Bernina

Today my quilting is on a back burner.  You know how you get caught up in things.  I'm still wanting to get links up to various how-to videos for doing the different stitches--that will happen soon.  Meanwhile, my tips for today are that I have learned metallic thread-while it looks great-is very hard to work with.  There is a site I have run across--I'll look for it and post the link--where she does as far as I am able to tell squares of freehand designs with metallic thread and beads.  It's not a quilt or a part of a quilt but a 'piece', if you know what I mean.l It's under 'blogger, hand embroidery'.  I just looked and can't find it.  Oh well, good luck to whoever you are!

Berninas are the queens of machines!  I use my mom's Bernina 830.  I tell you what, within  the first week I had it I had hemmed 2 pairs of pants, fixed 3 shirts that had been in the basket in the corner for a year, and made puppets. (I started much of my hand sewing simply because I couldn't thread my machine at the time. Recently I found a handmade unfinished queen-sized quilt, 2 finished runners, 2 pillow shams, a table skirt/cover, and unfinished curtains I had made during the time I couldn't thread the machine.) She says she let me 'borrow' it to 'get it out of her room', but she just bought one of the fancy, electronic, 247 stitches machines by Brother.  Well, all I can say is the Bernina can take 4 thicknesses of tapestry without too much of a problem. Automatic tension control!  Always get automatic tension control!  It was and still is a top of the line machine--and I can thread it easily.  It's all about having the right needle.  I just buy a lot of Universal heavy-weight needles and I am set.  

However, I do have a denim project quilt in the making-denim needles for that one.    I am using denim back pockets to make a quilt of 10x10 squares.  I have put one pocket per square.  I will do it like a windowpane pattern, I think, and use heavyweight cotton or heavyweight something that is washable for the bordering around the squares.  4 child's back pockets per square if that is what I have.  Garage sales, here I come!  Garage sales are great to get fabric--only I never tell them that I am buying it not for my little whippersnapper but to cut up into little pieces.  They probably wouldn't appreciate hearing that anyway while they are saying or thinking that the piece is good quality, shame to sell it, someone just loved it. You can get fabric scraps, and scarves.....Goodwill is excellent too but I am a miser and garage sales suit better.  Estate sales are the best--handmade lace and crochet pieces, and little dodads.