TOP STITCH BERNINA OWNER CHOSEN TO SHOWCASE QUILT ART AT ARC GALLERY IN CHICAGO

Karen Hanken’s quilt, “Woven with Dissent,” chosen as 1 of 18 pieces featured in Chicago’s SHOUT exhibit

BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, is pleased to announce that Karen Hanken, owner of BERNINA Dealer, Top Stitch BERNINA, has been chosen to exhibit her “Woven with Dissent,” quilt art as part of the SHOUT exhibition taking place now at the ARC Gallery in Chicago. Karen’s quilt art was created on her BERNINA 8 Series machine with its BERNINA Stitch Regulator. SHOUT is a juried exhibition that brings together a host of voices that are shouting for justice, democracy, and equality. The ARC Gallery is located at 2156 North Damen Avenue.
 
“I am honored to have been chosen as one of 18 artists, not only to showcase my artistic abilities but to share my feelings toward the controversial issues surrounding our nation right now,” said Karen Hanken, owner of Top Stitch BERNINA. “My love of quilting gives me a chance to express my thoughts by using unique threads, fabrics and stitches.”
 
Karen created the quilt by piecing various fabrics together using traditional quilt techniques and took advantage of some non-traditional, unique tools to stress her views. She used a graphite pencil to draw a variety of faces directly onto the fabric and then used free-motion stitching to make them more prominent. The faces that appear on the quilt represent protest marchers. Additionally, she incorporated glow-in-the-dark thread to emphasize specific words and accentuate eyes on faces, which become more visible when viewed under a black light. Woven with Dissent will be on exhibit until August 12.
 
Top Stitch BERNINA, located at 1596 Biddle Road in Medford, is an authorized BERNINA Dealer which provides top-quality service to area residents. The Dealer offers BERNINA sewing machines, software, and accessories, and classes to new BERNINA owners.
For more information, visit www.topstitchbernina.com.
 
About BERNINA
Founded in Switzerland more than 100 years ago, BERNINA is the world’s premier manufacturer with a proven reputation for offering quality state-of-the-art sewing, quilting and embroidery machines, overlockers, and embroidery software. BERNINA’s leadership is marked by an impressive number of ambassadors, industry leaders, influencers and bloggers who chose to partner with the company. BERNINA products are sold in the United States through a network of over 400 fully trained independent dealerships that also offer support and education. Select BERNINA and bernette machines, and BERNINA software can also be purchased online. BERNINA products are designed for beginning to advanced sewists and priced to meet a variety of budgets, with new products being introduced every year. You can follow BERNINA on Facebook: www.facebook.com/berninausa, Instagram: @BERNINAUSA, and Pinterest:  www.pinterest.com/WeAllSew, and read BERNINA’s WeAllSew blog at www.weallsew.com. To learn more about BERNINA and to find a Dealer, visit www.bernina.com or call (630)978-2500.