Episode 52: I Went to Visit My Mom and All I Got was this Lousy …

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BERNINA, baby!

That’s right, I said “Bernina.”

More on that soon.

ETA: 8-17-11/9 p.m.  Podbean has been down all afternoon, so I haven’t been able to post the episode. Fingers crossed I can get it up tomorrow!

Some pictures of knitting, since I have no quilting pix to share:

Will’s Harry Potter sweater.


Still life with “Garden and Gun” sock and melons


0 Replies to “Episode 52: I Went to Visit My Mom and All I Got was this Lousy …”

  1. oh Frances, congrats on the new machine!! it sounds wonderful and it probably sews wonderful, too.
    how about a little review on the differences between your old and the fancy new machine? when i compare my trusty “old” Brother to my blinking Pfaff the things that are really better with the bigger/fancier machine are the extremely wide throat, the incredible look of straight line top stiching and the knee lift.
    i found out i do not care in the least for all the different stiches the bigger machine offers: i did not use an eights of the 70 stiches on my Brother, neither do i the 200 on the Pfaff..
    So how´s your sewing changing?
    Claudia

  2. Congrats on the new machine! I seem to remember that you were sewing on a Kenmore, which is what I have. I’d be interested in hearing a comparison.

  3. Oh yea! Frances on your Bernina! What a generous mother. My Bernina was bought in 1993 and still sews perfectly. What I especially love about the older Bernina machines is the view of the needle. Many of the newer machines have a shield/cover that goes over the thread take-up and obscures the needle much more than the older versions. When I sew on a newer Bernina I have to bend my neck more or sit lower. I also feel these older Bernina’s did excellent stitches for machine applique. Once I showed a shop owner a block from my Dear Hannah and she said, “Oh, you must have used a Bernina to get that precision of stitich.” What I like about a machine with a few less bells and whistles is that they do well what they were intended to do. It is like the difference between a dedicated FAX and an all-in-one machine. The all-in-one does 3 or 4 things ok to pretty well; the dedicated FAX does what it does excellently.

    Have a wonderful last few days of summer.

    KellyV

  4. So glad you got the Bernina! My quilting improved so much when I got mine. It doesn’t have a thread cutter :-). , but I think my favorite thing is the way that the feet attach, with the lever instead of a screw, which always used to come loose as I worked. Just a very well-built machine that will sew through anything.

    Thanks for interviewing your mom again. She is wonderful. My mom is no longer able to quilt or take an interest in quilting, and I really miss it. I know you must treasure sharing these things with her.

    Put up sauerkraut today and thought of you. (Well, shredded and salted the cabbage. It’s fermenting in jars on my counter. I’ll can it next week.)

    Take care.

  5. Haven’t listened yet, but will later today. Yes I knit, and love to hear about your knitting along with the quilting. Crochet, too, in case you mention that. Congrats on the new sewing machine, I recently had a streak of good luck and have a new-to-me Viking Designer SE with embroidery. Excited about that. Thanks for all you do.

  6. Enjoyed hearing from your Mom. What a darling to pass on her Bernina, certainly a top machine annd definitely a keeper. (I know, I’m still using a 23 yo Viking.) Several friends have brought a Baby Lock home from cruises and other events. They are also popular locally since they have the helpful stuff that speeds up sewing. But don’t toss that Kenmore. Several of my friends still sew on these, tho’ some just use them for heavy duty stuff.

    A note to “stash-buildiing” Mom. Make a visit to Target and pick out one type of plastic storage box that you like. Make sure they come in multiple sizes. (I started with a particular Sterilite set some years ago, and the Target REs are the same mold, but brighter colors.) I have boxes in 4 graduated sizes, they all nest, they all stack in the basement. As the project gets larger, fabric graduates to a bigger box; finished stuff gets into the smaller. What’s esp. nice is I can see what’s in each box if I forget to post a label on the end. Also, when I’m not sure what I need to bring to a workshop, I just throw the box(es) in the back of the car and figure it out when I get there. I, too, was tempted to use out of season suitcases. But if you can’t see it, you won’t remember to use it. And sometimes I actually forgot what I had and went out to buy a replacement unneeded.

    Always a pleasure to hear you and your family. Keep up the fun!

  7. Love the knitting you’re doing! I get in the mood to knit this time of year too. Must be some deep-seeded instinct to make sure my family is warm all winter… Or that’s my excuse to buy more yarn!

  8. Just listened to this today and LOVE the episodes with your mom. You two sound like you’re so much alike!

    Your mom made a great point about the dealer/service center being an important factor when buying a machine. I ended up with a Pfaff in large part b/c the folks at our Bernina dealer here in the ATL were snooty to me when I came in to look, and the people at the Pfaff place were so friendly and helpful. It matters, people!

    Hope you are enjoying your new baby. What’s her name? Yes, of course a sewing machine has a name!

    http://quiltinjenny.blogspot.com/2009/04/sewing-machine-shopping.html

  9. Hi Francis What a lovely podcast – I loved listening to you and your mum, I felt like I was sitting in your lounge with you guys. What a treat. Great news on the Bernina – I must admit I am a Bernina girl and just love my machine – I look forward to hearing how you get on with yours. Also I know the weather is very threatening at the moment – I have limited knowledge of it over in the UK, but know you are all in my thoughts and prayers. Stay safe and happy quilting and knitting! C

  10. I am a little late to the party here, but I am playing catch up! I have Quilt Pro and Quilt Album on my beloved Mac. I have used Quilt Pro to design several quilts – three of which I have actually made. I found it fairly easy to use, although I have not tried scanning my fabrics into it yet!

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