I'll be showing you some of the things I did over the next few weeks, starting with this one - a needle felted scarf. First we laid out several layers of fibers and ran them under the felting needles...

I was going for colorations somewhere between gray winter skies and gray/pink granite. This is what it looked like before I rinsed out all the stabilizer...

...and here's what it looks like finished. Just in time for winter! It's getting chilly out here in the mountains :)

First, I found a plate in my cupboard just about the same size as the template in the book. My pillow form is a little smaller than the one called for, so it won't matter that my plate is a smidge smaller than 8" in diameter. I used the plate to draw circles on one side of the Steam-A-Seam 2 - so much faster and easier than tracing a pattern!

Then I rough cut the circles, leaving about 1/2" all the way around. I peeled the unmarked paper from the other side of each circle, exposing the sticky adhesive, then placed the circles on the wrong sides of the patchwork. Since the sticky adhesive only forms a temporary bond I was able to reposition the circles until I liked the layout of the stripes in each one. I rough cut the patchwork around the adhesive just to make it easier to work with each one. Then a trip to the ironing board to fuse the fabric and adhesive.

Next I cut out each circle, following the lines on the paper backing. When I'm ready to position them on the pillow front all I have to do is peel off the remaining paper backing and stick them on the pillow. I'll be able to reposition them until I like the layout, and then tweak the placement until all of the spaces between circles are even. Tip - Use a digital camera to take pictures of your favorite layouts so you'll have a record of each one; use the photo as a guide to recreating the one you like best.

Here's the finished outfit - dog not included (she decided she needed to be in the picture...or that she needed to sit on my foot, one or the other). I like using the tunic as a t-shirt pattern, as the darts give it a better fit. I have a whole collection of tops based on the My Label Tunic pattern - woven, knit, with the default settings, with altered Style Properties, I've even switched sleeves between the Tailored Shirt and Tunic. The next variation will probably be similar to this paisley top, but in a woven fabric instead of a knit, and a faced neckline instead of ribbing.

Edgestitch Foot #10 (left) is also great for attaching hook-and-loop tape; just align the edge of the tape with the guide and move the needle position a few steps to the left.

I also like Piping Foot #38 (the same one I used for the mini-piping in the first Midanda post), especially for thick loop tape; there's lots of room for the bulky tape to move under the foot.

After stitching the lining to the covers, it's starting to look like a bag! To finish the faux-binding at the top edge (actually the lining peeking out over the top) I pulled out Edgestitch Foot #10 again, placing the guide in the well of the seam and sewing with the needle in the center position.

Have you noticed that Edgestitch Foot #10 and Piping Foot #38 are two of my favorites?

Only the handles and tab left to go!

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!

I love scrap quilts - each piece of fabric has its own story. Some of the squares in this quilt are from my mother's and grandmother's and aunts' fabric stashes, some from garments I'd sewn. The blue & black plaid in the corner is from a pair of shorts I made, the olive green from a top my mother wore in the '60s, the sheeting from my father's aunts...it's fun to sit down and go through them all one by one.

I stitched this together the summer before I started college. I'd been sewing my own clothes for years, but I didn't know much about how to put together a quilt. I had no idea how to apply the binding - it's still attached, so I guess it's doing its job, but I'm glad you can't see it up close! Binding a quilt isn't hard; you just need to know what to do. The Binding Basics Online Class at http://www.berninausa.com/home.jsp has instructions for several binding methods. My four-patch quilt uses - sort of - the single binding technique, using purchased binding. These days I cut my own bias strips and use the double binding method; I like to repeat fabrics from the blocks around the edges, and the two layers of fabric over the edge provide more protection than a single layer. (My quilts get used and loved and laundered a lot; if they were hanging on a wall a single fold binding would be fine.)

There are so many tools now that make assembling a quilt easier - rotary cutters/mats/rulers, 1/4" presser feet (BERNINA Patchwork Foot #37 and Patchwork Foot with Guide #57), edgestitching feet (BERNINA Edgestitch Foot #10/10C), needle stop up/down features, adjustable needle position - so much easier than scissors, cardboard templates, and a single "all-purpose" foot!

I don't think I'd even heard of machine-quilting when I made this quilt, and I knew I didn't want to stitch it by hand, so I tied it with lengths of acrylic yarn (which has tangled and pilled over the years - I'd use embroidery floss or topstitching thread today). I come from a long line of hand-quilters, and I can hand-stitch when I have to, but I much prefer machine quilting. I've always liked to draw, and machine quilting is very much like drawing a line with a sewing machine needle instead of a pencil or pen. I can machine quilt just about as quickly as I can draw, so it doesn't take me long to complete a quilt once I get it set up. And it's soooo relaxing! Next week I'll show you some of my more recent pieces - which reflect some of the things I've learned through classes and books and looking at hundreds (maybe thousands?) of quilts.

This would be a handy apron for all sorts of crafts - painting, drawing, cooking, scrapbooking, and, of course, carpentry. Just be sure your fabric is sturdy enough to support whatever will be in the pockets. This fabric is a bit heavier than most quilting cottons; otherwise I'd have backed it with a contrasting fabric for added strength.

Basically, it's just a rectangle of fabric folded in half, plus a long strip of fabric for the binding & straps (cut on the cross grain). I turned under 1/2" at the short sides of the rectangle, then bound the long top edge with Bias Binder #84, leaving long straps at each side. I made a double hem in the other long edge, stitching it in place with Edgestitch Foot #10. Then I folded the long edges together, aligning the top edge of the hem with the outer edge of the binding. Remember the 1/2" folds at the sides? I lined up the folds at the sides of the apron, then edgestitched them together, again using Edgestitch Foot #10, reinforcing the stitching at the upper corners by stitching back and forth a few times. One final line of stitch up the middle to create the pockets and it's done! Now I just have to find some soft treats that won't wreak havoc on my senior pup's digestion...

I was around 11 years old, still in 4-H, and still remember going fabric shopping for "kettle cloth." I'm still not sure where "kettle" comes from, but it's a woven cotton fabric that's easy to work with and presses well. I made this on the sewing my parents bought in 1965 - a Riccar that came free with the purchase of a $79 sewing cabinet. It went forward and backward - straight stitch only - no zigzag - and it's what I sewed on until I was 12 or 13. All of my seam allowances are straight stitched 1/4" from the raw edge, then hand-overcast - miles and miles of hand-sewing, that took forever! Now I zip right along on my BERNINA and Overlock Foot #2, or - better yet - use my serger to trim and overcast at the same time. But I did a good job, even with so much hand-sewing, and won a purple ribbon at the county fair :)

What was your first project? I've been asking some of my friends, and will be posting some of their stories over the next few weeks.

You say you haven't visited www.TheQuiltShow.com yet? You're missing all the fun! BERNINA of America is one of the sponsors of this online video show & website hosted by Ricky Tims & Alex Anderson. Even if you're not a quilter you'll still find lots of information and inspiration here - great shows, awesome gallery, daily blog (with videos!) and more. The current episode of TheQuiltShow.com is their first annual Quilt Legend show; this year's honoree is Virginia Avery, known for her innovative art-to-wear creations.

The latest issue of BERNINA of America's Through The Needle magazine is now available at BERNINA stores in the USA. This issue features wearable art from the "Diamond Odyssey" BERNINA Fashion Show, directions for a fun Treasure Box from Artgirl Linda Willis (click here for photo), and embroidered and embellished garments designed with My Label Software (including an article I wrote on how three women might customize the same three garments to create three completely different outfits), plus articles by guest author Nancy Kazlauckas and BERNINA and OESD Educators. Stop by your local BERNINA shop to pick up your copy; for a subscription form and/or back issues click here. Then make yourself a mug of hot chocolate, take a break from your hectic end of the year and holiday preparations, and be inspired by the incredible creativity on display in this issue! Enjoy! Jo

The smart, well-prepared folks have already done their gift shopping, and are smugly putting labels on their already wrapped and beribboned gifts. (And, of course, they dropped off stacks of cards at the Post Office right after Halloween.) The rest of us are frantically writing our lists, trying to remember what we gave the twins last year, wondering if we can regift those watermelon scented candles, and wishing the days were 36 hours long for the next four weeks!

While you're out shopping this weekend, braving the crowds at the mall, pick up a little something extra to drop off at your local BERNINA store for Toys for Tots. (Click here for a list of participating stores.) BERNINA of America, Inc. is an official sponsor this year. For those of us who do our shopping online (my office is so much less crowded than the mall!), donations can be made online.

I won't be joining you at the malls, but you might see me at my local thrift stores. While I haven't taken the Homemade Pledge, nearly all of my gifts will be things I've made or bought from local or online artists and crafters, or items I've recycled/repurposed. Over the next few weeks I'll be posting and linking to some simple, quick-to-sew projects, like the card at right. Just trace two circles, cut them out, place cheery fabric on the wrong side and stitch it in place. Then use crayons and markers to draw a branch and ornament hooks; better yet, glue snippets from your shrubs in place and use real hooks.

I've always been fascinated by machines - how they work, how the pieces fit together, who invented them, how they developed from early prototypes to the machines we use today. It seems like sewing machines have been around forever, but until about 150 years ago all sewing was done by hand. Imagine stitching all of your clothes with just a needle and a thimble! That would take care of my storage shortage - my entire wardrobe would fit in one suitcase! Trace the history of sewing machines and BERNINA innovations at BERNINA International, then explore BERNINA history at www.berninausa.com. Even the production of BERNINA sewing machines has changed dramatically in the last 75 years - the process now includes computers and robotics - but people are still an essential part of the process.

Also in 1932: Franklin D. Roosevelt elected President of USA; Lindburgh baby kidnapped; "Brother Can You Spare a Dime" popular song; Tarzan the Ape Man, starring Johnny Weissmuller; Amelia Earhart's trans-Atlantic solo flight; Jack Benny's first radio show; Al Capone sent to prison for tax evasion; Los Angeles hosts 10th Summer Olympics.

Being a BERNINA employee, I can't enter the My Label Software Challenge, but it'd be great if some of our bloggers did - and won! You have just over three months to create your entry. There are several categories and two sets of prizes - Viewers' Choice, decided by visitors to the My Label website (winners receive a $100 gift box or gift certificate), and Best in Category, decided by a panel of judges (prizes include aurora sewing machines, BERNINA Embroidery Software, and a 1300MDC serger).

Greetings from Bernina-land! And welcome to the first block at berninaUSAblog.com. We're Jo & Erika and we'll be posting about our favorite obsession - sewing! We'll be sharing inspiration and expertise, and telling you about happenings in Bernina-land - events, contests, new products. We want to hear from you, too - what you've been making, things you'd like to learn, questions you have. Think of us as your sewing fairy-godmothers, here to spark your creativity and provide the expertise you need to make your sewing dreams come true.

If you're not familiar with blogging, it's sort of like an online journal - except that readers can add their own comments to each post. See the little green/blue View or leave a comment link under this post? Click on it to add your own comments and/or to read those left by others.