Working the Precision Positioning | creative icon 2

Yesterday I searched for the perfect applique design in mySewnet Library for my cushion top. I sent it directly to the PFAFF creative icon 2 and today I’m ready to hoop my fabric and stabilizer for embroidery.

Or so I thought! Sometimes life just happens, and I couldn’t get back to my project before the end of the day. When I turned off my creative icon 2 the applique design, I had ready to go was gone and I forgot to save it before turning off my machine! No problem – I’ll just go directly to mySewnet Library on my creative icon 2 this morning.

Remember yesterday I mentioned that with an active mySewnet Library account, one can access the mySewnet Library directly from the Embroidery Edit screen. All I have to do is touch the second Load Design icon (with the internet symbol) to access the mySewnet Library designs.

In the Search for Design, I typed in Rose Applique, and I also specified the Width (350) and Height (360) to find the Rose Applique design I wanted to use.

I scrolled through the designs and when I found it all I had to do was click on it to load it onto my machine.

We’re back on track and ready to embroider! Let’s get our fabric hooped.

My favorite stabilizer to use when embroidering in the PFAFF creative Grand Dream hoop is PFAFF Tear Away White. All I need is 1 layer for my applique, but I could easily hoop 2 layers if my design was denser. It tears away very easily and doesn’t leave a lot of “fuzzies” around the edges. It comes in a 20” wide roll – perfect for the Grand Dream Hoop.

I’ve centered both the Pfaff Tear Away White stabilizer and the 22” x 22” main fabric over the outer part of the hoop. Make sure your clasps are open on both ends of the Grand Dream Hoop and insert the inner hoop over the stabilizer and fabric. Close the clasps and the space between the clasp must be the same on both the top and bottom sides of the Grand Dream Hoop. The 360 x 350 creative Grand Dream Hoop is what we call a turnable hoop – the design will stitch in half of the hoop and then the creative icon 2 will ask me to turn the hoop to finish the design.

I’m ready to start embroidering my applique design.

My creative icon 2 is threaded with Robison Anton 40wt Rayon Embroidery thread on top and embroidery bobbin thread in the bobbin. I have attached the 6D Dynamic Embroidery foot.

Embroidering my rose applique using 360 x 350 Grand Dream Hoop

To embroider on my creative icon 2, I select the GO icon in the lower right corner which takes me to a preview screen where I’ll do a final check before I start embroidery.

The preview screen shows me which needle plate I have inserted, which hoop is selected and which embroidery foot I have attached along with other settings that can be set before I start embroidering.

Note that in the Turnable Hoop options, I can do a side sort – that means if I have multiple designs in the hoop, it will embroider all the designs on one side before it asks to turn the hoop to embroider the designs on the opposite side. If I don’t do a side sort it will embroider the designs in the order they were placed which might mean turning the hoop many times during the embroidery process. Luckily, my design is one-color so side sort isn’t needed.

After I touch OK my PFAFF creative icon 2 will ask me to insert the hoop. When I first attach the hoop, I want to make sure that the word PFAFF is facing the top as I attach the hoop.

The first stitches are the alignment stitches at the top center of the hoop. My machine will then go on to embroider the applique placement stitches. Once that’s done, I lay my applique fabric over the entire hoop making sure my placement stitches are covered. The machine then stitches the applique on that half of the hoop only.

Once the outline stitches are done, I remove the hoop from the machine and I’m very careful not to pop the fabric out of the hoop. I’ll trim the applique close to the edge of the stitches.

After the fabric is trimmed, I attach the hoop and continue to finish embroidering the first half of the design.

When the first half of the applique has finished stitching my creative icon 2 displays a message saying to turn the hoop and change the thread.

Notice how the design on my screen has turned and is now facing the same direction as my hoop will be.

Once I turn my hoop it’s time to use my favorite feature in embroidery – Precise Positioning.

Precise Positioning and the Grand Dream Hoop

Precise Positioning is the coolest feature in embroidery. Precise Positioning allows me to perfectly line up one embroidery to another – to needle point precision.

When Precise Positioning is selected Step 1 finds a stitch in my embroidery that I need to match to a stitch point in the previous embroidery. Step 2 “locks” the needle to that stitch point. Then I’ll move the design until my needle is sitting over the stitch in the previous embroidery.

In the case of the applique design, I need to use Precise Positioning to match the satin stitching on the first half of the design.

If I look at the top of the design where the satin stitching meets, I can see where my design needs to match. On the screen of my creative icon 2, I’ll move the cursor to that position and then I’ll zoom in close – right on the cursor. I even have a specific zoom icon that zooms directly to where the cursor is so I can make sure I have the cursor precisely on the right stitch point.

When I go to step 2 the cursor becomes locked and the hoop will move until the needle is at that position of the embroidery. If my actual needle isn’t sitting directly over that stitch in the previous embroidery, I need to move the design. I’m very close but not close enough. I want my needle exactly over the stitch point I want to line up my design with.

I’ll move the design on the screen of my creative icon 2 until the needle is sitting directly above the stitch I want to line up with – the tip of the straight stitch.

My next step is to match the opposite end of the design so I’ll use Step 3 to provide another cursor point and then move the cursor to the bottom point of the design.

Select Step 4 which again locks the needle at that particular stitch in the design. The hoop moves until the needle is at that position. If the space between the upper and lower clasps were equally spaced, then my needle should be in the right position over my design. If my clasps weren’t equally spaced then I may need to slightly rotate the design until my needle is lined up with the stitch point. If you zoom in, you’ll see I am right where I need to be.

I also like to go back and check a couple of other spots by using steps 1 and 2 again. I’ll check wherever I need a stitch point to match – such as at the satin stitch edges of the petals.

When I’m happy that my stitch points are matching, I’ll close Precise Positioning and I’m ready to continue embroidering the applique design. The first two colors will stitch the rest of the applique fabric down and after the applique fabric is stitched, I’ll remove the hoop from the embroidery arm and trim the applique fabric close to the stitches.

You can see how perfectly the design is lining up to the first half. Finish embroidering the design and when it’s finished remove the hoop from the embroidery arm.

You can see how beautifully the two halves matched up. With Precise Positioning the stitch-out is perfect!

Before I take the cushion top out of the hoop I’ve used the center markings on the inside hoop top, bottom, and sides to mark the center of the design on the fabric. Since this is such a large embroidery, marking the centers will help with trimming the cushion top to its finished size.

Take the cushion top out of the hoop and, using a long ruler, mark the center of the cushion top.

Remove the stabilizer from behind the design.

So, that’s my cushion front done and tomorrow I’ll make the cushion back.

I’m excited to show you how easy it is to place a design on my fabric using the free mySewnet app with my PFAFF creative icon 2.

Until tomorrow!

This is part 3 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 2: How I searched mySewnet for the perfect rose applique design, easy