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Feb 8, 2012

How to Weave a Ribbon Chain

February 8, 2012 By 2 Comments
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This ribbon chain is a sweet accent to any project. It can be applied to pillows, purses, garments, and I think it would look awesome on a headband. Mom (Zede) saw this technique on one of Deatra’s (former owner of the store) projects way back in the 90′s and asked her how it was done- she couldn’t remember! So, Mom decided she’d think through it. The moment of inspiration came while she was driving home and resulted in her speeding the rest of the way to the house, coming to a screeching halt in front of the garage, and racing up to her studio to find some ribbon to act out her ideas upon. Remember folks- this was before the days of video tutorials, when you had to figure it out all by yourself!

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As I explain in this video, we have revisited this technique several times throughout the years, and every time we have re-teach ourselves. Well, this video should do the trick from now on!

Have you tried it yet? Isn’t it simple?

Filed Under: Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , , ,
Feb 7, 2012

What Dealers Do! BERNINA District Meeting

February 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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Ok, the first thing I have to tell you about being a BERNINA dealer is that we are required to follow the proscribed media guidelines that BERNINA sets forth. One of those guidelines is that the name BERNINA appear in all caps in any print advertising, web media or web correspondence. So, when I type BERNINA, I’m not yelling at you, I’m just doing my best to represent.

Being a sewing machine dealer is fun! At least I think so. We get to be on the cutting edge of the sewing industry and find out about all sorts of new sewing stuff before the rest of the public.

In order to be on the cutting edge, we have to attend these dealer meetings. So, mom and I trot off to Merrily We Sew Along in St. Louis to learn what new stuff BERNINA is planning!

Once we settled down and introduced ourselves, we learned that there was over 100 years of experience in the room between all of us!

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Zede and Mallory with fellow BERNINA dealer Mary from Cross Patches in Collinsville, IL.  (If you’re in Illinois, check her store out!).

The first thing we were reminded of is that BERNINA has high standards, and that’s what makes your experience so great when you buy from a dealer!

We are required to give guide classes to all customers who buy a machine from us- it’s in our contract!  We also have to attend training events about new products.  If you get a machine from a BERNINA dealer, you should be fully supported!

There are also lots of programs that we can choose to participate in as well.  These programs range from virtual education programs to carrying BERNINA exclusive embroidery designs in our store.  Every BERNINA dealer can choose different programs to tailor their store offerings to their clientele.

I’ll tell you one thing, those sales associates at the big-box stores do not go to regional training.  They aren’t trained on each machine.  If you bring your machine back to one of those stores when you have trouble, you don’t get the support that you should get at a dealer.  I guess that was more than one thing…

See you all bright and early at our shop tomorrow morning!!!

Do you have a BERNINA?  What do you like about it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Filed Under: Ideas, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , ,
Feb 4, 2012

How to Darn Jeans

February 4, 2012 By 3 Comments
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This has been one of our most popular videos that we’ve ever uploaded to YouTube. I think I know why- everyone wears jeans and everyone wears them out!

I wear out my jeans in the crotch area, which turns out to be a pretty embarrassing problem if left unchecked. I think I’ve darned just about every pair of jeans that I’ve owned for over 1 year…which means just about every pair.

Just because you have to darn your jeans doesn’t mean they are particularly bad quality. When I think about how often I wear my $25 pair of jeans from some store in the Mall, I know I’ve gotten my money’s worth- plus I’ve gotten even longer use since I know how to darn them.

Watch, learn, save your jeans!

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What else do you do to make your wardrobe last longer?

Filed Under: Clothes & Garment Sewing, Clothing, DIY, Ideas, Random Thoughts, Tips Tagged With: , , ,
Jan 27, 2012

Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio: Episode 1

January 27, 2012 By 2 Comments
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Inside Zede’s Sewing Studio is a new sewing show hosted by Zede and Mallory Donohue. We film in front of a live audience and take questions from Facebook, Twitter, and the people sitting in front of us!

Check out our first episode! This month, we explained how to embroider on a ready-made tote bag and how to do a lettuce-edge scarf on your serger.

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Zede and I had an awesome time, and so did our audience!!!

Do you have a sewing question for us?

Filed Under: Classes at Zede's, DIY, Ideas, Inside Zede's Sewing Studio, Random Thoughts, Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,
Nov 19, 2010

Wings and Feathers is Bold and Beautiful!

November 19, 2010 By 1 Comment
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It is funny how a quilt can catch your attention.  I was priveledged to see this quilt at the AQS Show in Paducah, and then again in Houston.  However, it was at Houston that I was able to meet and interview the creator of this fabulous piece! 

His name is Mark Sherman, and he is a quilt artist, teacher, lecturer, and award winning quilter.  This quilt, Wings and Feathers, was completed in 2009.  It features turned edge machine applique, it is machine pieced, and uses all hand dyed, and marbled  fabric that Mark did in his own home.  Even though he has only been long arm quilting for just over a year, this piece is remarkable and includes all his original designs.  Something that got my attention was his use of crystals that added a new dimension to the richly colored fabrics.  

He has put over 3,000 hours into this quilt.  That effort was recognized in Paducah, where he received first place in the AQS Bed Quilts, Long Arm Quilted, and the Viewer’s Choice Award at the same show.  This quilt will also be featured in the AQS Wall Calendar for 2011.

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Isn’t it amazing how we get into quilting? Rumor has it that he owns several Bernina sewing machines, however if his wife is reading this, it is just one!

 By the way, this quilt was the cover quilt on the July 2010 issue of American Quilter magazine!  See more of Mark’s amazing quilts at www.remarkablequilts.com!

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Considering the possibilities of hand dyed fabric,  Linda B.

Filed Under: Ideas, Quilting, Random Thoughts, Tips Tagged With: , , , ,
Nov 17, 2010

What Motivates You?

November 17, 2010 By 2 Comments
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For those of you who are not aware of it, I am not a morning person, not at all!   However, there was a time when I could be pursuaded to jump out of bed before 7:00 a.m., grab a cup of coffee, and be emersed in quilting.  It was HGTV’s, Simply Quilts hosted by Alex Anderson that motivated me in the mornings.  So imagine my excitement to be able to meet her in Houston, at the International Quilt Festival!

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If you are too young to remember, Simply Quilts, perhaps you will recognize her from one of her many books that she has written.  There are 30 of them, selling near 1 million copies world wide.  She is a national spokesperson for Bernina of America, a promotional partner with AccuQuilt’s GO!, a fabric designer with P&B Textiles, and threads with Superior Threads.  She is a founding partner of The QuiltShow.com, and is a co-host of “The Quilt Show with Alex Anderson and Ricky Tims”.

This lady knows quilting.  So I asked what her advice would be to someone new to quilting.

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You can find out more about Alex on her website, www.alexandersonquilts.com or check out TheQuiltShow.com.

Incidentally, Alex was the person that got my friend, Sheri, interested in quilting.  Thank you!  Now I have someone to share this passion with.

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Perhaps I should have asked how do I get into the business of interviewing wonderful quilters full-time,  Linda B.

Filed Under: DIY, Home Decor, Ideas, Quilting, Random Thoughts, Sewing Books, Tips Tagged With: , , , ,
Nov 11, 2010

Kids Clubhouse Saturday 11/13 10-noon

November 11, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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I am so excited about this project! Take a look!

It’s a Post Card!

And so easy to make. Kids be sure to sign up for Kids Clubhouse this Saturday morning at Zede’s Sewing Studio and make this great card to send to a friend or relative.

Isn’t it pretty!

Filed Under: Classes at Zede's, DIY, Ideas, Kids Sewing, Random Thoughts, Tips Tagged With: , , ,
Nov 8, 2010

T-Shirt Quilt

November 8, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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T-Shirt Quilt

I am so proud of my student, Jennifer.  She has spent many hours designing this quilt from various t-shirts that she has acquired whenever she participated in races. Many memories are attached to this project and for many years this quilt will warm her heart as well as her body.
She had the pleasure of using my trusty 1130 Bernina. I am always pleased at the performance my 1130 Bernina gives me whenever I have a major project to undertake.
And as with all my Bernina sewing machines, they all withstand weekly and sometimes daily use and always perform and never disappoint me in the quality stitching of the machines.

Be sure to check back soon for my Pillow Case Party post.  It was a blast!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Filed Under: Classes at Zede's, DIY, Home Decor, Ideas, Kids Sewing, Quilting, Random Thoughts Tagged With: , , ,
Sep 7, 2010

On The Road Again!

September 7, 2010 By Leave a Comment
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This is the time of the year when many of us find ourselves traveling to visit family and friends.  If you are like me, you can easily be sidetracked to see a few local attractions along the way!  As often as I can–which translates into when I can get the guys to stop, I visit sewing and quilting stores along the way to our destination.

This year I was able to repeat some of my favorite places, and explore some new ones!

Early in July we found ourselves heading towards Atlanta, Georgia. Fortunately for me we went through Paducah, Kentucky.  Of course we had to stop at Hancock’s of Paducah–I was looking for a particular green fabric that I needed to teach my photo transfer workshop.   (Or so my husband believes.)

In August , Zede, Joanne, and myself found ourselves heading to the Chicago area for Bernina’s Version 6 training.  When they suggested checking out Vogue Fabrics, how could I refuse?  I was very motivated to purchase a variety of knits, since I had just taken Zede’s T-shirt workshop.

Then in September, we found ourselves heading North to visit relatives.  Imagine how surprised I was to find out how close Beaver Dam was to Madison, Wisconsin! What was really advantageous was that the van needed an oil change, and so I had an hour to spend shopping and dreaming in Nancy’s Notions Retail store.  By the way, if you are ever in the area say hello to Judy Inman, she took excellent care of me!

Then on our way home, I was surprised at how close New London, Wisconsin was to the Chicago area–so we made a slight detour to Vogue Fabrics again!

Last weekend I was back in Nebraska to help relatives celebrate their anniversary.  So I called up a friend, in Grand Island, Nebraska, who is learning to quilt.  She went with me to a local grocery/variety store, called Skagway, that happens to carry fabric, and to the quilt shop, Material Girl.   We were able to share ideas and techniques as we shopped together.  Some how, I did most of the buying!

While it is always nice to stop when it is just the guys and I, shopping with a friend is always more fun! It is good to be home, but now I have stacks of projects waiting for me to find some time to work on them.   It is a good thing that there are tons of creative ideas at Zede’s Sewing Studio.  It will definately help me work through my piles until my next trip!

Let us know if you have a favorite place to stop on your travels–you might help me plan our next family vacation!

Safe Traveling,

Linda B.

Filed Under: Classes at Zede's, Clothes & Garment Sewing, Ideas, Quilting, Random Thoughts, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , ,
May 7, 2010

You Can Quilt a Large Quilt With Your Home Machine!

May 7, 2010 By 1 Comment
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I was really excited to meet Susan Brubaker Knapp at the AQS show in Paducah.  First off she is a fiber artist, quilt pattern designer,  and teacher.  She is also a columnist for the Quilting Arts Magazine.  Her peacock feather quilt is on the cover of the current Quilting Arts magazine, along with a great article, “Focus On Line”.  Those of you who know me well, understand my instant desire to meet her–I’m kind of into peacocks myself!

What I was really excited to learn was that she had a quilt, “Pink Petal Party“, that was a semi-finalist in the AQS show.  Best of all, she did all her machine quilting on her Bernina sewing machine.  She is eager to point out that you don’t have to send your quilts out to a long-arm quilter.  Many of us have a machine that can do the same quality of quilting, as long as we are willing to learn the techniques for quilting with your home machine.  Check out the interview in front of her quilt.

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Susan also has a book, Applique Petal Party,  that features this quilt.  If you are interested in developing those machine quilting skills, be sure to check out my class on Meandering Methods!

Still Passionate about Peacocks!  Linda B.

Filed Under: DIY, Ideas, Quilting, Sewing Books, Tips Tagged With: , , , ,
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