Dear Bernina...

I adore my Bernina 830.  It’s the most wonderful machine on the planet!  But… like many quilters, I long for a very basic, inexpensive machine just for piecing.  I do all my piecing now on my 830 and it does a wonderful job, but I would like a piecing machine for my business.

Here is my wish list, in case you might be inclined to indulge me someday.

1. Narrow feed dog, 5.5mm is fine, 2mm would be even better.
2. Dual feed.  An absolute must.  I could never live without it again!
3. Needle up/down
4. Good lighting
5. Reverse button
6. Knee lift and the presser foot hover feature.

That’s it.  That’s all I want.  One single straight stitch is the only stitch the machine needs to do.  While multiple needle positions would be nice, even those are not necessary.  All I want is a workhorse machine that I can piece my quilts on, and bind them with.

I know I’m not alone out there.  This machine would fly off American shelves.  All those dedicated Featherweight piecers?  I think you’d find them jumping ship in droves.  Many women love to piece quilts, but don’t do any sewing, or any of their own quilting.  What a great way to introduce them to Bernina!

Okay I’m awake now and done dreaming.  I did finished my Thimbleberries “Town Square” quilt top, with some modifications to the border.  This was made out of stash fabrics, and I just didn’t have anything that looked right for the original border.

After I quilt this, I’ll probably go back and applique in the windows.

The quilt is hanging on the new Savage Port-a-Stand I bought specifically for taking pictures of quilts.  When the HQ16 is gone, I’m going to set it up in front of the garage door, that way if it isn’t light enough inside, I can open the door and easily take a picture with natural lighting.

It's a GIRL!

Yep, yesterday was the momentous day.  Around two o’clock, the phone rang.  The FedEx guy called for unloading instructions.  “DON’T pull into our driveway”!  That was all I had for him.  So here I am, patiently waiting…

I didn’t have to wait long!  Mr. FedEx arrived shortly after I backed the truck down to the end of the driveway.

He happened to be the same driver that delivered our TV when we moved in.  Fortunately Jim was home yesterday to help unload.  I have to say, it was a bit of a let down… I had built this up in my head to where the boxes were going to be bigger than the truck!

The rail boxes were.  That’s what Jim is pulling out of the truck in the above picture.  Those suckers were heavy!  We lifted those over the toolbox in the bed of our truck because they were way too heavy to carry up to the house.

All loaded up!  How can so few and such small boxes take up so much space once set up?

Jim is installing new overhead lights in the garage, so that it’s absolutely blinding out there.  Honestly, you need sunglasses.  But hey I can SEE now, and I should be able to photograph quilts inside instead of dragging them out, hauling a ladder out, and draping them over the fence.  I purchased a Savage Port-a-stand to hang my quilts from for photographing.

Today we will move the HQ16 to the other side of the garage, install the second light, and hopefully (if we think both longarms will fit) Jim will start setting up the Millennium.  It’s going to be tight though, there’s no way to move my treadmill without disassembling it, which we’ve no desire to do!