Jane Nelson was the winner of a new Bernina Sewing Machine. A prize worth $3,400. She may be retired from teaching, but the new machine opens up a whole new world of creativity and rewards.
Jane and Bob brought with them to the interview, small projects they had experimented with. Bob brought a fish he had embroidered from a design he got off of the internet. Jane brought in a quilting spiral design. Bob explained, "The machine has a lot of build-in design, and then you can add your designs from the internet." The embroidered fish he brought with him was on a fishing towel. He had to tell me it was a bass. "It was supposed to be a striped bass. I have a couple of walleyes I want to try." "It had six different colors, and 38,000 stitches," Jane said, "it's possible Bob will do more embroidering. He wants to do fish towels."
Bob said, "It will do way more than we'll ever do." Jane said, "you never know!"
"You can make quilts, beautiful wall hangings, t-shirts, patches, and sweatshirts." They still don't know how to do that. Jane told me, "We need to take the academy class at the beginning of February." Where they will learn everything that can be done with the machine and then watch out.!
They will sew in the winter, but travel in the summer to visit with their son's in Alaska.
We both grew up with people who sewed. "But this is not the same world," Bob said. "Technology has taken over." Jane started making quilts when she retired from grade school seven years ago. Ladene Mangold helps her by putting colors together. "She's good at it." She wants to make quilts that are all embroidered. They're beautiful!!"
"Bob said you just push a button!" Not necessarily true. You do need to program the machine.
Bearly Square and New Media Broadcasters, Inc. are responsible for Jane's lucky winner. Jane said she was just in the car and heard it over the radio. She drove over and signed up. Some people signed up every day. Jane signed up twice, and Bob signed up once. She saw the radio station had called her on her cell phone. Jane had missed the call. She said she called them up and said, "Did you call me by any chance? It was so much fun."
