I have reasons...

This is the picture I put on Kijiji...

Three days later, this is the way that corner looks... 

I had five calls and three people wanting it... 

got a good price and am happy, as was the buyer...

This is the other corner....

My hubby (and all-around handy person) is golfing in AZ 

so I am quilting rug mugs on my DSM 

and anxiously waiting for him to get home 

and help me assemble the upgrade... 

which is somewhat intimidating 

as it came in eight heavy boxes... 

he did open some as the contents were easier to move 

from the front door to my studio without the boxes. 

What a good guy!

Until this is assembled, 

there will be not much action. 

My dealer says, "Make more tops" -- 

but I have too many UFOs now!

Hopefully you will soon see a finished top!

One more done - well, not quite!

The weather got worse so I didn't walk outside (have a treadmill tho). Today the temperature is supposed to reach nearly thawing. Already the sunshine is inviting me.

As Sue commented yesterday, I am a procrastinator too! But I know if I don't first do the stuff I enjoy the least, it will never get done. So I did all the work first except vacuum (BH has to take that tree from the middle of the living room first), then I quilted. And the baby quilt is done! Yeah. Now binding... and I'll post a photo tomorrow.

My machine and frame are HQ-16, adequate for the job but already I can see the value of a longer arm. I'm rolling as much as I'm quilting. The tables are two from IKEA, very sturdy with height adjustment and leveling features on the legs. As it sinks into the carpet, my BH is adjusting so the machine stays where I put it on the track. Very helpful. The IKEA tables are much less expensive than what HQ wants for their special table, and I already had them so saved over $1000 with that.

I'm noticing that the machine moves so easily that I have trouble with controlling the speed. I try to go slow, but the big loops wind up going too fast, then a red light flashes (I'm using the stitch regulator) and I try to slow down. The sudden burst of speed produces a tension problem -- the bottom thread is not getting pulled into the fabric as it should. I might have to redo a couple of places. Will someone please tell me that this will improve with practice??!!

Ready to go - finally

This is my Christmas present to myself. We finally got the machine on the rails on Christmas Day with our son's help to lift it, level the table, etc. Last night I threaded it and loaded this small quilt.

It felt weird as as I turned it on. I actually was worried that it might not work. But the needle went down as I pushed the button, then up again with another push. Then I pulled the bobbin thread to the top, used a thick ruler as a guide, and quilted in the ditch around one of the blocks. Since a longarm owner told me that quilting in the ditch is one of the more difficult things to do on a longarm, I am pleased that this turned out okay.

I'm slow, but it has a stitch regulator so all the stitches are even and not piled up on themselves. It looks okay. Practice will help... but I am of Scottish descent and hate to "waste" fabric on practice. I'll likely do all my least liked quilts as practice. Sigh.

This is set-up full length. That is, I've used all the rails. My tables are from IKEA and very sturdy. I can raise or lower them, but right now it is just right for standing. There is room behind the table to use the laser stylus to copy patterns, or do free motion on the front.

My eventual goal is a king-size for our son (the one who helped set it up, and who also thought using it could be lots of fun) and one for ourselves. A shorter goal is to finish all my UFOs.

However, my husband is worried that he might never, ever get supper on time again, so I'd better set another goal to not get too carried away!

Tree Skirt and HQ-16

My, oh my, it has been far too long between posts. I've not been idle though. Our church group made an I-Spy quilt which I've basted and will quilt today. It will be my last quilt of that size done on my domestic machine, for I am buying a longarm today!

It is not one of those that cost the same as a nice car. This is the HQ Sixteen. I tried a Porsche (APQS Millennium) a few weeks ago and liked the huge sewing space, but found it very hard on my back and hard to maneuver. Free motion and trying to follow templates was humiliating.

So I tried the HQ, first for maneuverability, then following a template. It was much easier, in fact the results were much better. Also, since it sets closer to the edge of the table, I could stand erect and my back was fine.

The biggest problem is space. I have a studio room about 10.6 x 24, windows on three sides, with a huge U-shaped computer desk in the middle, 6 IKEA cupboards, 3 IKEA tables, a craft table, 3 bookcases, and other assorted stuff like rolling drawer units and a serger table. Don't ask me how, but they fit and I can work in this. So the big question... where do I put a 8-12 foot quilting machine? My GH thinks I've lost it! He is probably right, but that is another post. LOL!

Amazingly, it will work. I took out a couple things that fit elsewhere, consolidated two large tables to hold the quilter, moved the craft table out since I don't need it for basting any longer, and rearranged a few things. The room actually looks bigger now. It is still messy with thread, iron, machines, etc. all in the wrong spots, and the longarm is not here yet, but I will post a photo when it is done.

In the meantime, here is a photo of one of my first quilts. It was supposed to be a tree skirt, but I didn't have the heart to cut it, so it now adorns a table during the Christmas season.

And speaking of that, the tree is up and I'm thinking of ways to enjoy this celebration. We love the turkey and gifts, but also love the Reason for the season. May every one of you experience a restful holiday and great joy!