Bernina Speaks ~ Really

I’ve said it before, but sewists in Austin are fortunate to have a really awesome sewing store, Sew Much More.

And, because of this, I get invited to a lot of events ~ like the one I attended last Saturday where I met Mr. Hanspeter Ueltschi {that’s H.P. to his friends} who is the 4th generation owner of Bernina.

Never one to shy away from a really awesome opportunity, I loaded up my Bernina 640 {me and about 100 other crazy Bernina owners} and lugged it to the store.

And why would I do this?  To have Mr. Ueltschi sign my sewing machine.

 

I was not alone in my insanity.  Almost everyone there had their Bernina’s ~ some even brought in the enormous, 50 lb., super-fancy 830 machines.

Bernina fanatics were wheeling around their machines while waiting their turn.  I didn’t have a trolley and my back still hurts from toting my machine.

If I wanted to look at thread ~ you guessed it ~ I carried my machine with me.

The best part was seeing all of the older Bernina’s that still work great.  One couple, clearly in their mid to late 80’s, brought in a 50+ year old machine that is still in use.  They had purchased it new years ago and still had the original case.

And, I didn’t go away empty handed.  Check out this cool tote bag.

Filled with these cool items ~ Including 20 spools of Madiera Rayon Thread ~ Awesome!

I learned some pretty interesting facts about Bernina.

1.  95% of all machines made are still operating today. That’s pretty impressive in my book.

2.  Bernina is a family-owned business.  Because they don’t answer to shareholders they have the freedom to listen to their customers.

I’ve always suspected that Bernina made quality a priority; but it really sinks in when the owner of the company tells you this is one of their highest priorities.

While I know that new Bernina’s are priced out range for many of you; keep in mind that used Bernina’s can be a great bargain.

So, here it is ~ straight from Bernina to you.

When you watch the video, you will notice Vanessa Christenson from V and Co.  She was teaching a class in the background and makes an appearance at the end.

{Also, please forgive my non-existent video skills.  I’ll try to do better next time.}

And, now you know where the name Bernina comes from.

Fall Garden Update: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Somewhere along the way Autumn missed Austin and I am sitting here in shorts, a sleeveless top, and flip flops.

No mums here, only lantana.
 

I know I shouldn’t complain, but it would be nice to feel some fall-ish weather in November.

However, the mild days and occasional rains of October have left my garden in a good way.

Like this rock rose which always blooms after a little rain.  Thank you Ms. Rock Rose!

Or this Mexican Bush Sage which makes me smile when I pass by it taking the trash out.

My satsuma somehow managed to produce one orange this year after getting blasted with a late season frost.

I’ll own up to the fact that I have been a lazy gardener.

That is why my veggie garden definitely falls into the ugly category.

Even with a month of neglect (see my 31 Days of Machine Embroidery Series), it is producing lots of lettuce, the garlic is sprouting ~

I have loads of swiss chard ~

And even a few tomatoes.  With more 80-degree days forecast, it’s likely these tomatoes will ripen on the vine.

If not, I will just stick them in a paper sack with an apple.  In about a week, they will be red and juicy.
 

Alas, my garden is never perfect.  Just before leaving for Quilt Market, I found a several of these devils munching on my tomatoes.  Bad, bad, bad.

Their proper name is Tomato Horn Worm, but I prefer Satan.

Ewwww.  I quickly dispatched the entire herd.  If I hadn’t, they would’ve eaten the tomatoes AND the plant completely.

Like I said ~ Satan.

TRAVEL: Day Trippin’ in Fredericksburg

Every so often it is nice to get out of town for the day.  And, because of this, there will be no cruise to Alaska or trip to Italy this year.

Nevertheless, we are intrepid.  Living in Central Texas means there are lots and lots of cheap and affordable day trips within a short distance.

With the high summer heat starting to be a memory, we decided to zip down the hill country back roads and head on over to Fredericksburg.

In case you are wondering, Fredericksburg is one of those early-Texas-settlement-towns-turned-touristy.  You know the type ~ lots of shops and art galleries in old, historic buildings.

It’s very charming, but once you’ve done the shops and galleries, then what?  That’s the best thing about Fredericksburg, scrape the surface and there’s still lots to do.

So, we did things a little differently.  On the edge of town is a place called Wildseed Farms.  It appears to be this great plant nursery, but it’s so much more.

 

{source}

Wildseed Farms is on the outskirts of Fredericksburg and surrounded by acres and acres that are planted in wildflower seeds {inspired by the late Ladybird Johnson} which they harvest and sell.

I hear in the Spring that the fields are breath-taking.  I, however, wanted to get some bluebonnet seeds {our state flower} to cast out into the field next to my house.

Because it is the Fall, the place was very quiet and I was able to chat with the owner about my planting plan.  Yep, September is perfect for broadcasting bluebonnet seeds.  

If we get a lot of rain this winter, there will be a show in March ~ cross your fingers!

{zinnia fields}

Moving along, we decided to skip the touristy thing and go with history.  

Fredericksburg was an early German settlement.  I always love to see how our ancestors scraped out a living in such a harsh environment.

 

So, off to the Pioneer Museum to see how a group of industrious Germans settled a town in a harsh terrain, smack-dab in the middle of Comanche territory.

Ever resourceful, they made good use of the abundant limestone: building cabins, homes, and barns.   

Talk about taking a negative and making it a positive.

Imagine, this is your whole house.  And, this is how it is air conditioned.



These industrious Germans took this hard-scrabble land and made something of it.  They built schools to educate their children.

Their homes were orderly and well managed ~ making, preserving, and storing food.  This is important because here in Texas it’s either drought or flood and you gotta be prepared for both.  And, they were.

They grew cotton themselves {read: no slaves} and prospered, building a lasting community.

I applaud Texas' early settlers who left far away homes and came to an unknown country.  
They took {literally} nothing and recreated it into a vibrant community that continues.

It is the essence of what it means to be a Texan.

A Mission Trip

The oppressive heat is beginning to abate and Texan’s can now contemplate spending more than a few seconds outside.



With that thought in mind we decided to take a trip over to San Antonio and do the missions trail before Bunny has to head back home to Canada.

All of the missions are along the San Antonio River, with the first one being the Alamo.

 {source}

We skipped the Alamo because we’ve seen it a million times.  Plus it’s in downtown San Antonio and it’s hard to get a feel for real history when busses full of tourists are zipping past.

On to the second mission, Mission Concepcion.  Click on the link if you want all the deets.



You can see in the picture that the ruins next to the church have definitely been restored but still maintain much of the original stonework.

The original buildings had frescos painted on some of the walls.

Notice the blending of Christian, Spanish, and Native American influence.
 

This is from the back of the Convento.  You can barely see the top of the church.

Since we went on Sunday, they were holding a regular service.  While I was snapping these pictures I could hear rejoicing worshippers!  Very nice.

I love scale models, don’t you.

A little further down river, we came to Mission San Jose which was everyone’s favorite because of its numerous architectural features.

If you want to get a real feel for a Colonial Spanish Mission then this is the one to see.

The entire property has been preserved.  And, it is huge. I snapped this scale drawing so you could see how huge it is.
 

At Mission San Jose many of the rooms have been restored and they give a sense of life in a Colonial Spanish Mission.  

Because this mission is so well-preserved we were able to get a good picture of everyday life.

The most striking thing is how they had created a highly sustainable lifestyle.  An example would be redirecting the river to bring water to the mission and also to run a mill.

They would store grain in this room.  Even on a hot day, it was nice and cool inside.
 





Next stop, Mission San Juan.  This mission was mostly ruins and undergoing some renovations.

Even with the scaffolding, you can still see the beautiful colonial architecture. 

Ancient door and a flying buttress.

 

Last stop, Mission Espada.

This one is interesting because it is an active Franciscan community.
 
We actually visited with Brother Jim who has a glass-making studio on site.  Some very beautiful jewelry and crosses.  (no pics, I thought it would be kind of cheeky)

Notice the well-cared for plants and flowers, evidence of the active life of this community.

A couple miles up river is an aqueduct that was built for this community.  It has been restored, but was pretty impressive in size and scale.

We finished off our day with gluten-free waffles at the Little Aussie Bakery followed by a stroll through a used book store.
 
I even ran into a friend who was doing a bike tour of the missions.
 
Hmmm.