Monday, June 30, 2008

Alternative Creativity - Painting a Bernina


Life presents you with some very interesting creativity opportunities sometimes. I was presented with one of these opportunities very recently - I had the opportunity to decorate a Bernina sewing machine to be auctioned off.

This sounded like too much fun to pass up. I didn't really have time, but this was really something that sounded like it could be a lot of fun - and I don't get to have much creative fun lately, so I jumped at the opportunity. Bernina offered this opportunity to 12 designers (and I am so honored to be one of the chosen). I know Laura Cater-Woods and Robbi Joy Eklow are 2 of the other designers.
I knew I wanted to paint it with some DigiBobbE styled designs and I didn't want the base coat to be white. I used a plastic paint as the base and then added a automotive metallic blue paint. My husband took the whole machine apart so it would be clean and neat.
I sketched the DigiBobbE style designs with chalk and then painted it with Testors paint - it took at least 2 coats. Way cool! Added some rhinestones and then according to the Bernina guidelines it needed to have something sewing related - so I made some machine embroidered butterflies on tulle with Tintzl between the layers, cut them out, and added them to the gold painted wire curls.
This machine still works. I think the lucky winner of this machine will be thrilled to have a beautiful piece of art that also works as a sewing machine. If you want to bid on this machine, you'll probably have to go through a Bernina dealer that is going to BU (Bernina University).
So you see, life may present other opportunities for creativity other than fabric. Do what you love!
Bonnie Lyn McCaffery http://BonnieMcCaffery.com

4 comments:

Artist Anika said...

Wow, that is unique. Very cool!

Sally said...

Great design!!!!

Joyce said...

Really, really, cool!!!!

Jeanne Turner McBrayer said...

That is so beautiful! I'm glad you took the time to have some fun!