If you decide to ask me about sewing machines I hope you have a few minutes to spare. I won’t be able to answer you in thirty words or less, and I will use the word BERNINA more than once…
I was a very happy girl the day I brought home my first BERNINA (all uppercase please). My English sewing machine struggled with a step up transformer and I really did need the B160!! One thing has led to another over the years and I now own a B740 and the smaller B530. Between them they handle all my current stitching desires.
Last year I was delighted to be accepted into the Ambassador program and proud to own the badge…
Many thanks to Sandy Fitzpatrick who organized these for us all.
Just one of the benefits of belonging to the program is the annual reunion held at BERNINA headquarters which happens to be seven miles from my home. Last year I commuted daily, but this year I decided that my FOMO* had reached the stage that I had to stay in the hotel with everyone else. I checked in at the Hyatt Place (7.6 miles from the creative center…) on Monday.
I shared a room with Jenny Lyon from Northern California. Jenny was the reason for the snowy trip to the airport on Sunday. She is way ahead of me and already wrote about the retreat last week. You can read all about her experiences on her blog at QuiltSkipper. She gives a super comprehensive overview of our time in Aurora.
We were in different groups for class. I started in the machine embroidery room with the inimitable Jeanne.
There is a reason I don’t own a B820 anymore… something to do with all the decisions and buttons every time I needed to stitch. Multiply that by an infinite number and you have an embroidery machine where you can alter every stitch and even design your own if that’s your desire.
Let’s just leave it knowing I have a fresh understanding of my students who come into a class where it feels that everyone else knows what they are doing and they are a true beginner. I promise I will be kinder in 2017! Really.
After that the serger room was a breeze. We worked with the new B460 under Jaime’s watchful eye.
My bag came out OK, even if I say it myself.
I think I need a serger? I could make little girl’s knit dresses easy peasy…
There were three different learning experiences for us to try. Our last one was the long arm Q20, Q24 room. So much fun. Now I was in my comfort zone.
Here are Pat Holly and Sue Nickels taking the Q20 sit down model through its paces. 
I have ordered a 72 foot and ruler set for my B740. I’m looking forward to playing some more.
We also got to try the Q-matic system on the big Q24 machines. A few buttons to press and off it set while I finished shopping and made a cup of tea!
Of course we took some pictures of ourselves. This is Group 1, my group for classes, along with our patient instructors in the long arm room.
Yes, I am dreadful with names. Who do you recognize?
Then it was time for a picture with EVERYBODY in it. I always love the chaos while people get themselves sorted.
And this is what I got.
There were a lot of phones left on the table for our photographer and I guess some people just got bored with posing? I’m not sure how I got in the middle but there I am with the Swiss flag!
Good times! I came home with lots of education and inspiration, some new friends, and a big swag bag of all kinds of wonderful things.
Yes, I could say I took the biscuit, but google it and you’ll see that’s definitely not an appropriate idiom to use here… The English language is just weird sometimes. The cookie was not only good to look at it tasted delicious too.
It was a great three days. Staying in the hotel meant I stayed up way past my bed time but it was so worth it! I’m already looking forward to getting together in 2017.
*FOMO: Fear of missing out
I recognize 3 in the big group photo, Laura W, Robbie E. and Barb V. It sounds like you had a lot of fun. I used to sell Berninas in the 1970s and took classes in their old headquarters in Hindsdale.