By Susan Fears, BERNINA Educator

I used a variation on the Chole Hem technique to finish the edges of the ruffle at the front of this linen blouse. The unfinished edge was was then stitched into the placket at the center front. This is a beautiful hem option for delicate, fine fabrics. I stitched my blouse on the new 8 Series BERNINA 820, but this technique can be stitched on nearly any BERNINA sewing machine.

Chloe Edge:

• Press 1/2" under along one long edge.
• Select zigzag stitch #2; adjust stitch length = 0.85mm and stitch width = 1.5mm.

• Move the needle position 1 step left of center and attach Edgestitch Foot #10/10C to the machine.
• Guide the folded edge next to the blade and stitch the narrow zigzag.

• Trim close to the stitching using applique scissors.

 Off-the-Edge Stitching:

• Select a stitch to fall off the edge, such as this one that looks like stacked columns.

• Insert a Topstitch needle and thread the machine with heavy thread - such as Sulky 12 weight cotton thread - in the needle and bobbin.
• Place several layers of OESD AquaMesh stabilizer under the edge of the fabric.
• Stitch, letting the stitche fall off the edge.

• Trim stabilizer about 1/4" from the stitching, then rinse away the remaining stablizer. 

Tips for working with Endless Embroidery and Importing Stitches on the BERNINA 830:

Use the Pattern Repeat function to set the number of patterns prior to moving to the embroidery screen. The entire stitch combination will act as one unit and becomes easier to manipulate. However, the original set cannot be taken apart again.

• In the sewing screen, select stitch #501. Set Pattern Repeat at 3.

• Touch the embroidery module icon. The pattern thumbnail shows the 3-repeat pattern.

• Select the pattern just created from the My Designs folder.

• When selected, select the Oval Hoop and set the hoop to fill with 2 patterns.

Create an exotic table runner with the Exotic Rainforest Embroidery Collection and an animal print.

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.

I was making a Chanel-style jacket and decided to fringe the edges since the fabric frayed so interestingly - why fight it? Since I had not planned to do the edges this way originally, I needed to cut facings for the bottom hem and sleeve hems. Then I zigzagged them together to join and to prevent additional fraying, but I had a hard time guiding the uneven frayed edge to the markings on the stitch plate. I needed a ridge to allow me to sew them together, so I grabbed for my BERNINA Patchwork Seam Guide and voila! I was able to sew the edges securely and evenly.

The adjustable Patchwork Seam Guide attaches to the screw hole in the arm of the machine and is held in place with a screw.

It was the perfect accessory for these frayed edges and I love my jacket!

The Patchwork Seam Guide is an old accessory - but if you have an 8-Series machine it comes with two Adjustable Guides that will accomplish the same thing. One is for edgestitching and rides along each side of the fabric, and one is for stitch alignment on top of the fabric and rides on top of the fabric. For the jacket, I used the edgestitch Adjustable Guide in place of the Patchwork Seam Guide.

I just returned from the 35th International Quilt Festival held in Houston. It is an annual show and filled with beautiful quilts, wearables and lots of shopping. In our BERNINA booth we had 830s set up classroom style and a 45 minute tote-bag project you could make using the 830. It was a full house except for the early slots Sunday morning - however, any empty seat was often filled with folks standing by.

I was able to present or help in these sessions and enjoyed watching new sewers and people who had never before sewn or embroidered complete their tote-bag. We customized the 830 screen with a wallpaper of their choice from the many to select from, set the needle minder for the needle installed in the machine (so we wouldn't forget), and started creating our embroidery in the Jumbo Hoop! We took 2 designs from Diane Gaudynski's embroidery folder of feathered quilting designs and created our design and embroidered. Then, with the touch of one button, we went to the sewing screen and created a stitch combination using Drag & Drop and Connecting Stitches and sewed that under our embroidery. The final step was to use the BERNINA Dual Feed to sew up our bag.

Everyone had a new tote they could fill up with their shopping treasures from Houston.