During little T's nap this afternoon, I sat down for some much-needed time to free-motion quilt my Pop Garden quilt. This quilt has been taunting me for weeks, crying "finish me! you're soooo close!" But, I frustrated myself over and over with free-motion skills picked up from the Internet. I should have just taken a class, but I've always tended to be a "let me do it by myself!" kind of brat.....
....until I broke my very last needle on the very first stitch...
We live a bit out of town, where it takes a good 30 minutes to get to Jo-Ann's or even, dare I say it, Wal-Mart. I was at my wit's end of stinkin' up the place with my free-motion mess, so I decided to drive to Avon to visit the nearest Janome dealer. Avon Quiltery was very kind to host me for an hour of free assistance and advice. I learned a lot in that one little session (as well as a free needle because I'm sure they felt sorry for me...walking in without a needle to my name). I also learned that it may be close to time for my little Janome "Jane" 415 to retire from free-motion and become my "piecing and straight sewing machine". I have my eye on a Bernina for the future (don't tell Jane...let me break it to her gently) but need to earn a little extra $$$ to justify its place in our house.
My question for you is: What is your machine's name and how is he (or she) workin' for you??
Any recommendations for a good machine to mainly be used for piecing and quilting, but not necessarily a whole bunch of fancy stitches or embroidery??
As always, I love your input!
Happy weekend :)
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5 comments:
I have 2 Bernina's. My first was a pretty basic machine, the 145S. Last summer I "upgraded" to a 640 with embroidery (optional). I love the 640, but it's not necessary for free motion. I had a $100 Janome before my Bernina, and the difference is incredible! The dealer can tell you more, but there's a different kind of motor in the nicer machines (DC vs. AC) and it makes a huge difference. DC gives better control, which is so important! Oh, and to answer your first question...my machines don't have names. Strangely, I name my cars but not my sewing machines!
Love your blog! :)
i have a pfaff 2027, classic style quilt, and i LOVE it! i really think my learning so quickly and easliy to free motion quilt is because of my machine. it doesn't have all the fancy stitches, but is great for quilting. it has the idt which i love, and a position you put the lever in when you free motion quilt.
i had asked nettie (a quilt is nice) which machine she had, when i was looking, and that is what she has. i'm so glad i went with that. it was a little less spendy compared to some others i was looking at, so that was great!! :)
good luck with your search!!
My machine's name is Rose...Viking Rose to be precise. I love it for straight sewing, and apparently it does embroidery, too, though I've never tried... I have no idea if it could quilt. I'll let you know someday! :) I started with a plain jane White machine from JoAnnes...what a piece of s*** that was... :)
I have an older Elna model (Elna Club 500) that I call Ellie. I got it from Ebay and it has been a good machine for me. I am looking at upgrading to a better machine, but for now Ellie suits me fine.
I have a goo dold little brother XL from walmart, but I'm still a beginner! Her name is Betty after my grandmother who would be so proud that I'm learning to sew etc. She loved to sew, knit, and so it's all for her!
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