Sewing techniques with the HV Designer EPIC

The week is over and I haven't stitched anything on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC!

There are so many amazing features to drool over, there hasn't been time to sew. However, now that we know some of the capabilities of the Designer EPIC, it's time to give it a test drive.

Let's dive in and have a look.

Piecing

I was thrilled to find that my favorite foot for piecing the scant ¼ʺ seam was included with the Designer EPIC. What I love about the Quilter's ¼ʺ Piecing Foot P is that it's very easy to transport projects from sewing machine to sewing machine. There's no need to move the needle to the left or the right in order to find that scant ¼ʺ. All you do is snap on this foot and use the edge of it as the guide.

Now some of you may not have multiple sewing machines, but if you do, this foot is invaluable and I've purchased one for every one of my sewing machines. Yes, there's more than one.

And as I mentioned earlier this week, using the Needle Stop Up/Down in conjunction with the Presser Foot Down/Pivot option, it's a snap to turn corners if you're sewing pockets or anything that requires a turn. Even curved piecing becomes so easy when the presser foot pops up ever so slightly when you stop. This is definitely a must have for me on any sewing machine.

Quilter's ¼ʺ Piecing Foot P comes with the Designer EPIC

Topstitching

I needed to make handles for a bag and I needed to do some topstitching. I like putting multiple rows of topstitching on my handles to make them nice and firm. While it's easy to gauge where to sew along the edges, it's not so easy in the center. However, look at those markings on the Needle Plate. I was able to get nice straight rows of stitching by using the markings as my guide!

It's small details like these markings that you initially think "oh yes that's nice, but I'll never use that". And then poof! I'm using the markings!

Using the markings on the Needle Plate to get straight lines

Winding Bobbins

At some point in my sewing marathon, my bobbin ran out. Now I did manage to sew for a long time with the 30% extra large bobbin, but eventually it needed to be refilled.

I was sewing with a spool of thread and the first thread I grabbed for the bobbin was a cone. Normally this is a problem because of the space available for cones on the top of the sewing machine. Not so with the Designer EPIC. I didn't have to move or unthread the upper thread, I simply stuck the cone on the auxiliary spool holder and wound the bobbin. The thread paths are completely separate so no danger of the threads getting tangled.

Oh yes - I love this small detail!

Easy to wind a bobbin using a cone of thread

Stippling stitch

I'm mentioning this stitch only because a lot of people are always intrigued by what stippling is. As you can see from the photo below, stippling is a meandering stitch. Due to the nature of the sewing machine, this meandering does go in a relatively straight line. But notice that the JoyOS Advisor shows that you must put the Side-Motion Foot S on the machine. This is a very large foot and is necessary for these wide stitches. You can see that it is 29.6mm wide. Now that's a wide stitch!

And did you notice that little black dot at the beginning of the line of stitching? That's the start of the stitch sequence! I love how every little detail of the stitches are very clearly outlined on the screen!

Details of the Stippling Stitch

Notice below the selection area, that you are provided with the name of the stitch and to use the S foot. There's absolutely no guess work with the Designer EPIC. And did you see those laundry symbols that you can use to make your own labels?

Description of the chosen stitch (stippling stitch)

Decorative Stitching

Next up, I wanted to try some decorative stitching. Oh my! I scrolled through the menus and then I scrolled through them again. I wanted to try them all! However, it didn't take long to find one that would fit nicely on the fabric that I was using for my bag.

Open Scroll Stitch

I love how all the stitches have a name and the Designer EPIC also provides some suggestions where to use that stitch.

Make sure when you're stitching decorative stitches that you use a stabilizer underneath your fabric. These decorative stitches are too wide to be used on a single layer of fabric. You wouldn't be happy with the results if you forget the stabilizer.

Stitch out of the Open Scroll Stitch

In case you're wondering just how big that S foot is, the photo below compares the Side Motion Foot S foot with the Quilter's ¼ʺ Piecing Foot P. Yes - there's a significant different in size! And if the Designer EPIC tells you to use a specific foot, you need to follow those instructions.

Side-Motion Foot S and the Quilter's ¼ʺ Piecing Foot P - HV Designer EPIC

I wanted to try another decorative stitch. Back to the menus to peruse them again and this time, I chose the Whiskers stitch. How neat is that name! Like I said, I love that all the stitches are named. That's way more fun than saying "I used E57" I would never remember E57, but I'd remember Whiskers!

Whiskers Stitch

I had a piece of crazy quilting that I wanted to try that stitch out on. I snapped on the S foot as instructed. This foot takes a bit of practice to get used to. The fabric moves significantly from side to side (that's how you can get a wide stitch like the stippling stitch). So if you're looking for a precise line of stitching, you might want to try something a bit narrower.

I didn't care as I was experimenting and I think you would become very proficient at keeping the work on a center line if you spent a bit more time at it.

Using the S Foot to stitch out the Whiskers stitch

Whoa - this next picture is quite detailed! And I see that I have a tendency to use very matching thread. I really tried not to do that, but I did. Old habits die hard. But you can see that I did a pretty good job at keeping that stitch centered on that seam line.

This is just a very good example of why it's important to do a stitch out before you start your project and to read the advice given by the sewing machine. While the Whiskers stitch is a beautiful decorative stitch, it gets lost for one main reason: my thread choice wasn't good. You see how the stitch bleeds into the left side but is visible on the right. Now you may want this, but it would have looked much better with a different color thread.

But this is a very good lesson for all of us. Don't you just love the learning process? I can't get enough of it!

I'm going to close this post with that valuable lesson: there are times when it's perfectly fine to have matching thread, but in this case, the results could have been better!

I hope you've enjoyed this week as we explored the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC sewing and embroidery machine. There's so much more that we could explore, but that will have to wait until next time.

I'm off with visions of sewing and embroidery dancing in my head. What to sew next? What kinds of things can I find around the house to embroider? You'll have to wait until next time to see what happens. Have a great day! Ciao!

WiFi capabilities of the Designer EPIC

Welcome back to another fun day as we explore the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC. You're not going to believe some of these features. 

 

Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC

WiFi

Yes, that title is not a typo. The Designer EPIC has WiFi connectivity. You can see the WiFi symbol in the top left of the screen below.

Why would you want a sewing machine to have WiFi? It makes it a snap to download embroidery patterns and it's a breeze to keep the sewing machine up-to-date with upgrades.

It was very easy to connect the Designer EPIC to the WiFi in my house even though the router is on another floor.

I simply selected my router from the list and next thing I knew, I was connected. Now, every time I turn on the Designer EPIC, it automatically connects to the WiFi. If I don't want to be connected to the WiFi all the time the sewing machine is on, like all smart devices, it's a simple matter of turning the WiFi function off. 

The WiFi connection has not been set up yet

WiFi is now connected with medium strength signal

If there's a Firmware update available, you'll see an up arrow in the top left and this pop-up message will appear when you turn on the Designer EPIC. The first time that it appeared, I hit the middle button (NO, remind me later), but at a later time, I selected YES and the firmware upgrade downloaded and installed pretty much on its own. I think I had to hit a button after the download to start the install of the firmware. It could not have been easier.

No more having to load the upgrades onto USB sticks or take the sewing machine to the dealer, the WiFi connection makes this process painless. Once you have uploaded and installed the firmware, the up arrow in the top left will disappear until a new upgrade is available to download.

Pop up message to download and install the firmware upgrade

mySewnet Services

Believe it or not, there's a cloud based service for the Designer EPIC where you can save and access your personal files. You can store designs, fonts, stitches and any other file that you create on the sewing machine.

As if that isn't enough, there's also the mySewMonitor App. Yes - an APP that you can download to your mobile device which will then provide you with information when you are using the Designer EPIC for embroidery. Things like the thread color changes, low bobbin, the stitch count and a number of other items can be monitored from your mobile device.

Wow -  that's impressive. That means we really can be doing two things at the same time. I can't wait to get to the embroidery section to try this out.

Amount of space used in mySewnet Cloud

Settings

I think I've mentioned before that I love having options. The Designer EPIC doesn't disappoint in this department. There are all kinds of settings that you can change as you can see from the screen shown below.

It's possible to temporarily change some of the settings, and you can always go back to the default settings in either the sewing or embroidery modes.

 

List of Settings menus

While there are many great features on the Designer EPIC, there might be a particular project where you don't want to use one of the functions. For instance, if you're paper piecing, you probably do not want the FIX button on. This function ties off the beginning and the end of the stitch. This function isn't necessary for the paper piecing technique and rather than shut off the FIX function each time you start a new row of stitching, you can use the temporary settings to disable the FIX.

When you start a new project by returning to the JoyOS advisor, the sewing machine will reset itself to the default settings.

Other functions include setting the width of the twin needle being used, stitch width safety, Automatic Thread Cutter and many, many more functions can all be controlled in the Settings menus.

Menu for Temporary Sewing Settings

Options for sewing

There are a lot of bells and whistles, but what about the options for sewing?  Let's have a look.

In the photo below, I've chosen a straight stitch. You can see in the top left, that I've chosen Woven Medium as my fabric and the technique (sewing a seam) is shown on the bottom of the tablet-like screen. The stitch appears in actual size on the menu. That's so amazing!

The presser foot and the needle size are very clearly shown at the top of the screen.

The JoyOS advisor has given me a tension setting of 4.6 based on my fabric and technique selections. However, the +/- buttons, allow me to change that tension setting if I'm not happy with it. While it would be rare to have to change the tension during the piecing process, you never know and having the ability to modify the tension is a great option.

Below that is the stitch length. While 2.5 is the default, I have the option to increase or decrease the stitch length depending on what I'm doing. However if I had chosen a different technique or fabric, the JoyOS advisor would make the appropriate selections for me.

This is such an amazing feature. Truly like having someone sitting beside you filled with much information.

 

Sewing Mode

In the photo above, I have the information for the sewing technique open on the screen. You can move this around on the screen using the buttons on the top left of that pop-up message. In the screen below, I moved the pop-up message to the top of the screen. This is a great feature because if you need to access the information on the screen AND the sewing technique at the same time, you can optimize how the sewing technique fits on the screen.

Moving the pop-up message also revealed a few more options at the bottom of the screen, including the buttons that change the width of the stitch. In the case of a straight stitch, those buttons will move the needle to the right or the left.

Stitches can be mirrored end to end or side to side.

Pop-up sewing technique messages can be moved on the screen

If I change the settings from the default, the numbers change color to remind me that I'm no longer using the default settings. This is a great benefit as sometimes, we change a setting and don't remember what the default is. When you want to return to the default, you can keep changing the number until it turns black which is the default.

The stitch length and needle position have been changed from the default setting

Of course, the Designer EPIC has more than a straight stitch. There are many, many menus (from A - T) of stitches. In the photo below, you can see some of the stitches in Menu A - Utility Stitches. If I want to see the stitches beyond 28, then I simply swipe up and down to see the remaining stitches in the A menu. The blue-ish area immediately below the Stitch Selection Area provides me with information about the stitch that is currently selected.

If I want to change to a different menu, then I'll swipe side to side in the bottom part of the blue-ish area to see the various menu. I can then select a different menu and the stitches will appear in the Selection Area.

Stitch Menu A, Stitch Information, and Stitch Menu

If I want to see what stitch menus are available, it's easy to pop over to the built-in User's Guide and check out all the menus. Of course, it's fun to just browse through all the stitches to see what they actually look like.  So many stitches, so little time! I must find some great projects to put those stitches on. Gosh - it makes you want to sew all day and all night!

Stitch menus in the User's Guide

There are numerous pop-up messages and when I accidentally toggled between the sewing mode and the embroidery mode (the toggle switch is in the top right of the screens above), I got this pop-up message. 

Since I'm not ready for the embroidery unit yet, I closed the pop-up message and continued to play in the sewing mode. 

There are so many more features on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC, I could write pages. I'm trying to give you the highlights, but trust me, there's a lot more on this sewing machine than I've been able to cover in these blog posts.

Tomorrow, I'm going to show you some of the very useful things I discovered when I started to sew!

 

JoyOS Advisor and built-in manual make sewers happy

What do you think so far? The physical features of the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC are outstanding, but there's a whole lot more. Let's turn on the sewing machine and see what's inside. Trust me, it's going to be exciting!

Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC

JoyOS Advisor

When the Designer EPIC is first turned on, the first screen you see is the JoyOS advisor. The JoyOS advisor is your center for information, like having an instructor sitting beside you. Included in the JoyOS advisor are the following components, some of which I'll delve into a bit deeper so you can appreciate what's inside.

Sewing Advisor: choose the type of fabric you're working with and the sewing technique and the Designer EPIC will select the best stitch, the best presser foot, tension and many more variables. 

Embroidery Advisor: choose the machine embroidery technique you'll be doing and you'll get advice on each of the techniques.

Knowledge Center: a number of guides covering stabilizers, a quick start guide, and several others.

User's Guide: a built-in version of the User's Guide. My favorite!

Sewing Advisor

In the Sewing Advisor, you choose the type of fabric that you're going to work with. The 7 options are shown below with the default being Woven Medium. If at any time, you don't understand a term, button, or other items on the screen, you can use the Quick Help (the question mark in the top right). Simply touch the question mark, it will start to flash, then touch any item that you want more information on and a pop-up message will appear with the information.

Once you've selected the fabric, it's time to select the sewing technique. In the photo below, you can see five sewing techniques (there are more if you swipe sideways). Each technique is further broken down as you may be doing a hem or overcasting a seam or just piecing. Clicking on any of the techniques will bring up detailed instructions on how to do that particular technique. Depending on the type of fabric chosen, the techniques on how to insert a zipper will be different for woven medium than those for stretch medium.

The best part is that you tell the Designer EPIC what you want to do and the Designer EPIC will show you how to do it. It doesn't get any easier than that.

Sewing Advisor

Embroidery Advisor

If you're going to do embroidery, you would choose the Embroidery section of the JoyOS advisor and select the embroidery technique that you're going to do. 

Embroidery Advisor

Knowledge Center

There are four guides in the Knowledge Center:

Stabilizers: a description of different types of stabilizers including when to use them. 

Quick Start Guide: various techniques to get you up and running quickly including some animation to make it even easier to follow the steps. 

Step by Step Workbook: Step by step projects that will guide you through various special embroidery techniques. 

Sewing Instructions: Techniques for sewing projects. 

Knowledge Center

You know which of the guides is selected because it's graphic is slightly larger than the others. There are three topics in the Quick Start Guide - Bobbin, Threading the Needle, and Embroidery Preparation.

Let's take a quick peek at Threading the Needle.

Threading the Needle topic is selected

There are three different topics under Threading the Needle:

• Threading the Upper Needle
• Automatic Needle Threader 
• Threading forTwin Needle

 Since I'm brand new to this machine, let's select Threading the Upper Needle because I want to learn how to thread the needle. Now I'm usually telling you to read the manual, but these tutorials are built into the Designer EPIC and while there's a User Guide, these tutorials are awesome because they're right beside you and you can follow along with the diagrams. It's like having an instructor sit beside you as you walk through the various steps.

Options for Threading the Needle

The instructions and diagrams to ensure that the upper thread is properly threaded through the guides are now available on the screen. Once I have the thread correctly seated in all the thread guides, I can go to the instructions for using the Automatic Needle Threader and learn that process as well.

There's a lot of flexibility in how these tutorials appear on the tablet-like screen. I can place them in half of the screen, I can enlarge the tutorial to the entire screen (that's controlled by the little box in the upper left). I can change the size of the font (A- and A+ boxes in the upper right) and the X closes this window.

I also have a down arrow to scroll through the entire tutorial if the information doesn't appear on one screen.

Instructions for threading the upper thread

The Stabilizer Guide offers information on eight different types of stabilizers. This is very useful information for machine embroidery or using decorative stitches. There are many types of stabilizers and often we use the incorrect product which results in a finished project that isn't quite as nice or professional looking as it could be. Having all this information so readily accessible is awesome!

Stabilizer Guide

This is a very brief overview of all the information that is in the Knowledge Center. There is so much exciting stuff in the guide and it's so easily accessible.  An extremely useful tool. 

The User's Guide

If you've followed along with my other reviews, you know I'm always suggesting (strongly suggesting) that you read the User's Guide. The Designer EPIC doesn't come with a User's Guide. WAIT - I mean, it doesn't come with a full version, paper User's Guide. 

There's a slim User's Guide to get you started and I'm happy to report that the User's Guide for the Designer EPIC is still in its' original plastic bag.

User's Guide

So why is the User's Guide still in the plastic? Because the entire User's Guide is built into the Designer EPIC.  

You can see on the top of the screen - the JoyOS advisor on the left and on the right-hand side is the User's Guide. This is a very comprehensive User's Guide. And I'm going to show you why this version of the User's Guide is much easier to use than a traditional paper copy. 

I know, I still like to have that paper in my hands, however after using the built-in User's Guide, well, I think I'm converted. 

Machine Overview in the User's Guide

There are two ways to use the built-in User's Guide. One way is to use the Index (A-Z in the upper right) where topics are listed alphabetically. I choose the letter of the alphabet for the function/action that I'm looking for and a list of topics that start with that letter pop up on the right-hand side. In the picture below, I've chosen the letter C because I want to know how to 'Change the Stitch Plate'.

Using the Index to search for a topic in the User's Guide

There are two stitch plates and I wanted to use the Straight Stitch Plate. In the photo below, you can see that the topic "Changing to Straight Stitch Plate" came up. Not only did I get instructions on how to do this, but I also get an explanation of WHY and WHEN I should use the Straight Stitch Plate. This is so exciting as often we are just provided with the HOW, not the WHY and WHEN. It truly is like having an instructor sitting beside you.

The WHY and WHEN to use the Straight Stitch Plate

Instructions for Changing to Straight Stitch Plate

If I close the Index listing by tapping on the Index tab (A-Z in the upper right), I can now see the entire instructions for Changing to Straight Stitch Plate including the diagrams. This is exactly how the information appears in the hard copy of the User's Guide. 

Complete instructions for Changing to Straight Stitch Plate

Straight Stitch Plate (on top) and the Needle Plate

Pop-up messages are also listed in the Index. So if you get a pop-up message and you're not sure what it means, you can always search the index in the built-in User's Guide.

 

 

 

Pop-up messages are also listed in the built-in User's Guide

The Index also includes a description of the various stitches. So if you're not sure what a particular stitch looks like or how to do it, you can use the Index in the User's Guide. Let's say that you've heard of the Candlewicking stitch, but have no idea what that is.  Use the Index in the built-in User's Guide and you'll find an explanation. 

I can't believe how much detail is in the User's Guide, but more importantly, how EASY it is to find the information. 

The information including clear diagrams is well laid out, concise and easy to understand. I'm very impressed with this feature and it's for this reason, that I'm quite happy to NOT have access to the paper version. 

Candlewicking stitch

However, if you would like to browse the User's Guide by chapter as you would the hard copy, then that option is available as well. Simply use the Table of Contents button in the top right and the Table of Contents will appear. Choose the chapter you would like to read and you can read through the User's Guide page by page as if you were reading the hard copy. 

Table of Contents for the built-in User's Guide

I know that some of you are saying "But I want to browse through the User's Guide but I don't want to sit at the sewing machine to do that." My computer and the Designer EPIC are not in the same location and I wanted to have access to the User's Guide to help me write this blog post. I simply went to the Husqvarna Viking website where I was able to download the entire User's Guide in a .pdf version onto my iPad.

Now I'm able to sit at the computer and browse the User's Guide as I go through various parts of the Designer EPIC.

However, here's the problem with the hard copy on the iPad. The .pdf version is static. So if I'm looking for a specific topic, I have to look through the Index at the back of the User's Guide, then I have to flip to that page. If I'm using the on-screen version on the sewing machine, I can pull up the Index and the topic is immediately in front of me. 

There are times when one version will be better than the other. The exciting thing is that there are options and I'm all for options. We all have our own style of working and having the option to take the User's Guide and browse through it while away from the sewing machine or browsing through it as you attempt a task at the sewing machine - it's nice to know we have options.

There's so much more to explore with the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC, but I think I've covered enough ground for today. Besides, I really want to read the User's Guide from cover to cover and parts of it I'll read on my iPad, and other parts, I'll read as I'm sitting at the sewing machine and other parts, I'll probably read in both places. The information contained in it is amazing and let's not forget all the information that's contained in the JoyOS advisor.

Make sure to come back tomorrow when I'll be reviewing some more of the built-in features and then on Friday, I'll get into some sewing techniques.

Have a great day! Ciao!

Outstanding design features of the HV Designer EPIC

Welcome back. Can you believe all those fabulous features on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC? Everywhere you look on this sewing/embroidery machine, there's a new or redesigned feature that's going to make your sewing and quilting tasks a whole lot easier!

Today, we're going to look at a few more features and I have to confess that I got a bit obsessed with one of them. Just wait.

Husqvarana Viking Designer EPIC

Function Panel

While there are a lot of new features on the Designer EPIC, there are a lot of returning favorites and some of those are found on the Function Panel. The functions are located in two separate areas - one to the left of the needle and one to the right. The Function Panel below is located to the left of the needle and contains:

Automatic Needle Threader: Yes, that's exactly what this does. You place the thread in the Automatic Needle Threader, hit the button on the function panel and the needle gets threaded automatically. Even I, who always has trouble with needle threaders, made it work the first time.

Stitch Restart: If you stop in the middle of a stitch sequence, simply hit this function to reset the sewing machine to the start of the stitch sequence. This is an absolute must for decorative stitches.

Speed + and - : There are 5 different speed levels. I love having that many options as some sewing techniques work well at top speed and some sewing techniques require a slower speed. I love being able to use this function rather than use the foot control to control my speed.

Needle Stop Up/Down: One of my all-time favorite features! You stop sewing and the needle remains in the fabric. Excellent for decorative stitching, free motion quilting, and many other techniques.

Cut Function: The sewing machine will cut both your top and bobbin threads, lift the presser foot and raise the needle.

Reverse: The sewing machine sews in reverse when activated.

Function panel

Automatic Needle Threader

Five speed levels

This is the second half of the Function Panel which is on the right side of the needle.

START/STOP: Instead of using the foot control, this function stops and starts the sewing machine which is perfect for long rows of stitching, in particular, decorative stitching.

FIX: This is used to tie off the beginning and/or ending of a row of stitching. This is a must for applique and decorative stitching.

STOP: It stops the stitching at the end of a stitch sequence. This is such a handy function when using the decorative stitches. You don't know where the stitch sequence ends but hit the STOP button and the EPIC will complete the current stitch sequence and stop.

REVERSE: Same as the reverse on the other half of the function panel.

Presser Foot Down and Pivot: Use this button to lower and raise the presser foot. Used in conjunction with the Needle Up/down, this function will raise the presser foot ever so slightly when you stop and this allows you to pivot without touching the presser foot. This function makes applique so much easier.

Presser Foot Up and Extra Lift: Use this button to raise the presser foot. There are two different heights so if you need some extra lift to get that bulky item under the presser foot, just tap the button twice.

I can't say enough about all of these Functions. I've had the good fortune of using a number of these functions for years and I welcome the newer ones. Whenever I sew on a machine that doesn't have these features, I'm lost and I feel the quality of my work is compromised.

Functions to the right of the needle

Use the Presser Foot Down and Presser Foot Up functions to raise and lower the presser foot

Accessory Tray

I'm going to confess right up front that I got carried away with the Accessory Tray. While Accessory Trays usually have little compartments for various tools and accessories, every other tray that I've ever seen pales in comparison to this Accessory Tray. Again - another brilliant design and you can tell that the group of sewers that helped design the Designer EPIC were tough and they were thorough.

Let me show you what I mean.

Designer EPIC without the Accessory Tray

Let's start with a top view of the Accessory Tray. The first thing we notice is that there's a Needle Plate in the bottom. Two Needle Plates come with the Designer EPIC (more on them later) and since you can only have one on the machine at a time, you need a place to store the second one.

A very nicely designed space allows the second Needle Plate to be snapped in place at the bottom of the Accessory Tray.

Top view of the Accessory Tray

Now let's open up the Accessory Tray to see what's inside. 

Accessory Tray opened up

Needle Plate firmly snapped into place

Instead of just having little compartments, there are compartments that are sized to hold specific items. In this picture below, you can see that packs of needles will fit in that narrow space. This is so much better than having to dig them out from beneath a bunch of other loose items!

Storage space specifically for needles

Two larger compartments for bigger items

And look - there's even a notched holder so the Sensor One-Step buttonhole Foot can sit without getting into the mess of the rest of the items.

Notched holder for the Sensor One-Step Buttonhole Foot

Specific slots for the presser feet and bobbins

The bobbin holder is removable, but even better it's made of a soft material so the bobbins stay in the holder. No danger of opening the Accessory Tray cover and having bobbins fly all over the place. 

The bobbin holder is removable

The C foot comes with a little pin on the back of it and a special slot has been made in the Accessory Tray so it sits properly without bouncing around.

Notch on the bottom of the C foot

A hole in the tray to accommodate the notch

And it sits nicely with the rest of the feet

As I mentioned yesterday, the bobbin cover has a lot of markings on it which is perfect to help you line up your work. The multiple markings ensure that whatever the width of your seam allowance, you're sure to find one that corresponds to your current project. 

Variety of seam guides on the bobbin cover

There are many features and functions on the Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC that are so amazing. The more I discovered, the more I was very impressed with the design of the sewing machine. I haven't even sewn on it yet, nor have we looked into all the functions within the multi-touch screen and let's not forget that the EPIC is also an embroidery machine. 

Yes - this is a pretty amazing sewing/embroidery machine. Tomorrow, we're going to check out some of the electronic features which will blow you away!

Have a great day!  Ciao!