It was very hard to part with the sewing machine on which I learned to quilt and which was put through much hardship as I quilted between 30-50 quilts on it when I first began free motion quilting.
That includes this king size quilt for which I won a blue and purple ribbon at the local county fair.
Wow, that seems like ages ago but was only about eight years in the past. Time flies when you are enjoying what you love to do!
That Janome still works great but my desire for perfection (ha!) made me look for a potential replacement. Upon purchasing my Bernina 750QE, my wonderful companion took the back seat a second time and became a class and retreat sewing machine. The first time was when she retired from free motion quilting when my husband bought me my Handiquilter Sweet 16. As a class machine, she was easier to transport than Nina. However, I found I could not get the 1/4" seam allowances to match. So I withdrew from working on a project that I could not start and complete in the same setting.
I believe my new friend will alleviate this problem as I can use some of the same feet on both (including the 1/4" foot). I haven't named her yet, and probably won't, as I will probably forget her name between uses!! But she is delightful and sweet! Meet my new Bernina 350PE (patchwork edition)
She is awesome! I still have lots of stitch selections and memory but she is a little more stream-lined. The walking foot that comes with her is WOW! Best of all is the fact that many of the feet I use on Nina are interchangeable with my 350PE. I spent a couple of hours yesterday over at Blakeman Vacuum and Sewing with Chris Blakeman getting her all set up. He made sure everything was up to his and Bernina standards.
I can't wait to hopefully take her to a get-together on Friday down at Blakeman Vacuum and Sewing. We will be sewing quilt tops for what is called the Final Salute: quilts for veterans upon their decease which will be given to their family members. What an awesome community service! Then I have a midnight sewfest next Friday evening (the 27th) with my super duper quilting friend. We start about 6pm and go into and beyond midnight. Needless to say, hubby and son go to bed without me and my Saturday is slow. I can't wait for that evening!
I won't be using my new friend this weekend, though, as I will be traveling to Casper, Wyoming to conduct a one day basic free motion quilting class at the new Blakeman Vacuum & Sewing that has opened there. The class has been full for several weeks; I will have twelve students! To say I am excited is an understatement. My normal class is a four-part series so I have had to tweak this class to fit within one day. So excited!
I am still trying to finish the binding on my antelope. I will almost for sure complete it this weekend as I can work on that while my husband takes the wheel when we head to Casper. So I probably won't be posting until next week.
Be filled with the Spirit of God as you face the remainder of this week and remember that He is providential. In fact, I was reading today in Ecclesiastes 7:14
In the day of prosperity be joyful,
But in the day of adversity consider:
Surely God has appointed the one as well as the other,
So that man can find out nothing that will come after him.
Know that God is in control of each of our lives and uses all things to build character in us and dependence upon Him.
God bless you!
How exciting to get a new machine. I quilted on a Janome for ten years before getting my sit down quilting machine. And I also learned the hard way to use one machine per quilt due to different quarter inch seams.
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