Another busy Saturday ....

I am well on my way to finishing the pumpkin pot holder.  I only have the binding left to put on, but the light in my sewing room is horrible after sunset and I dare not tackle binding without good light.  Plus, I like to handstitch the binding to the back of the quilt (or in this case, pot holder) and I definitely need good light to work on the dark brown fabric that I've chosen for the binding.

Lest you think that I've been frittering away the day instead of sewing, I was pretty busy:  read two newspapers (admittedly, I am a news junkie); shopped for potatoes (I insist on Yukon gold for turkey day mashed potatoes); bought a flash drive to back up my embroidery design files (horror stories about computer crashes finally scared me into action); picked up a book at the library (Beautifully Embellished Landscapes by Joyce R. Becker - way beyond my abilities, but the pictures are pretty); had a pedicure (I enjoy being a girl); made place cards for the Thanksgiving table (I'm the only one who really cares who sits where - my house, my rules); read 50 pages of the newest James Patterson book (I, Alex Cross - mindless entertainment that relaxes me and keeps me coming back for more).

But I usually make time for sewing, and I loved seeing the pot holder take form.  Bernina is well known for the quality of their presser feet.  One of the things I most enjoy while sewing on the 640 is choosing the correct foot for the job.  If you own a Bernina, I encourage you to look at the videos on this Bernina site which demonstrate what you can do with each foot or attachment.  I'm a visual learner; even though I have the Feetures books (all 3, lucky girl that I am), these videos speak to me.

While working on this simple pot holder project, I managed to use three feet - seriously!  For the paper piecing itself, I used the #34 clear foot.  Being able to line up the marked line on the paper with the red line on the foot was heaven to me since this was my first attempt at paper piecing.  Foot #57 (patchwork foot with guide) is a favorite of mine for getting those 1/4" seams to behave.  Then I pulled out my favorite foot of all, the walking foot, for the actual in-the-ditch quilting and the lines on the pumpkin (you'll see those tomorrow when I post a picture).

When I first started sewing on my mom's Singer in the 50s, I think there was a standard foot and, if you were fortunate, a zipper foot.  How lucky we are to have such a variety of specialty feet and attachments to make this hobby so interesting.  What are your favorite accessories?  What foot would you absolutely not do without?  Are there feet and/or accessories that you purchased and now wonder, "What was I thinking?"