BERNINA of America Recognizes Fashion X BERNINA Design Challenge Grand Prize Winner - Designer Ruth Waddy

AURORA, IL--(Marketwired - Nov 28, 2016) -  BERNINA of America, the premier manufacturer of sewing, embroidery and quilting machines, is pleased to announce that Ruth Waddy, a designer from Austin, Texas was chosen as the Fashion X BERNINA Design Challenge Grand Prize Winner. Ruth received a suite of new BERNINA products including: a BERNINA 740 (MSRP $4,999), BERNINA L 450 Overlocker (MSRP $1,249), a BERNINA Suitcase System (MSRP $399), an opportunity to showcase her collection at an upcoming Fashion X event ($2,500 value) and a fashion consultation session with Ann Kasper ($2,400 value), a total value of $11,500. The panel of judges who named Ruth the Grand Prize winner included: CEO, Fashion X, Matt Swinney; Director of Marketing for BERNINA of America, Amy Gutierrez; Stylist who recently appeared on The Bachelor, Catherine Lowe; Project Runway Season 13 winner, Sean Kelly and Madeline Hollern, Deputy Editor, Austin Monthly. 

"BERNINA believes it's important to support young, emerging designers and is pleased to award Ruth two new BERNINA machines to help further her career in fashion," said Amy Gutierrez, Director of Marketing for BERNINA of America. "With the capabilities of the BERNINA 740 coupled with the BERNINA L 450 Overlocker, Ruth will be able to unleash her creativity in a way that wasn't possible before."

The 2016 Fashion X BERNINA Design Challenge tested young designers' ability to turn old, worn out clothing into a stunning evening gown. Designers from the United States, 13 years of age or older, began the challenge by submitting evening gown sketches that showcased upcycled designs. The designers were limited to using upcycled fabrics from thrift shops or used clothing and received bonus points for using unconventional materials. Twenty designer's sketches were chosen out of 50 sketches received. The Top 20 designers were then asked to execute their sketch and create a final evening gown. The gowns were professionally photographed on live models and judged by the panel. The Fashion X BERNINA Design Challenge started on July 20.

"I can't believe I won the Fashion X BERNINA Design Challenge," said Designer, Ruth Waddy. "This Grand Prize offering is truly amazing and will certainly have a positive impact on my career and future design endeavors. Thank you BERNINA for making this possible!"

In 2014, BERNINA partnered with Fashion X to provide emerging designers with BERNINA machines that would enable them to further their careers in the fashion industry. To date, BERNINA has given away over $16,000 worth of prizes to help further the careers of some of America's brightest and most talented young designers.

The BERNINA 740 (B 740) is a sewing machine that has a BERNINA Hook with a 9 mm stitch width for sewing high-precision stitches at a stitch speed of 1,000 stitches per minute. The bobbin holds up to 70 percent more thread than standard bobbins, a BERNINA Adaptive Thread Tension, and BERNINA Dual Feed and Total Stitch Control. For more information, visit www.bernina.com/7series.

The BERNINA 450 L Overlocker (L 450) boasts 1,200 stitches per minute and a number of innovative features including a patented Micro Thread Control (MTC), LED sewing light for the needle and looper area, thread tension release with presser foot lift, and a five-step presser foot pressure adjustment. The L 450 offers adjustable settings that can be used while sewing. The cutting width can be adjusted from 3 to 9 mm and the stitch length from 0.8 to 4 mm. Sewists can effortlessly change the differential feed to ensure wave-free seams in knits and no puckering in fine fabrics. Additionally, the L 450 has the patented BERNINA two-step front foot lift, which enables sewists to easily position and guide bulky projects and multiple layers of fabric. For more information, please visit www.bernina.com/overlocker.

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.