Conquer A Fear - for Project QUILTING 14.6

This is the FOURTEENTH season of Project QUILTINGS challenges. This is the FIRST time I’ve managed to complete all six bi-weekly projects!

The CONQUER A FEAR was a challenging adventure as my task involved more than creating a project. I’m always game to learn a new sewing technique or adventurous quilt design. The dread for me was attacking the technical issue of using the embroidery module of my new BERNINA B 790 Plus. I was hesitant to tackle downloading an online embroidery design to the machine. My favorite block is always a Dresden so that’s the design I elected to try first.

I moved the free download from the BERNINIA Dresden Daisy collection to the small thumb drive. It appeared to be on the drive but didn’t show up on the machine. The same happened with try # 2. The fear was real…my confidence was sinking. Thumb drive # 3 was a winner. The design popped right up where it was supposed to be!

This was so simple that I now hope it still counts for the CONQUER A FEAR challenge.

Here are the steps I followed:

• The EXP file is dragged onto a flash drive

• The flash drive is inserted in the machine then the onscreen flash drive icon was selected. THERE IT IS!

• The design is only half of the Dresden design so I copied it and then flipped it horizontally and vertically.

NOTE: BERNINA Embroidery uses the EXP file. Check your machine manual for the type of file used by your brand. Thank you shout out to Mary at CS Sewing in Traverse City for the demo on this process.

The fabric, quilt batting and stabilizer are hooped and stitched in step three. The design can be done in one or two colors. I selected a neon orange and pink to keep it modern.

These are the thread colors that I auditioned before selecting the orange and pink.

Due to time constrains, simple radiating quilt lines are added to the squared up block.

This mug rug finished at approximately 9 x 9 inches. Look for this work and others in my Etsy Shop.

Additional views of the completed project which can be used as a mug rug, snack mat, mini placemat, or candle mat. Wherever you need an extra pop of color or protection on a table.

Published by Sally Manke, Fiber Artist

Sally Manke's mission is to delight others with textile art that exemplifies her passion for joyful, creative expression through color and texture. She is a speaker, teacher, pattern designer, and fiber artist. Contact her to book a workshop or trunk show at this link.