QUILTsocial | Issue 08

Because stitch patterns execute in the
center of a presser foot, aligning the
applique edge to the obvious center
guide isn’t practical – here you can see
how the right stitch of the pattern is
too far away from the edge instead of
hugging it as it should (I used the opentoe
embroidery foot to give you a clear
view of the needle position).
Touching the edit/stitch switching key
from here gives you this screen:
By default, stitches locate in the center of the
presser foot, not always the optimal location for
easy guiding.
Offsetting it would really make life easier
– and that’s what the L/R Shift feature
does: it lets you move a whole pattern
left or right by 0.25mm increments!
This is the manual adjustment screen on the
NQ3500D – among other adjustments, here’s
where you can shift your stitch left or right.
I chose three stitches: a blanket stitch
(10-20), one of the hemstitches (3-05),
and a blind applique (1-34). I played with
stitch length, width and that awesome
L/R Shift to achieve just the look I wanted
– and that blind stitch is barely visible – so
perfect! The precision that feature offers
me for edge work is fantastic!
For the next little while I’m just going to
play with stitches and try out the tools in
the stitch screen and the editing screen.
These screens offer some neat options;
so let me give you a quick primer on
what they contain, starting with the
stitch screen:
Traditional and contemporary quilter’s applique
stitches: the nearly invisible blind applique, blanket
stitch applique, and the angled blanket stitch
The stitch screen makes the most basic but useful
stitch tools conveniently available.
Most of the icons on this screen are
self-explanatory; along the bottom row,
however, we have from left to right:
• auto-pivot: I love this one! It’s an
automated substitute for the knee
lifter. With it highlighted, whenever
you stop sewing, the needle sinks,
the foot rises, and you can adjust your
fabric direction. It’s so helpful when
navigating curves and corners! I’m
keeping it turned on for this project!
• auto-reinforcement: I use this a lot,
more on this later.
• auto-thread cutter: another favorite of
mine that we’ll employ in the next article.
• save to memory: developed the
perfect stitch settings or stitch
combination? Save it to memory to
use again and again…
• image: this key shows you an
enlarged image of your selected
pattern
• edit/stitch switching key (this one gets
you in and out of the editing screen).
Keeping your most-needed tools at the ready, the
NQ3500D’s stitch screen is clear and intuitively
set up.
Now this screen holds the stitch toys,
which are well-detailed in the manual:
• free motion mode: this sets the
presser foot height for free motion
work (must lower feed dogs to use
this correctly)
• mirror image: horizontally mirror
image most stitches
• back to beginning: partway through
a pattern and want to start over?
Press this button!
• single/repeat mode: sew
continuously or just a single pattern
using this
• size selection: choose between
preset L/S pattern sizes where
available
• variable key: this one changes
depending on the selected stitch; it
can offer pattern elongation, density,
or character spacing control
• step stitch keys: this key uses the
sideways feed to shift patterns left
or right
So now, after a couple of hours of
playing with all of these goodies, I now
have a nearly-complete sampler (I’ve left
some room for next foray).
Q
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UILTsocial
| issue 8 13