Sunday, April 15, 2018

School of Fish Top

 I made all these fish last weekend--the quilt has 120, but I made some extras. I spent a couple of nights sewing the rows together. They were all stitched on my 1961 Singer Featherweight. It is about 55 inches square. I have the link to the tutorial a couple of posts back, if you are interested!
 Today, I have been working on the Clementine Quilt Along Month 4 Blocks. They are all cut and ready to assemble and will be revealed on April 25th when the instructions post for the public. #stjude There is a link on my right hand sidebar.
If you did not see my post earlier this week, I received terrible news that I have worn out my Pfaff Ambition 1.5. It lasted 7 years and I paid $1100 for it. My local sewing machine shop has closed, so the nearest sewing machine dealers are a little more than an hour away. My mom and I ventured up there yesterday to see what they had that would meet my needs. The only thing I found was this Janome $2800 (more with tax and bobbins)--I liked the machine very much, but not the price. I tried a couple less expensive Janomes, but they lacked a wavy stitch. I looked at a used Bernina, but was not really impressed with it--its wavy stitch was not very pretty and the bobbin loads from the bottom which is a pain when your machine is in a cabinet like mine. They also had a used Janome of this model, but it is older and did not have my required wavy stitch. Otherwise, I would have bought it! 

We also went to a new quilt shop and Viking/Pfaff dealer. I was not impressed. The only Pfaff she had was used and is a model, Pfaff Quilt Expression 4.2, I am interested in, but she did not know how to thread it and we could not get the feed dogs to move--they had been lowered for free motion quilting. Obviously, I am not interested in that one. I also am wary about if she will be in business long for servicing! My next options are Denver 5+ hours away which sucks for servicing.

My daughter asked if I could meet her over in Denver next week. Her college wants to send her to an accepted students reception on Friday night. Of course, I will drive 5+ hours each way to hang out with her basically for a day! She will arrive on Thursday night and leave early Saturday morning to be back in time for her sorority formal. 

I will probably spend Thursday afternoon and Saturday sewing machine shopping. I am going to look at a couple of Pfaff models and some Jukis. The shop I am going to carries everything (Pfaff, Bernina, Juki, Janome, Viking, etc.) and has a program where you can trade in a machine within a year. I am thinking, I can buy the low end Pfaff like I had for $1100 or a Juki for $1000 and then save money all year and trade up to the Janome next year...Thoughts?

Not having my machine for nearly two weeks now has really made me frazzled, I have to get a new one soon! I have my Postcard from Sweden to quilt and the School of Fish, not to mention 20 zip pouches that all need to be done before April is over. This is my Postcard from Sweden top. The link up for that quilt along can be found here:



33 comments:

  1. The school of fish quilt is so cute. but I especially love the HST quilt and all its clean,clear color.

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  2. I just bought a Juki HZL G220 last month to replace my 19 year old Viking Lily 545. It has basically the same features as the Lily, although it has an automatic threader and a thread cutter. It also probably has more decorative and utility stitches, but I have yet to try most of them. The Lily cost about $1200 in 1999 and the Juki was $800 plus tax. It also came with quilting feet, which were not included with the Lily way back when so I purchased the walking foot and free motion foot later. So far I am happy with the machine but haven't had a chance to try quilting with her yet. I feel I got a lot of machine for the price and look forward to learning her ins and outs. The shop I got her from sells and services Juki and Singer machines and is about 35 miles from where I live. Good luck and enjoy whatever you buy. Joye Cox in Chesterfield SC

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  3. I don't have any advice...but feel your frustration. Hank in there....

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  4. I would buy the Janome 6700. It has changeable needle plates for straight stitch, start/stop button, and that great 10 inch bed. These machines are workhorses! I've had my 6500 for at least 12 years and it never has problems.

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  5. Your School of Fish turned out so cute - love all the color! Good luck with your machine shopping. Too bad you have to come all the way to Denver, but I would want that wavy stitch, too. My low end Janome has lots of stitches I never use but not that one which I would love to have!

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  6. No sewing machine advice but I love your fish! :)

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  7. Your school of fish are splash of color and so delightful.

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  8. Sorry to hear about your sewing machine trouble. Is it really dead or only sort of dead? A local dealer tried to convince me that my Pfaff was dead (so that I would buy one of his brand machines), but my DH later fixed it in about 30 minutes. Good luck choosing a new one (soon, if it's really really dead!) so that you can get back to those bright and cheerful quilts!!

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  9. MAN! You were a sewing maniac with the little fishes!! It looks fantastic and I know the recipient will be thrilled!! Have fun with your girl and good luck with the search.

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  10. I'm sorry your Pfaff dealer turned out to be such a dud. I love my Pfaff Expression 3.0. I wish it had a knee lift and a low-bobbin warning, but those would be luxuries. It has two nice wavy stitches, loads the bobbin on the top, and has been so incredibly reliable.

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  11. Sorry you were not able to get a new machine. I think your plan has some sense in it. Good luck!

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  12. I don't envy you on the new machine decision. I dithered for a long time on what low-end machine to buy to have as a second machine for classes and travel. And, of course, I'm really not happy with the one I bought.
    Most of the major machine companies have payment plans with no interest for machines over a certain price. You should ask about that possibility with the Janome you want.
    Pat

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  13. A marathon sew to complete all those fish in one weekend. I like the rainbow color effect setting.

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  14. The fish quilt is so adorable!!

    Have fun machine shopping!

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  15. The fish quilt is adorable! Have a wonderful time with your daughter, and good luck with the machine shopping. It's a lot to consider, I hope you end up with one that fits your needs.

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  16. The fish are so cute! I also love all the Postcard quilts, so beautiful!

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  17. Your fish quilt is wonderful. You really have had your head down working on that one.
    Good luck with the sewing machine quest.

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  18. love your fish-- I have a janome MC 6500 which I bought on ebay 12 years ago and except for one trip to the hospital has been a workhorse---it has a wavy stitch and I have quilted with it but prefer to rent time on a longarm to do my quilting---

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  19. i forogt-- it cost $500 on ebay , I had watched ebay for a couple of months after deciding which machine I wanted

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  20. Your fish quilt is adorable!

    I feel you with the pain of machine shopping. I just bought a Janome MemoryCraft 6600P and I'm super happy with it after doing research and test driving machines for what seems like months.

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  21. I have a Bernina 180 Artista which I ADORE. I bought it new in 2003 and she's still marching along merrily, and I've done nothing to her except keep her very clean and regularly oiled and once every few years she goes to the spa. All metal parts. Yeah the bobbin is a PITA but I'm used to it now. Your quilt is gorgeous, well both of them! I think you've thrown me a squirrel-fish! You'll be okay for the linkup for prizes, as flimsies or finishes are fine! There's some alliteration for ya!

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  22. I feel for you with you machine woes. From experience, I expect the feed dogs on the Pfaff just needed the hand shell turned to get them back up. However, I would be concerned about buying a machine from a store that knows so little about their machines. Good luck in your search for your new machine.

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  23. Nothing cuter than this quilt! Those fish...I love it! I sew on a Janome 6600 and love it. I cannot imagine how hard it would be having to look for a new machine! Good luck and I hope you come away with exactly what you need!

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  24. Hi Tanya, your Postcard from Sweden quilt looks great...and I really love those fish! A couple of very happy quilts :-) Good luck with your machine.

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  25. Hi Tanya,
    Your Postcard turn out beautiful. I am so sorry to hear about the stress over your machine. Ugg. I hope you are trying out some new ones right now and have found the perfect one for you! ~smile~ Roseanne

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  26. I love the fish quilt! Machine stress is no fun. I had a top-of-the-line Viking which gave me nothing but trouble, traded it in for a Bernina 440qe about seven years ago, and haven't looked back. The front load bobbin isn't great, but I got used to it and it was worth the trade off for having a really reliable machine. I admit the throat space is pretty tiny though. I got a long arm so I wouldn't have to deal with it. :) I hope you find something you like soon. If you liked the Janome, and the dealer is local and reliable, I'd say go for it!

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  27. I love my Brother 1500 (pretty much identical to the Juki), but it’s a straight stitch only, industrial type machine, not what you’re looking for. Just a reminder, although I’m sure you know this, take some of your own fabric and mini quilt sandwiches to use for your ‘test drives’. That way you’ll feel comfortable with what you’re sewing. Good luck!

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  28. Good luck with your decision. The trade in program sounds like a good idea.

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  29. Your school of fish are splash of color and so delightful.

    เกมส์สล็อต
    Gclub

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  30. Being without a sewing machine sounds frustrating. Good luck finding a new one. Love the fish!

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  31. I love you School of Fish quilt, I've just been on a raid through my stash putting a rainbow affect together, and I loved it so much!! Need to use the stash more often I think!

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  32. Georgeous fish. I brought a brother machine, because I couldn't afford the Bernina I wanted. It is a nice machine, but now needs a few problems fixed. I ended up buying the Bernina I wanted, and I love it.
    We all like the brands and features we are used to. My advice is buy what you really want, or you will never be really satisfied

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