Yarn Couching Fun with the Husqvarna VIKING Designer Epic 3

It’s the end of the week, and there are so many more things I want to stitch! I decided to go for something small and fun today, even though there were many choices! I’m exploring yarn couching with the Husqvarna VIKING Designer Epic 3 | Nordic Frost Edition. I’m also using the Husqvarna VIKING Large Magnetic Hoop, which has become my new go-to embroidery hoop.

For yarn couching, you’ll need the optional Husqvarna VIKING Yarn Couching Presser Feet Set, which includes two different sizes of floating presser feet, a yarn threader, and two guides to hold the yarn. Don’t forget to set the Designer Epic 3 to a FLOATING foot when you move from Embroidery Edit to Embroidery Stitch Out.

The guides in this package are for older embroidery machines; the new ones for the Designer Epic 3 are sold separately, called the Yarn Guide Set. The Designer Epic 3 is larger than the original machines, so different guides are required.

Then I did something I love: browsing the Creativate Design Catalogue for embroidery designs. I found some fantastic designs, and after much consideration, I selected an endless yarn couching design with reference points. I forgot to mention those when I listed all the available tools for positioning designs. These reference points work very well for anything endless, whether you choose a design that is already designated as endless or create one in the Embroidery Software.

The new large magnetic hoop, as well as all the Husqvarna VIKING Metal Hoops (4 sizes), are amazing when stitching out endless designs. If you want to know more about working with endless embroidery designs, check out my blog post on the 8 clever tips for stitching an endless embroidery design.

The design I chose has two parts: the first, called Endless Inserted Yarn, measures 161.5 by 96.2 mm, and the second, called Endless Inserted Yarn (Corner), measures 96.7 by 99.1 mm.

There’s a booklet to explain the collection as well. I’m not sure about all the designs in the collection, but I do know that the two mentioned above are FREE. And if you have a Creativate Account (even the FREE Basic Level), you can send these directly to your Designer Epic 3, which is Wi-Fi enabled.

I have never used these designs before, so it’s always a good idea to stitch out a prototype to see what happens and to test the yarn. I decided to join two of the Endless Inserted Yarn designs side by side. I slightly overlapped the edges. The endless designs are typically meant to be joined end to end, not side to side, but I wanted to get a piece large enough to make a zippered pouch. And hey – it’s my embroidery – I can do what I want with it!

I duplicated the first image in the Creativate Embroidery Software, or I could do it directly on the Embroidery Edit screen of the Designer Epic 3.

I grabbed some yarn that had been hanging around for a while to see if it would work. Not all yarns work equally well, but this one worked exceptionally well. I guess that means I need to buy more of it! In all colors!

I used a 40-weight embroidery thread on top that matched my yarn, and a pre-wound bobbin with black thread. If I were making this design free-standing, I would use a matching 40-weight thread in the bobbin.

I threaded the yarn into the yarn couching foot, hooped my fabric with Husqvarna VIKING Tear-a-way stabilizer, and I was ready.

I pressed START and watched how the yarn behaved. It stitched beautifully!

I made a few stitches, then stopped the embroidery machine and clipped the yarn and the top thread.

With these designs, it’s stitching a straight line directly in the center of the yarn. Could you do this without the yarn couching foot? You could, but it would take a lot of concentration. You NEED that Yarn Couching Presser Foot Set. You can see how the strand of yarn is held with a bit of pressure, and at just the right angle to feed properly into the foot. That’s why the Yarn Guide Set is essential for the Designer Epic 3.

Note: The yarn must be allowed to flow freely. If not, it will tangle and knot, making a mess. Perhaps even causing a needle to break or something worse. I typically do not babysit my embroidery when it has a long session with the same color, but I did stay close to the machine while it was stitching this yarn couching design. I laid the yarn out on the floor, and by the time it went through the guides and into the foot, it was no longer twisted. I started with the yarn on the table, but I kept having to check it wasn’t twisted, so I put it on the floor, with a long path to the foot, which made a huge difference.

What I didn’t know about this design was that it was stitched over itself several times, creating a thick yarn build-up. The texture is fantastic, and I LOVE it! If you’re not sure how a design will stitch out, don’t forget you can watch the stitching in the Creativate Embroidery Software. Here’s a quick video to show how that works. You’ll find the Design Player in the Essential (and above) levels of the Creativate Embroidery Software.

You’re also able to see the reference stitches being stitched out. I chose NOT to stitch those by passing the appropriate colors in the Color Block List. I could have deleted those color blocks in the software, but there was no need. I knew which ones I wanted and bypassed the rest.

Now, that brings up another great tool in Embroidery Stitch Out on the Designer Epic 3: GHOST MODE, which is located in the Color Block List. When that function is activated, you’ll see ONLY the stitching for the current color block, not all of them. In this example, it’s highlighted in light orange.

This is a handy function, and I use it constantly!

Look at the multiple layers of yarn created by the design’s multiple passes. This design was created as a freestanding design and requires that structure to remain intact. If you didn’t want it to be so thick, you could stop it after the first or second pass.

Check out this short video to watch it stitch the yarn in place. It’s mesmerizing!!

I used a variegated yarn so some of the colors overlap, which is just fine! Each section consists of two designs placed side by side, overlapping slightly. I used a needle to tuck the tail ends of the yarn to the back. Of course, the next time, I’ll do things a bit differently. I’ll reverse the second motif, and I could put them almost back-to-back, so I wouldn’t even have to seam the bottom of the zippered pouch. As I said, you must make the first one to get ideas for the second!

Look at that texture? I LOVE it, and it’s so worth the time it takes for this stitch out. I can’t keep my hands off it!

I can see this as a border on a jacket (as shown in the online brochure) or as a scarf. Or add texture to any item that you want. You’ll notice that the edges at the narrow ends aren’t the same, and using the corner unit will fix that. Since I’m making a prototype of a zippered pouch, I can live with the edges not matching.

Here’s the zippered pouch that I made using the sections done with yarn couching. OH!! I’m in love with this, and it was so much fun. Another skill learned! I typically make boxed corners, but I didn’t want to cut the yarn, so it’s a flat pouch.

And that’s a wrap for the week! It was a super exciting week as we got to have a look at the new Nordic Frost Edition of the Husqvarna VIKING Designer Epic 3, AND the Husqvarna VIKING Large Magnetic Hoop. WOW – I have so many ideas swirling in my head. I see many hours sitting at the embroidery machine in my future.

Be sure to check out both items at your local Husqvarna VIKING dealer, or check the links online!

Have a great day!

Ciao!!!

This is part 5 of 5 in this series

Go back to part 4: Perfect Applique Placement with Scan the Hoop & Projection Tools