A new generation...

I'm pretty excited! I came home with some boxes from my awesome Bernina Dealer...

boxes that contained a new generation of sewing, embroidery and crafting!

I have been a Bernina fan for many years, but the very first Bernina I purchased was from my friend, Trisha Smith (Treasures by Trisha Patterns). Trisha was in my local SAGA (Smocking Arts Guild of America) group in Nashville, and she also worked at a Bernina Dealer where I purchased my first Bernina, which actually happened to be Trisha's personal machine!

At the time this was the top of the line Bernina. The 1630 featured 9mm stitch width, over 400 stitch patterns, monograms, 5 alphabets, and enabled sewing in 16 directions. To this very day, I wished I would have kept this machine - it was a work-horse! One of these days I am going to get me another 1630 to have as a back-up sewing machine.

My next machine was a Bernina Bernette Deco 600 embroidery-only machine that I added to  my 1630.

This was a fun little machine, and at the time embroidery machines were just hitting the market and becoming popular for home sewers. I didn't keep this machine too long, as it really limited me. The disadvantage is that it was embroidery only. I was also limited to a 4x4 hoop. I did purchase a re-positional hoop, however I was ready to move up as more and more machines were progressing with technology. I sold my Deco machine and purchased a brand new Bernina  Artista 180E.

The 180E was awesome! It had 3 different sized hoops and gazillions of stitches! With the purchase of this machine, I also purchased the Designer Software and began learning how to digitize my own designs. The 180 was perfect for both sewing and embroidery and I used it for many years before I added an additional machine, the Bernina Artista 200. 

A few years ago I passed my 180 down to my daughter, who was just getting into sewing and embroidery. It's been a great machine for her and she's having fun doing embroidery and sewing.

The Bernina Artista 200E was even more awesome than the 180E! The screen was bigger and in color! Another great feature is that I could use a USB stick to transfer designs to the machine. I think I have owned this machine for around 7 or 8 years - just about every board has been replaced in it and it basically runs like a 730 machine, but I was getting the itch for a new machine. Since I like to keep up with technology, it was just time to move up again in the Bernina line. I am "sew" excited about my new Bernina 780...it truly is a new generation!

I passed my 200 down to my daughter, who is thrilled to get a "new" and "updated" machine. I then traded in the 180 to purchase the 780.

I am totally blown away at all this new machine can do!

It's soooooo BIG! It's a MONSTER of a machine, and I'm in love with it! I need some serious time alone with it..it's the best therapy ever and I can't wait to share on my blog all fun new things it can do...sewing, embroidery, crafting...a new generation!

needle knowledge!

It seems there are a gazillion choices of needles and knowing what to choose can sometimes be a daunting task, especially for the beginner sewer. I recently came across an awesome app for my iPhone and iPad. (Android app is coming soon, also!)

This is one of the handiest apps I think I have ever seen for sewing! It has a large knowledge base, including needle anatomy, needle eye comparison, choosing a needle, how to open a package and needle replacement!

Another awesome feature is Needle Types! It shows all the types of needles available and gives important information about that needle type! Double Eye, Hemstitch, Twin Needle, Embroidery and more! How awesome is that?!

Adding to it's awesomeness is "Needles by Fabric Type". How often have you wondered what the best type needle is for the particular fabric you are using? This app figures it all out for you! You can scroll down and find the fabric you are working with and what needle is best suited for that fabric!

Everyone has encountered problems while sewing, but how many times do you think it's an issue with the needle, rather than the machine? There is a problem solving base in this app that will help you solve many needle issues that we all often times deal with!

When you open the app, you can read all about it and all it has to offer! You can even access the Schmetz Blog and order directly from them within the app!

Another great thing about this app is that it is absolutely, 100%

so don't waste anytime - head to the app-store and download it,

you will be glad you did!

good things are coming..

To say I'm pretty excited would be an understatement! I am a firm believer that good things come to those who believe and wait. I have believed and I have waited for several years now for a new sewing machine. I believed that a new sewing machine would eventually come into my life and sewing room...and I have waited a very-very long time! The day is almost here - it's so close I can almost smell it...the smell of a new sewing machine is like the smell of a new car - you can't get enough of it!

I can't wait till she is mine and in my sewing room and I can't wait to share with you all the things this new gem will do....until then I have to

New Era Smocking Plates

There's a new era of smocking plates on the market and they have many advantages over the traditional paper smocking plates. I have been smocking for over 30 years, so I have quite a collection of paper smocking plates. I have all mine stored in paper protectors and grouped by designer in a big 3-ring binder.

This seems to be the best way I have come up with to keep my smocking plates organized and easy to find. When I use one of them, I just take the whole paper protector out of the binder so that I can keep my smocking plate clean and wrinkle-free!

Several years ago, smocking plates started taking on a new form by being created as PDF files. I didn't really jump on board with that type of smocking plate at the time, as it wasn't the most convenient. It was still easier to grab my paper smocking plate and carry it about with me wherever I went. That was before the era of iPads and other portable electronic tablets. I now love the ease of bringing up a smocking plate on my iPad and being able to carry it around with me!

Another great advantage of PDF Smocking Plates is that with the swipe of my fingers, I can zoom in to those sometimes hard to see stacked cables! Zooming in allows me to see the detail that I might need to work on the design.

One question that cropped up on my facebook page was "Can I view PDF Smocking Plates on my Android device?" The answer is, if you can view PDF files on whatever brand portable electronic device you have, then YES! you can!!

PDF Smocking Plates are also a great convenience as you can order them and get an instant download and be smocking immediately! 

My design studio, Brer Rabbit Designs, has quite a few PDF smocking plates to choose from and all are an instant download!

If I was real ambitious, I would scan every single one of my paper smocking plates and make them into PDF files. I could then store each smocking plates in my computer or iCloud and be able to access them all at the tap of a finger! Oh the convenience! I'm just not sure I am quite that ambitious yet, but perhaps someday I will have nothing better to do than to scan smocking plates all day long!

Zippidy-Zip!

Inserting zippers has never been anything that I would describe as "enjoyable sewing"...in fact, I often find it downright intimidating!  Since the majority of my sewing is heirloom sewing, it's really quite rare that I would ever be sewing in a zipper, however there are occasions when it becomes a necessity. One of those occasions was several months ago when my daughter wanted me to make her a diaper bag. She picked out the cutest pattern, but then there was that dreaded zipper right smack dab in the middle of the diaper bag! I didn't have the heart to tell her that I loathe putting in zippers, so I got the pattern and decided to face the zipper-demon head on!

Just look at that zipper! Yep! It's a proud moment!

I will say that the instructions for this diaper bag were excellent and I didn't have too much trouble at all putting in the zipper. That is not the case with every patterns tho. 

Almost every zipper you purchase comes with instructions, sorta like this:

Have you ever tried to read them? Me neither! 

I recently found a wonderful community on the web, called Craftsy! This community has all kinds of awesome sewing classes. Within those sewing classes, I found a free one on zippers, called Mastering Zipper Techniques. What I really like about this class is that it's not only free, but she is sewing on a Bernina Sewing Machine, which is what I sew with. It made it "sew" easy to follow along with her, however her techniques can be applied to any sewing machine brand. 

There are six lessons that Sunni Standing teaches zipper techniques, and the best part is that you can watch all the videos at your own convenience. The following techniques are all covered in her lessons:

• Basic types of zippers and their uses
• How to use adjustable and invisible zipper feet
• How to stabilize a zipper
• Techniques on applying slot seam, invisible, and lapped zippers
• Tricks for working with lined and faced garments

This free lesson series is well worth watching, it will not only help you, but will answer many questions you might have about zippers! There are many other sewing lessons there as well!

I want to invite you to take a look around and join the Craftsy Community! I have recently uploaded several of my ePatterns there, which you can find in my pattern store.

I hope you take time to download and watch the zipper lesson and in no time flat you will be mastering the technique zippidy-zip!

Fabric Designer Dreams

In the past few years, I have had fabric design ideas in my head and have thought many times about designing fabric as part of my home business. How many times have you wished you could find a particular fabric design that is in your head, but can't be found anywhere? It happens often for me, and that is why I have considered becoming a fabric designer. I guess sometimes you could say it's a dream of mine. My dreams take me far in joining the likes of Amy Butler, Tula Pink and Riley Blake! Hey, a girl can dream, right? I guess the hard part of my dreams was taking my design ideas to actual manufacturing of the fabric - it just seems like a monumental hurdle that I'm not sure I was ready to jump yet. The design ideas never even made it out of my head and into my computer or on paper, until I had this opportunity to become a Pinterest Fabric Design Contestant. The real motivator for this contest is the Grand Prize - a Bernina 710! There are no guarantees that I will win the Grand Prize, or any prize for that matter, it's all up to the Celebrity Judges and Pat Bravo. What is important tho, is that participating in this contest has sparked an interest in fabric design again, and who knows what the future holds for that. Today is the very last day for repins for my fabric swatch entry in the Bernina and We All Sew Pinterest Fabric Design Contest.

If you haven't had a chance yet to repin my most popular entry, I hope you will - it doesn't mean I will win, but it sure makes me happy to see the many friends who are supporting me in this contest. Thank you all "sew" much! 

Click on the photo or HERE
 and it will take you to 
Pinterest where you can repin it!
Thanks "sew" much!!

I just want to congratulate everyone who has been a contestant in this contest. All the entries are fantastic and I wish you all the best of luck! I can't wait to see who all the winners are and what lines of new fabric could result from this awesome contest!

Welcome Baby Grant..and help me win!

Nothing on earth is more precious than a newborn baby along with the miracle of birth! I am so proud to introduce to you, my newest grandson, Grant Hudson!

He surprised us all by arriving about a month early! I had planned to make my daughter a brand new pretty Trendy Hospital Gown - thinking I had nearly a whole month to get it ready! She didn't even have a bag packed for the hospital when he decided what day he was going to arrive! It was a totally uncomplicated birth and he's just as perfect as can be!

I have been working on several hand-mades for him in the past month or so, thinking he would be a pretty good size boy...now he has some beautiful hand-mades to grow into. Even tho he wasn't too happy about getting dressed up, he did wear one of my hand-mades home from the hospital.

This sweet garment is "Baby's Summer Clothes" by Old Fashioned Baby. The monogram is my new machine shadow work circle monogram. It is now available for purchase on my website at Brer Rabbit Designs.

Look for more and more designs for boys to show up on my website in the coming months - I'm getting on a roll doing all this boy-sewing!

Speaking of sewing...I'm in dire need of a new sewing machine, however, I just don't have the funds to purchase what I want right now. With that said, I am hoping to win a new Bernina in a contest I just entered. It's the WeAllSew Pinterest Fabric Design Contest

I have entered two fabric designs that I hope one will win the most re-pins - so far, it's doing pretty good! Please help me win a new sewing machine by repinning and spreading the word! If you click on each swatch below, it will take you directly to the Bernina Fabric Design Contest Pinterest Board, from there you can repin it - that is the ONLY way your vote will count for me - you must click on the swatch and go to their board to repin. So far, my Chevron's Ahoy! seems to be a very popular vote! Please help it go viral on Pinterest! :) If my fabric swatch wins, I will buy a bolt of this fabric and offer it on my website - if I am able to do so! :) I think it's pretty darn cute, what do you think?

As I get inspired to design, I will post more - just watch the board!