Quilts from Canaan

Sewing Machine Table

I've got a new, custom-made, table for my sewing machine. My husband's nephew is an industrial designer and he designed and built for me this wonderful, beautiful table.

 

 

The table is built on height-adjustable Ikea legs. The top is made like a box with drawers and a clear Plexiglas top, which is fitted around the sewing machine - thus the sewing machine is sunk into the table top and I gained storage space.

The top is made out of two separate panels of Plexiglas fitted together, so that if I replace my sewing machine, I have to replace only the small panel of Plexiglas and not the whole top.

Another bonus is that I can take out one of the drawers and put under the Plexiglas a lamp, turning the top into a light table!

If you're in Israel, you are welcome to contact me for the details of the designer - he can build for you the perfect sewing table - fitting the size and colors to your needs!

Long Arm Longings

At the OEQC show I have fallen in love... The object of my love is an APQS Millennium long arm machine. I blame for this Claudia Pfeil, the European representative of APQS who placed her booth at the entrance to the exhibition space. I couldn't go in or out of the show without seeing my love. I'm sure that Claudia was sick of me (although she was kind enough not to show it). I've spent every free moment at her booth, getting free lessons on the machine and drooling all over the test sandwich, and the sample quilts on the booth. To get this machine I was ready to kick my only daughter out of the house (for the space), grovel to my family or rob a bank, if necessary.

Claudia introduced me to one of her customers, Karin, who won the first place for long arm machine quilting. Karin's quilt "Fossily" was one of my favorites, and I would like to share it.

 

When I got home the love fever has subsided enough to be able to think clearly. Getting this machine would require an investment of several months for practice, practice, and more practice. From what I've seen it usually also results in a complete change of quilting style. This is not the right time for such a move for me, and I'd better wait with the Millennium for a couple of years.

I feel very grown-up and responsible after this decision... I wish that I wasn't so responsible, it would have probably been much more fun...

Sewing Machine Problems

I started getting back into the rhythm of life, and most importantly quilting, but my machine decided differently. It has been acting up for some time now - mostly with tension problems. I had it serviced last month, and today while satin stitching on my latest quilt, it suddenly started pulling the bobbin thread up. I've reduced the top thread tension to the absolute minimum, but it didn't help.

Which means another visit to the shop tomorrow. It's a half an hour drive from my house, at least half an hour at the shop - since the owner is a very chatty type, and of course half an hour back home. There goes another morning. Luckily for me, a good friend of mine has a spare machine that I can borrow till mine is fixed, so at least I won't lose several days again till my machine is fixed.

I'm Back!

It took me quite some time to get my act together after returning from Holland. Writing on the road proved practically impossible without my laptop. Using the hotel PC, or the PC's of my friends was quite complex since they had Dutch Windows and non-qwerty keyboards.

I enjoyed the show, the workshops, the asparagus, and spending time with my quilting friends in Holland and Belgium.

As a summary of the trip, I would like to share with you the beautiful, hand-quilted Best of Show piece by Sabina Schroder from Germany, In the Shadows: