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!

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.

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.

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.

"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!

The IMAGINE in the center panel was hooped in the Jumbo Hoop, and the side panels were done in the Large Oval Hoop. All three were embroidered on the BERNINA 830. All of the designs were reduced in size to fit, and the density was reduced by about 20% as well. You've gotta love the on-screen editing capabilities of the BERNINA 830!

The freeform fiber was a soft variegated yarn, couched using Open Embroidery Foot #20, a zigzag stitch, and variegated King Tut cotton thread.

I'm really new to embroidery and am still feeling my way through the woods since "adopting" my BERNINA 830 in January, but I've become a jean jacket junkie! Here's another Jumbo Hooped design - this one from Urban Threads - that was my first attempt at embroidery on denim. The thrift stores have to watch out for me now - I love the idea of upcycling!

Do you remember when the first embroidery machines were introduced? How excited we all were to have a machine that sewed professional-looking embroidery all by itself? And we could even embroider baseball caps with a special hoop!

Do you remember the computer you had when you saw your first embroidery machine? Windows 3.0? Windows 95? Floppy disks! Just think about how much more sophisticated computers are just 15 years later - netbooks, Windows 7, wireless Internet - who could have imagined!

Just as with computers, today's embroidery machines are sooooo much different from the first ones! Early improvements included a free-arm for stitching onesies and pant legs, a sensor that stops the machine if the thread breaks, thread color information right on the embroidery screen, and sliding hoops for increasing the area that could be stitched with just a 4" x 4" embroidery field. Embroidery software for customizing designs. And then digitizing software for creating them from scratch! The latest embroidery machines - embroidery computers, really - do everything except make coffee!

If you have one of the new BERNINA 830s you know how wonderful it is to sew on the latest and greatest embroidery system. One of my favorite features: the HUGE Jumbo embroidery hoop - I can stitch 40 x 26 cm (that's more than 10" x 15.5"!) and cover entire sections of jackets and other garments without rehooping or changing the hoop position.

Another thing I love about the BERNINA 830 is the ability to take regular sewing machine stitches into the embroidery computer. I love to cover fabric pieces with decorative stitches, but sewing all those rows is time-consuming and more than a little boring. Now all I have to do is select my stitches from the many 100s available, use my finger or stylus to drop and drag them around the screen until I like the arrangment (I don't even have to program directional stitches - they're automatic!)...

... send them to the "embroidery side" of the BERNINA 830...

... then use Endless Embroidery to multiply them and fill the entire Jumbo hoop. How cool is that?!

Nancy Bednar - designer, teacher, and author - did just that for the back panel of her "Trio" jacket (Project Sewing Workshop ).

What are some of your favorite embroidery features? Leave a comment and let us know what you love about your embroidery machine. (Click on the little blue "Comments" link at the end of this post, then fill in the Comment box.) In 10 days we'll select a winner at random from all the comments we receive, so be sure to leave your comment before midnight (Eastern time) Friday night, June 18, 2010. June 29, 2010. The winner will receive a box of goodies from BERNINA of America, OESD, Brewer, and Benartex. Sorry, we can only ship to addresses in the USA, but we hope our out-of-country friends will still share their favorite features with us.

Ed. Congratulations to Susanne Brisach, winner of our Favorite Embroidery Feature Contest! Susanne will receive a pack of goodies in the mail next week. Thank you to everyone that entered and left a comment!

Take a slice of this! I just makes me smile, knowing summer is coming! Just look at these colors and remember we have so much to be thankful for when we $ew & $ave! With my BERNINA Ruffler #86, Walking Foot #50, ribbons, bows and buttons, I am sure to "Wow!" a special little girl.

The little watermelon backpack, purchased from the clearance section at a discount store - was the inspiration for these other sale rack specials. I looked up some of my embroidery patterns and found "Antics" from OESD had a cute watermelon motif that I embroidered on the dress. I stabilized the bodice first with OESD Stabil-Stick. Since this is a small size readymade dress, the sticky stabilizer helped with the hooping.

The motif I used on the sweater was found in a sizing program, and I don't know if it is still available. A heart applique could easily be digitized with our new BERNINA Embroidery Software 6! I just got caught up in the moment and didn't stop to do that, but I do love playing with making my own designs. Simple shapes are just a click away from becoming embroidery now. I used Stabil-Stick under the sweater and BadgeMaster on top to keep the embroidery on the knit fabric from distorting.

To further dress things up and fit the theme, I cut 1" and 1 1/2" bias strips of lime green cotton fabric for the ruffles on the dress hem and sleeves. Since I have done this before, I easily adjusted my ruffler to just the right settings for these bias ruffles. (Tip: BERNINA has wonderful Feetures volumes 1, 2 & 3 to give you all the information you need to use these wonderful attachments and how to adjust them.) I turned under the raw edges of the ruffles and stitched they to the premade dress - the wide ones at the bottom and the narrow ones on the sleeves.

I then went into my button box and ribbon stash and doctored up the dress to look like it all went with the Slice of Watermelon Back Pack! Total cost of this Taste of Summer outfit? Just $20! Sewing up some sunshine and warm smiles in chilly Illinois with my trusty BERNINA? Priceless!

Ed: There are several watermelon designs to choose from at www.embroideryonline.com.

I LOVE the new Zenspirations Embroidery Collection! So what a better use than to make a Sewing Room Wall-Hanging for my sewing room - just in case anybody had any doubts about what kind of room it was! The designs from Zenspirations are perfect for this because not only are they neat-looking, but they are quicker to sew! Since I am always looking for places to stick a few pins when I am ironing, I decided to hang it above the ironing board and to add a couple of "pin cushions." The fabric I used was from Benartex's Modern Mix Collection - another favorite of mine! The florals made great pre-made shapes for the pin cushions.

I used the BERNINA Mega Hoop and my artista 730 to stitch the lettering. Although you could certainly add the letters in one at a time directly on the machine, I chose to use the BERNINA Embroidery Software because I knew that I wanted to size the letters to fit into the hoop, and it would be quicker in the software. There are two sizes of letters in the collection - the large set is about 6" tall and the small set is about 3" tall. The large "S" and the small set "ewing" were both scaled down to approximately 88% of their original size so that they would fit in the hoop. "Room" was scaled down about 67%. If you are going to use the machine to split the designs (which is easiest if your machine has that capability), be sure that you are working with the artista 400 x 150 Mega - Auto Split Machines hoop so that the machine itself can do the splitting of the design.

Using the Mega Hoop is similar to useing other hoops. You will mark the horizontal and vertical center lines of the design on the fabric and hoop the stabilizer and fabric as one. The Mega Hoop has TWO set screws - be sure to loosen both. Place the top portion of the inner ring of the hoop inside the upper portion of the bottom ring. Walk the edges of the inner ring in, Tupperware style, and the lower portion should fit in easily. Tighten BOTH set screws and attach the hoop to the machine. Use the clips that came with the hoop to further secure the fabric. Insert one portion of the clip into one of the notches in the inner ring of the hoop and the other in the corresponding notch of the outer ring (this notch will be covered by the fabric, but you should be able to feel when it is in position).

If you have not used a Mega Hoop it is a good idea to play with the hoop before starting the design. There are three sets of notches on the Mega Hoop. Squeeze the release handles on the bracket and move it slightly. You will find that the bracket attachment will move very easily. Continue to slowly move the bracket attachment without squeezing the release handles until you reach another position. At that time you will hear an audible click. When the bracket attachment is centered over the upper set of notches you are at the Upper Position. When the bracket attachment is centered over the center set of notches you are at the Middle (2) Position. When the bracket attachment is centered over the lower set of notches the hoop is in the Lower (3) Position.

One more thing to look out for... When the hoop moves to a new position, you will find that there will be excess needle thread due to the movement of the hoop.

When you are ready to start stitching at that spot, pull the needle thread back up EVER SO GENTLY to get rid of the excess thread. DO NOT PULL too much or you will pull the bobbin thread up to the top, which you don't want to do.

Position the bracket in the middle position of the Mega Hoop and use the machine's Edit features to run a check of the design. I find that this is CRUCIAL when stitching Mega Hoop designs because I want to watch the front and back of my hoop as it moves through its positions to make sure I have allowed plenty of room between the machine and the wall, and that my chair is not in the way of the front. (You may be prompted to move the hoop to various positions - see instructions below.)

Attach the Mega Hoop to the machine and press the Start button. Your machine will give you a message: Lift the presser foot and reposition to Upper (1) position. Ensure that the notch snaps in. Press OK to start hoop detection. Squeeze the handles of the bracket and move the bracket just until the bracket can move freely. Move the hoop to the upper position and listen for the click. I like to jiggle the hoop slightly to ensure that the latch is firmly engaged. You will then get another message: The embroidery module has detected the MegaHoop Upper (1) position. Recheck that the notch is firmly in position (the hoop does not move). Press OK to confirm. (If you should get a message that the hoop position has NOT been detected, then re-position the hoop once more.) Continue stitching the design, moving the hoop to the properposition whenever you are prompted.

You will find that the design will stitch perfectly!

The newest premier design collection from OESD is a contemporary alphabet that has an Asian flair to it. Called Zenspirations, this collection has two letter and number sizes (approximately 3" and 6") plus round and square frame styles. These very graphic images look great as wall art, on pillows, and as monograms. Simple to stitch, these unique letters can really hep you make a statement with your embroidery. CLICK HERE for directions to make this 2-color piece of contemporary wall art.

You know it is a good thing that most fabric doesn't have a shelf life!

I completed a quilt for my dad for Christmas. It was from a fabric that I re-discovered in my stash from a few years back... that is why I feel it is always a good idea to buy a little more than you think you're going to need - it just may take a while to finish your project!

The project was easy to execute and it was a great way to use a panel, a repeating stripe, and my embroidery machine. The panel prints were cut and raw edge appliqued onto the topper. The center snowflake was appliqued with the blanket stitch. The repeating stripes were cut apart and used as a border - a different stripe was used for the upper and lower borders than for the right and left borders. Embroidered snowflakes were placed in each corner of the quilt. (Note: The picture only shows half of the quilt.)

I made friends once again with the BERNINA Stitch Regulator and the project reminded me again or how much I enjoy free-motion stitching because I don't have to get that special rhythm down of how fast to move the fabric and how much to press on the foot control. For those of you who have never tried it, I would suggest that you go to your local BERNINA store and ask for a trial run. It really does make free-motion stitching fun!

I have a new grand-baby almost 5 months old now, and another one on the way! So as you might imagine, I am thinking about babies a lot! I recently wrote an article about hooping which appears in the May/June issue of Creative Machine Embroidery. There is a section there on how to embroider on small one-piece baby outfits. I wanted to share a product that I have found very helpful for protecting baby's delicate skin, called GentleTouch.

This is an embroidery product that is used AFTER the embroidery is complete. OESD GentleTouch is a tricot-type fabric that has a fusible coating on one side. It comes in a roll and is available at your local BERNINA store.

To use GentleTouch, cut a rectangle slightly larger than the embroidery design. Hint: For best results, always round the corners of fusible products. This will keep the edges from being picked and pulled.

Place the rectangle fusible side down over the bobbin stitches of the design, then fuse it in place. This will protect the wearer's skin from any abrasive edges of the embroidery stabilizer.

I use this product not only for baby things, but for almost everything I embroider. It not only protects the skin, but it covers up any loose threads and neatens the appearance of the back of the embroidery. It also protects the threads of the embroidery design from being pulled.

You can also use GentleTouch to cover up the itchy labels in the back of clothing!

This has been an unusual winter for us in Oklahoma! We had lots of snow - 12.5" on Christmas Eve, which set an all-time record! - and lots of cold, chilly weather. So I am glad to finally see a bit of spring arriving! OESD has a new design collection out entitled Garden Song. There is also a matching fabric collection from Benartex. Nancy Halvorsen's collections have always been best-sellers because her art appeals to a wide cross-range of people. The designs in this collection would look great on any number of gifts for friends and family.

I recently made a greeting card holder out of a placemat and zippered plastic bags for an All About ME (Machine Embroidery) program, and embroidered it with Garden Song designs. It turned out really cute! Now all I have to do is remember to buy the cards to put in the organizer!

Ed. Instructions for this project are only available at All About ME programs. Check our schedule for events in your area.

Stitching cutwork designs with the embroidery machine is so much faster than the traditional cutwork technique. First, hoop a water-soluble stabilizer such as AquaMesh Plus (just stabilizer, no fabric). Score just the paper and peel away the paper backing to reveal the sticky surface. Attach the garment to the stabilizer and smooth in place. Attach the hoop to the embroidery machine and sew the guideline stitches. Remove the hoop from the machine and very carefully trim away the fabric from the area inside the stitches. Return the hoop to the machine and finish stitching out the design.

All of the cutwork designs in the Cutwork Bouquet collection come in two versions - one for cutting away the open areas with scissors as described above, and another for trimming away the fabric with the new BERNINA CutWork Accessory and Software. The CutWork tool does the cutting for you!

Use the Circle tool to draw a circle.

Choose a decorative stitch from the wide variety found in the software - including many that are not on the sewing machine.

One advantage of using the BERNINA Embroidery Software is that each circle is outlined with complete stitch patterns (no partial patterns or overlaps) and the layout for each piece of the jacket can be designed prior to stitching. (For instructions on planning embroidery for each section, see Judy Hahner's version of the jacket, also in Through the Needle #33.)

Hoop a layer of wash-away stabilizer such as OESD BadgeMaster in your largest hoop and use a spray adhesive such as 101 Quilt Basting Spray to hold the linen and stabilizer layers together during the embroidery process.

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.

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.

Hi Jo - I have just completed a major project embroidering using my BERNINA 830. I used the free designs from the Maurer-Stroh site for an Advent Calendar. Each year she offers a monthly project. This year it was two numbers each month for the calendar. I started in October and completed it just in time to send it to our daughter. I added a 25th day.

For the project I used a lightweight canvas with a cut-away stabilizer for each block. I inserted a buttonhole and added the satin border in the software. I then backed each block with off-white wool felt to give them more body. I used a crinkle-cut rotary cutter to cut each block to size. For the banner I used a mottled red wool felt. I used a 5/8" grosgrain ribbon to outline each area for the days. To do this I hand basted the ribbon in place and stitched it with my Edgestitch Foot #10 on my BERNINA 1031.

I think I have the best of both worlds with my machines. My artista 180 just keeps trucking along making lace angels for a special project.

Bernice Bohusch

I like to use the OESD Top Cover Stabilizer in place of a wash-away topping when stitching monograms. The towel can be washed numerous times and the loops will stay underneath the stitches for the life of the towel.

Because I wanted the flowers to remain flexible, I decreased the density of the stitching. I did this using the embroidery controls on the 830, but could also have done this using BERNINA Embroidery Software.

Applique designs are divided into several steps:

The first stitching is the placement line - this shows where the outer edge of the applique design will be. For this project I cut a square of fabric larger than the applique outline, then placed it ove the stitched placement line.

(I'm showing this in v6 software - notice how BIG the images in Color Film are!)

The second stitching line is the tackdown stitch that holds the fabric in place. After this line stitched I removed the hoop from the machine and carefully cut the excess fabric away from outside the stitching line.

The third color for this design was some decorative stitching inside the petals.

The fourth line of stitching is the applique stitch - in this case the chainstitch around the outside of the pink petals.

The remaining stitching adds the embroidered flowers and leaves to complete the stitching.

Simple! You can also create your own applique designs using Designer Plus BERNINA Embroidery Software - the applique tools are awesome!

There are still some Design Collection volume 1 available, which include a collectible case, a 1000 design CD with printed catalog, 24 stock Embroidery Take-Out packs (your choice of packs), four Premier collections, four Embroidery Essentials books (vol 1-4), four quarterly exclusive project booklets, plus a spool of Isacord embroidery thread, Minkee fabric samples, and a roll of OESD stabilizer.

Also in this issue - a pretty little jewelry roll-up, embroidery on paper, a sneak peek at some of our favorite features in V6 BERNINA Embroidery Software, My Label jeans, and an article on Project Sewing Workshop (more on that later!). And that's only a few of the articles in this issue!