It's my understanding that one of the key ways to keep my aging brain healthy is to challenge it...learn a new language, play and instrument...how about getting a longarm quilting machine with a computerized quilting design capability?
On the 2nd of April, my new machine was delivered, HandiQuilter Amara 20 with ProStitcher Premium on a 12-foot Studio 3 frame. There are many longarm manufacturers to choose from but since I am only looking to quilt for myself, I didn't need a Gammill. I think they are the top of the line but they are pretty pricey. I definitely wanted a machine that could be maintained and repaired locally. My last machine was a Nolting and I had to ship it to Iowa for repair a few years ago. There is a Bernina shop in Anchorage but I have not been thrilled with their tech support with my domestic sewing machine so I didn't feel good about going with a Bernina longarm...I have briefly worked on one and it seemed great...but maintenance was a big concern for me. A fellow quilter has been very happy with the support she has gotten from our local HandiQuilter dealer.
I ordered the machine on March 13th, and in under 3 weeks I had my new machine...the promptness of it's delivery was a big bonus. I am so thankful for YouTube and all the great videos from HandiQuilter and their dealers. Yesterday...after playing on ugly fabric for a couple of weeks...I put a real quilt on the frame! It all started great...almost halfway through quilting and I had a tension issue...oh no!!! Nothing like working through a problem to really learn the ProStitcher program! I took a break overnight and came back to it this morning and gotter done!
The quilt top was finished in April of 2016. A line of Moda batiks from Holly Taylor featuring dragonflies. I found several edge to edge quilting designs on the ProStitcher library and picked one.
I am sooo excited with how great the quilting stitch quality is and how smoothly it went.
I know it's hard to see the quilting design with all the pieced batiks but in person...it looks great!
I have been stewing on my age a little bit...I am feeling more like a senior. I saw a brief clip on YouTube about "Death Cleaning." It's when you get rid of things you don't want others to have to deal with when you die. I don't know if my sewing room will ever be anything but overwhelming to anyone else when I die but it has made me look at my stash and think...what is taking up space...and should it go now to others...
I did look at one of my oldest UFOs...the supporting fabric fills up three bins of fabrics...all from the designer Nancy Halvorsen from Art to Heart. She was my favorite when I first started quilting. I bought a fat quarter set of any line of fabric she released...plus most of her companion books for those lines. I have finished several projects over the years and have a quilt top waiting for quilting.
When we were living in Paris, I made all the background blocks for the pattern, "Angels Among Us,"
I do still love this design...and the fabrics. So I pulled it out and am starting to peck away at the individual blocks. Since it was March when I opened the UFO project box, I started with the block for that month. The first step was to embroider the little saying.
I have the applique pieces traced on fusible web and the fabrics picked out...just need to do the first round of fusing.
While watching all the ProStitcher videos I did some hand stitching on the next block. I think I will have more hand stitching time while my quilting machine works.
I made a little progress on the Cottontail Cottage quilt. I used Roxanne Glue-Baste-It to place the wool leaves and did a little blanket stitch by machine to secure.
I ordered some bigger pieces of hand-dyed wool for the next block and it arrived recently so hopefully I will get going on this quilt soon.
I never work in my sewing room at night...I would never go to bed if I started working on something in my special place! My handwork must be done in my living room where my dogs can snuggle and get more attention.
I finished another mini patriotic cross stitch piece by Stitching with the Housewives. I have two more in the series to finish.
I had a big cross stitch finish that I started last year. It was a series of "chick" ornaments designed by Jim Shore for Mill Hill. They are stitched on perforated paper with floss and beads. There is a front
annnnnd back side that are stitched together.
The two sides are stitched along the outside edges with four strands of DMC floss.
Jim Shore cross stitch patterns are a lovely challenge...all his special shading means lots of color changes for these little guys.
I have seen other stitchers create hangers for their Mill Hill ornaments with leftover beads in the kits. I did that here and will definitely do it again.
Working on felt projects is a nice...mindless stitching project. No counting...just stitching on the printed lines on the felt.
I finished two Merry Stocking Mantel Series kits.
Classic Village, 2024, Schoolhouse kit.
Classic Village, 2025, Toy Shop kit
I've been spending a lot of great time with my grandkids. They all love getting to see my projects as I work on them and finish them! My 6-year-old has started working on a cross stitch kit and felt kits made for kids. She is doing to great. I feel so blessed to spend time with them and to share my love of various needlework projects...even my 3-year-old grandson loves these pieces.
Most of the snow is gone...just the piles from snowplowing our driveway are left. Temperatures are still mostly in the 40s during the day. I haven't walked into a gardening nursery yet...I don't want to be tempted to buy something when it is still so chilly.
Lots of neighbors are posting pictures of black and grizzly bears roaming our part of the world...I haven't seen any myself...yet...but it will happen eventually. Hopefully I'll have my iPhone in hand when it happens.
