At home

December has a habit of creeping up on me, which is mostly my own fault for skipping off and forgetting about real life for a while in late November.

We came home to find the first card on the mat from our sweet friend Sandy in Tasmania, who is so organised, she probably wrote her cards in July or something.  Seeing it was a very cool reminder that really, I need to get a bit of a jingle on!

But a house with no food isn’t a home, is it?  And it’s impossible to make a Christmas cake without the ingredients.  So, first thing on Thursday I went shopping. 

Thursday afternoon, I made a start and measured out the fruit to soak in the rum.  So far it’s drunk half a bottle!

Then there were other errands to run, prescriptions to collect and Advent Calendars to post.  Whilst I was in the post office queue, I thought I’d buy the Christmas stamps too and felt good about remembering to get them whilst there were still some of the special designs left.  But I wonder why the Royal Mail decided not to issue a Christmas design for the European stamp this year?  Our friends in Europe will have the usual portrait of HMQ instead and I’ll have to do what I can to jolly up the envelopes myself.

Today, I was putting some of my new-found skills into practice as I began work on our Christmas cards for this year.  I’d been thinking over a few ideas whilst we were away and this morning, sat down and started to play with the stitch design feature of my machine.

In no time at all, I was ready to give it a test run, so having saved it all to the USB stick as well as the machine memory – just in case - out came the red embroidery thread and the gold embroidery needles I’d bought in JoAnns last week.

Just as all was set and ready to go, I heard a shout from my hero, though, who was busy laying a wooden floor in an upstairs bedroom.  As I went to the stairs to see what’s what, I saw him coming down holding his hand… 

A nasty cut to his finger leaves him hors de combat for the weekend but thankfully, no permanent damage is done.  His visit to the Minor Injuries unit in Cirencester combined nicely with my hairdressing appointment and took less time than a cut and blow dry.  But he’s finding  single handed typing a challenge and it looks like I’ll be doing the driving for a few days.

So what became of the Christmas stitch?  You’ll just have to wait and see!

(Almost) anything is possible

The day got off to a rather good start.  When ordering my breakfast in the Pret A Manger just down the road, the barista didn’t respond immediately to my arrival at the counter.  The manager happened to be watching and “rewarded my patience” (I had to wait all of ten seconds) with a latte on the house.  What’s not to like?

Hannah was ready to start when I got there and we were soon reviewing the small triumphs of yesterday – buttonholes, buttons and the magical tapering facility which I had not even known about.  OK, so some of my samples needed a little more care and attention, but hey, I got that square almost right!

Today was all about embroidering and using the machine’s inbuilt software to design and modify stitches.  I’d played around with the stitch regulator yesterday to create this little bit of free motion quilting – that clearly needs more practice too.  So, until I can manage that process reliably, I’ll need to learn how to program the machine to do it for me.

Well, ok, it’s no masterpiece, but the facility of being able to scribble on the screen of the machine, to press “go” and then to sit back and watch the scribble turn into a stitch is a great trick to have at my disposal.  Still, I’d have preferred those scribbled curves to have been smooth and not jaggy, just as in my drawing.  I searched for a means of making the stitches smaller but although I could reduce the size of the whole pattern, there wasn’t an obvious way to increase the stitch count.  Hmmm.  Well perhaps my super duper machine does have its limitations after all!

After lunch, I explored the ways in which embroidery designs can be modified without returning to the software and how the most basic of stitches can be turned into interesting (and sometimes messy) patterns.  Throughout the day, I’d had so many opportunities to have all my questions answered, to find out more about some of the accessories and see first hand what can be achieved with them and best of all, to establish contact with and learn from the real expert. I’m looking forward to setting aside a few days to work through the pages of notes I took and to spending time reinforcing what I’ve learned here.

With my head buzzing I stepped out along Goswell Road, admiring the colours in the leaves which were blowing around my feet.  In amongst the many was the one…

Lovely!

A few minutes later, my vehicle of choice was approaching and I was on my way back.  Not home, but to collect my luggage for the next stage on the adventure!

In a class of my own

I headed out to Bernina first thing this morning for the first day of training for my sewing machine.  The joining instructions were clear: there would be just half an hour for lunch so sandwiches should be brought en route and allowing plenty of time for two stops on the tube and a seven minute walk, I rolled up with ten minutes to spare.

I was surprised to find I was the first to arrive.

I was even more surprised to find I was the only one booked in for the class! 

Even so, there was a programme of instruction to be followed, starting with essential maintenance – cleaning and oiling.  Hannah and I were already acquainted having met at the Festival of Quilts, where she’d offered some support when my hero was upgrading the Bernina software.  So, it was more of a friendly run through the details rather than formal tuition which was particularly enjoyable for me.

It meant I could ask specific questions too, without fear of taking up valuable time from others who might have more pressing needs.  I’d had difficulty adjusting the bobbin tension when using some 30wt thread to stitch denim recently but all became clear once it was demonstrated at close quarters.  The changes from my last Bernina are many and the new bobbin system has taken some getting used to, being not so immediately/obviously/conventionally adjustable (until now).

The day was spent mostly on the basic functions of the machine and the practical applications, many of which were already familiar.  However, Hannah had a few new tricks up her sleeve to show me and I was glad to have had the time to explore some of the things I hadn’t discovered so far.

With such focused attention, the programme for the day was complete by 2.30pm, so we called it a day so that I could follow up Hannah’s recommendation of a visit to Raystitch.  I was pleased to have had chance to take a look around this amazing emporium where the stock was so much to my taste, I could have selected it all myself!  The Nano Iro Japanese double gauze is lovely but needless to say as soon as I stood in front of it, I couldn’t remember what it was I had thought of using it for.  Some lovely linen here too plus an amazing range of basic haberdashery including the irresistible Merchant and Mills pins – I had to have a box of entomology pins!

Anyway, the 205 bus is my friend and to-ing and fro-ing during the last couple of days has become second nature – I’ll always take the bus in preference to the tube.

After a quick wash and change, I was off out again, taking the chance to sneak in a quick look in the National Portrait Gallery before meeting Edward to go to the opera.  There wasn’t enough time to do anything serious; I reckoned I had thirty minutes at the most, so I simply visited a few favourites, of which I’m not sure this sentimental monstrosity counts!

I much prefer the completely unsentimental pose of the handsome Albert Ball, born in the same year as my Grandad and whose story is told beneath the smallish bronze on a simple plinth.   I don’t recall the full sized monument in Nottingham at all, but I think it must make an even more striking tribute to this young man.

 

I smiled as I passed the Grayson Perry exhibits dotted around the gallery, having enjoyed the TV programmes.  But what really caught my eye was a small exhibition of Catherine Goodman’s portraits.  All worked from life, these heavily encrusted paintings were so skilful in capturing the personalities and each one had layers of stories built into the final portrait.  I wished I’d had longer to spend in these two rooms alone.

I particularly liked Emma Freud’s statement alongside this portrait of Stephanie Pierce, The Headmistress:

“I have yet to understand how some particles of pigment suspended in linseed oil are able to reproduce a life lived long and fulsome”.

Sadly, I was turfed out of the gallery shortly afterward – not for bad behaviour but because it was closing time!

Just time to meet up with Edward then, to take our seats for The Marriage of Figaro and to enjoy a really outstanding performance at the Coliseum.  The production was super, very funny in parts and beautifully sung.  We both declared it to have been a great choice.

Another late night then, and another day at Bernina tomorrow to look forward to!

Made in Switzerland

It’s a while since we had a Bernina post around here, but this morning gave me plenty to fill in the gaps, because we went to Steckborn, where “the greatest sewing machines in the world” are born.  First, however, I had an errand to run at the post office here in Rapperswil.

I couldn’t believe my luck when I found an empty counter, but my jaw dropped in amazement when a well dressed lady walked straight past me and “pushed in” to receive a warm Gruezi from the clerk.  Huh?  Being a stranger in these parts, I didn’t feel able to do my “Ahem! I believe I was here first” act, but that was just as well, for I then realised that I ought to have collected a ticket as I entered the building and followed the directions on the screen above the counter.

I went back, collected the ticket and stood behind the three customers who had arrived in the meantime.  That’ll teach me:  When in Switzerland, do as the Swiss do – or, do as the English do and join (or form) a queue!

Anyway, errands run, we set out in the car, over the hills and far away.

Well, not really that far – just hour or so due north, to the shores of Bodensee, almost as far north as one can go in Switzerland, in fact.

Though we set out on the motorway, we continued on smaller, country roads and as we always do, we wound the windows down to listen to the cowbells and breathe in the fresh, clean air.

In not much more than an hour, our goal was in sight.  We arrived shortly after 11am to find the whole workforce standing out on the lawn in front of the factory and offices, taking part in a fire drill!

As they filed back indoors, I wondered just which one of them had signed my sewing machine?

We weren’t so sure where to go, but knew from an email conversation with a member of their staff, that there were no factory tours on Fridays, sadly.  But the Creative Centre was open and that was where we headed.

Straight up to the first floor then, to a showroom full of sewing machines, samples and displays – but not a soul in sight.  We tentatively stepped inside and wandered around, calling “Hallo?” to no reply.  Oh well, we thought we’d take a few photos and maybe someone would appear.

My hero had set off around the corner, into a kind of classroom and called me over.  “Good grief”, he said, “just think of how much that trolley full of sewing machines is worth!” (There were five 880s, five 780s and ten embroidery units underneath – somewhere around £50K then?!)

As we ogled the riches, a young woman appeared – no chance of running off with them!!  After a short conversation, she invited us to make ourselves at home, to spend as long as we liked looking around and when we needed her, she’d be right there for us.  The machines were there because she was setting the classroom up for a weekend course for Swiss purchasers of the 880 – the same course as I will attend in November, in London.  I can’t imagine the London environment will be quite so inspiring, however – we’ll see.

It was fun to look around and to see the real life examples from the website and of course, to see ideas and gather inspiration.

I’d not seen this indigo quilt previously, nor had I seen the accessory it was used to promote.  But whilst there, our new best friend, Frau Gross explained it all: the Spanish Hem Stitch attachment was one of the featured accessories.  Oh and yes, it seemed that she had made most of these samples, too.

She explained how this small attachment allows the use of the decorative stitches to create openwork seams like the orange stitching on the book cover above.  I’d not seen it before and knowing there was a video explaining the use online as well, then maybe this gizmo would be my souvenir?  Needless to say, however, I had another couple of other feet on my wishlist (held on the Bernina App on my phone ) and seeing those on the display, I soon had a small collection to purchase.

As we completed the transaction, Frau Gross passed my hero a small gift from Bernina.

I’m not sure how often he uses a tape measure, but rest assured, when he does, he will have the perfect tool for the job!  As for me, well, I had a copy of the latest Inspirations magazine – and of course, the pleasure of seeing the source of the many projects and resources which I can view online.  Needless to say, I felt inspired to go back and switch my sewing machine on immediately, but we had other plans for the day.  Coincidentally, they were also inspired by Bernina in a blog entry I read just before we left home….seeing a theme here?

I’ll continue the story in the next post.

Fiddling about

I’d been admiring the work of Angie Lewin and the St Judes Print Studio for some time and when a friend sent me a card along similar lines, I thought I’d take similar shapes to build a design to play with.  I began by drawing a quick sketch and considered what techniques and processes I could incorporate.  I wanted to put some of the things I’ve been learning from the Bernina Workbooks in there, but also, to try and put a little Silhouette trick or two in there as well.

There’s no point in making things easy if I can build a little difficulty in there, is there?  So, I took a photograph of my drawing with my Note and then used the Samsung Sketch app to trace the design in layers and then copied it to my pc by means of dropbox.

I fiddled about with the layers and tidied the drawing up a bit in Photoshop Elements before importing each shape into the Bernina V7 software and digitising them.

I discovered that much of the detail is lost when importing a .png file.  Like all of it!  From then on, I stuck with .jpg files.

I imported the solid shapes to the Silhouette software and arranged them tightly in the corner so I wouldn’t waste any of the precious rubber stamp material, because here I was going to cut the shapes out so that I could print them onto the fabric if I wished.  All the time, I kept an eye on the relative sizes – it’s so easy to switch resolution settings and so on when moving from one program to another.  So far, it was looking ok though.

I hit “go” and four rubber stamp shapes were cut.

Whilst I was at it, I cut three sets of shapes from some lutradur I had on hand, thinking that I could spray that any colour later and maybe applique them in the design.

I continued to work my way around the design, fiddling about with the settings, trying to change the order of stitching so that the machine would stitch an outline in which to place one of those applique shapes before it went on to do something else over the top.

Just before we went for a spot of lunch, I thought I’d print out the design and discovered, quite by chance, that doing that creates a perfect sewing plan.  Yes!

After lunch, things began to get exciting.  I realised that I could use the grid supplied with the embroidery hoop to line things up, and using the print out (which had markings for the centre of the hoop and for both axes marked, too) I carefully marked my gridded stamp block and lined it up…

Time to begin sewing.  In no time at all, a lovely oval shape was being filled with a delicate blackwork pattern.  Was that green paisley stamp going to be in the right place?

Too early to tell, but sure enough, the machine stitched those placement shapes out and stopped for me to put the sprayed bits of lutradur in place.  I used a bit of Pritt stick to hold them down for the time being.

As it happened, that green paisley wasn’t in exactly the right place but I don’t think it mattered one jot.  Everything had fallen into place otherwise and I was feeling pretty pleased with my day’s work!

Once the sewing was finished and all the joining threads cut away, I felt even more delighted with the outcome.  Not only had everything remained in the right place, but the silhouette cut shapes had fitted in perfectly too.  There’s a bit of a muddly area in the centre, where the grey flower head overlays the paisley shape but that could be easily sorted.  I particularly love the blackwork filling though and will stitch this one out again in different colours, swapping around the applique pieces and the stamped areas, too.  Having saved all those stems individually, I can also move them around and create a different arrangement as well.

I also think that this design doesn’t look quite so “manufactured” as my earlier efforts.  Just that little bit of (inaccurate!) hand printing and a little bit of flappy fabric not completely stitched down makes all the difference, don’t you agree?