Every fall for the past four years has brought me to shops located in Bernina's District O, which encompasses the states of North and South Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee. Usually in the spring, Lyn Lackey, the District Manager, will send me an e-mail to double check the dates we've set and then signs up her Bernina dealers for my visit. Every year I fly in and teach for a couple of weeks, making new friends and revisiting others.
Sew Original has two locations, the one in Winston-Salem where I taught this trip and another in Boone. I taught at both stores four years ago, so it was good to come back and see all the changes. For one thing, the store has moved and is much larger!
I liked the Sew Original banner hanging on the wall in the picture above...
I always like to browse the notions racks to see what's new that I have to try....
A nice relaxing place to ponder purchases -- or to park a husband!
This was something I hadn't seen before and would be a valuable addition to an embroiderer's sewing area -- a storage table specifically designed for the Master Hooper. I am totally sold on this hooping helper, which is a weighted base with clips designed to hold the bottom half of your embroidery hoop so that it doesn't skitter all around when you are trying to fit the top half into it. I am not the world's best hooper, so this device makes the process easier and more accurate.
The storage unit, with a tray on top to hold the Master Hooper, opens to show divided spaces to hold hoops, stabilizers, adhesives and all the other stuff you need to have, all in one place. If you look to the top left of the table, there is a dowel there so that you can keep a roll of your favorite stabilizer at hand. To see better pictures of this table, you can go to the Master Hooper website -- click here.
Near the Master Hooper station and behind those comfortable chairs are more samples on the walls and an ironing board with a lot of space around it where I could do some of my machine applique demonstrations.
A finished Floral Visions quilt -- can't wait until mine gets to this point!
Sew Original's Block of the Month for this year, in two colorways.....
It was explained to me that for $5 per month, everybody gets the patterns for the pieced chain blocks. Then they can purchase the additional pattern packs for either the paper-pieced star blocks or the applique blocks or both. All of the applique blocks were done by hand by Holly Alloway, who teaches and works at Sew Original.
Susan Tuttle took a different approach -- her applique blocks are done with Paintstiks! When she told me about it, I begged her to let me see it, so she had her daughter bring it to the shop.
Here's a closeup of one of the blocks -- I can't wait to see it quilted and asked Susan to please e-mail me pictures when it is finished!
So I have to play with this technique -- one more thing on my "bucket list"!
It's Sunday morning and a driving day; I'll get everything packed up and take a scenic two hour drive to Asheville where I'm having dinner with my friends from Asheville Cotton Company!
Sew Original has two locations, the one in Winston-Salem where I taught this trip and another in Boone. I taught at both stores four years ago, so it was good to come back and see all the changes. For one thing, the store has moved and is much larger!
I liked the Sew Original banner hanging on the wall in the picture above...
I always like to browse the notions racks to see what's new that I have to try....
A nice relaxing place to ponder purchases -- or to park a husband!
This was something I hadn't seen before and would be a valuable addition to an embroiderer's sewing area -- a storage table specifically designed for the Master Hooper. I am totally sold on this hooping helper, which is a weighted base with clips designed to hold the bottom half of your embroidery hoop so that it doesn't skitter all around when you are trying to fit the top half into it. I am not the world's best hooper, so this device makes the process easier and more accurate.
The storage unit, with a tray on top to hold the Master Hooper, opens to show divided spaces to hold hoops, stabilizers, adhesives and all the other stuff you need to have, all in one place. If you look to the top left of the table, there is a dowel there so that you can keep a roll of your favorite stabilizer at hand. To see better pictures of this table, you can go to the Master Hooper website -- click here.
Near the Master Hooper station and behind those comfortable chairs are more samples on the walls and an ironing board with a lot of space around it where I could do some of my machine applique demonstrations.
A finished Floral Visions quilt -- can't wait until mine gets to this point!
Sew Original's Block of the Month for this year, in two colorways.....
It was explained to me that for $5 per month, everybody gets the patterns for the pieced chain blocks. Then they can purchase the additional pattern packs for either the paper-pieced star blocks or the applique blocks or both. All of the applique blocks were done by hand by Holly Alloway, who teaches and works at Sew Original.
Susan Tuttle took a different approach -- her applique blocks are done with Paintstiks! When she told me about it, I begged her to let me see it, so she had her daughter bring it to the shop.
Here's a closeup of one of the blocks -- I can't wait to see it quilted and asked Susan to please e-mail me pictures when it is finished!
So I have to play with this technique -- one more thing on my "bucket list"!
It's Sunday morning and a driving day; I'll get everything packed up and take a scenic two hour drive to Asheville where I'm having dinner with my friends from Asheville Cotton Company!
Nice read. Love the first color way block of the month. Glad you sre having such a great time.
ReplyDeletePaula, Thanks for the great write-up forour new location. Just a quick note. Holly did both of the applique blocks. Can't wait for you to come back next year.
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