By Bunny Gates, Educator for BERNINA of America, Inc.

Ny 10-year-old granddaughter wanted a bank to save her money in, so I made her this little bank from a plastic peanut butter jar. The finished rectangle is the same height as the can, and overlaps about 1" when wrapped around the can. Hook-and-loop tape is used to fasten the ends together.

Kayleigh loves bunny rabbits and the color yellow. The cut baby bunny design is from OESD Signature Collection #12241, Springtime 5. I added her name in OESD's Explorations Embroidery Software, then embellished it with decorative stitches from my BERNINA 830.

Kayleigh loves her new bank! And she loved putting in the coins Grandma gave her, and then shaking her bank to hear them rattle around inside!

A note from Jenny Raymond, quilt artist, author, speaker, teacher, and BERNINA National Artisan:

I recently finished a garment that I hope is juried into the Houston Quilt Show wearable division.

The motifs are a combination of several embroidery designs from OESD. All of the motifs were embroidered on a sandwich of water-soluble stabilizer with illusion (a semi-sheer net-like fabric) in the middle. Afterward I cut them out, dissolved the stabilizer, and machine appliqued each motif to the garment with 0.5 clear monofilament thread. I'm excited about the results!

It is machine quilted using YLI Silk #100 thread and Pellon's wool batting. I used several quilting stencils from Pepper Cory; the rest of the quilting is free-motion.

The jacket is lined in pale pink silk crepe de sheen, and narrow piping using the same fabric finishes off the jacket edge. The dress is a simple sheath, also lined with the same pale pink silk.

A note from Linda Lee, Project Sewing Workshop --

Check out the latest Threads magazine cover (August/September 2010)! I wrote this article, called "Gender Bender," about borrowing design cues from high-end men's shirts. So many great ideas, such as using small areas of machine embroidery and little bits of contrasting print fabrics, are showing up as hidden details inside yokes, inner cuffs, and under button plackets. It seems like the more expensive the shirt, the more exotic it is. Designers such as Etro and Robert Graham started this trend, and now other designers are following suit, making them more and more outrageous. I'm not sure why we aren't seeing this in women's wear, but it is sure to come.

The shirt on page 43 of the magazine features machine embroidery from two of OESD's embroidery collections: Paisleys (#12093) and Fashion Petals (#12258).

A kit is available that includes the pattern and all of the fabrics to duplicate this shirt. Plus, it also includes special instructions for making the double cuff and the inverted pleat insets. Visit your local BERNINA store to order the kit, pattern, fabric, embroidery designs, and Threads magazine.

 By Kay Hickman, BERNINA of America Educator

I was thinking the other day how fun my job really is! Yes, there are days that can be frustrating, but for the most part my job is a continuation of my hobbies -- sewing and embroidery.

And one of the best parts is being able to see ALL the beautiful designs that are created for the embroidery machine. A new collection that will be available in July at your local BERNINA dealer is "Rose of Sharon" by Sharon Pederson. This collection is a set of blanket stitch applique designs. The patterns for the shapes can be printed out from the files on the USB or CD version of the collection. Perfect every time! Part of the designs are approximately 5-1/2" squares, but the other is approximately 9-1/2" squares, so they are perfect for stitching in the BERNINA Jumbo Hoop! These designs make wonderful quilt blocks -- you just have to see them! Here are a few of the blocks included in the "Rose of Sharon" collection:

Here's a photo of a project that I created using one of the designs. I call it "The Anything Holder" because the elastic will hold virtually anything -- fabric markers, make-up brushes, pens & pencils -- just change the width between the stitching lines to accommodate larger or smaller items.

If you are interested in this project, check with your local BERNINA store to see if they are hosting an All About ME (Machine Embroidery) program. "The Anything Holder" is featured in the August All About ME program, which will show you how to create blanket stitch applique by embroidery machine. Attendees also receive instructions for creating this project, as well as many others.  

By Linda Wenturine, BERNINA of America Educator/Trainer:

"Rainy days and Mondays always get me down" - unless I am at home sewing. This week I have been embroidering a border for a dress I am currently making. My new BERNINA 830 has a great feature called Absolute Check that makes it even easier to be precise when aligning my embroidery designs - all I have to do is touch a point on the screen and the embroidery hoop moves so that the needle rests at just that point on my design. I am using the Endless Embroidery feature to create this linear border. Once I have embroidered the length, I will layout my pattern piece and cut out the border.

Many times during my embroidery sessions I find myself reaching for a hoop template. These thin plastic tools, while they are small and can easily be misplaced (ask me how I know), I find that they are an extremely helpful tool. Not only are the center markings visible, but there is also a grid to come to my aid whenever I find the need. Lining up and placement are simple when I use my hoop templates.

You may have to look in the box to find these little wonder helpers, but once you start using them you will agree that they are a must for embroidery. If you agree, please leave a comment below. Let me know how you've used your templates!