Wi-Fi features on the HV Designer Ruby 90 plus more tension tips

Welcome back! This week, I’m exploring some of the great features of the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90. I hope you had a chance to check out the Function Panel, which I reviewed yesterday. It’s fantastic to have all those functions right at your fingertips, and I’ve only just started!

Did you do the tension test? Learning about tension makes you appreciate how helpful the JoyOS Advisor is. And the tension test will make you a better sewist when going beyond standard weight thread and quilting cotton.

Today, I’ll chat about the deLuxe Stitch System and why you should become familiar with it.

The deLuxe Stitch System is a different method of thread delivery than the traditional tension disks. Based on the stitch type and other settings, the Designer Ruby 90 selects the appropriate form of thread delivery.

Essentially, it’s a set of three rollers that sit below the traditional tension disks. Instead of the thread being dragged through the tension disks, which can cause a lot of friction for delicate threads, the rollers meter out the appropriate amount of thread required for that stitch.

It’s a brilliant system, and it works like a charm for delicate threads, especially metallic and invisible.

It also works great for any decorative stitching and embroidery. You want those stitches to be well-formed with no bobbin thread showing, and the deLuxe Stitch System does a great job of that.

The numbering system works similarly to that of traditional tension. The numbers range from 0 to 95, with zero being no tension on the top thread, and at 95, the tension on the top thread is as tight as it can go. The deLuxe Stitch System works in increments of 5.

Like the traditional tension disks, there’s a range of settings for the deLuxe Stitch System. If you’re not happy with the look and feel of the work, you can raise or lower the tension using this function. As discussed yesterday, it’s essential that you become familiar with how changing this setting can affect your work. A slight increase or decrease can take your project from OK to spectacular! Remember, when you see the number in blue, it’s no longer at the default setting.

I was curious how the stitches would appear by repeating yesterday’s exercise with the traditional tension disks and a straight stitch. I grabbed a piece of muslin and used two different colors of thread. This time, I selected a zigzag stitch which automatically selects the deLuxe Stitch System. I ran through all the settings from 0 – 95 to see what would happen to the quality of the stitch.

Wow! There’s quite a difference once you move above 50, which is the default setting for Woven Medium. The top thread is so tight that the red bobbin thread is showing through. Looking at the back of the stitching lines, it seems like the bobbin thread (red) is pulling when there is zero tension on the top. Again, it’s a good idea to run through the ranges, so you can appreciate how to fix the tension should you run into an issue.

The deLuxe Stitch System works in both sewing and embroidery modes. I’ve got a great example to share with you tomorrow on when and how to change the settings. You can turn it off when working in embroidery mode on the Welcome to Embroidery Stitch Out screen. You can also switch between the thread delivery methods in Settings, which you’ll find in the top right-hand corner of the screen.

There are many ways to customize the Designer Ruby 90 to work for you. There are temporary settings for sewing and embroidery, as well as the default settings. The temporary settings resets to the defaults when you turn the sewing machine off. The default settings remain until you change them. So if you want to turn the FIX off because of the project you’re working on, you can do that. You might want to change the screen’s color or the intensity of the lights, and you can do that in the settings menus. The important thing is that you have the flexibility to customize the Designer Ruby 90 to your way of working. And I love the clock on the screen, and when I sew on a machine that doesn’t have a clock, I miss it!

Let’s leave the tension alone for today. I want to share another impressive technology feature of the Designer Ruby 90. It’s a Wi-Fi-enabled sewing and embroidery machine! WOW!! It’s taken a while for the sewing industry to make this happen, but I know it’s here to stay. I love technology!

Why is this feature so neat? Well, imagine never having to worry about the latest firmware updates. Whenever an update is necessary, you’ll get a message on the screen letting you know that an update is available. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, the update can be downloaded immediately and installed, or you can download it and install it later, or do the download another day. You are in control of when the updates occur!

You also get access to the ecosystem called mySewnet, which includes a blog that sends projects, tips and ideas right to the screen of your Designer Ruby 90. You will not get inundated with messages – there’s one or two every couple of weeks, and it’s perfect for helping you learn your machine or get some inspiration. The tutorials lead you right to the appropriate stitch menu or tutorial. It’s like having a class come right to you!

You also get access to cloud storage to save modified stitches, embroideries you have created or move files between the mySewnet embroidery software on your computer to the embroidery machine. All those tasks can occur via the mySewnet ecosystem.

And let’s not forget the apps you can download to your smart device that communicate to your sewing and embroidery machine. If you want to check them out, they are called mySewMonitor, QuickDesign, and JoyOS Advisor. Yes – the JoyOS Advisor with all that valuable information is available right on your smart device. There’s so much here that you can do – well, it’ll blow your mind! The apps are free, where you usually download apps.

This is the future of the sewing machine, and we ought to embrace it. You can check out one of my previous blog post on QUILTsocial about mySewnet ecosystem where I’ve discussed this technology once before.

So, how easy is it to get started with mySewnet? To set up a free account, follow the steps on the website. However, a Wi-Fi-enabled sewing or embroidery machine, like the Designer Ruby 90, is necessary to make the most of this technology.

Once I have a mySewnet account, I need to set up the sewing machine. In the top left-hand corner, you’ll see a message for me to sign in. I can’t sign in until I connect to the Wi-Fi. That’s easy – click on the Wi-Fi symbol in the top left-hand corner.

Once I touch the Wi-Fi button on the screen, the Designer Ruby 90 searches for the available routers nearby. Select your router and enter your password.

Once you’re connected, you’re going to sign in to your mySewnet account. Make sure that you keep track of your passwords and username.  Once you click on the area to enter your username (your e-mail address), a keyboard pops up that allows you to enter your information. Two areas that may throw you off base – the @ symbol is in the special character section of the keyboard! And I always enter a comma instead of a period on my e-mail address. So watch for those two little things.

Once you’re connected to the Wi-Fi and signed into your mySewnet account, the Designer Ruby 90 automatically syncs your account. That way, if I’m connected to my phone, my laptop, or the sewing machine, I have access to the same files. WOW — this is so handy.

As I was embroidering my project that you’ll see tomorrow, I got a pop-up message as the bobbin was running low.

The bobbin winder is on the side of the Designer Ruby 90, along with a thread cutter, so you don’t need scissors to get your bobbin prepped. You can also see the two USB ports for the Designer Ruby 90. So if you need to use a USB stick to transfer files or attach the Multi-Function Foot Control, these ports are conveniently located on the side of the machine.

Here’s another super handy feature of the Designer Ruby 90. I love the built-in telescopic thread stand. It holds two cones of thread. These are the 5,000-meter cones, and this stand is the best, whether you are embroidering, winding your bobbins, or sewing with the large cones! I can still use the smaller spools of thread if that’s what I have, but size doesn’t matter, and I love having my thread go up and then down into the threading mechanism. That longer distance to the threading mechanism helps to keep the thread from tangling.

Wow – isn’t that all so very exciting? There are so many features and functions that I don’t know which one is my favorite.

As I mentioned earlier this week, I’ve got some great ideas for embroidery this week, and I’ll share some of them tomorrow. There are over 650 embroidery designs built-in, and the signature series has some great outdoor designs.

Here’s a sneak peek at some of the signature embroidery designs.

Tomorrow, I’ll explore an embroidery project using one of the signature designs on the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90, the deLuxe Stitch System, and how to make a two-sided embroidery. Yep – the back looks as good as the front, so be sure to come back for that. You won’t want to miss it.

Have a great day!

Ciao!

This is part 2 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 1: Tension perfection is a breeze with the Husqvarna Viking Designer Ruby 90

Go to part 3: 6 essential tips for double-sided machine embroidery on a placemat