Now that the weather is cold and the days are short you're probably spending more time inside. Considering how busy our schedules tend to be, how would you like a little extra time to enjoy sewing on your BERNINA and less time cooking in the kitchen? If so, I've got a fast, fun, (inexpensive) luxurious pillow project just perfect for gift-giving and a delicious slow cooker recipe you've got to try! (Recipe at the end of this blog.)

You can whip up this luxurious, yet quick-to-stitch pillow in just a few hours on your BERNINA and it will look like something from an expensive designer showroom. Perfect to give to someone special for a birthday, shower, or house-warming gift. Many furniture stores will give you their upholstery samples and remnants when they have been discontinued. Just ask the next time you're out shopping for furniture, or give the manager of your favorite store a call.

1) I combined all the soup ingredients and put them in the slow cooker.

2) I sorted through upholstery fabric samples and came up with an eye-catching palette.

3) I cut them into 5" squares...

4) ... and stitched them together in a simple patchwork pattern using a 1/2" seam allowance.

5) After pressing, I used a lightweight, fusible interfacing to keep the seams open and to keep the fraying edges from raveling too much.

6) I topstitched the seams using a variety of decorative stitches on my BERNINA 730E with rayon thread. I added fringe for a special touch. Perfect - fast and fun!

7) Now, I'm off to enjoy a bowl of delicious Yummy Cheeseburger Soup!

Prep Time: 20 minutes; cook 8-10 hours (low) or 4-5 hours (high); makes 6 servings

Ingredients

• 1 to 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 2 tbsps minced garlic
• 1 small bag frozen cut carrots
• 1 large potato, cubed (optional)
• Two 10.75 cans condensed cheddar cheese soup
• Two 14 ounce cans beef broth
• 3/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
• 1 dill pickle, diced (optional)

Brown the ground beef, onion and garlic in a skillet and drain off excess fat.

In your slow cooker, add beef mixture and all remaining ingredients except shredded cheddar cheese and pickle.

Cover and cook on low or high heat as directed above.

Now go sew until the soup is ready!

Top each serving with shredded cheese and pickle. Serve and enjoy!

I scanned the pattern pieces of the upper front, lower front, and upper back panels into v6 DesignerPlus BERNINA Embroidery Software, then used them as templates for combining designs and auditioning placement before sending the completed arrangements to the embroidery system. No more guessing - it's just that simple!

The knit jacket was constructed with exposed seams using a three-thread serger stitch and threads that matched the embroidery designs and color of the jacket. I love the serger - it adds such a professional look to garments and really made this jacket quick and easy to assemble. This pattern lends itself to many possibilities and I can't wait to serge up another!

Use your BERNINA Embroidery Software to create a unique Valentine's Day card with printed three-dimensional embroidery and drop shadow text.

File > Open > C: My Designs > Embroidery Software 6 > Seasons > Hd215.ART60.

Select the Art Canvas tab and Zoom Out (F3)

Drag a guideline from the ruler on the top of the screen out to the page center. Look for the "0" on the left ruler indicating the center of the page; click. Now drag a guideline out from the ruler to the left, to the page center. Look for the "0" on the top ruler; click.

Select the Text icon, click an empty area of the workspace, and type "Be My Valentine." Drag your cursor over the text to select it, and choose a text that appeals to you from the dropdown menu at the top of the page. (I used Cooper Black.)

Click on the Select icon. Select and then move the text into the bottom right panel.

I added a drop shadow to the text. Click on the drop shadow icon and follow the directions in the Hints Docker Panel to click and drag a shadow.

To correctly position the embroidery, select the Embroidery Canvas tab. Select the design and move into position beneath the text. Select the Art Canvas tab to preview the card.

Select File > Print. The 3D embroidery and drop shadow print beautifully!

Fold the card in half and in half again. Fits a standard No. 5 1/2 envelope.

I had so much fun using the BERNINA Embroidery Software Quilter program to create "Going in Circles." The pattern I chose was the Drunkard's Path, and I used the software to audition how I wanted the blocks to go together.

I used a 4-thread overlock stitch to piece the quilt together, and a combination of chain- and cover-stitching to quilt the blocks. "Going in Circles" was stitched on a BERNINA 1300 MDC, but other sergers with these stitches could also be used. King Tut by Superior Threads was used in the needles and coverstitch looper, with Pearl Crown Rayon by YLI in the chainstitch looper.

Ed: Instructions for this quilt will be posted at www.berninausa.com in the near future.

Be sure and save all your leather scraps since you can always use the small scraps to make small purses or accessory totes. I think that I might make a patchwork tote and use some of my decorative stitches to piece the patches together. Do you have other ideas for projects with leather scraps?

Ed: For even more tips on sewing leather, see Debbi's article - "Embroidered Leather Vest" in issue #33 of BERNINA of America's Through the Needle magazine.

What a great time I had at the BERNINA Sewing Station at Cool Spring in Brentwood, Tennessee. With a full class of students we had four hours of great fun. This project was totally different from my usual children's sewing. We learned about so many accessory feet while making this Sewing Notions Bottle Cozy. I kept them hopping so they all went home with their completed cozies wrapped around cold bottles of water!

Download instructions for your own Sewing Notions Bottle Cozy by clicking HERE.

Nana says the first thing I needed to learn were the safety rules:

• Rule #1: Keep your fingers out from under the needle. My finger is much smaller than a grown-up's, and I know that needle would hurt. I also don't want to get blood on my pretty fabric.
• Rule #2: Wear safety glasses. I'm having a problem with that rule because we can't find safety glasses for children. My face is a lot closer to the needle than a grown-up's, so it would be easier for a needle to hit me if it broke.
• Rule #3: Don't eat or drink near the machine. Water and electric don't mix, and I don't want to get peanut butter on my pretty fabric either.

I think sewing machines are neat. To be able to sew, you need to learn all the things the machine can do first. I really had fun with that. Nana said to just practice with the stitches first, then I could worry about keeping things straight. I learned which buttons to push to make a LOT of stitches. Nana has about a million colors of thread, so I changed thread a lot to make the stitches look pretty. I practiced that for a couple of hours and even my practice material looked beautiful. I kept it and took it to school to show my teacher. She couldn't believe a little kid could make such pretty patterns. I told her that little kids can do a lot of things.

My Nana is a member of ASG. I can't remember exactly what that stands for (Nana's note: American Sewing Guild), but I know she has a lot of sewing friends there. They have a challenge and I'm going to enter it. They only have one pattern for kids and it is for a girl. I don't know what a boy would do if he wanted to sew, but that is another problem.

A challenge is where you try to learn something so you can do it better. So I have to learn to sew better while I'm making it. I have to change the pattern. I'm changing the pattern from a dress to a nightgown and bathrobe. I drew my ideas out and am learning how to make the changes in the pattern. That part is hard! I'd rather be back sewing. But it is learning something new. I would like to blog more about working on my challenge. So each time I work on a new section, I will write about it and send pictures.

These pictures are of me looking at the pattern and the fabric I picked for my challenge and of me practicing stitches on my... or rather on Nana's new sewing machine.

Signed, "The Fashionista," Tori

Ed: Linda Stewart is a couture fashion designer, member of ASG, and the proud grandmother of Tori, age 6.

One of my favorite fabrics to wear is velvet, not just for dressy occasions, but for casual tops and blouses, too. Sewing with velvet used to intimidate me because it was so slippery and would creep and crawl, and it just plain drove me crazy. So after many futile attempts, I researched all the methods of basting velvet and even wrote an article for Threads magazine which described five methods of basting. And then I discovered OESD's 505 Temporary Spray Adhesive and it changed my life! I no longer baste velvets, in fact I don't even pin them together. I spray a light mist of adhesive on the seam allowance, put the two pieces together, and stitch away. By the time I take the fabric to my pressing surface to steam the seam, the adhesive has dissapated. It's a miracle!

Looking for a way to help your community in 2010? It's as easy as making a pillowcase and donating it to a local charity - a nursing home, women's shelter, homeless shelter, children's hospital, Child Welfare Services, ... the list goes on and on.

BERNINA has partnered with American Patchwork & Quilting to sponsor the One Million Pillowcase Challenge, a year-long challenge to make and donate a million (or more!) pillowcases to local charities all over the country. Visit www.allpeoplequilt.com/millionpillowcases for free pillowcase patterns and a map of special events and participating BERNINA stores.

Keep track of the success of the challenge by watching the counter go up and up! We're three weeks into 2010, with over 9000 pillowcases donated - we need to do better than that to make the 1 million goal! Next time you're at your sewing machine, how about stitching together a pillowcase or two?

I used a stabilizer relatively new to OESD's lineup - AquaTear. This product is a biodegradable tear-away stabilizer, so it gives lots of support to the stitches during the embroidery process. But when you get through, drop it in the washer and all the little bits and pieces rinse away!

I used a product from Designs in Machine Embroidery called MagnaQuilts and Borders, and boy, was I amazed at how easy "endless" embroidery is with this hoop! I had used the hoop before, but I was using it to hold the quilt layers as I stitched the embroidery designs to quilt the three layers together.

I used the BERNINA 830 to create the Endless Embroidery design. The last color change stitches two "X" marks. All I had to do was lift up the top part of the hoop, slide the fabric up, and place the upper portion of the hoop in place. The first color change of the next set of designs sews the first two "X" marks. The machine prompts you to adjust the needle position as necessary to align this set of "X" marks with those previously stitched. With this hoop, you can adjust the fabric instead of moving the design itself. It is soooo easy!

Ed - This project - Nancy Bednar's Reeds & Grasses Tablerunner - first appeared in our blog on June 16, 2009. Kay's assignment was to create four copies that will travel with our T-n-T programs throughout 2010. We all loved Nancy's project so much that we decided to take it on the road! For complete instructions for making your own Reeds & Grasses Tablerunner visit www.berninausa.com.

My first attempt with the CutWork Tool was a bit shakeeee! But I had success after Amanda Whitlatch gave me some pointers; I watched the CutWork Webinar and that was a big help also. I have experience with embroidery of all kinds.

Much to my surprise, the Cutwork Tool likes crisp stabilizer instead of soft. I usually pick soft. I ironed Trans-Web fusible web to the back of my applique fabric - Trans-Web has a removeable paper backing. Before taking off the backing I hooped the stabilized fabric - fabric side up and paper side down - much as I would hoop for regular machine embroidery.

After I followed the directions on the CutWork Webinar and in the manual, I used the CutWork tool to cut the applique shape. Then I peeled the paper off - the applique fabric now had the iron-on material on the back.

I followed the instructions and created the embroidery applique stitches. I hooped the fabric that the applique was to be placed on. Since the applique stitch was a blanket stitch, not a dense satin stitch, I used no stabilizer under the fabric and batting. I put thread in the machine to match the fabric and stitched the applique placement lines.

When I placed the applique shape inside the placement lines, the Trans-Web was already in place on the back. I took the hoop off the machine and to the ironing board where I pressed the applique to fuse it in place. Then I put the hoop back on the machine and finished stitching the tack-down and applique stitches.

I trimmed the appliqued piece to 9.5" square and added a 3.5" border around the sides. I used a new product on the borders - Texture Magic - which shrinks the fabric and creates a textured surface.

I layered the pillow front with batting and free-motion quilted the layers with the BERNINA Stitch Regulator.

I cut a 15" square for the pillow back. I cut this in the center and inserted an invisible zipper with Invisible Zipper Foot #35. Open the zipper before you put this square the the pillow front right sides together.

Put the pillow front and back right sides together, then sew them together around the outer edge with a 1/4" to 1/2" seam allowance. Then turn right side out and fill with a 14" pillow form.

Quick and easy - I'm off to my next CutWork project!

Check out all of the entries (comments) at our Holiday Contest 2009 blog, and see photos of many of the great projects at our flickr site - Blog Holiday Contest 2009 Group. Below is a photo from EllieKiwi, showing her beautiful Santa Bags. Wouldn't you like to find one of these waiting for you on Christmas morning?

A big THANK YOU to our contest sponsors: BERNINA of America, Inc., OESD/embroideryonline.com, Brewer Sewing & Quilting Supplies, and Benartex fabrics.

Use the Endless Embroidery feature of the BERNINA 830 to easily stitch out four panels (size depends on your table). With this design, three repeats filled the hoop. After stitching, mirror image the combination to get the next set - the marks for Endless Embroidery are in the same place since the size of the design has not changed.

Tip - when aligning dark fabrics, draw on the stabilizer and the wrong side of the fabric, and match up these lines for accurate alignment with no chalk lines to remove.

Well, when I received my new BERNINA 830 sewing machine, I began to embroider like wildfire - enough to melt that snow in Michigan. The Jumbo Hoop is so liberating because of the size. I can now produce with ease large-scaled embroidery that used to require multiple hoopings. With the creative juices flowing and maybe even a hot chocolate to keep me warm, I was inspired to "refashion" the wall-hanging. Using the BERNINA 830 teamed up with BERNINA V6 Embroidery Software made this project a snap. So grab yourself a hot cocoa and start creating your own leading light!

(Instructions for this project are included in BERNINA of America's Through the Needle magazine, Issue #33, available in BERNINA stores in January 2010.)

Recently I have become a fan of the old, the antique, the historic... the elderly! Now, this is wonderful if it is in reference to one's parents, other vintage folk or fine art, but I have finally drawn the line in front of my BERNINA sewing machine.

This metal stool, without any sort of padding for the rump, and as stationary as the Rocky Mountains, has been my sewing perch for over a year. It was an original stool for the engineering department at Firestone and Rubber in the 40's. The 60's flower stitcker was new in the 60's and if I remember correctly, it was pink and green... years of tuckus's sliding on and off have rendered it colorless but still charming. The silver and green paint on the leg is from the 70's and the paint and glue spattered all over it is of mysterious vintage.

Now my birthday is coming up and my folks agreed with me that I needed something that would not cut off the circulation to my lower extremities every time I apply the gas to my BERNINA 630.

So my mother and I went to the twilight zone of lost office furniture - Morris Office Supply... Accustomed to appointing whole departments of multinational business, they were still delightfully kind to us with our one chair sewing room. After being escorted through the vastness of the new stuff, and the sorta used stuff, then the land of last cabinetry, the hall of cubicles gone bad, and the board room of scarred desks, we stepped into the darkened lair of the discarded chairs. Mismatched showroom rejects sat companionably around miscellaneous tables, some used lightly, some once brand new, all waiting patiently. With the grandeur of the new desks that move up and down on semi-magical hydraulics and even have attached treadmills still in my mind, the chairs looked downright anticlimactic until I saw back in the corner this blue wonder!

Not only is blue the color I was hoping for, but get a load of these paddles! The stool has no paddles.

This thing is the ultimate in adjustability and comfort. It even tips forward to allow my driving leg to rest comfortably in space without the least loss of feeling or circulation. And the wheels! I can scoot right and left, front and back in a decidedly stealthy fashion that fails to alert the Vintage Folk in the house to my every move. Sweet!

Wondering what you need this holiday season for your sewing room? Well, of course, a new BERNINA, but then, you have just got to get a wonderful new chair!

[Editors note: Check out the new, red BERNINA chair! Try it out at your local BERNINA store.]

It's called the clear starch alternative, and it doesn't clog, flake off, or leave a residue. I use it for pressing wrinkled fabrics and clothing, and for some sewing situations. It makes a great stabilizer for lightweight fabrics such as batiste. Just spray a light layer and press, repeating until the fabric is as "stiff" as you want. It's also great for small pressing jobs such as flattening wrinkled ribbon; just spray the ribbon, place the iron on top of it near one end, and then hold the iron down while dragging the ribbon from under it. Best Press if perfect for giving a final press to finished projects, especially linens, kid's clothes, and stitched embroidery.

Besides making it easy to press fabric and clothing, Best Press has a special stain shield that protects fabrics, and helps the fabric resist future wrinkles. If that's not enough, it comes in a variety of scents (including non-scented) and is in a non-aerosol spray bottle that doesn't hurt the Earth. It comes in two sizes, 6 oz. and 16 oz. Once you try it, you'll want to start pressing your pillowcases and your sheets!

Since both of my businesses revolve around travel, I often make travel accessories. I was honored to have my Stitch Sampler Jewelry Roll project featured in the July Through the Needle magazine (Issue #31). I hope some of you made this little project!

Is there a household move in your future? Whether you plan to move across town, across the US, or even overseas, a little planning and and proper packing will ensure your BERNINA arrives at your new destination in perfect condition ready for you to sew!

Being a military wife, I've "been there, done that" many times. I've lost count of all our moves (including two moves across the Atlantic in the last year alone!). Let me share a few great tips I've learned to help ease the transition:

• My best advice? Even if you hire a moving company to pack your household items, I suggest you pack your BERNINA sewing machine or serger yourself. The most important thing is to use the original box and foam packing material in which your BSM (BERNINA Sewing Machine) was shipped. It may seem a little tricky to get everything in place like it was packed at the factory, but if you have any questions, your friendly, local BERNINA dealer will be able to show you how everything goes together.
• Take photographs of your machine from various angles before it is packed. (Trust me on this one!)
• If there is a lot of lint build-up in the bobbin casing area, now is a good time to clean it properly. Lower the presser foot onto a piece of fabric (which also protects the feed dogs) and put the needle in the down position into the fabric.
• Gather all your accessories and most importantly, be sure to pack the power cord. (Ask me how I know.)
• If you are moving overseas, you will need to know if your BERNINA has dual (110/220) voltage and dual (50/60) hertz. This is IMPORTANT! Most of the newer BERNINA machines are dual voltage, but not all. In fact, many of the older models are not. If your BERNINA is NOT dual voltage / dual hertz, you should not run it using a transformer in foreign countries with 220v. Not sure? Check with your local BERNINA dealer and be sure.
• Don't seal the box! You must be willing to show the movers (or moving foreman) your machine and the box contents to make sure your BERNINA is actually inside the box. There are many liability issues involved here, and the foreman should record the serial number and other information on your machine. This is good protection for both you and the moving company. In my experience, however, once the foreman sees how well you have packed the original box with your machine and accessories, he will be happy to seal the box as you have packed it and have it loaded with the rest of your household goods.
• If you have the original sales receipt for your machine, hand carry it with you along with your other important documents.
• Watch the movers load the box with your precious cargo (I'm talking about your BERNINA, not the wedding china. OK, maybe the china too). Make sure they keep the BERNINA box right side up as indicated on the box. Don't allow them to pack it upside down. Insist upon this.
• When your shipment is delivered at your new destination, I'm sure your BERNINA box will be one of the first you'll unpack. First, check for signs of damage on the outside of the box. Take photos of any signs of damage or water marks. Unpack the box and plug in your BERNINA. Give it a test run to test for problems or trauma (seriously). Most moving companies only have a limited window of time for you to file a claim (such as 90 days) so you'll want to make sure your machine is working just as it did when you packed it as soon after your move as possible. Don't wait until later to sew a few test patterns or use the embroidery unit if you have one.
• If there is a problem, take it to your new BERNINA dealer for some TLC (this is a good time to establish a rapport with your new dealer anyway). Tell them you moved and ask them to write in detail any service they perform on your machine on the receipt. You'll need a copy of this receipt if you file a claim.

Nothing makes a new residence feel like home as much as getting your sewing space set up and ready to go. I hope these tips help you if and when you find you are relocating. Good luck with your move, and just remember it will soon feel like home once you're sitting behind your BSM stitching again!

Import your graphic using the Load Picture icon in Art Canvas. Press ENTER to set the graphic.

Select the Embroidery Canvas tab to move to the Embroidery Canvas.

The Auto Digitizer and Magic Wand tools are used to create embroideries from raster images (like .BMP and .JPG).

Select the Auto Digitizer tool.

The Image Preparation dialog box pops up so you can make adjustments to the artwork. Click OK when the Auto Digitizer dialog box appears, and select the Omitted Colors tab. Press and hold the CRTL key and de-select each of the available color chips. Your workspace should appear blank. Place a check in the Add Outlines selection box and click OK.

The design is automatically generated as outlines.

Delete the background image, save your design, and then Write to Machine to stitch your outline design.

WARNING: These photos may frighten your sewing machine!

One very simple thing machine owners can do is keep the area under the stitch plate and around the bobbin clean. Lint and thread fragments tend to collect in these areas, causing a variety of stitching problems. Here, so much lint accumulated around the feed dogs that the stitch plate was actually raised and lowered when the machine was run. Generally just taking off the stitch plate will expose lots of lint - this is easily removed by gently brushing the lint out of the machine.

This picture shows lint in the hook race - the part that circles the bobbin case. Lint in this area tends to be oily, and gets packed into the hook race, especially in the narrow groove. To clean this area, remove the hook race (this can only be done on CB hook machines) and clean away the lint with a wooden toothpick. While you're there, put a drop of sewing machine oil on the hook race to keep it running smoothly.

A needle fragment jammed in the hook race can be removed by taking out the bobbin case and gently brushing the broken part out of the machine. Whenever a needle breaks, be sure to remove ALL of the pieces to ensure that they won't get between moving parts and cause problems.

Lint and thread in the top tension discs can sometimes be removed by "flossing" the discs with a heavy thread - such as gimp or topstitching thread - dipped in rubbing alcohol.

Lint can also collect in other parts of the machine that aren't easily accessed. That's why it's important to have your machine cleaned regularly. Vacations are a great time to take your machine to the BERNINA technician for a yearly clean/oil/adjust - you won't miss your machine if you aren't at home!

Broken threads can wind around machine parts and prevent parts from moving. Thread wound around the needle linkage can cause the machine to bind and stop running. To help prevent this from happening, stop sewing immediately and remove the thread before it has a chance to begin wrapping around any parts. Once the machine is jammed, you'll need to have a machine technician take your machine apart and remove the thread, then reset any parts that might have been pulled out of place.

For more photos and machine maintenance tips, visit the Machine Service area of Sandi's Sewing Connection website.

This summer I attended the International Calligraphy Conference that was held at St. Johns University in Collegeville, MN (home of the St. Johns Bible Project). My goal was to translate what I saw on paper to fabric. The class I attended was called "Glorious Papers." I emailed the instructor before signing up for class to get her permission to use canvas rather than paper.

Jacqueline Sullivan was the instructor and was very informative and helpful in class. Many techniques were demonstrated by Jacqueline and then done by the students.

Everything translated beautifully to canvas! I was thrilled with the results, and yet, all during class I kept thinking about the next steps I wanted to take... I was thinking ahead... wondering if I could do my thread calligraphy on these pieces and incorporate them into a quilted art piece.

Some of the many techniques we used included sponging layers of colors, gesso resist, stenciled molding paste, pulled molding paste and layering colors and washes over the piece.

I kept wondering if I'd be able to stitch through the molding paste. So after I got home, I did show and tell for my husband. I thought "I don't have a thing to lose - these are samples I am using to learn how to do something - so I will just continue to do!"

I stabilized the wrong side of the canvas using freezer paper and tried my thread calligraphy (a free-motion satin stitch to form letters that look like calligraphy).

It worked!!!! And it was beautiful!!! Thanks to my BERNINA aurora 440! That machine has good power and I was using it with a big smile on my face. I am a pedal-to-the-metal kind of girl when I am lettering. I love the ability to tighten up my bobbin thread just a bit, by threading my bobbin thread through the little finger on the bobbin case. The machine had NO problem stitching through the molding paste! I used a topstitching needle with various threads (cotton, polyester and metallic) and they all worked just beautifully!

My samples from class were all used with thread calligraphy added to them, and I turned my samples into a fabric book that I can use as a reference for future projects and ideas. Thanks to my aurora 440 I have the power to sew through stuff I wasn't sure was stitchable - like a thick layer of molding paste!

A lot of fabrics today have stretch properties to them, and we are not always aware of it just by looking at the fabric. Firbers such as Lycra, spandex and elastane are commonly added to all kinds of classic fashion fabrics, from wool to linen to silk. These three names are essentially the same product and have the same properties. The word "spandex" is used more in North America and "elastane" is more European. "Lycra" is a trade name for spandex.

Just because a fabric might have one of these added fibers, doesn't make it any more difficult so sew, it just makes if more comfortable to wear. Use the same needle, thread type and pressing technique for these fabrics as you would for a fabric of the same weight and type.

Sewers, I love it when things come together and inspiration flows. This particular afternoon it did. I was going to test this Adjustable Seam Guide and find out if it would make my sewing life easier. AND IT DID! WITHOUT ANY MARKINGS! Here's what I did:

I took the large piece of fabric, prepared with a lightweight fusible interfacing, folded it in half along the bias and pressed a line with my iron. I opened the piece back up and then folded it again on the bias, but using the opposite side. When I opened it back up, I has a pressed "X" on the fabric. These were the starting lines for my first pintuck rows. Once I stitched that first row, I set the Adjustable Seam Guide so that the rows would be 1" apart. It was SO SIMPLE to line up the next sewing row using the previous stitched line as a guide for this tunnel to follow. In fact, I would sew three rows in one direction and then turn the fabric and stitch three more rows on the opposing side. And in no time - without having to waste time marking the fabric - my fabric was totally stitched with beautiful cross-hatched pintucks. No more cringing or complaining... just a wonderfully finished project.

If you do not have a BERNINA 8 Series machine you can purchase this attachment from your local BERNINA dealer. My latest, must-have sewing attachment!

"Lauren Grace - the quilt" was made on my BERNINA 730. I used the built-in embroidery designs to create the blocks. It includes blocks that are pertinent to Lauren: family blocks, cousin and grandparent blocks for both sides of the family.

Here's a photo of Lauren standing in front of her quilt, which won a blue ribbon in the embroidered category at the Nebraska State Fair.

On the connector 9-patch blocks I double stitched creating a heart. Inside the double stitching, I stitched once again with stitch #657, a decorative loop stitch. Inside this stitching, I created "bananas" using Diane Gaudynski's techniques. Isacord polyester thread was used for the quilting.

I used template plastic to trace a long curvy line on the quilt with a blue Marks B Gone pen, then used BERNINA 730 honeycomb stitch #8 with the stitch lengthened a little bit. This stitch was used as part of the "quilting" on the quilt along with stippling.

I outlined each block with a wide stitch #13 which is a slanted overcast stitch.

The label was stitched on the quilt backing. Another label is planned with other pertinent information, such as: Scripture used at her baby dedication, where she was born, city, hospital, all that type of information. It will be hand-stitched to the back of the quilt.

I spent about 50 hours finishing up this quilt, of course that's not the many hours doing the embroidery and the piecing.

Step 1 - Cut fabric into 2 1/2" squares. You will need three squares for each tree.

Step 2 - Fold each square diagonally to form a triangle. Press.

Step 3 - Select a decorative thread such as YLI Monet or YLI Woolly Nylon. Set serger up for a 2-thread or 3-thread rolled hem following the instructions in your serger manual. (Alternatively, set serger for a narrow 3-thread balanced overlock with decorative thread in the loopers.)

• If using a 2-thread rolled hem, use a decorative thread in the lower looper and regular serger thread in the needle. Stitch finger in the rolled hem position.
• If using a 3-thread rolled hem, use decorative thread in the upper and lower loopers and regular serger thread in the needle. Stitch finger in the rolled hem position.
• If you want, you can use a 3-thread balanced overlock stitch with decorative thread in both loopers and regular serger thread in the right needle, with the stitch finder in the regular position.

Stitch along one side of each triangle, making a "chain" of serged triangles.

Step 4 - Fill each triangle with fiberfill or cotton balls. Serge the open sides shut, beginning stitching at the folded end. Dab seam sealant on each corner; after it dries, trim any excess thread.

Step 5 - Cut a piece of felt for the tree trunk.

Step 6 - Hand sew all three triangles together with the points pointing up. Then handstitch the tree trunk in place at the bottom of the tree and stitch a ribbon loop at the top of the tree. Alternatively, join all the pieces using a glue gun.

Step 7 - Stitch a ribbon loop to the top of the tree to use it as an ornament, or attach a paper or cardboard tube to the back to make it into a napkin ring.

Step 8 - Use a Sharpie marker to write the date and/or name on the tree trunk.

2-thread rolled hem using YLI Monet thread.

Balanced narrow 3-thread overlock with YLI Monet.

YLI Woolly Nylon