitching through all those thick layers of the tote bag or the beautiful embroidery. Be sure to pop by your local dealer to request a demo!

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Experimenting with machine embroidery on a macrame cord table mat

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