Fun with Berninas

Yesterday was the first day of the Bernina event at the quilt store. The students are making a table runner using both the L890 serger and either the 790 or 990 sewing machines. These are the top-of-the-line machines and are meant to give students the opportunity to see and try the high-end features. The Bernina educators, who travel around the country and teach these events, are the ones who design the projects. I think this table runner is one of the better ones. The goal is to show off the special features of the machines while making something useful. We made a sewing caddy during last fall’s event that was bit too complicated and frustrated the students. I didn’t teach that class but I was a class helper.

As always with a class I’ve never taught before, the pacing is a bit of an unknown quantity. Students get hung up on things I don’t anticipate. And I, the teacher, am asking them to trust me that even the steps that don’t make sense to them in the moment will work out in the end. Classes like this require a lot of handholding and encouragement. I had six students yesterday. By the end of the day, every student had assembled a table runner. Today, we’ll be using the sewing machines to quilt and embroider them.

I am always worn out by the end of these teaching days, but it’s a good kind of exhaustion. We hit a point in the day where I could tell the students were getting frustrated—it was about 2:30 in the afternoon—so I stopped the class and told everyone to take a fifteen-minute break to walk around and do some shopping. Sometimes, it’s important to get up and stretch. Sewists are notorious for marathon work sessions.

I am also not used to being gone from home for an entire day. I had to think ahead about what to make and leave for dinner, because the last thing I want to do is cook when I get home after a day of teaching. If I had a day job in town, a lot of stuff just wouldn’t get done here.

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Kennis has come out with two very cute dress patterns recently. One of the students in my class yesterday bought both of them, so she and I went around the store before class to see if we could find suitable fabric.

This is the Vikos Tee and Dress, which is designed for woven fabrics:

And this is the Kashi Tee and Dress:

I like both of them, but I already have very similar patterns so I haven’t decided if I’ll get these or not. The Itch to Stitch patterns are some of the best ones out there, though—always thoroughly tested and very well written.

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The broccoli and cabbage are coming along and lots of little tomato plants have started popping up. I like to go out to the greenhouse and look at the plants every morning.

My schedule eases up a bit this week, although April and May are months when something is happening every single weekend. Our fire department auction is next Saturday and Sunday and I’ll be in the brat booth working as a cashier for at least one shift. If you’re local and come to the auction, stop by and say hello.