More Quilt Market fun!

I promised I would be back with more about the exciting things I saw.  I was totally wowed by Tula Pinks booth of course with her new line Elizabeth.  Did you know that it was Tula's Full Moon Forest fabric line that made me step out of the big box retailer exclusively for my fabric collections and start shopping quilt shops?  It is also the first fabric that made me want to design a quilt more basic than patchwork.  I have loved every single collection she has had since, Neptune, being my very favorite- but this new one and all the gothic inspired arches and geometry... swoon... Just love love love this collection! 

I also got to play in the BERNINA booth with their new longarm!  Okay, calm down, I am not planning on moving from my beloved domestic machine quilting to longarming- even though it would be a bit easier! LOL.  I couldn't teach domestic machine quilting without quilting that way myself, so I plan to stay loyal to sit down quilting, that said the new longarm will be available as a sit down quilting machine eventually, so it was a lot of fun to get to play with it.  I was shocked by how smooth and easy it was to use, even for a novice like myself... I had fun quilting with it- and even though I would say my results would look better on a domestic, it was pretty impressive considering it was one of my very first attempts.  I took pictures for you!

One of my favorite things about being at market was getting to show my quilter friends my brand new leather bag that I quilted.  I wish I could say there would be tutorials or patterns but this bag isn't easily repeated and I have 15 broken needles to prove it.  To me the deduction in my needle stash was worth the results... yummy soft lambskin quilted with feathers... yum.  I have been waiting to share it with you all and can only say I wish I could somehow have a way for you to feel it.  The texture and soft leather.... sigh.  Here it is. 

In other news I will be back on Friday with Grandma for a chat on stippling and the trials and tribulations and any tips she and I have gained to make it easier.  Also I am giving away lots of cool patterns I got in my swag bag at Quilt Market on my facebook page so be sure to stop over and leave a comment to enter to win!  I am also kicking off a blog tour for Free Motion Quilting for Beginners (and those who think they can't) very soon, so stay tuned for more info on that! 

Jeans alteration

The new BERNINA is good at much more than just quilting, so i tried my hands at some jeans alteration.  I am no expert but i took some photos of how i did it for fun.... hope you enjoy!

Getting to know you, getting to know all about you....

Getting to like you, getting to hope you like me.... Okay okay, enough of the showtunes, but seriously- I am falling in love with my Bernina 750QI.  This machine has been so much fun to play with- and so darn fancy with so many features that I find myself being a bit overwhelmed by it all if I don't stop and try just one new thing at a time.  So I decided to see how it quilted without trying the stitch regulator yet- just regular free motion quilting.  I wanted to see if it felt at all like my Activa 210 that I have grown so accustomed to in the past 5 years.  I was pleased as punch to find that the feeling of quilting was just about the same (just a lot more space and the new machine is sooo much smoother and faster) - which made me instantly comfortable and at ease.  I really have enjoyed quilting this little block I made up a while back- just for fun.  I am not done yet, just enjoying a little bit at a time, enjoying doing something familiar on this very new and unfamiliar machine.  Enjoying getting to know her slowly and at a pace that feels right.  Can't wait to see how the stitch regulator feels now.  That will be my next try.  Stay tuned! 

It was a very good day to be me!

Last Friday was a very good day to be me- I got to pick up my beautiful new BERNINA 750 QE from Lori, the owner of Ralphs Sew & Vac my local BERNINA dealer.  The perks of ambassadorship are many, let me count the ways!  I now have 10 glorious inches of throat space to move my quilt around when free motion quilting.  I now have a stitch regulator, and functions like a knee presser, automatic thread cutter, tons of decorative stitches, a 9mm wide stitch width... you name it!  So far my very favorite feature hands down though has been that extra large bobbin- I started with a 105 yard spool of thread, and filled the bobbin once, and I am just about equally out of thread and bobbin at the same time- never changing the bobbin... amazing.   That type of upgrade is a real time saver- especially when free motion quilting I HATE stopping to change/fill bobbins.  Yes indeed, I am a lucky girl to get to play with this stunning machine over the next year.  I am just starting to get to know her but stay tuned for lots more fun as we get acquainted.

here are some fun pictures of me getting to pick her up and take a quick lesson at Ralphs.