Here's the last of the three projects I made for my Bernina University class this summer. The instructions are from Pat Sloan's I Can't Believe I'm Sewing - I made the blocks exactly like she did, except that when they were done I added batting and quilted them.

I used Patchwork Foot with Guide #57 for the piecing - the little guide on the side of the foot ensures that all of my seams will be exactly 1/4". The fabrics I used were three different colorways of the Benartex "City Blooms" collection.

For the quilting I did three different styles. On the first one I used the regular presser foot (Reverse Pattern Foot #1) and stitched meandering lines from side to side - I think this is one of the easiest ways to quilt, as you don't have to follow any lines or worry about running out of room to stitch. I wasn't using a backing, so didn't have to worry about layers shifting. If I'd had a backing in addition to the batting and patchwork I'd have used Walking Foot #50 or BERNINA Dual Feed to keep the layers from sliding as I stitched.

For the second pillow I used Edgestitch Foot #10 to stitch-in-the-ditch. The guide in the center of the foot made it easy to follow the straight lines of the patchwork.

For the final pillow I dropped the feed dog and attached Freehand Quilting Foot #29. Then I did big stippling over the entire surface. By "big stippling" I mean that my lines were about an inch apart - usually stippling lines are much closer, about 1/4" apart. I could also have used my BERNINA Stitch Regulator for my freemotion stitching - it helps me keep my stitch length consistent, speeding up or slowing down according to how fast I move the fabric.

Here's another of the projects I've been working on for my Bernina University class. It's the Smashing Smock from Anna Maria Horner's book Seams to Me: 24 New Reasons to Love Sewing. I made mine just like the one in the book, except that I used French Seams to sew the sides so the raw edges would be hidden, and I added a pocket to the front. To sew the French seams I used Patchwork Foot with Guide #57, stitching the front and back wrong sides together with a 1/4" seam. Then I trimmed the seam allowances to 1/8", turned the tube inside out, and stitched the side seams again, this time with right sides together. All those raw edges are enclosed inside the seam, so there's no unraveling.

I also embroidered a dragon on the front before I stitched it together. It was so simple to embroider while it was still flat - no need to worry about catching the back in the stitching! I used the artista 630 to do my embroidery - check out the new limited edition 630 Platinum at your local BERNINA store - but any embroidery system could be used.

The dragon is design FB290_48 from Zenscapes pack #12185. You can purchase the single design or the entire pack from www.embroideryonline.com or your local Embroidery Take-Out dealer (who might also be your local Bernina store).

It's time for Bernina University again! Five days of classes and events for Bernina store owners and employees. This year we're headed to San Francisco - June 25-29 in the city by the bay. I hope I'm not so busy that I don't get a chance to go out and see the city! Be sure to stop by your local Bernina store during and after Bernina University - during, because sometimes there are great sales while the owners are away, and after, to find out what's new!

One of the classes I'm teaching this year is partly about teaching sewing classes, so while I'm gone I thought I'd give you a peek at some of the projects I've been working on to show in class. This one is the Messenger Bag from Cassie Barden's book, The New Handmade: Simple Sewing for Contemporary Style. I made mine almost exactly like she did hers, but before I sewed it together I added covered cord around the edges of the front flap.

To cover the cord I first cut 2" wide bias strips and pieced them to form one long strip. Be sure to cut them on the diagonal so you have true bias strips - if you cut them on the straight of the grain they won't curve around the corners. I wrapped the strips around my filler cord (about 3/32 diameter) and stitched them with Bulky Overlock Foot #12. This foot has a channel in the sole that's just the right size to accommodate the bulk of the cord, so with the needle moved to the right it's simple to stitch right next to the cord. If you don't have this foot you could use a zipper foot - you just have to make sure you're stitching next to the cord. I used the same foot to stitch the covered cord to the right side of the flap - the only difference was that I moved my needle position one step closer to the cord for a snugger fit.

A note from Nancy's daughter, Sarah:

One of my best friends from college is getting married in a few weeks, and as her freshman roommate I was of course invited to all of the wedding festivities. I soon found myself a few days before her bachelorette party sans gift. The bride-to-be is a very fun, creative girl who loves do-it-yourself projects, so I knew that she would love something handmade. The only problem with my idea was the time crunch that I was under. I called another friend who would be going to her bachelorette party for some gift ideas. She mentioned that she was looking for a place to have a tote bag embroidered with our friend's new initials.

I immediately knew that I could give a similar gift for a fraction of the price...with the help of my mom's stellar BERNINA 830. So I went to Kohl's and found an inexpensive long-sleeved white cotton hooded sweatshirt to embroider on. I really liked the idea of including the bride's new initials as well as her new name on the sweatshirt. I have seen many bridal gifts that have included a personal touch like this, such as jewelrey bags or sweats that have included the bride or bridesmaids' names. I still wanted the gift to be something that she could wear while getting ready on her wedding day or while lounging around on her honeymoon.

I chose shades of blue and silver to use on my mom's BERNINA 830 and we hooped up the hoodie and got to work. We were able to play with the lettering and design on the lower back of the sweatshirt so that the size and orientation were correct. I probably drove my mom crazy by constantly changing my mind on what I wanted or where it should go, but we got it done. I ended up stitching her new last name across the lower back of the sweatshirt (a very popular spot on other garments I have seen in stores) and then the initials on the front panel. The designs took under ten minutes to sew and the automatic needle-threader made changing thread colors a joy. All-in-all the project took about thirty minutes.

When gifts were opened the night of the party I was happy that I didn't go with my initial thought of a spa gift certificate, as she received five of those. When she pulled my gift from the bag she immediately saw the embroidery on the front and then the rest of the room squealed when they saw her new name on the back. I really think that she liked the gift and it will be something useful as well as meaningful for her to throw over her shoulders on a chilly night in Italy while on her honeymoon.

Note: The initials on the front were selected from the sewing machine's monogram stitches, then taken into embroidery and overlapped to create a unique monogram. The alphabet on the back is Anniversay, and the design is from the built-in Susanne Mueller design collection. 

Here's a note from textile artist Yvonne Porcella -  

My BERNINA has been a favorite for many years. Our grandchildren (we have 11) love to visit my studio and sew. As a result, each family now has their own BERNINA, purchased at conferences where I could take advantage of a discount. One grand daughter wants to take her machine to college. "My sorority sisters want to learn how to sew and make projects for pledge days." I offered to come to the sorority and teach them some of the fun stitches found on the BERNINA.

Not just our grand daughters but our grandsons have all stitched at my BERNINA. They each have made a mini quilt.

Visit Yvonne at her blog http://www.yvonneporcella.blogspot.com/ and her website http://yvonne.porcella.ws/. Yvonne is also featured in the new Celebrity Scrapbook at www.berninausa.com. Read her interview and download a free project by clicking HERE.