PRIMAVERA BLOM

New block from Embroidery Traditions.
This design collection is created especially for the Bernina 830 large hoop size!
Each block is gorgeous!

Multi-Hoop Project

Now here is a free design from Kennys Kreations. They have a beautiful Baltimore Album quilt collection available and this is a free offering to go with those blocks. For the 830 it is 2 hoopings and for the other Bernina machines it is 3 hoopings. Beautiful applique. The designers are a lovely Mother and daughter from Australia and I was fortunate to meet them in person at Quilt Market in Houston the last time I went - probably 2-3 years ago. Those Australian women sure do digitize the most wonderful designs.
Speaking of Quilt Market, it is coming up next weekend in Houston. I have my list of embroidery related vendors that I want to see their projects in person. Who knows, maybe we can find a cool block of the month for embroidery! I have a new vendor for something like this and they will be there so I've got their booth number to track down.

Autumn Project

Here's a cool Autumn project that I've got everything ready - the fabric, the designs, etc. Just need to stitch out the designs.

I decided to replace the pieced leaf blocks with embroidery.

The project instructions can be found here. Courtesy of Wilmington. There's a much clearer picture on the instructions than what I'm able to show you here.

Now the design I found at Embroidery Online. The designs match the flowers in the fabric . This is the result of the feature in your Bernina software that allows you to create an image from your design work page. Look for design HE138. I think it was $8 for the single design.
Mind you this is the design twice. I duplicated, then mirrored it. I copied one or two additonal flowers to fill in some of the spots where the designs meet. I made 2 mega hoops that I would duplicate the length of the quilt top. Again, this is going in place of the pieced leaf blocks.

The fabric we have in the shop is the border fabric shown in the project and I love the autumn colors! We've also got the other fabrics as well.



Here's a better close up of the fabric to give you a better idea of the flowers and colors. I love the colors. Get your fabric today and get started!

V6 Software Class

We still have room for a couple more of you in the afternoon session on Monday, October 19th. Starts at 1pm. Let me know if you're interested and I'll reserve a spot for you. We've scheduled a daytime class in an effort to keep the class sizes smaller at your request! Any questions please let me know.

Suzanne has offered you all a wonderful discount of 20% on the upgrade for V6 so why wait? Now is the time to take advantage of this offer.

Autumn's In The Air!!

The weather is finally changing. You can just smell it. This morning when I got to work I put my tennies on and took a walk around the block. That was just before 7:30am this morning. It was nice starting out because the first half was still in the shade of the trees along the sidewalk. But I did it. Now 29 more times and it will become a habit. At least that's what the experts say. I'll get back to you on that one.


HALLOWEEN FUN

This is a fun project that you create by embroidering some basic designs with the Halloween theme. I used fun fabrics - like minkee, glitter fabrics, laces, and sheers. Even varigated threads. The width even fits on minkee so you know what the backing on mine will be. Now to make mine really fun I found these cute ribbons and charms that I'm going to use. The blocks are basic so use the walking foot for quilting the blocks and then perfect to practice using your BSR to embellish the applique designs. Then stitch the ribbons through all layers. Next is to tie the charms on. The charms can be removed for cleaning.




For the borders I thought stitching the same block 50+ times would just be wayyyyy tooo boring so here's what I did. Use your Bernina embroidery software to create the border using the mega hoop. Took 4 hoopings and each one takes 15 minutes. That's much more efficient use of your time, in my opinion. I showed those at Embroidery Club last Saturday how to hoop these but if you're interested see me and I'll show you how I created this in the software and I used version 5 for this. It's way cool that our software allows us to create an embroidery design that is 50 some inches in length when my hoop is only 14 inches!





I am also finishing up a quilt made from the bears paw block. I purchased the pattern from a gal in Australia and converted part of the sewing construction to embroidery using our software. My goal is for this to be a software class and also a quilt project class for those who just want to make the top. As I was sewing the borders on it yesterday a thought occured to me to enter it in the CottonPatch Quilt Guild quilt show in 2010. Maybe I'll get it done in time - if I do it will have been a totally unplanned event! So watch for a class on this one next year.



When we went on vacation in September can you believe I took 2 machines with me? While my 730 was embroiderying I used my 630 for piecing. I worked on at least 4 projects in the week were gone. One of those projects is my red silk quilt, all in various shades of red. I purchased the kit while at Bernina University in June. I have the backing, the border and a good number of the blocks constructed. The blocks are very basic but the hardest part was deciding which 2 colors to pair up for the blocks. If I remember correctly there are 14 different shades in all. I started off by fusing the armo weft interfacing to the back of all of the fat quarters in the kit. This provides support to the silk fabrics and stops the fraying - all without adding bulk. Silk can just unravel something awful. It sure is beautiful but I haven't worked on it since returning from vacation because I've been focused on trying to get my Halloween and the bears paw quilts done.



VERSION 6 BERNINA EMBROIDERY SOFTWARE


Yes, Bernina has finally released the latest version. This one is awesome! The introduction classes will be starting soon. If you haven't placed your order for the update contact the store so we can get your copy ordered. I think we may have finally gotten in a good majority of those that were back ordered due to the popularity of this release!

EMBROIDERY CLUB

I enjoyed everyone that brought their projects to September's embroidery club. Terry finished up her 2008 Halloween project in time for 2009! I'll tell you more about her projects later.

October Project

Shadow work guest towel. I can't find the towels locally so will need to get them ordered. Please let me know if you will be attending so I can make sure I have a towel for you. I will provide the embroidery for use during class. This is a wonderful embroidery project from my Jenny Haskings training session that I will be sharing with you all on October 24th. I'll get a picture of my towel posted very soon.

November Project

Birdhouse embroidery. One of the early projects in my embroidery days was a fun collection of birdhouses that form a village. I stitched these on the bottom of a dress that I just woreout. I will have these designs for you. When I first stitched these out I had to hoop them twice because my only hoop size was no larger than 5x7, can you believe it? Now they will fit in our regular (large) Bernina hoop sizes. Ahhh, I love the direction of our hoop sizes! I hear the 830 calling me. My Mom still has her denim shirt with the designs on it so will get a picture posted as soon as I can.

So find a shirt - denim or something along that line and bring it to stitch out some or all of this collection. They are darling.


December I think we will pass on Embroidery Club since it will be the day after Christmas.

Question for you all is if there is any interest in sewing again on New Year's Day. Do you want another mystery quilt?

BRAGGIN' CORNER

Ok, back to Terry. If you've attended any Embroidery Club you know Terry. She's the one that had her embroidery module in a box for about a year after she had purchased it. Now there's no stopping her.

The one on the left is a shawl, the middle a small table cover, and remember the project on the right? Yep, just in time for Halloween this year!!





Terry had sent these to me last year about this time.

May's Here Already!

Time to prepare for warmer weather. Darn it anyway. Wouldn't that be nice to keep the cooler weather we had recently? Oh well, no since wasting time dreaming because that's never going to happen in good ol' Bake-o-field!




May Embroidery Club


This month is a really cute pillow. I like it, ok!

PINTUCKED PILLOW PINACHE SUPPLY LIST
One corner embroidery design. Keep to no larger than 6” square. Your software has several designs that would work. Embroidery thread(s) depending on your design.
Fabric:
½ yd for pillow
1/3 yd for contrast flags
2 ¾ yd decorator insertion cording.
Sewing thread for constructing pillow. Also contrasting thread for the pintucks. Need an extra bobbin of this thread.
Pintuck foot
Appropriate twin needle (look at the little instruction sheet that came with your foot as that will tell you the needle size). Your Bernina Features books also contain this information.
Pillow form – 12"x16” form.
Tassle
Pins
Medium weight tear away stabilizer

I'll take mine into the store this week so you can see it. I used the cotton velveteen that we have for the pillow and the fabric used in the decoration flaps was also from the store. Black thread used for pin tucks and embroidery. Another nifty gift idea for your stash.

OUR BRAGGING CORNER

Our Lily has become quite the accomplished digitizer and quilter. Witness this latest project of hers.Great job Lily! Oh and we've been bragging on your project so everyone is asking you to bring it to May Embroidery Club so they can see it in person. Pretty please!!

Next is Pam. Pam always puts together the neatest fabrics and designs and is really enjoying her Bernina 830 that Santa brought her. She found these designs and thought they needed some fabric inserted and darned if she wasn't right! Don't you love her flip flops? I'd like to find some like these to wear!Things coming soon;

2009 Bernina University (BU) is scheduled on the weekend we normally have Embroidery Club. Let me know if you would be interested in moving the June meeting to June 13th, which would be a week earlier than normal.

I have a document that I put together a year ago that I will be sending out to you all. It lists all the different types of equipment/methods used to communicate with our machines. I ran acrossed it in my files and so have updated it and will share it with you.

New quilt project in the works. This will be one that you can digitize it or purchase the embroidery designs - you choose!

UPDATES

Don't forget the May block from http://willowberrydesigns.typepad.com/willowberry_designs/

Just today, Sheryl has posted a preview of June's block.

See you soon!

Willowberry Updated 4/2/2009

Click on the picture above to link to the Willowberry page for block 4 in this darling collection. Those at Embroidery Club in March saw the first 3 clocks that my Mom had completed. If stitching by hand you only need a single strand of floss because these are so finely drawn. Just darling.

Becky