Kirsten Katz's hand-painted florals for FreeSpirit have arrived. Springtime Splendour runs from soft blush and vanilla through to deep mulberry and ebony, with big painterly blooms, gentler botanicals and small ditsy prints that pair easily. Here's what we'd make with it, and what to put beside it.

The BERNINA Appliqué Foot 23 is designed for smooth, precise appliqué and mini-piping, keeping dense satin stitches feeding evenly for beautifully finished edges. In this post, we share our top tips for machine appliqué, from choosing the right needle plate to testing your zigzag stitch and preventing puckering.

When the B 990 arrived, its expanded embroidery capability was one of the headline features. The Giant Magnetic Hoop is the accessory that takes full advantage of it — a 12 x 16.1 inch (305 x 410 mm) embroidery field, available exclusively for the 990.