Can one have too many tote bags? I never seem to have enough for all my projects - knitting, sewing classes, dog school, lunch bag, shopping bags - plus an empty one left over to take with me when I travel. I need an "airport" bag large enough to hold a water bottle, a few magazines, my wallet, sketchbook, pens and pencils...and still small enough to fit under an airplane seat. And I fly on some very little planes!

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!

During last night's "Bonkers For BERNINA" webchat on www.TheQuiltShow.com we spent some time talking about thread, and someone asked about the threads Nina McVeigh uses for machine beading (yes, you can stitch single beads by machine!). I've checked, and she's using monofilament in the needle and lingerie thread in the bobbin. In the video the small cone of monofilament on the machine is YLI Wonder Invisible Thread. She's also using a very fine needle - size 60/8 - that fits easily through the holes in the beads. You'll also need an embroidery hoop, and a magnifier might be a good idea for those of us with "mature" eyesight. (Those beads are TINY!)

Someone also asked about the cord Nina uses with Free Motion Couching Foot #43. She's using one of my favorite cords for freehand couching, Hilos La Espiga #18, a 2mm nylon cord usually used for macrame and other knotting crafts. If your local shop doesn't carry it, your BERNINA dealer can order it for you from Quilters Resource, Inc.

To see how these techniques are done, check out the Free Motion Machine Beading and Free Motion Couching BERNINA videos at www.TheQuiltShow.com. Then use them to embellish your projects - quilts, clothes, crafts, everything can use a little adornment!