Solaris 2 Upgrade Bonus: Stitch‑in‑the‑Ditch and Continuous Border Quilting

Primer: What This Upgrade Unlocks

The Solaris 2 upgrade showcases two power moves for finish work: (1) precise stitch-in-the-ditch using the Digital Dual Feed with a dedicated ditch foot and an endpoint stop, and (2) continuous border quilting assembled from auto-segmented pieces sized to your project and hoop. These two tasks remove guesswork and produce sharp, repeatable results on a domestic embroidery machine.

Why it matters: stitch-in-the-ditch locks layers and defines piecing without drawing attention to the stitch line, while a continuous border frames the composition and ties your motif together. When the machine handles stopping at corners and segmenting long borders into hoopable sections, you can focus on alignment, thread choices, and consistency. magnetic hoops for embroidery machines

Where this applies: wall hangings, garments with panel details, and any small quilt or decorative piece that benefits from crisp seam definition and a coordinated, quilted border.

Constraints and assumptions: You’ll need basic embroidery familiarity and your project hooped. The example shown uses a 23 x 16 inch wall hanging with a 1.5 inch border stitched using the 7x14 magnetic hoop.

Prep: Tools, Materials, and Measurements

Tools and accessories

• Baby Lock Solaris 2

• Digital Dual Feed Foot

• Stitch-in-the-Ditch accessory foot (or a regular stitch-in-the-ditch foot)

• 7x14 magnetic hoop

• Scissors and needle threader

• A small sheet of paper for alignment visibility

Materials

• Your project fabric (e.g., a wall hanging)

• Thread (single or multi-color depending on the sashing design)

Project specifics from the demo

• Wall hanging overall: 23 inches by 16 inches

• Border width: 1.5 inches

• Sashing fill: design #3

• Total segmented pieces: 12 when sized for the example and hoop

Quick check

• Measurements written down? Border width decided? Hoop chosen? If yes, you’re set. magnetic embroidery hoop

Prep checklist

• [ ] Fabric is hooped and secured in the 7x14 field

• [ ] Dual feed and stitch-in-the-ditch foot nearby

• [ ] Measurements (length, width, border width) at hand

• [ ] Thread loaded and bobbin checked

• [ ] Paper sheet ready for alignment

Setup: Configure Your Sashing Border

On the Solaris 2, go to Embroidery, then Sashing Fills. Select design #3. Choose Border (not “connect all four”), since you’ll place sides and corners as segmented runs. Enter your project’s length and width (example: 23 and 16). Set the border width to 1.5. Select the 7x14 magnetic hoop so the machine auto-segments the layout into pieces that fit your frame.

Watch out

• Enter the correct hoop before you proceed. The hoop choice controls how the design is broken into pieces. A wrong hoop equals wrong segmentation. babylock magnetic embroidery hoops

Rationale behind every choice

• Sashing fill #3: visually suited the example and stitches efficiently.

• Border vs. connect-all-four: Border gives you per-side control and clear corner handling.

• Border width: 1.5 inches creates a visible frame without overpowering a 23 x 16 wall hanging.

- Hoop selection: tells the machine your stitchable field so it can compute how many sections to generate (12 in this example).

Setup checklist

• [ ] Sashing design selected (#3)

• [ ] Border type set (not connect-all-four)

• [ ] Length, width, and border width entered

• [ ] Hoop set to 7x14

• [ ] Segment count confirmed on screen

Operation: Stitch-in-the-Ditch, Then Quilt the Border

Part 1 — Stitch-in-the-Ditch with Endpoint Precision

1) Mount the Digital Dual Feed with the stitch-in-the-ditch foot. The guide rides in the seam so you can “steer” the needle in the ditch. 2) Enable the endpoint setting for sewing. Place the endpoint marker at the exact stop point—your corner.

3) Sew along the ditch to the endpoint. The machine stops at your mark. Lift the foot, pivot, realign in the new ditch, set the next endpoint, and continue.

Outcome expectation - The stitch line disappears into the seam. Each line ends exactly in the corner for clean, square pivots.

Pro tip

• If you prefer, a regular stitch-in-the-ditch foot can substitute for the dual-feed setup; the dual feed simply improves control on layered projects. embroidery magnetic hoop

Part 2 — Save and Load the Border Design

1) After sizing and choosing the hoop in Embroidery, press Memory to save your configured border set. 2) Load the saved file (e.g., labeled 16x23) from memory. 3) Follow prompts to attach the embroidery frame; the machine will cue you to begin in the upper-right corner.

Quick check

• Does the file name match your entered dimensions? If yes, proceed.

Part 3 — Align and Stitch the First Segment

1) Position the hooped project so the first segment’s start point lands at your chosen corner (upper-right in the example). The on-screen move keys let you nudge placement. 2) Use the paper trick: slide a small sheet under the needle to see the projected stitch landmarks more clearly against busy fabric. Align at the top and bottom edges of the run.

3) Start stitching the first segment and monitor the first few inches to confirm path accuracy.

Outcome expectation

• The first border leg anchors perfectly at the corner and tracks straight, matching the sashing fill preview.

Watch out

• If the project was hooped a bit crooked, compensate by rotating the design slightly on the screen before you stitch. magnetic frames for embroidery machine

Part 4 — Connect the Dots: Subsequent Segments

1) When the machine displays “Embroidery is finished,” tap OK to load the next segment. 2) Use the rotate keys to fine-tune the new segment so its start and end points meet the stitched piece cleanly. Verify both the top and bottom alignment before sewing. 3) If your sashing is multi-color, make thread changes as prompted.

Outcome expectation

• The join line is seamless. Motifs align at both ends without gaps or overlaps.

Operation checklist

• [ ] First corner landed precisely

• [ ] Each new segment rotated/eased to match the last stitches

• [ ] Top and bottom edges verified with paper trick

• [ ] Thread changes completed as prompted

Pro tip

• Practice on a small placemat before a larger project; you’ll master the rhythm of connecting segments without using much thread.

Quality Checks: What “Good” Looks Like

Corner integrity

• Ditch stitches end exactly at corners with no overshoot; pivots look square.

Alignment consistency

• Each border segment meets the previous one with continuous motif flow—no step, gap, or overlap.

Edge parallelism

• The border tracks parallel to the project edges from start to finish. Use the paper-assisted preview to confirm at both top and bottom before committing each segment.

Thread transitions

• On multi-color fills, color changes begin/end where the machine expects; there are no mid-motif interruptions.

Quick check

• Scan the entire perimeter. Any segment that drifted? Re-evaluate hoop angle and on-screen rotation before the next piece. magnetic hoops

Results & Handoff

Deliverables

• A fully stitched-in-the-ditch interior that stabilizes and defines your piecing.

• A continuous sashing border sized to your project, segmented to your 7x14 field, and stitched edge-to-edge.

Care and next steps

• Press lightly from the back if desired, avoiding deep heat on textured quilting. Trim jump threads as needed.

• Save your configuration file in memory for future projects using the same dimensions and border width.

Sharing and documentation

• Note the design number (sashing #3), border width (1.5), and segment count (12) in your project journal for quick reuse. magnet hoop

Troubleshooting & Recovery

Symptom: Stitches don’t end precisely at the corner in ditch quilting

• Likely cause: Endpoint not set exactly on the corner.

• Fix: Re-place the endpoint marker at the stop point and retry; lift, pivot, and reset for the next leg.

Symptom: A border segment looks skewed relative to the previous one

• Likely cause: The project was hooped slightly crooked.

• Fix: Use on-screen rotate to align the new segment’s top and bottom to the stitched line before starting.

Symptom: Gap or overlap at the join between segments

• Likely cause: Alignment was verified at one end only.

• Fix: Always check both top and bottom edges using the paper visibility trick. Adjust with move/rotate until both ends match.

Symptom: Wrong number of segments generated

• Likely cause: Entered hoop does not match the one on the machine.

• Fix: Re-enter project dimensions and border width, then select the correct 7x14 hoop so the machine can compute accurate segmentation. magnetic hoop embroidery

Symptom: Hard to see the laser/projection on dark or patterned fabric

• Likely cause: Insufficient contrast.

• Fix: Place a small sheet of paper under the needle to observe alignment. Remove before stitching.

Quick isolation tests

• Hooping vs. rotation: If an alignment test shows consistent offset along the entire run, it’s hoop angle—use rotate. If only one end is off, adjust placement with move keys.

• Border width check: If the border looks too narrow or wide, confirm the 1.5 inch entry before proceeding with more segments.

From the comments

Community note

• A viewer asked for the store’s Facebook link. The store replied with: https://www.facebook.com/35thAveSewVac

This doesn’t affect technique, but it’s a handy way to follow more upgrade ideas and shop accessories referenced here. magnetic hoops for babylock embroidery machines

Appendix: Fast Reference Steps

• Ditch quilting

1) Mount Digital Dual Feed + stitch-in-the-ditch foot 2) Set endpoint on your corner 3) Sew to the endpoint, lift, pivot, repeat

• Border quilting

1) Embroidery → Sashing Fills → #3 2) Choose Border 3) Enter 23 (L) and 16 (W) 4) Set border width to 1.5 5) Select 7x14 hoop and note segment count (≈12) 6) Save to memory and load the file 7) Align first segment at upper-right corner 8) Use paper to verify top/bottom 9) Stitch, load next segment, rotate as needed, repeat

Pro tip

• Build confidence on a quick seasonal placemat before committing to a larger quilted wall hanging. magnetic embroidery hoops for babylock