The Hearts Quilt Pattern is finally available!

Go to http://sarahvedelerdesigns.com/hearts-quilt-pattern/ to download your free copy now!

Stipple Fill

If you are a fan of stipple quilting, you may be very happy to know that you can now achieve perfect results with the new Stipple fill in Bernina Embroidery Software version 6!

Create a closed object, and from the Fill stitch dropdown list, select “Stipple Run”. In the diagrams below, I created two 6″x6″ squares. One has a single stitch outline to show the boundary of the stipple fill. The other contains the stipple fill!

The default settings are:

Stitch length = 2.5mm
Run Count = 1
Loop Spacing = 0.2 in
Inset Step = 1

Changing the Run Count does not make a visible difference in a screen print, but it does have a difference in the stitchout! Run Count can have values of 1, 3, 5, 7, or 9. A Run Count of 1 creates a single running stitch. A Run Count of 3 does “forward back forward” for each stitch. A Run Count of 5 does “forward back forward back forward” for each stitch. Etc!

In this example, the loop spacing has been set to 0.1 in. The stitch length has also been decreased to 2.0mm, to create a smoother line.

Setting loop spacing to 0.0 in creates a very tiny micro-stipple. The stitch length has also been decreased again, to 1mm. These stitches take a while to generate – so be patient after hitting Apply or OK!

This shows a 1″ square containing the tiny micto-stipple.

Inset Step defines the amount of space between the edge of the object and the stipple. In this example:
Stitch Length = 2mm
Loop Spacing = 0.2 in
Inset Step = 2.

Chances are you are not going to have a space that contains only Stipple fill! How about using it to quilt the area surrounding a design? In this example, I inserted a design from my Hearts CD over the top of the square containing the Stipple fill. Unfortunately, the Stipple fill is showing through the open spaces in the design.

What you really want to do is remove the stitches from underneath the heart. But the “Remove Overlaps” button is not active.

The easiest way to activate the “Remove Overlaps” button is to create an object containing a Step fill.

I ungrouped the Heart design (when you insert a design, all the elements of it will be grouped together), selected the Candlewicking stitch outline for the heart and changed it to a Step fill. Now if you select the Step filled heart the “Remove Overlaps” button is active – so click on it!

When you delete the Step filled heart you will fine that the Remove Overlaps has taken away all stitches underneath, including the rest of the heart. The easiest way to solve this problem is to re-insert the heart design.

 In this example:

Loop Spacing = 0.1 in
Inset Step = 3

As well as Stipple Run, you will also see Stipple Stemstitch and Stipple Backstitch on the fill stitch list. This example shows Stipple Stemstitch with the default settings, Loop Spacing = 0.2 in and Inset Step = 1.

Stipple Stemstitch has a much smoother line if you increase the Loop Count. In this example it has been increased to 0.4 in.

Stipple Backstitch looks very similar to Stipple Run, but when stitched out will give a nicely defined line – great if you want to give your quilting some more definition!

It’s here at last! The Horn Quilter’s Dream cabinet for my Bernina 830 that is.

The good news this morning – the cabinet had arrived at Sew from the Heart. The not so good news – both Noel and Keith (SftH’s amazing tech team) are on vacation so it couldn’t be delivered until next week when they are back. Now that was a problem! And every problem has a solution, right? I can drive a van, and I’m pretty strong. So all I needed was someone else with some muscle and the willingness to put it to good use. And into the store walked John – an 830 owner with muscle and the willingness to help!

This thing comes in a REALLY big box! Weighing in at 180 lbs, it’s not an easy task to move it around.

Anyone paying attention would have noticed that one side of the box had written on it in pretty big letters: “Open Here”. It took us a while to figure this out – having already opened the box on the other side and removed all of the packaging materials, of which there was a lot!

Finally it’s out, and all the packaging has been removed. 60″ wide and 19.5″ deep at it’s smallest.

With the back flap up, it extends to 39″ deep.

With the front flap up as well, there is an extra 16″ of depth – just where you need it most for quilting the larger quilts. This is a neat design – open the draw and an extension table fits right on top.

If you’re going to do embroidery, the machine sits right on the top, with the airlift table in the top position.

Push down on the machine, and the table lowers to position number 2. Now everything is level for regular sewing and quilting. A cutout (that bit is still to come) fills in the gap around the machine so that a continuous surface is created. Changing the bobbin is going to be interesting – I’ll have to see how visibility is when my cutout arrives.

Push down again and the airlift table goes all the way to the bottom. The machine is now nicely stored – with a full sized insert to fill the hole.

Now I’m really ready for some serious sewing and embroidery!

Outline Design

It’s been a while since I’ve written about the new features in v6 of the Bernina Embroidery Software. Life got kind of crazy for a while there! Teaching a class on the new features today got me back into the swing of things, so here goes!

Outline Design is found as the 3rd button up from the bottom on the Digitize toolbar. It’s only active if you have an existing object selected!

Create a new design, or insert an existing design into a new embroidery file. I have chosen to use “Motif 1 Small” from my Heather Feather CD, rotated by 45 degrees clockwise, with the positioning square removed. I placed the design in a jumbo hoop so that there is plenty of space to play with around the design!

Ctrl+A to select all of the design. Outline Design is now active, so click on it.

Here are some examples showing the results of different settings:

On the left, Offset = 1mm, Outline Count = 2, Outline Type = Single
On the right, Offset = 2mm, Outline Count = 4, Outline Type = Single

On the left, Offset = 2mm, Outline Count = 8, Outline Type = Single
On the right, Offset = 5mm, Outline Count = 2, Outline Type = Satin

Some really fun things start to happen when you add an outer border and use the “Fill Holes” option!

A satin stitch border has been added, and then everything was selected before applying Outline Design with:

Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Type = Single

Offset = -4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Type = Single

I think that the Bernina Embroidery Software is the only embroidery software that will allow you to use a negative offset for an outline design function!

Look what happens when you check Outline Holes!

Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Single

To fill in the gaps, increase the Outline Count:

Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 8
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Single

Below the outlines outside the border have been deleted.

In this example, I applied Outline Design twice to the original design. Make sure to group the whole design, including the border, to make it easy to select everything for the second application of Outline Design.

First application:
Offset = 4mm
Outline Count = 4
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Single

Second application:
Offset = 8mm
Outline Count = 2
Outline Holes
Outline Type = Satin

Some of the single stitch outlines from the first application are hidden underneath the satin stitch outlines from the second application. They could be removed if you really want to – each outline created is a separate object and so can be deleted if desired.

The fact that each outline created is a separate object can be put to good use when coloring – each outline can be selected independently and the color can be changed.

I hope that this has given you some ideas and enough insights to be able to go away and play. I would love to see what you create with the Outline Design tool!

When you’re home alone on a Sunday afternoon and there are two big boxes containing a brand new Bernina 830 sewing and embroidery machine sitting in your living room/quilting studio, what else are you going to do but unpack the boxes, even if the cabinet you’re waiting for hasn’t arrived?

The sewing machine box is about 30″ wide, 17″ deep and 24″ tall. No small task moving this baby around! First out is the removable table, then some manuals and other bits and pieces, and finally the machine itself is revealed.

I was going to put it on the portable cutting table, but common sense prevailed. The cutting mat was moved over to the portable cutting table so that the Bernina 830 could have pride of place – and a good deal of stability – on the main cutting table.

Accessories

The Bernina 830 comes with 5 (beautifully big) bobbins – one of which is already in the machine; 10 feet, all of which have an optical eye, 2 of which work with the dual feed system; and a whole bunch of other things!

The white cone has a really good purpose – I just can’t remember what it is right now! From the left, the mirror for use when threading the bobbin for embroidery; a pair of tweezers; needle housing “screw driver”; stylus for the beautiful big screen; multi-purpose tool; cleaning brush; seam ripper; and some oil!

Bernina 8 series jumbo bobbins are much bigger than the bobbins for the other Bernina machines. They hold 40% more thread – so you can do a lot more stitching!

Every sewing machine needs a slide-on table, and the Bernina 830 really delivers! Nothing can beat a set-in cabinet for the ultimate sewing experience, but this slide-on table offers and excellent workspace – as well as support for the hoop when doing embroidery.

There’s a pretty sophisticated dust cover included with the Bernina 830, with a hole for the handle to show through and a number of pockets. So far I haven’t figured out what might go in these pockets, but they are there if you need them!

Embroidery Module

The embroidery module comes in a separate box. Taking the lid off reveals a tray containing 3 embroidery hoops (small, medium and large oval hoops), a USB cable, the #26 foot for embroidery, hoop clips, a box of literature and a CD.

Finally out of the box, and the embroidery module is ready to be attached to the sewing machine. It’s a pretty easy connection – lift up the left hand side of the embroidery module and tuck the two extensions on the right hand side into the sewing machine. A good solid surface is required to hold the machine to make sure that all contacts are made.

The sliding table is designed to be used with the embroidery module. It slides underneath the embroidery arm – and when installed it provides support for the hoop, especially the jumbo hoop.

This machine is now ready for action!!!

The biggest issue now is what to do with the boxes! Maybe it would make a good coffee table… watch this space for more news on that!