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!

In the last few years I've become more and more interested in incorporating machine embroidery in my quilting. I try to make my embroidery an integral part of the design. And because my artista 730E does such exquisite embroidery, I work the poor machine half to death! I also love it for free-motion quilting - nothing else gives me the stitch quality of the Bernina.

Did you know that cats are also very interested in machine embroidery? I'm sure those of you who live with felines know how much they like to "help"! Here is a picture of little Fluff supervising the process...

...while Stella checks out the fit in the case for the embroidery module. Even the kitties appreciate a great machine!

I have been having a great time experimenting with overlapping some of my DigiBobbE designs. What is DigiBobbE, you ask? It's digitized bobbin embroidery. I have designed 4 collections of designs made especially for bobbin embroidery with an embroidery machine (available at http://BonnieMcCaffery.com). They have been designed as continuous line designs that are done with a heavier thread like YLI Candlelight Yarn in the bobbin. You do have to adjust the bobbin case tension (it should pull smooth with a little resistance) and I highly recommend that you purchase a separate bobbin case just for bobbin embroidery. You don't want to be messing with the tension on your standard bobbin case. I always test on a fabric sample (right side down with stabilizer on top) before stitching on the real item - but I probably didn't have to tell you that. The fabric is loaded into the embroidery hoop with the right side down - remember the pretty stuff is going to happen with the bobbin thread - and a piece of firm tear-away stabilizer on top. Pull the bobbin thread to the top, stitch out the design leaving a 5" tail (you'll need to turn off the automatic thread cutter), and thread the tail through to the back for a nice clean finish.

I was wondering what would happen if after stitching one design (and threading the tail to the back) I moved the design just a couple "notches" to the right and stitched it again. Ooooooooo! (as my grandson would say). That looks pretty cool.

What if I stitched the first one with metallic thread, shifted the design a couple "notches" and then stitched the second one with the YLI Candlelight Yarn. That looks pretty neat.

And one more thought. Maybe I could use 3 different colors of YLI Candlelight Yarn and shift the design a couple "notches" each time. Oooooooooo! This is fun!