Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby Review

I had read and heard a lot about different models of the Husqvarna/Viking Ruby, but it wasn’t until visiting the Factory Sew-Vac that I actually had an opportunity to review one.

Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby

The model they had on display was the Designer Ruby, a combination sewing and embroidery machine with nearly 1000 total utility, decorative, quilt and alphanumeric stitch options.

At A Glance

One of the first things I noticed about the Designer Ruby was the fact that there was no on board stitch selection guide. I had become accustomed to this feature being on nearly all of the machines in the Husqvarna/Viking sewing and embroidery line.

Conveniently situated function touch pads

The Designer Ruby has all of the significant features, however: a monochromatic LCD touch screen with a side-mounted stylus to use when selecting stitches, adjusting stitch length and width and performing other tasks on the touch screen.

There are on board LED lights that assure you of a well-lit work surface with no shadows. Conveniently situated function touch pads above the needle include start/stop; presser foot up/down; needle position; design stop; fix; and speed control.

There is also a butterfly needle plate with seam guides on both sides of the needle; an on board ruler that gives measurements in both inches and centimeters; and a drop feed lever conveniently located on the front of the machine.

Features

• Nearly 1000 decorative and utility stitch options
  • 18 specialty stitch menus
  • 6 alphanumeric sewing fonts
  • 4 alphanumeric embroidery fonts in different sizes
  • More than 300 embroidery designs
  • 147 on board designs
  • 175 embroidery designs on CD

  2 USB ports

• Sensor presser foot lift
• Sensor presser foot pressure
• Sensor presser foot pivot
• Automatic jump stitch trim
• Needle up/down
• On board thread cutters for upper thread and bobbin winder
• On board needle threader
• Free arm
• On board accessory storage with removable bobbin tray
• Function controls
• Needle positon
• Start/stop
• Thread cut
• Design stop
• Fix
• Presser foot up/down
• On board ruler in centimeters and inches
• Butterfly needle plate with seam guides on both sides of the needle
• Bright LED lights
• On board help
• Adjustable stitch length and width
• Memory and file manager
• Rotate design in 1o increments
• 2 USB ports

Working on the Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby

The main thing to remember is this machine will not operate in the sewing mode if the embroidery unit is attached. If the unit is attached when you turn the machine on, and you want to sew, you must remove it before you do anything else.

On board guides make winding the bobbin and threading the Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby as easy as possible. One the threads are in place, the next task is to identify the type of fabric you are working with.

On board guides make winding the bobbin and threading as easy as possible

Buttons on the lower edge of the touchpad on the column are designated to identify fabrics as follows:

18 different stitch menus to choose from

A – lightweight woven
B – medium weight woven
C – heavy woven
D – lightweight knit
E – medium weight knit
F – heavy weight knit
G – leather/suede/vinyl

After determining the type of fabric you will be working with, the next step is to select your stitch. There are 18 different stitch menus to choose from.

Use the menu button on the touch screen to identify the menu your stitch is located in. This could be a challenge since there is no on-board stitch selection guide. There is, however, a separate user’s guide which shows each stitch and the menu where it is located.

The good news is once you determine which stitch you want and make your selection, the touch screen immediately shows you what the stitch will look like, which presser foot to use, and the default length and width settings which can be adjusted to suit your specific needs by using the plus and minus signs closest to the length or width icons.

I sampled several utility and decorative stitch options and was pleased with the results as well as the way the Designer Ruby handled. There is no vibration and very little noise.

I have no doubt that if I were working in a room where a television or radio was on, I would not have to increase the volume in order to hear comfortably.

The quality of the stitches was very, very good. In fact, much better than some other machines I have reviewed in the same category as the Designer Ruby.

Good quality of the stitches

Fabrics

• Natural fibers/cotton-linen-wool
• Fine fabrics/silk-satin-taffeta/velvet
• Knits
• Synthetic fabrics/blends-rayon-polyester
• Leather/suede
• Fur
• Reptile skin
• Canvas/Twill
• Plastic/Rubber
• Extra thick fabrics or multiple layers

Accessories

• 12 Snap on presser feet
  • Utility foot
  • Decorative stitch foot
  • Buttonhole foot
  • Blindhem foot
  • Zipper foot
  • Non-stick glide foot
  • Edging foot
  • Quilting foot
  • Embroidery/darning foot
  • Side motion foot
  • Decorative stitch foot
  • Sensor one-step buttonhole foot with self-adhesive glide pads

Accessories

• Stylus
• Thread net
• Edge/ Quilting guide
• Felt pad (2)
• USB embroidery stick (1 GB)
• Screwdriver
• Seam ripper
• Lint Brush
• 4 spool caps (2 large/1 medium/1 small)
• Spool cap, medium
• Multipurpose tool/ Button reed
• 16 Hoop clips
• 11 Bobbins
• Pictogram™ Pen
• 2 Embroidery hoops
  • DESIGNER™ Royal Hoop (360×200)
  • DESIGNER™ Splendid Square Hoop (120×120)1:8
• 5D™ Embroidery Machine Communication CD
• Carrying Case (attached on the machine upon delivery)
• Scissors
• USB PC cable
• Needles
• Embroidery thread
• Sample fabric and stabilizer
• DESIGNER RUBY™ Sampler book

Maintenance

Tying Off The Loose Ends

The Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby is one of those sewing and embroidery machines that you can’t help but like. It isn’t nearly as costly as the Designer Diamond Deluxe or other sewing and embroidery machines made by Husqvarna/Viking.

It doesn’t have many of the features that some of them may have, and offer fewer stitch options, but with a total of almost 1000 stitches to choose from, who’s counting? Could you really use all of those stitches anyway?

My guess is most people who purchase machines with so many stitch options will probably play around until they find a few that they really like and stick with those nearly all the time.

Like most other computerized sewing and embroidery machines, I do not recommend the Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby for beginners of any age.

I do, however, believe this is an excellent choice for anyone who likes machine embroidery and is in the market for a machine that perhaps costs a little less than the top of the line Designer Diamond Deluxe.

The Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby has all of the plusses that one would expect from a computerized sewing and embroidery machine. My only hesitation is the fact that there is no on board stitch selection guide.

No on board stitch selection guide

One would think that with so many choices, the manufacturer would make choosing a stitch as easy as possible for the user. Like I said, there is a detailed guide inside the user’s manual.

That means, though, that you must constantly keep the manual at your side. The only alternative is to sit down and scroll through every single stitch menu every time you want to change a stitch.

No doubt, you will get accustomed to the groupings and in time be able to go directly to the menu you want, but that takes time that some people may not want to spend on such a mundane task. This is why I give it only three stars for ease of operation.

Aside from that drawback, I think this is a very good machine – one that just about anyone would be pleased with and proud to own. Anyone who knows their way around a sewing machine will likely be very happy with the Husqvarna/Viking Designer Ruby.

Bear in mind, though, that this machine is definitely not to be used by children younger than 12 or 14 years of age, and I repeat it isn’t for the beginner of any age.

There are lots and lots of sewing and embroidery machines on the market today. Some are very good and some are so bad you will want to toss it out the window within one hour of opening the carton.

If you are seriously considering purchasing a new sewing and embroidery machine, I urge you to visit your local Husqvarna/Viking dealer and ask for a demonstration of the Designer Ruby before making a final decision as to which machine to introduce to your sewing room.