When I became an ambassador for BERNINA, I selected the 770 QE PLUS machine, which is a massive step up from the mechanical BERNINA I had sewn on for many years. When I chose this machine, I decided to hold off on adding the embroidery module because, frankly, I felt I had plenty to learn without adding an entirely new skill to the mix.
I was pleasantly surprised by how straightforward the new machine was to learn, but I only recently decided to take a look at its machine embroidery capabilities. I am lucky to have a friend nearby who owns the embroidery module for the same machine, and was happy to loan it to me to try out before I commit to purchasing the embroidery components for my machine.
Experimenting with Machine Embroidery
For my first few machine embroidery experiments, I knew there were certain skills I wanted to learn, and I wanted to figure out if I found the process useful and fun or annoying.
My goals for the first few designs included:
- Set up the machine for embroidery
- Load fabric and stabilizer in a hoop
- Choose a design and make sure it fits into the hoop
- Navigate the menus of built-in embroidery designs
- Stitch a single color motif
- Stitch a multi-color motif
- Download a purchased design and open it on the machine.
- Try a densely stitched motif
- Stitch more than one motif in a hoop
- Move and rotate motifs to interact with each other
- Use an embroidery design to quilt
Design 1
The first design was mostly about making sure I could set the machine up on my own, load the hoop with fabric and stabilizer, and get everything positioned and sized properly for stitching.
I wanted to keep the actual design relatively simple while still filling most of the hoop. I ended up choosing a mostly linear motif that was built into the machine.
For the thread, I decided on 40-weight Aurifil. Most machine embroidery threads are shiny, but I tend to prefer the more matte look of cotton. Since Aurifil was originally designed as an embroidery thread, I decided this was a good place to start.
The first round worked perfectly! I really thought it would take a couple of tries to get a workable design, but the first one turned out great.
Design 2
Now that I had one design stitched, I was ready to add one more skill. For the second motif, I selected a flower with four colors to practice changing thread.
Design 3
Everything has gone well so far, so I decided to purchase and download a design. I like many Tula Pink designs, so I headed to OESD and selected Butterfly Kisses 4. Since I was still in the experimental phase of machine embroidery, I purchased a single motif rather than a multi-design package. I selected this particular design because:
- I could fit at least two butterflies into a single hoop
- The thread colors worked with what I had on hand
- The motif was denser than what I had tried before
The design included thread information for each design in the collection, and I printed off the page with the motif I purchased. Having this list made thread selection super easy.
I spent a decent amount of time learning to position two motifs within the hoop and rotating them so they have some degree of visual interaction.
Watching the designs stitch out is mesmerizing.
The final color on this motif really makes the overall design come together.
As the motif stitches, the machine screen highlights the color being stitched, and the cursor moves as the needle position shifts.
I’m really pleased with the way this design stitched out, and at this point, I had pretty much decided that there are lots of possibilities for using machine embroidery in my work.
Design 4
To round out my first set of experiments, I decided to use an embroidery motif to quilt a section of fabric. I know you can use the embroidery function to stitch motifs specifically intended for quilting, but I’m unlikely to do that since I have a computerized longarm. However, I wanted to see a moderately dense embroidery design stitched onto a quilt sandwich.
I used some off-white fabric with a bit of shine, paired with white thread, and I was really pleased with the overall effect.
I still have a lot to learn about machine embroidery, but this series of experiments has helped me decide that I’m ready to invest in the equipment to get started!
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