You all know I have three boys. For the last 9 months, I’ve been thinking about getting a new sewing machine and after much research and labor, I finally got my girl! Here she is at age 1 week.
It’s been so much fun trying to learn to use this new machine. It can do SO much! How could I have sewn without you for so long, little girl? The whirr of this machine is hypnotic – and the whirr is really important to me. It is a Bernina 440 Quilter’s Edition that can be added on to for embroidery capability in the future if I want to fork over even more $$$ which at this point, I really don’t. The really fun capability of this machine is a stitch regulator that “senses” the fabric and will sew when I move the fabric. You drop the feed dogs, and start moving the fabric around under the needle, and it just SEWS with perfectly spaced stitches. So much fun – I didn’t dare try free motion quilting before, but now I can’t wait to get better at it.
Of course my first project had to be a quilted purse that I’ve seen here and here. I think I need to work on the shape a bit, but I like the way it turned out. It’s nice and sturdy from the batting and quilting and although I had a hard time coming up with different fabrics that go together, these really looked better once they were quilted together.
My old machine would have coughed and choked on the quilting and thick seams, but Bernie sewed through with ease. In addition to the 160 stitches it can sew (my old machine did 28), it can sew small letters.
Welcome to the family, little girl.
AND welcome to the family my new little nephew – born yesterday to my sister Jojo at Stardust Shoes. See their sweet pictures here.
CraftApple 
Love It. I wish I could make the decision to upgrade my two machines into 1 complete workhorse. I wish you many hours of sewing fun.
Congrats on the nephew. Your sis is a trooper.
Congratulations on your new baby girl. The two of you did a fabulous job on your purse. It is very pretty. I had no idea Joanna was your sister. I read her blog regularly. You are a very talented couple of girls. Congratulations on your nephew.
Your old machine sewed 28 stiches? Mine does nine (a number so small I had to spell it out).
And I laugh at the sheer notion of trying to quilt on my little machine. Ha, ha, ha, ahem. Really? Not so funny.
Congratulations on your nephew, the post really surprised me earlier today!
Oh, this is funny, you posting about your “girl”, and your sister adding to the boys in the family!
What is up with that? I think you girls are too pretty…and the girls you would give birth to would be such knockouts that the world couldn’t deal…all these boys, wow.
Congrats on all counts. Your bag looks fantastic. and I am so happy for your new “girl”.
One of my girls just put a popcorn kernal in her nose, she said it was a seed, but a kernal came out. But she has been bleeding for half an hour. Our dinner is burned and I am too. I am tired, and this little tragedy said go to the computer. Then all this news about babies and sewing babies…….oh, I love my bloggy friends.
Congrats on the new machine…so glad you are putting it to good use (SO cool with the embroidered name!). Personally that digital stuff scares me a bit. Anyways, the bag came out lovely!
Congrats again on being a new auntie — new babies are so sweet!
Lucky you! I’m green with envy, though I think I’d be pretty intimidated by such a piece of equipment. I dream of owning a Bernina one day.
Oh, your bag looks fab-u-lous-o!!! I, too am green with envy. I still have the freebie hand me down a friend of mine gave me. I wish I had a nice new powerhouse like yours. SEW, SEW, SEW and enjoy for the rest of us who only hope for one.
And, congrats to your sis on the sweet new addition to the family.
Oh what a gorgeous baby girl. Although my machine is only one year old I’m still a bit jealous-it was a tie between a Bernina and Pfaff. I went with the Pfaff only because it’s so popular here and easy to get fixed if need be. I love your Bernina. Aren’t the letters fun? I think that’s the best part. Your bag is great-I can’t wait to see what you whip up now.
Oh and congratulations, auntie!!!
Oh I didn’t know jojo was your sister! Double congratulations then on the birth of your nephew and your new machine!!. That machine is certainly impressive. How cool is the lettering. The fabrics of the bag are just the best, they remind me of icecream!!
Oh, I want me one of those! Gretchin is Bernie’s younger sister. She works just as hard, but can’t do a lot of the fancy twirls.
Love the bag, very much. Your sister and you are very good at making boys. The world needs cute boys!
oh boy a new machine ! Is there anything more fun than unpacking a new sewing machine? And the first bag from it is a winner !
I hadn’t twigged that you and Joanna were sisters – congratulations auntie.
And your baby girl is very smart. What a lovely purse.
congrats on the birth of your niece
ahhh that bernina im so green with envy
I love your babygirl–i think I want one too!
Congrats on being an aunty!
love the bag! it has a great shape.
congrats on the new nephew, too.
Wowzer! That’s a fancy machine and a fancy bag you made! with letters! Very cool! Watch out craft world!
Congrats on your cute new nephew!
I have the exact same machine! (check this out: http://lorilaurielauri.blogspot.com/2005/11/can-i-just-vent-for-minute.html#comments )
Don’t you love it? I still haven’t finished the new owner’s classes though…I started them, then the holidays took over. (I got my machine last October.) But, they are starting up a new set of classes in a few weeks, and I’ll take them then. THEN I can take the ones to learn how to embroider on the machine. I can’t wait.
Now I’m gonna go check out your new nephew!
I am insanely jealous! I need a machine so bad it hurts. I know you are enjoying yours! And I love your bag and the colors.
Congratulations on the new addition to your family… one more person to use that sweet machine to sew projects for.
You lucky lucky lady!
I’ve got the Virtuoso QE but can’t justify one of the new ones as it is perfectly adequate.
All joy with your new baby!!!!!
there’s just something about a new machine…have lots of fun!
Oh she is a beauty! And you nephew is a cutie too.
Enjoy the sewing.
She is beautiful! I will really enjoy visiting next month so I can see her up close. Glad you finally got a good machine that you can have lots and lots of fun with.
Oh, she is just beautiful! 🙂 What fun you are gonna have now!
This is funny. I haven’t been to your site for a few days and here you are posting about the sewing machine I just wrote an e-mail to you about! I was going to ask if you had posted about it. I also didn’t know JoJo was your sister. I’m always the last to know. I obviously didn’t finish my little surprise for the baby in time. I even asked her to not have the baby early. Congratulations on the new arrival. I love the bag. Wisecraft has a gallery of similar ones she’s made. I saw them in a Japanese craft book and have been wanting to make one ever since. You’re inspiring me to get to it.
Oh, I am so jealous! You got the stitch regulator. You are going to love that machine. I love the sound the Bernina makes. I sounds so smooth when it is sewing! If you ever do add the embroidery module you will wonder how you ever lived without it! Congratulations!
I had so much fun browsing through your blog! Thanks for answering back. I was brainstorming last night and think I might try lining a piece of cardboard and making it removible for the bottom of the bag. Thanks for the great ideas! Thanks for the ivitation I don’t know that I have to much to contribute at this moment though. I will continue to visit because I love bags and they are so much fun to make:)
I really love that inside lining!
I LOVE the bag! The colors are right up my alley!
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