From Scraps To A Potholder!

Every few months I sort through my scrap bag(s)… I can’t seem to waste anything….I never buy more than I need and I don’t have a big stash of fabric, I just purchase what I need for the project I’m making…but every project will end up leaving a few scraps behind. I love those scraps and find them precious in the way of memories..

My granddaughter Paige is now 13 years old but when she was born I made her a sweet baby quilt which she still has…It left me with some wonderful scraps that got smaller and smaller with each scrap project I found to use them on until…today I used the last of them to make a potholder/trivet for my kitchen table…the scraps from Paige’s baby quilt are now all gone.

It was a quick fun project that allowed me to use the new serpentine stitch installed on my Bernina with the most recent update…I knew it was there but had not found an opportunity to give it a try and this potholder/trivet was the perfect project….I call it a pot holder/trivet because it’s an odd size…when using scraps..be creative! Don’t worry about boundaries…go for what is fun and brings you joy!

I stitched strips together and trimmed them… I had an old cotton sheet that I had cut into good pieces and used that for the back of my potholder/trivet…

I used serpentine stitch 1396 with my 9 mm stitch plate and just went down each seam..

I used thermal batting to insulate the potholder/trivet…

Once the quilting was done I rounded off the corners and cleaned up each edge…

I used the last of the scraps to piece together a binding …

I joined the binding so it just fit the potholder and looked continuous…

I love hand sewing so I stitched the binding down by hand..

All done and ready to use for Sunday dinner this weekend..❤️

Taming Machine Embroidery Files

As you begin to use that beautiful new embroidery machine you will soon find lots and lots of designs on-line that grab your attention and give you ideas for projects that you can make and even if you are not a computer wizard, it’s easy to download and move a machine embroidery file to your machine…. let’s go get a design and drop it on a USB stick….

Each machine embroidery design website is different…. some have the color sheet/guide in a separate download or print off… some will have a little different route to your purchases (very often you will get an email confirming your purchase with a link to the download)… but once you get started, you can navigate almost any web site to find your purchased designs…

Have fun today and enjoy your sewing!

My Love Affair With My Bernina ❤️

I’ve sewn and been interested in all things needlework for 53 years…. I learned to sew on my grandmother’s treadle sewing machine…I loved that old machine! I made all my school clothes and many other projects on it…

My next machine was a singer which I didn’t have very long. As a young mother making clothes for my three little ones I soon traded that singer in on a brand new Elna…. I used my first Elna until it was worn out… about 20 years… at which time I purchased another new Elna which I loved and used about ten years and traded it in on a new computerized Pfaff… I wore it out too and had it long enough that all the computer connections were so out of date they no longer worked…I sewed on all these machines nearly everyday!

When my Pfaff died, I decided I was going to get the best new machine I could fit in my budget and started looking. My choices came down to baby lock and Bernina and the deciding factor was the Bernina stitch regulator… I bought a Bernina 770 QEE with embroidery module, added some extra hoops and more presser feet and I don’t regret one penny I spent on this machine! I love it… everyday it’s a delight and a joy to sit down and sew or embroider or quilt on this machine!

I keep it clean and oiled and care for it like it’s the wonderful machine that it is… I have it serviced regularly by my wonderful Bernina dealer and I’ve never had a single problem with it!

I’m hooked on Bernina!