Fun and fantastic from Bernina

Bernina is always coming up with something new and fantastic!! Not only have they just introduced their latest and greatest sewing and embroidery machine, the 8 Series, last month, but they also have a new and improved website!

After watching the Bernina webcast introducing the new 8 Series machines, I am so excited and thrilled about this new machine - the Bernina 830! I can just see all the possible projects that can be stitched on this impressive machine.

There are several features which I am totally thrilled about, the number one thing being the jumbo hoop which increases the embroidery field to 16" x 10"!!! Can't you just see all the large designs that can be stitched and just imagine the borders and continuous designs that can be stitched with only one hooping verses several! I have been waiting for the width of the embroidery area to increase for several years and it's finally here!!! :)

Plus there is an added amount of space between the needle and the machine, making it much easier to quilt larger projects and just gives so much more room to hold the fabric! And another favorite feature of mine is the automatic needle threader. Yes, it is totally automatic - a one-process threading system! And the jumbo bobbin which holds 40% more thread!!

Be sure to peek at Bernina's new and improved website as they have great class lessons on sewing, serging, embroidery and software! Plus you can download instructions for lots of neat projects. And there are always free embroidery design downloads available as well as other fun things that get you totally excited about stitching!

You can always catch the latest Bernina news on the BerninaUSABlog!

Just what is a fat quarter of fabric?

Recently I have had many questions regarding what a fat quarter is and how it is used. Janet Wickell from quilting.about.com illustrates a fat quarter and eighth wonderfully.

What is a fat quarter?

A fat quarter is a one-fourth yard cut of fabric that (usually) measures 18" x 22" instead of the typical 9" x 44" quarter-yard cut. The longest side's dimension will vary if your fabric is not 44" wide.

Why would I want a fat quarter?

Look at the illustration (click link below) and you'll see that a fat quarter gives you the opportunity to cut larger chunks of fabric than would be possible from a regular quarter-yard, including strips that are twice as long on the fabric's (less stretchy) lengthwise grain.

A fat quarter offers more versatility, whether it's for patchwork or appliqué. Quilt shops know that fat quarters are popular, and usually offer a wide assortment of them, pre-cut and ready to go.

You can use fat quarters for strip piecing by making extra strip sets from shorter lengths of fabric until you've cut the number of segments required for the pattern.

Take a peek at her illustration and continuing article here.

Quilts featured on CBS

If you missed the CBS Morning Show last Sunday featuring quilting, The Quilt Show and Ricky Tims, you can see the whole interview online. Go here and search for quilts for sale and a video link will pop up that you can watch.

The Quilt Show to be on CBS Sunday Morning Show

Quilting will be taking front stage as the CBS Morning Show interviews Ricky Tims from The Quilt Show. The tentative date is set for Sunday, March 16, 2008. Be sure to set your VCR or DVD to record so you don't miss this great event!

A few links of interest

Spring is on its way and with that comes the annual Spring cleaning and guess what?! That also includes your sewing room! Janet from about.com shares some of her favorite tools to keep the little things organized. She makes mention of throwing things in baskets intending to sort them later and says "later has a way of turning into much later." I can agree and identify! :)

The International Quilt Study Center & Museum in Lincoln, Nebraska is opening March 30, 2008. If you are unable to visit, you can view the 2,300 quilt collection online. They have a quilting library available and quilting classes that will even give you college credit!

You've got to take a look at these neat embroidered diaper bags at Lazy Girl Designs! The embellishment is so cute and of course it's machine embroidery!

Designs Sew Fine has some cute embroidery designs that might perk your interest. I have not personally stitched these designs, but they seem to be quality designs.

Tipnut shares how to make a notebook and pencil holder from One Red Robin. Cute, neat, but also very practical!

What is a hobby?

According to hobbyride.com:

A hobby is something someone does outside of his or her profession in
order to relax and to relieve stress. A hobby is usually something the
person enjoys doing very much.

I couldn't agree more with that statement. A hobby is most certainly something you enjoy doing and most of the time it is done for fun and relaxation.

Many times hobbies also crossover each other. You may be a sewing/quilt fanatic, but that doesn't mean that scrapbooking, jewelry making, beading, cross stitch and knitting can't be something you enjoy doing as well. There's lots of info on hobbies at http://www.hobbyride.com/.

So, in your spare time and when you decide you want an additional hobby, check out some more fun craft hobbies!

External hard drive for backing up data

Several of you have emailed me asking for a source in reference to this post for purchasing an external hard drive to back up embroidery designs and photos from your computer. I have purchased several hard drives from here and been very pleased with what I have received.

These have an AC plug-in plus a USB cord to plug into your computer. There's no software to install. All you have to do it plug it in and flip the switch and your hard drive is on and you're ready to start sending files!

I would recommend getting around 200 GB for hard drive space. This will give you plenty of room for designs, photos and videos. Digital photos and videos take up lots of space, but this should give you plenty of room!

OESD Hello 2008 Sale

Join OESD as they welcome in the new year with a buy one, get one free sale!

Who: You!

When: Dec. 28, 2007 - Jan. 4, 2008

Where: http://www.embroideryonline.com/

Buy One Stock Design Pack or Individual Design, Get One Free!

Buy One Pack for $69, Get One FreeBuy Two Packs for $59 each,

Get Two FreeBuy 5-9 Packs for $49 each,

Get one Free for each one purchased.

Buy 10+ Packs and get them for only $39.00 each and get 1 free for each one you buy.

For every individual design or design pack you purchase, get one free!

Download FREE Bernina Embroidery Designs

Did you know Bernina offers free embroidery designs from various collections that you can download and stitch? Designs are offered for a short period of time and change frequently, so be sure to check their website often!

Buy One, Get One Free Sale!

OESD will be running a buy one, get one free sale during November 30 - December 3 on individual embroidery designs and design packs! This is a great opportunity to stock up on embroidery designs to add to your collection!!

Take a peek at the Baby Zoo Train, Mini Christmas and Linen Christmas.

Win Fun Freebies!

Would you like to win some neat free items such as a fun purse, neat bag and unique wristlet? Take a peek at Christine's blog and leave a comment on this post for a chance to win one of these handmade items!

Be sure to check out her other posts and creative handmade items in her Etsy store. What creativity!!!

New Bernina Blog

Bernina has just launched its very own blog, so be sure to take a peek! The blog authors behind many of the fun posts and exciting news are Jo Leichte and Erika Mulvenna.

Free instructions for crafts and projects will be added soon. Plus there is also a section for free embroidery designs. This is one blog you won't want to miss visiting!

New web look for Jenny Haskins!

This morning I dropped by Jenny Haskins website and was thrilled to see the fantastic new web design! It is so much easier to see and read and certainly more user friendly than the striped wallpaper and white lettering in the past!

Be sure to take a peek at the Downloads section for free designs and project you can stitch!

IQA Quilt Winners!

It has been announced! All the beautiful quilts I saw in Houston have been judged and the final winners have been decided! You can see the award winning quilts here. I saw the best of show winning quilt by Hollis Chatelain and it is so much more amazing to see it in person than what you are seeing on your computer screen! Enjoy browsing through these unbelievable quilts!

I have some things I want to share on some of the quilts I saw and some that won prizes, so stay tuned in the next few days!

Now or Never Sale at OESD

It's a Now or Never Sale at OESD from October 17th to October 22nd! Choose from selected embroidery design collections now retired starting at prices such as $25!! But don't wait too long....once these designs are gone, they are gone.

So hop on over to OESD and check out the scary sale prices!

Update: As of Wednesday (Oct. 17th) afternoon, all the $25 collections are gone. There are still some great savings.....so check them out before they all disappear!

Finding fabric designers online

Fabric.com has several links on their blog to fabric designers, their latest creations that you can view online and their blogs which feature a variety of things. Take a peek and visit these designer's blogs for the latest and greatest creations!

Be sure to visit...

...OESD today, tomorrow and Monday for a free design each day! Their block party, buy-one-get-one-free sale last until Monday. If your embroidery design collection is in need of a few new collections, now is the time to stock up!

OESD Block Party starts today!

OESD is starting their block party weekend today! Buy 1 design, get 1 free! Buy 1 design pack, get 1 design pack free!

You don't want to miss this fantastic offer on a beautiful array of machine embroidery designs!! Sale is September 13-17th! Also, as an added bonus, OESD is giving away a free design every day, so check back each day to download your free design!

Episode 5 of The Quilt Show

The fifth episode of The Quilt Show, Jump Starting Creativity, is ready for viewing today! So don't miss this fun edition! Here is a summary:

Barbara Olson, renown fiber artist, author and international quilt teacher shares her formula for jump-starting creativity. Her insightful process will help generate the creative energy needed when you have too many ideas – or none! By using a variety of unusual fabrics, you will learn how to think creatively.This is all about the process, not the technique. Show includes a visit from Bob, The Quilt Show’s Thread Guy and a visit to the home of Cheryl Sterling – a developing new talent with an unbridled spirit.

The Quilt Show

The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims is TV on the Internet! Watch episodes with Alex and Ricky featuring special guests in different fields of quilting, pick up tips and techniques in every episode and get inspired with the gallery of quilt shown!

Not only can you watch all the episodes as many times as you want, at any time, but participate in online chatting sessions, the quilting forum and read the latest on The Quilt Show blog. With a paid membership, you can access and search different quilt shops from around the country, find quilt teachers and discover the latest quilt shows.

Basic membership is free and you can watch the first episode. With a paid membership you can view all 13 episodes plus have access to all the search and find features! Watch your first show and you will not want to miss a single one!

I was able to watch the first 4 episodes over the weekend and greatly enjoyed it! I know, I know, the first show was in April and I should have watched it then. After all, I signed up to be a member in March! But I have a whole pile of quilting and embroidery magazines I have been trying to read through since I am woefully behind on reading my monthly subscriptions! I'm making progress; I'm caught up now into March of this year!

Do take a peek at The Quilt Show! It is something you don't want to miss!!

OESD Block Party April 19-23

OESD is once again having a block party weekend where all their downloadable individual designs and design packs are buy 1, get 1 free. This is a great way to stock up on designs and save lots of $$.

Check out OESD's new beta design search. It is a vast improvement over the old version. It is much easier to search for and find designs and the layout is much more intuitive. There are new advanced searching options too, like limiting search results to when the designs were created. That can be very helpful when searching for a certain design. They have also made a few changes to their New Packs page - another great improvement!

A Pink Ebay - Quilt Pink Auction

Thanks to Gina at QuiltersBuzz for the following information on the pink quilt auctions for sale on eBay! Take a peek at the unique pink quilts; you are sure to find some ideas! :)

See hundreds of pink quilts that will be on sale on eBay over the next few months to benefit the Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Thousands of quilters and quilt shops throughout the world participated in this event sewing over 4000 quilts to help raise money for breast cancer. The first set of quilts are on the auction block right now on eBay.

One hundred percent of the sale price goes to this non-profit foundation. Their mission statement is: To save lives and end breast cancer forever by empowering people, ensuring quality care for all and energizing science to find the cures.

About the event:
On Saturday, Sept. 30, 2006, more than 1,000 quilt shops all across the globe held Quilt Pink events, attracting thousands and thousands of quilters sharing one common goal – to stitch together quilts in support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure’s promise to save lives and end breast cancer forever. The result was overwhelming.

American Patchwork & Quilting is proud to announce The Quilt Pink Charity Auction to benefit Susan G. Komen for the Cure. This six-month auction campaign launched April 5, 2007. It will feature weekly auctions, beginning each Thursday, totaling nearly 4,000 handmade quilts that showcase the talent and hope of quilters to unite in supporting a cure for breast cancer.

Check out the auction...It's a pink site to see.