Dear Readers, the news you have all been waiting for has finally arrived! We have just finished two weeks of intensive dealer trainings in 16 locations around the good old USA and the dealers are taking the machines back to the stores so they can make them available to you!

The trainings were amazing with over 1400 dealers, teachers, salespeople and technicians attending.

Two days of product training were taught with one evening just on embroidery - we called it our "Embroidery Evening" and we embroidered denim panels for a great-looking tote bag.

Two days of technicial training were taught as well and it was so interesting to see the machines taken apart and impressive to see the legendary Swiss quality.

The dealers were as excited as we were to finally get to work on and spend lots of time with the Big BERNINA Baby!

We also gave them instructions for a couple of wonderful projects to teach you when they return to their stores to set up classes on the 830 and to begin to plan Mastery Classes for the machine. It was also great to tell them that the jumbo hoop, many of the Dual Feed feet, the single needle and 5.5mm stitch plates, and the external Multiple Spool Holder are now available or will be available soon in dealers' stores.

The fun is just beginning - be sure to visit your dealer this week to ask how the training went and to take a look at the amazing BERNINA 830. Happy Thanksgiving!

If you weren't able to attend the Houston Show, you'll find lots of videos at www.quilterstv.com, including one starring our own Jeanne Delpit and the new BERNINA 830! Just click on the Browse Video List button, select BERNINA 830, then click on the Play button. Check out the other videos, too!

You read a little about International Quilt Festival and the BERNINA 830 "Coming Out Party" in Houston last week. I wanted to tell you a little more about the event. Over 50,000 people attend Houston Festival and the people in the booths work around the clock to provide an interesting and stimulating environment for the attendees. Walk the aisles and it is impossible not to feel excited about the industry of sewing and quilting and creating. it is a shot in the arm for those who create. The classes and the excitement of the BERNINA Fashion Show and the gorgeous creations round out the memorable event.

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!

I've just left the International Quilt Festival in Houston and there were thousands of enthusiastic and creative people who attended the show.

At the BERNINA booth we had ten BERNINA 830's set up to give as many people as possible a taste of the 830. We gave 30-minutes classes from the time the show started until the show ended each day and it was so much fun to see the reaction of our guests. Many people had seen the machine at their dealers' stores but many had not.

The most impressive and obvious feature was the size of the machine and all agreed it would be a huge benefilt not only for quilting but also for sewing and embroidery.

In 30 minutes we were able to customize the screen with the built-in wallpapers, use the BERNINA Dual Feed to stitch through ribbon, paper, fabric and stabilizer, experience on screen drag-and-drop using beautiful new stitches in a stitch combination - a BERNINA exclusive - and embroider our BERNINA 8.

We began early one morning so that a group of quilters from Japan could experience the BERNINA 830. They loved the machine.

The comments that we heard the most were: "unbelievable," "fantastic," "it has everything we ever wanted in a machine."

Many people were also impressed with the BERNINA quilt frame which will accommodate the BERNINA 830 in addition to all other BERNINA machines.

Our staff was all smiles on preview night - please notice that the owner of BERNINA, Hanspeter Ueltschi, was with us in Houston. Many people approached Mr. Ueltschi to thank him for the quality of the BERNINA product throughout the years. BERNINA has changed many creative lives for the better.

One of the highlights of my visit in Houston was to attend the Silver Star dinner - a tribute to Alex Anderson. Please visit the Quilt Show blog to share this special night with Alex: http://www.thequiltshow.com/os/blog/php. Alex has inspired thousands of people and she is so deserving of this special recognition.

So, Houston was lots of fun - more next week!

Today's the first day of International Quilt Festival in Houston. And here's the star of this year's show, the new 830. If you're at the show, stop by the BERNINA booth to meet our newest addition to the family! While you're there, send us a few lines telling us what you think of the 830, the booth, and the show.

Don't miss the BERNINA Fashion Show, Rendezvous, tonight at Festival, from 6:30-8:30. For those of you that aren't at the show, the next issue of BERNINA of America's Through The Needle magazine is the program for the show, with photos and descriptions of all the garments. And, once the show is over, I'll be able to show photos here at the blog!