Monday, March 18, 2013

Meet: My Machine

Today I'm linking up to meet:  my machine at The Tiltled Quilt.  





This is my machine.  She's a Bernina Activa 230PE.  I love her.  This is her story.




One day, I was looking on eBay for a used serger.  I was mainly searching for a Bernina because I was confident that even an older model would be sturdy and run well.  I wanted it for finishing unlined garments, and making kids' Halloween costumes.  Nothing fancy.  The machines I was looking at were 20+ years old, and probably hadn't been used in half as long.  But my husband caught wind of what I was doing, and went out an bought me a brand spankin' new one as a gift.

My first Bernina, the 700D

The sweet ladies at the sewing machine store, also told my poor man that this machine is excellent for quilting (ha!)  He brought her home and I attempted my very first quilt with her.  Needless to say, the points (nubs!) on my pinwheels didn't exactly lay very flat.  I felt a little guilty for having a machine that cost twice what my regular machine, a EuroPro Shark, did at the time.  Especially when I couldn't even make a simple quilt on it.  So, my husband "fixed" it by going out and buying me a proper quilting machine.  The Bernina Activa 230PE...the PE is for Patchwork Edition (and if you ask me, PErfect!)

The #57 Foot

And this is why I wouldn't trade her for the world...the #57 Patchwork Foot.  A true 1/4" seam without even trying!  See the little arm on the right side?  It lines up your fabric for you.  Genius!

But after making a quilt or two, I discovered her Kryptonite.  She's petite, and it's almost impossible for me to quilt a big quilt on her with her itty bitty harp size.  So, my husband fixed that, too, and found a mid-arm Babylock on Craigslist for me.

Baby Lock Quilter's Choice Professional
My favorite thing about this one is the power.  She can GO!  And she has a thread cutting feature that I've gotten spoiled by.  She also has an even feed pin that's neat, but I mostly use her for FMQ'ing.

Even though I didn't pick any of these out for myself, they couldn't be any more fitting.  They are fantastic machines, but also remind me how lucky I am to have someone who supports me and my interests, even when he doesn't share them.

And he puts up with my disaster of a sewing room.  He's a keeper.







7 comments:

  1. I love your stories! Darn it, our hubbies are fabulous :) Thanks for linking up - hope you will keep visiting for the rest of the week - should be fun!

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  2. That is so lovely! Great hubby's are just the cream of the crop! I was so thankful that mine allowed me to buy a Bernina...even though it was slightly costly. Your machines seem to have been chosen with lots of love and it's no wonder that you're so happy. Thanks for linking up and sharing your stories and machines. I'm really enjoying this hop. =)

    PS...I love that #57 foot too...I posted it on my blog, so thought it was ironic that you liked it just as well.

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  3. That's a beautiful space. Love your spool holders.

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  4. I love your craft space, it's beautiful from what I can see. How lucky are you to have several machines and a husband who buys them for you?! That patchwork foot looks like gold, I might have to look into that if I'm ever to get serious about quilting.

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  5. Awesome post! Thumbs up to the hubs ;)
    Thanks so much for linking up with us on the Hop - I hope you had as much fun writing your post as I did reading it!
    Best,
    Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy

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  6. Your husband is a keeper for sure! Mine is very tolerant of my 'habit' and has ceded the entire 'office' / craft room to me. I think he got tired of competing with fabric.

    Cheers, K

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  7. I want you to thank for your time of this wonderful read!!! I definately enjoy every little bit of it and I have you bookmarked to check out new stuff of your blog a must read blog! laser metal cutting machine for sale

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