Why every quilter needs an embroidery machine | endless creative possibilities

Welcome, everyone – I have an exciting week lined up for you. I’ll be exploring some embroidery techniques using the Husqvarna VIKING Designer EPIC 3, but I want to talk about something else before I get to that.

The Husqvarna VIKING Designer Epic 3

It’ll soon be National Embroidery Month, and if you’re a quilter, you may just gloss over that. After all, why would a quilter want an embroidery machine?

When I started quilting in 1998, I had never heard of machine embroidery. At the time, embroidery machines were relatively new. However, I soon decided I needed a “grown-up” sewing machine and spent much time chatting with my local Husqvarna VIKING dealer. I looked at an embroidery machine just for fun.

The next thing I knew, I bought the top-of-the-line (at the time) Husqvarna VIKING Designer 1. I had no intention of using it for quilting, but I liked the idea of personalizing items with embroidery, mainly lettering. I’m happy to say that I accomplished that goal and much more! Do I regret buying that embroidery machine? Not at all.

I still have the Designer 1 and use it as my retreat sewing machine. Would I ever embroider on it? Not on your life! After all the fantastic new physical and software features on the Designer EPIC 3, I won’t go back!

Now, I get that starting with the top-of-the-line embroidery machine isn’t for everyone, but don’t forget that there’s the Husqvarna VIKING Designer Quartz 29 and various models in between. Check them out at your Husqvarna VIKING dealer or online. Here’s a link to a review I wrote on QUILTsocial.

Husqvarna VIKING Designer Quartz 29

As time evolved, I found many more ways for my embroidery machine to help with making quilts. One of the first ones is making quilt labels. There are countless ways to design a label, and you can create labels directly on the Embroidery Edit screen (the larger the edit screen, the easier it is) or use the mySewnet Embroidery Software. I used the tools on the Embroidery Edit screen to curve the lettering.  You can add multiple lines of text, a motif or two, or use various fonts and sizes within the same label. Here are some examples of what you can do for labels.

Two labels created with machine embroidery.

One of the issues people had with machine-embroidered labels was that the built-in fonts on the embroidery machines were large, and either the label would be huge or the amount of writing would be limited. The smallest font (Coquette) in the Designer Epic 3 is 6 mm. And if that’s still too large, the mySewnet Embroidery Software (an additional purchase) has a font that is 3 mm in height. You can write a lot on your label using that font.

Here’s a QUILTsocial link with more information about machine embroidery labels.

Lettering made with 3 mm fonts and 60-weight thread

Here’s another use of the embroidery machine and quilts. Why not add information directly to the backing of the quilt? I once had a customer who made a photo quilt and wanted the names of the people embroidered right on the backing. Getting the names in the correct spot before quilting was challenging, but it looked amazing. Unfortunately, I did not take a good picture.

The embroidered lettering on the quilt backing

And when I made the 150 Canadian Women quilt, I wanted to keep all 150 names with the quilt. But how? So, I embroidered all the names on the back in groups of 10. They are subtle, and it was a large job, but I’m thrilled that the names of those women will always be on this quilt.

A section of the 150 names on the quilt backing

I also put the quilt name on the front, using a font I digitized in the mySewnet Embroidery Software. There were six empty block spaces, and I designed this lettering to fit in that space.

The name of the quilt on the front using machine embroidery

Here’s another instance where I used the embroidery machine to enhance the front of a quilt. The quilt designer named all the animals, and that information was easy to put on the quilt using machine embroidery. Isn’t that adorable? I LOVE it. And how fun it would be for a child to get this quilt with the names of the animals on it.

And here’s a link to another QUILTsocial post, where I used machine embroidery to add the name of each block to the sashing.

The names of the animals embroidered on the quilt

You can also use embroidery motifs as fillers in large spaces on your quilt. Here, I’ve added a maple leaf motif to the center of the Ohio Star blocks. If you do this embellishment in a quilt block, you do not need to shy away from the quilting. I free-motioned quilted right up to the motifs, and it looks fantastic.

Machine embroidery in the center of the Ohio Star quilt blocks

In this instance, I used a large embroidery motif as the centerpiece of this wall hanging. You can read more about that in this QUILTsocial blog post.

A wall hanging using a single machine embroidery motif

I used the mySewnet Embroidery Software to create the motifs for this table runner. Instead of using fabric or piecing blocks, I made the design using a font, which was super easy. Then, it was a snap to embroider the three logos onto the center piece of fabric. You’ll find the instructions for this table runner in Issue 57 of A Needle Pulling Thread.

A table runner using machine embroidery fonts as the design

In this instance, I used a Wizard (tool) in the mySewnet Embroidery Software to create this nautical theme for another great wall hanging. There’s minimal piecing for the background, and the entire design on the front is machine embroidery. I used the Word Sculpt Wizard and stitched it on the Designer Epic 3.

A wall hanging using mySewnet Embroidery Software and machine embroidery

If you remain skeptical about why a quilter needs an embroidery machine, how about using machine embroidery as a substitute for traditional applique? Traditional applique was my first thought when I designed this quilt, but I soon abandoned that idea because the amount of work to make it happen would have been enormous. It was so easy to do with the embroidery machine.

At my “friends’” insistence, I needed to make a quilt with the fabric license plates I had collected many years ago. I wrote a story about myself incorporating the sayings on the license plates. The next dilemma was how to fill in the missing words. DUH! The embroidery machine will be perfect, and that’s what I did. I LOVE this quilt.

A story quilt using fabric license plates and machine embroidery

Here’s a close-up of the words. It was such a fun project, and doing it with machine embroidery was easy! Imagine creating a story quilt about your grandchildren. I don’t have grandchildren, but this project is on my list.

A close-up of the story quilt

I designed and made this quilt for A Needle Pulling Thread (Issue 49). I needed a rainy activity project and came up with the idea of a giant word search. A word search generator on the internet did all the hard work, and I spent one weekend stitching the letters on my embroidery machine. Another quilt that I LOVE! The best news is that both of these quilts were easy to make! It required a little imagination to come up with the idea, but the execution was a piece of cake!

A word search quilt using machine embroidery

WAIT – there’s more! Why not QUILT your quilt with your embroidery machine? Do you have a Dream Big panel in your stash? I purchased an embroidery motif set designed for this panel and embroidered (quilted) through all three layers. It worked up like a dream. You can check out the positioning tools on the Designer Epic 2 embroidery machine at these QUILTsocial blog posts.

Dream Big panel

I made the quilt top and then quilted it block by block using motifs I created in the mySewnet Embroidery Software using Quilt Block Wizard. It was super easy, and I used the Husqvarna VIKING Quilter’s Metal Embroidery Hoop (200 by 200mm), which worked like a charm. The number of quilt patterns you can create is limitless!

Quilting designs from the mySewnet Embroidery Software

The last idea I’ll share is edge-to-edge quilting on an embroidery machine. If I hadn’t told you all the stitching is machine embroidery, you would have thought it was long arm quilted. For more details on how the process, check out these QUILTsocial blog posts.

A wall hanging with edge-to-edge machine embroidery quilting

So what do you think? I didn’t even talk about the other projects that quilters tend to make, such as bags, pouches, placemats, etc. But think of how you could embellish them with an embroidery machine!

As mentioned, I have NEVER regretted the purchase of my first embroidery machine, and I’ve never been without one. Machine embroidery is fantastic, and I love that I can personalize ANYTHING and make it unique. I can make anything that I can dream up!

Of course, with the improvements to the software (both computer and internal to the embroidery machine), larger machines, larger hoops, more hoop styles, and increased functionality, the ability to create has grown exponentially.

So be sure to check out the Husqvarna VIKING Designer EPIC 3 at your local dealer or online. Get your thinking cap on and see how this incredible sewing and embroidery machine can enhance your quilts.

Tomorrow, I’ll discuss the essential tools and supplies for machine embroidery. It’ll be an excellent review for anyone who currently has an embroidery machine, and it’ll be a good place to start if you are brand new to machine embroidery or are considering purchasing an embroidery machine.

Have a super day!!

Ciao!!!

This is part 1 of 5 in this series

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