The bag I'm making - the Miranda Day Bag from Lazy Girl Designs - is about 10" x 12" x 6", with lots of pockets for keeping me organized. If you've never used Lazy Girl patterns, give them a try. The instructions are great! Each step has illustrations AND well-written text instructions - perfect for those of us who are visual learners. Of course, I never make anything exactly according to the instructions...

Assembling Materials: When I finally located the perfect batiks in my stash I found that I didn't have enough of my favorite - the little triangles - for the cover. A trip to my local quilt yielded a few more coordinating pieces - including Benartex Triple Dye Bali batiks - and their monthly Stitch & B**** night was the perfect time to cut out all the pieces.

Machine Quilting: I found the perfect embellishing thread - Oliver Twists hand-dyed thread in the same colors as my triangle batik - which I used for machine quilting using the BERNINA Stitch Regulator.

Seam Cover Pieces Together: I wanted to bring more of the triangle colors out, so I added teeny tiny mini piping between the panels - a red clay batik on the vertical seams, blue/green on the horizontal seams. It's easy to make - cut fabric strips the twice the width of the seam allowance and place a strand of gimp or other fine cord in the center. Sew right next to the cord. I stitched mine using Piping Foot #38; Clear Applique Foot #23 also works well. When stitching to the second hald of the cover, follow the previous stitching line on the wrong side. For the topstitching I used the Oliver Twists again.

Finished Cover Pieces: More on my progress in a few days!

The jacket and pants outfit was inspired by a lime green knit that I spotted when we were choosing fabric to make items for the 8 Series brochures. The fabric screamed fun and I tried to pack as many techniques as possible into one outfit - you can do that with children's clothing and usually the wearer doesn't object until he or she is 9 or 10!

The pattern for the jacket is "Robin's Little Jackets," from the Children's Corner. I love their patterns for children because they offer a blank canvas for embellishment opportunity!

I had lots of ribbons and buttons in my stash so the next step was letting them dictate which colors to use for embroidery and stitching. I often start with buttons and everything else falls into place. Since the knit had quite a bit of spandex, I knew BERNINA Dual Feed would enter into this project BIG TIME!

I wanted to use pintucks and a Double needle so I used the Security Program which allows me to choose the needle and stitch plate and saved me from myself - the machine will only sew the stitch width allowed without breaking a neele...and Double needles are expensive so I appreciate this BERNINA feature. I used a straight stitch and altered the width slightly to give interest to the pintucks. I pintucked the back yoke and the left front yoke and set the yokes off with piping made from the print lining with my wonderful Bulky Overlock Foot #12 (alias Piping Foot).

The frog applique shape on the front of the jacket was taken from the frog novelty stitch that is built into the BERNINA 830. I imported that stitch into embroidery and embroidered the piece of silk that I was using for the applique prior to cutting it out. I then used the satin stitch in auto taper and programmed the position and angle of the taper before using the stitch to applique the frog shape on the knit. I later brought those same frog stitches into embroidery in addition to a few floral stitches and enlarged the row of decorative sewing stitches in embroidery to create a border across the back of the jacket. I used the BERNINA Dual Feed to stitch the ribbons on that stretchy knit - because it is buile in and attaches with a touch of a finger - and I didn't even have to pin.

More next week on embroidering the jacket and sewing buttonholes - and then I'll be bringing you the blog from International Quilt Festival in Houston. Don't forget to tune in for the BERNINA 830 virtual overview on October 27 - register for it on www.bernina8series.com.

First, let's look at the 830 gown which is the foundation of the advertising campaign. The gorgeous embroidery motifs are built into the 830. The gown is silk dupioni and is double-lined in silk and stitched with silk thread. Bernina Dual Feed was used to insert the zipper and the Jumbo Hoop was used to easily embroidery those wonderful motifs. The speed (1000 stitches per minute) really helped meet the photography deadlines. Jet black crystals were added to the motifs to make them sparkle!

The red tote is a project that showcases the excellent stitch quality of the BERNINA 830. Lots of fun ribbons and trims were added to the tote and the Bernina Dual Feed handled the application with ease, in addition to stitching the faux leather trim you find on the tote.

With 1162 stitches (261 brand new stitches) you will find more than enough inspiration for your creative needs. Plus using functions like Long Stitch, Pattern Elongation, Stitch Combinations and Connecting Stitches create a variety of new possibilities for stitch patterns. And remember, you can bring your sewing stitches into embroidery with the BERNINA 830.

And speaking of embroidery, the 830 Quilt is an embroidery masterpiece. Built-in motifs, including Jumbo Hoop designs and quilt designs from Diane Gaudynski make this quilt a vision for the eyes. The quilt, made completely from silk, makes great use of the Bernina Stitch Regulator which is standard with the 830 and the remarkable Bernina Walking Foot for stitching in the ditch machine quilting. The quilt binding was applied with the Bernina Dual Feed. Embroidery and Quilting - go together like peanut butter and jelly - and are just as yummy!

More on the Create with 8 projects next week! And check out the 830 on YouTube by clicking HERE.

Congratulations Gayle and all of Bernina's Creative team on your new product Bernina 8 Series. I have not had the chance to be introduced to the new machine in person, but know for sure you all will have it showcased in Houston.

How exciting for you after all the hard work!!!

best regards,
wendy
Wendy Butler Berns
textile artist, teacher, lecturer
Lake Mills, WI

Gayle,

I did watch the webcast and can't wait to see the 830 in "person". I didn't think anything could get better than the 730 but looks like Bernina outdid themselves this time - and the size of the hoop for the embroidery machine is amazing. It is exciting to see that there are so many new features. I really was excited about the quilting frame. I have been looking for something to quilt my large quilts on in hopes of improving my quilting and it looks like that just might do the trick.

I applaud Bernina for listening to what the consumer wants. Bernina will be my first stop in Houston. You all must be so excited about this new product and I hope that the sales are terrific.

See you in Houston,
Nancy Prince

www.nancyprince.com

author of Simple Thread Painting

Dear Gayle,
You are lovely to communicate with all of us this way about the new machine. I have not seen it in person yet, but Jean Nolte and Kristi Loeffelholz on our Fons & Porter staff have. Jean tells me it is a truly fantastic machine, so I can't wait to get my hands on one!

Hope all is well with you,
Marianne

Fons and Porter

Hi Gayle,

I am so excited about the new machine, it's truly thrilling to know we had such a say in it. Thank you, Bernina is awesome.

On Friday evening, the 8^th, A Common Thread will be introducing the new machine, I will be a part of the introduction by relating my experiences at the Teachers Retreats; of us all letting Bernina know what features we would like in the Dream Machine.

My Best to you,

Kayla Kennington

www.kaylakennington.com

HI Gayle,

I visited the link for the 8 series. The site has great graphics, and the machine looks very tempting. The design is so revolutionary that it could qualify as sculpture. What I like about the new 8 series is that Bernina has incorporated all the latest technology into a dream machine for those of us who sew almost every day.
I added the link to the web site to my blog yvonneporcella.blogspot.com
Yvonne Porcella

As usual, bernina is listening. Love to you all. I Love epb elinor peace bailey - cloth doll patterns, llc elinor@epbdolls.net

Hi Gayle,
Congratulations on the new 830!
I just did a quick scan of the link, and especially like these features that I noticed at first glance -

• Pop-out jumbo bobbin offers 40% more capacity than most home machines
• Multiple spool holder keeps large, medium and small cones at the ready

You may remember that I wanted the multiple spool holder included with the machine, so I'm happy about that.
I am so glad that there is a simple but helpful way to indicate the needle size (and I hope needle kind too) on the 830! Am eager to see it and will mention it in my teaching.

Carol Ahles

Hi Gayle! What a great machine! I can hardly wait to see it when my St. Cloud dealer brings it in. Soon I hope! Thanks for all you do to promote a lifestyle we love. God bless, Sharon

Sharon Hultgren
St. Cloud, MN
Live Simply, Love Generously, Care Deeply, Speak Kindly

Hi Gayle, I watched the video of this amazing machine and was so surprised! It is really the machine of all our suggestions!! I have my notes and read them the other day and it's all in this machine!! Wow! It should be noted that this company really listens when it asks what sewers want!! Congratulatons on the most impressive machine ever made!! Linda Teufel

Dear Gayle,

Congratulations! It's gorgeous!
Ellen Anne Eddy

Dear Gail, Can't wait to finally see this beauty in the flesh!!! How could anyone not want (need ) one! Debra Youngs

The new Bernina is beyond believable. When I purchased my first 830 Bernina way back in the 80's, I thought that I had bought the machine to last my lifetime. Boy was I wrong. I have purchased numerous Berninas since that time. The new machine is incredible. What a fabulous sewing world we live in. So sorry that I couldn't be there, but the web cast was wonderful. Thank you for making it possible for all to see. Thanks again, Linda McGehee

Ghee's
PO Box 4424
Shreveport, LA 71134
www.ghees.com

I can see all of those suggestions from our "dream machine" brainstorming -- we even got the clock! Paula Reid Hi Gayle, Just a quick note to say how great the website is for the new Bernina! Thank you so much for including me in the project.... I am hearing lots of great things, I sent a group email to my quilting friends to look at the site and I have received fabulous feedback... One friends email was simple and great- "I think I am in love, when can I get it!" Thanks again and I am so honored to have had a small part in the creation of the best sewing machine available! Sue Nickels Gayle - Congratulations!!! I watched online last night and am in awe - of the machine!!!! I am SO proud to be part of it; can't wait to try one out, it looks totally, absolutely amazing. Love the dual feed that flips up and tucks away. Perfect. I saw so many of the ideas that we teachers had, and all the things consumers wanted, and more. Enjoy the moment, Diane

Diane Gaudynski
www.dianegaudynski.net
"Quilt Savvy - Gaudynski's Machine Quilting Guidebook" now available!

Gayle: Wow, what fun to see the new 830. I can see many of the things that we have talked about at the national teachers' reunions have been incorporated into this new machine. Can't wait to see one in action.
Bonnie
--
Quilting - it's a hobby that can last a lifetime! Bonnie Browning
Author of Borders & Finishing Touches 2
Web site: http://bonniebrowning.tripod.com
Blog: http://bonniebrowningblog.blogspot.com

Hey Gayle,

The machine is over the moon! Congrats on all your hard work, it really shows in the attention to details. It just goes to show that Bernina is always worth the wait. I'm looking forward to seeing it at my local Bernina dealer and getting one of my very own for my studio.

Beth Ferrier

Applewood Farm Publications, Inc.

www.applewoodfarmquilts.com

www.applewd.com/blog/

These are some small scraps of Benartex Woodstock fabric, and I followed Diana's instructions in the book to put these together.

These pincusions I made by making the pattern from Diana's book a little bigger, and then boxing out the corners. This is a bit of vintage barkcloth with a vintage button.

Here's another one made from a scrap of faux-fur, a scrap of ribbon, and a vintage button.

And, here is a pincushion made from a scrap of luscious silk & brocade fabric imported from India.

Now I hope you are inspired to take a look at some pincushion patterns or make up some of your own to make a dent in your scrap-stash!

These are two of my favorite Amy Butler patterns, the Swing Bag and the Drawstring Purse from the In Town Bags.

This is the Drawstring purse, and was made from four coordinating fat quarters of Benartex Woodstock fabrics plus a scrap of repurposed ribbon for trim. You can actually get enough fabric for TWO of these bags if you add another fat quarter for the lining of the second project! Super cute, and very suitable for summer.

I just love this project, the Swing Bag. I used different coordinating Benartex City Girl fat quarters for each side of the exterior, the interior, and the ouside and lining of the handles for a total of 6 fat quarters. This is actually a fun way to construct the bag, because you can make two coordinating but different sides to the bag, and just flip it over for a different look.

The Swing Bag is the perfect size for holding all your goodies at the farmer's market, the craft store, a day trip to the beach, or any other summer outing that requires a few extra props.

I hope this gives you a few ideas of other quick and easy things to do with those fat quarters. I have a few other fav's for using up those stocks of fat quarters that I'll post about soon!

Targeted at beginners, but great for anyone looking for fun quick-to-make projects:

• Sew Easy by Linda Lee - plus her Sew Easy: Scarves and Sew Easy: Bags - simple but fun & fashionable projects, good instructions, plus a brief but comprehensive booklet of general sewing terms and techniques.
• Sew What! Skirts by Francesca Denhartog & Carole Ann Camp and Sew What! Fleece by Carol Jessop & Chaila Sekora. Great information on sewing terms, techniques, materials, notions, as well as drafting your own patterns.
• Amy Butler's In Stitches - a beautiful book with projects for every room in your home, plus extras to wear and carry. Patterns included.
• Sew Subversive by Melissa Rannels, Melissa Alvarado, and Hope Meng. Great garment recycling and restyling projects; lots of sewing information, including a section on getting to know your sewing machine.

Useful resources for anyone's sewing library; I've been referring to these books for years and years:

• Anything by Sandra Betzina, including Power Sewing Step by Step, Fabric Savvy, More Fabric Savvy, No Time to Sew (includes patterns), and Sandra Betzina Sews for Your Home.
• Claire Shaeffer's Fabric Sewing Guide - everything you ever wanted or needed to know about sewing different types of fabric, including detailed instructions for all of the recommended techniques.
• The Vogue Sewing Book - there have been several editions; the one I have is from 1975. Especially useful for traditional techniques such as tailoring.
• Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing - another book that has been reprinted several times; I have the 1980 version. Good basic sewing information.
• The Ultimate Serger Answer Guide by Naomi Baker, Gail Brown, and Cindy Kacynski - excellent trouble-shooting guide for any type of serger, with lots of great techniques.

Especially for BERNINA owners:

• Feetures Volumes 1-3 - instructions for hundreds of sewing techniques, grouped by presser foot (click here for an alphabetical listing by technique).
• Serger Technique Reference Book - instructions for dozens of serger techniques, arranged by stitch formation.

Don't forget your sewing machine manual - not only does it have instructions for using your sewing machine, it probably includes directions for several sewing techniques as well (check the index or look in the back of the book).

Did I agree with the judges? No, not exactly. Christian's outfit was creative and totally his point of view, but I truly think that Kevin was the most creative restyling an oversized yellow blazer into a figure-hugging, incredibly flattering bustier with a peplum. Hang in there, Kevin, your time will come. In the meantime, trying to figure out how to work, Xmas shop and hit resale so I can create in time for next week....

The center square of this block is the perfect place to feature your favorite embroidery design; this one is the Redwork Cardinal from www.embroideryonline.com.

All sorts of variations are possible: create your own fabric for the star using some of the Stitch Recipes at www.berninausa.com, substitute applique for embroidery, make the block into a tote bag instead of a pillow, make several blocks and create a small grouping - three single block mini-quilts hung side by side, nine blocks joined to form a square, etc.

Being a BERNINA employee, I can't enter the My Label Software Challenge, but it'd be great if some of our bloggers did - and won! You have just over three months to create your entry. There are several categories and two sets of prizes - Viewers' Choice, decided by visitors to the My Label website (winners receive a $100 gift box or gift certificate), and Best in Category, decided by a panel of judges (prizes include aurora sewing machines, BERNINA Embroidery Software, and a 1300MDC serger).

It was very fun to show our BERNINA 830 to hundreds of people who stopped by our booth. It was encouraging to see that the public has done its homework and are so well informed about the BERNINA 830. Having ten 830s set up for consumers to use was a beautiful sight.

But even better, we had quilt artists Pat Holly and her sister Sue Nickels in the BERNINA booth during Festival. They stitched their quilting magic on the 830 and wowed all those who stopped by to see the applique, creative stitchery and free-motion work for which the sisters are famous. Check out their website and the beautiful quilting that has won national and international awards and praise at www.sue.nickels.com.

I leave on Sunday for two weeks of dealer trainings on the BERNINA 830. Dealers will be training on machines that they will take back to their stores for you to see. The BERNINA 830, in limited quantities, will become available the beginning of December for those of you who have put down deposits.

If you want to check out a dealer near you visit the dealer locator on www.bernina8series.com. Click the "where to buy" tab: www.bernina8series.com/dealer_search-n31-sE.html.

Yes, the time we have all been waiting for is finally here. And the Jumbo Hoop, Jumbo Bobbins, Multi-Spool Thread Holder and other accessories like the BERNINA Quilt Frame and the BERNINA Cabinet are also available. As you plan your holiday entertaining, think about how all the space on the 830 could make holiday sewing a breeze. Try out a BERNINA 830 at a dealer near you!

Here are some of the other lucky people to sit and sew on an 830 at Bernina University.

The auto-threading is probably the coolest thing I've ever seen, you HAVE to see it in person. I also loved the new thread delivery system, located in an easy to reach location and making for the smoothest thread release ever. Oh, oh, oh, and the new bobbin winding system located right on the front of the machine, which means there's no need to stand up to wind a bobbin! And, have you seen the new bobbin on this baby? Talk about BIG, and let me tell you, when it comes to bobbins, size does matter.

And talk about embroidery, the jumbo hoop at 16" x 10" almost makes my Happy embroidery machine's 12" x 12" hoop look tiny. Not to mention that the 830 can embroider just as fast as the Happy machine at 1,000 stitches per minute - talk about SPEEDY!

Yes, it IS too good to be true, and I think I'm in love!

Well, our BERNINA 830 debuted on July 21 at 6:30 p.m. EDT. The Times Square jumbotron featured the BERNINA 830 photo 14 times throughout the day - isn't that grand?! As is the machine isn't already big enough, it is HUGE on the Times Square jumbotron. More than 150 news media outlets picked up the story of the BERNINA 8 Sries machines - that shows what a great story it is!

And speaking of New York City and the excitement of Times Square and the lights of Broadway - check out the lights on the BERNINA 830 and 820. I remember when I first saw the series of LED lights over the free arm and surrounding the needle, they reminded me of the movies of the 50's and the starlet putting on her make-up waiting to go out on the stage - the mirrors were always framed in lots of lights. Shadows and poor lighting are things of the past with the lights of the 8 Series machines...and they are adjustable in Set Up!

Check out your local dealer for more information on the machine making headlines - the BERNINA 8 Series.

If you've been a BERNINA fan for awhile you probably remember the original 830 - a cream-colored machine in a BERNINA-red case. Produced from 1971 to 1982, it was the most popular BERNINA ever, with over a million sold. Isn't it amazing how much sewing machines have changed in 30 years? Maybe it's not so surprising...just look at video games. Pong was released in 1972 - remember the little dot moving slowly across the TV screen? What a difference three decades of computer technology makes! The 830's namesake - the new Series 8 machine - still has all the great features of the original - excellent stitch quality, perfect buttonholes, a free-hand system for lifting the presser foot - plus much, much, more. For details see the Series 8 microsite at http://www.bernina8series.com/.

One of my favorite BERNINA features has always been the slide-on table - I love being able to use it as a really wide free-arm when stitching around pant legs and shirt hems. See in the photos how the slide-on table makes a continuous surface with the embroidery unit? Now I can use the slide-on table for "free-arm" embroidery - I'm not restricted to items that will fit around the arm. This is going to make it so much easier to embroider all those tubular items I usually have to unstitch, embroider, and reseam!

More on Series 8 later!

Foundation piecing, based on a quilt in Valori Well's Stitch 'n Flip Quilts book. (I think the border is a Valori Wells batik from years ago, but I'm not sure.) I started it about 4 years ago in a class at my local quilt shop, made all the blocks, then finished a year or so later it at a weekend retreat with my quilt guild. What a great way to sew! 50 women, 50 tables, 50 machines, nearly two full days of sewing, no distractions, dozens of opinons...

I had fun playing with the free-motion quilting on this one. The BERNINA Stitch Regulator hadn't been introduced yet, so all of the quilting was done using Freehand Quilting Foot #29. I like the wide, clear sole of this foot for quilting - I can see where I'm going, and use the edges of the foot to judge how far I am from previous lines of stitching. I couldn't decide which threads to use, so I used them all - variegated threads from YLI, Superior Threads, Mettler, Sulky - all of the pink/orange/yellow and green spools in my stash. This kind of quilt is great for practicing free-motion techniques - since none of the blocks match, the quilting doesn't have to look the same either. No worries about staying inside the lines, having equally-sized loops, putting squiggles in the same places - just move the fabric and "draw" shapes.

I finished another quilt the same weekend - a group quilt made with seven children ages 7-13. It's one of my favorites, but I'll share it with you another time.

I was around 11 years old, still in 4-H, and still remember going fabric shopping for "kettle cloth." I'm still not sure where "kettle" comes from, but it's a woven cotton fabric that's easy to work with and presses well. I made this on the sewing my parents bought in 1965 - a Riccar that came free with the purchase of a $79 sewing cabinet. It went forward and backward - straight stitch only - no zigzag - and it's what I sewed on until I was 12 or 13. All of my seam allowances are straight stitched 1/4" from the raw edge, then hand-overcast - miles and miles of hand-sewing, that took forever! Now I zip right along on my BERNINA and Overlock Foot #2, or - better yet - use my serger to trim and overcast at the same time. But I did a good job, even with so much hand-sewing, and won a purple ribbon at the county fair :)

What was your first project? I've been asking some of my friends, and will be posting some of their stories over the next few weeks.