Wednesday, May 11, 2016

I'm Still Here... Making Friends

Some of you might be wondering what happened to me... Did she ever come back from that machine class?  Did she run away from that very intimidating machine? (Remember the picture of Lucy in last post?)  Well, no I have been here diligently working on a quilt and becoming acquainted with my new friend Bernie. The machine class was great and I decided to put some of what I learned into practice. 
This is a baby quilt for a friend at work.  She is expecting her second son on June 22.  If you remember I bought that airplane fabric at the NJ Quilt Show in March.

I saw a similar quilt on Pinterest with these airplanes and decided to draw the planes myself on fusible web and then add my own design around it. (FYI - I did search for the pattern and didn't find anything.)  Love the rickrack contrails.
The machine did a great job with the buttonhole stitch around all the planes.
I added 5 inch blocks and a couple of borders and it was ready to be basted.
In the meantime, we took a trip one Saturday out to Ephrata, PA to Hinkletown Sewing.  On a back country road with farms on either side, we found the shop nestled in a small white building located on their farm.  This is the dealer that I bought my machine from at the AQS Lancaster quilt show.
This dealer only sells Bernina sewing machines, except for a few trade-ins on the floor, and is owned and operated by a Mennonite family.
It is a small shop but with great customer service and good prices. The have used presser feet that you can pick up for $10.  A real deal!  I was lucky enough to find a clear free motion foot in that basket.
Back home, I was ready to start machine quilting this baby quilt.  The machine comes with a stitch regulator foot, but for right now I prefer to do my FMQ with out the help.  I loved this clear foot for seeing exactly where I was going. 
I did invest in a walking foot, not being sure that I would need it.  With the dual feed on this machine, quilt binding goes on with no problem.  But for straight machine quilting, which I would like to do more of, this walking foot was fantastic!  It was quiet and smooth and the guides worked great. I think it is a keeper.
I have added my label and I am working on getting the binding finished!
Hope the baby's mom loves this quilt as much as I have enjoyed making it.  Her baby 'sprinkle' is on Tuesday. :-)

I am no longer intimidated by my new machine and I am really enjoying working with her. :-)

Happy Stitching!

Deb

17 comments:

  1. Glad you're okay! I was getting a little worried because I check your blog every day. Eileen P.

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  2. a great quilt for a baby, the aeroplanes your drew work beautifully. I love my bernina have a 1230 wish I had one with a bigger neck, have had it since 1993 but in those days made clothes and did embroidery not quilting, would be lost without a walking foot.

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    1. Thanks, Margaret. It was a fun quilt to make. I am really enjoying the new world of Bernina. This is the first Bernina I have owned, but I have always wanted one. It was great to work on this quilt on this machine.

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  3. Wonderful aeroplanes and colours for a baby. I must say I an very envious of your new machine, much easier to feed a large quilt through.

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    1. Yes, it has been a great machine and we are getting used to each other. It has been great at machine quilting and not fussy about any thread I have used, etc. The extra opening was great too!

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  4. what a cute baby quilt! the ric rac is so so cute.
    I used to go to Hinkletown when I lived in NJ. I like when they set up the little honor farm stand outside.

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    1. It was a nice trip and a great shop. Their discounts are amazing. We were too early for the farm stand... we will have to go back!

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  5. That clear free motion foot looks pretty good! I can see where its large smooth curved surface would slide over the bumpy edges of seams and such. Very interesting!

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    1. Yes, it was really good. I have never used this type of FMQ foot, but it really was great for seeing where you are and where you are going. And the large curved surface kept the quilt in place as I quilted. I would recommend it ... and it was on sale! Win-Win!

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  6. What a wonderful quilt. Those planes are delightful. And I'm glad you came out the winner. But am I missing something...I can't find the sad looking photo of Lucy.

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    1. Thanks! The quilt was cute. Lucy wasn't involved in this one - HAHAHA.. I guess I need to post a picture of her soon so she doesn't get an attitude!

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  7. Glad to see that you and your new machine are bonding in a very positive manner. Guess we're both working on baby quilt. The colors you've choosen are so bright and cute and the airplanes make a charming design for a new baby boy. Great job.

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    1. Yes, it seems to be a theme! Baby quilts are so much fun to make. Everyone is happy to see a baby quilt! The machine has made it a real pleasure. Thanks for stopping by!

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  8. I'm in love with your quilt!! So bright and happy!! It's sure to bring a wonderful smiles!

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  9. I love your quilt. You should sell a pattern for it.

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  10. Do you offer a pattern for sale for this quilt?

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  11. Where do I find the airplane section to add to a quilt?

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