Not really missing in action

It has been an extremely long time between posts.  Mainly because I have been busy so hopefully I can do some retrospective catching up.  The latest and possibly best news I have had is the Best of Show win by my quilt Featheration 2Blu at the recent Queensland Quilters Inc 2015 Show.  This quilt will now be considered with the other 7 state winners for the Best of Australia in April next year before it sets off on a journey around Australia and New Zealand to the respective State Quilt Shows.

 

To say I was extremely excited would be an understatement.  My new Bernina B720 machine is already ensconced in my sewing table and it hasn't been home for even a week.  It just means my trusty Janome 7700QCP is now looking for a new home.

APQS are giving away another longarm machine.

The Great APQS Longarm Giveaway 

Have you dreamed of owning an APQS longarm quilting machine? What about a longarm machine with an automated quilting system? Here’s your chance at both!

APQS is giving away a Lucey longarm machine equipped with Quilt Path, our computerized quilting system. This is our biggest giveaway yet with a value of $21,900!!!

And that’s not all! Every month, one lucky entrant will receive an APQS Quilting Gift Basket full of thread, patterns and other great APQS goodies.

We will select a grand prize winner at random during the week of Dec. 16, 2013. The winner will be notified via phone. Enter once a day for your chance to win.

There is no purchase necessary to enter or participate. Registration period ends at 11:59 a.m. CST on Sunday, Dec. 15, 2013.

Must be 18 years of age to win.

If you would like a chance to win this then head over to www.apqs.com

Gennivieve has arrived

Gennivieve or Genni for short has arrived.  Less than a week after I was notified she was being shipped.  Customs left four messages on my home phone but I was away.  Less than 24 hours after paying the duties she has arrived on my doorstep.

I have dragged the box into my kitchen emptied out all the goodies of thread samples that came with her.  I have taken all the bits and pieces out of the box and now .......there she will sit for 10 hours until my husband gets home from work :(

I do not have the strength to lift her out of the box.

Plus I have many many other things to catch up on.

Piecing a top for a class sample,
Quilting two quick overalls for a customer,
Still have a load of washing in the machine and another to be done before being caught up,then the ironing starts!

Milady is For Sale

Now that Miss Molly has gone,  I have upgraded Milady to a New Gen Millie.  She will be shipped back to the USA in early July if someone doesn't take a liking to her in Australia.

Milady is only 15 months old,  happy and lovely worker,  she comes with her own box ready for shipping.  Yes I can include the lovely red bow she came to me with.

Pearl White in Colour.  240volt complete with Quilt Glide for the fine detailed stitching, on off switch within reach from the front of the machine.  LED lighting and one switch blacklight.  Horizontal and Vertical channel locks.

For any one with a 2007 or earlier Millenium she would be a great upgrade. Or for anyone with a Freedom that would now like the thread cutter and channel locks.

Trade in price only $7000 negotiable within reason.  Replacement cost is well over $14000.

Improved Work Area

After Miss Molly's departure my room was left a mess!!!!

So very late  Monday evening and yesterday I spent a lot of time restoring order.

I had been making flat pack furniture for my grandson's bedroom while visiting and thought his bookcases would make a great base for my pressing surface.  I used to just place it on my ironing board when I needed it.  I think I will use it a lot more being up full time.

My husband put a larger top on my cutting surface so I have an overhang over my sewing table, that now hides some of the fiddly bits!

I am still to organise my design wall and my office area.  I would like a corner computer desk but I can't find one that will fit in the specific space that I have.  I also want to put a cork board on the wall near my desk so that I can put my reminders on it rather than the design wall. Will continue to use my Great Grandmother's wooden chair with the shortened legs,  Vertically Challenged Disorder must  come from my mum's side of the family.

Haven't even had a chance to unwrap Milady since I covered her up before heading south.  That will be on the agenda for tomorrow as I have quilting that needs to be done.  I still have my normal ironing board up, it does protrude half way through my door opening into the family room,  it is easier to pull it out in front of the TV from that spot.  It feels like I have more space in my room just by moving some furniture around.  I will see how the flow goes tonight.  I will be stitching while  the State of Origin is on!

Goodbye Miss Molly

I sold my second APQS Millenium machine to a lady in Southern NSW, the weekend before I headed down to Dubbo to await my Granddaughter's arrival.  As we were not at home that weekend and I was at the Queensland Quilters Picnic the day before we left, I had to hurriedly dismantle my machine.  I easily accomplished that by myself while my husband was at work.  The fun started when wrapping it to transport to the new owner.  She was very fortunate that my husband had to take his work ute past her farm (well as farms go 20 kms is past).

So we boxed everthing we could, left the tabletop in one pieced and heavily wrapped it in old fabrics. I then made a cover for it as well.  The Machine head sat on pillows and quilts in the back seat of the ute.

The economy of the ute wasn't that good heading south, and passer bys must have wanted a second glance at what just passed them.

My Sewing Room



The shallower of the bird baths



 My sewing room/studio is 4.2m by 5.2m long with cupboards along the 4.2 m end wall. It is a tight space to fit all of my sewing things within the room and I keep eyeing off my family room as a possibility for extension. I enjoy standing at my longarm and looking out the window into my Frangipani garden at the bird baths. I regularly have Blue Wrens, Willie Wag tails, honey eaters, doves and the double barred finches are back for this year.

 

The view from ny sewing machine towards my windows.

Rotated view from my machine looking towards my kitchen

Looking straight ahead from my machine.

APQS machines in Houston

 

Quilters know that Houston have the biggest quilting show. I think it is great that the APQS machines are well presented in their booth.  These demonstration machines from the show circuit were offered for sale at really good prices.  Used at the show, taken back to the showroom and serviced again before being shipped to their owners.  Lenni, Lucey, Freedom, George and a Millenium with Quilt Path, the new comuterised quilting system.  Millenium and Freedom are both the same machine.  The Freedom does not have the automatic thread cutter so is a few pounds lighter. 

George lets you sit down, at the height suitable to you, as his table is fully height adjustable.  Many art quilters use him for their intricate award winning work.  You can alos purchase another height adjustable table to put behind him or to raise and use as your cutting table.      I am biased but I love my machine.. and it is great to see pictures of them displayed at Quilt Shows, with other people also enjoying them.

My machine is Bliss

 I updated my longarm machine earlier this year as I wanted to get Quilt Glide and Bliss.  These were both new features that APQS came out with after I purchased my first machine.

I am very happy that I made this purchase. I still have my old machine for sale but it is sitting unused  to the side of my family room.

These two quilts were quilted without using any rulers.  The 9 patch to the right I did mark where the straight lines were going to go with a Frixion pen.  When I quilted it I did not use any of the chanel locks or even a ruler.  My machine moves wonderfully.  All the smaller 9 patches in the outer backgrounds were filled with tiny fillers using the Quilt glide.

The other quilt is for a friend's daughter's wedding, so I won't show the front.  The outer curved border is 10" wide and all of those curves are freehand.  I marked the initial curve with soap, as it had a black background, and that was the only markings. The rest of the sitiching follows the piecing or eyeballed.  Again no rulers.  some of the straight lines are on the diagonal and no problems with them being straight!
I love my Bliss and my machine!

APQS George

This is a George machine from APQS.  It is a sit down longarm machine for  machine quilting.

It comes with
•Warranty: 8-year (96 months) parts/labor


•Throat size of 20" x 8" - Having a large space to quilt means you can select the large flowing designs we all love without having to stitch them in two passes.

•Weight 37 lbs (16.8 kgs) - Enjoy the lightest-weight machine to enhance maneuverability and control, without taking a toll on your body.

•24" x 60" portable table that is height adjustable

More info on George can found at http://www.apqs.com/

APQS Giveaway

APQS the brand of the longarm machine that I like to use are running a competition until the middle of December.  This is part of a promotion  to introduce their new website.  http://www.apqs.com/

I can't participate boohoo.

The Prize is a Lenni machine.  I am sure if an  Aussie won it they would have to pay freight to Australia.  Still a great prize.

So check out the new website and find the competition and enter.

APQS Lucey Machine

How cute is the Lucey machine from APQS.     It comes with a throat the same size as my Millenium .  Available with a 10 or 12 foot table.  Stitch regulator.  Single stitch buttton.  Auto needle positioner.       Horizontal wheel system.    Now even has the ergonomic handles..        All new APQS machines now come in the Pearl colour.      More information is available from http://www.apqs.com/



2007 APQS Millenium For Sale

I am upgrading my machine so have my original for sale - would cost $21,700 to replace  

selling for $15,700

includes MnM wheels, new leaders.

12foot Aluminium alloy table with clear plexiglass top

On demand Stitch regulator

Ergonomic Handles

Turbo Bobbin Winder

Electronic Horizontal and Vertical Channel Locks

Numerous other extras included

I'd be happy to give a lesson here for the new owner.

Buyer responsible for pick up and delivery.

Leave me a comment if interested

for more details if interested

New M'nM APQS wheels

I decided to shout my longarm machine some new wheels.  I have had Edgeriders on it for 18months, and thought it was time I bought the new wheels that APQS now have for their machines.

I was sceptical and did not think they would make much of a difference.

I was wrong.  They make a huge difference to how easily the machine moves on the table.  I had no trouble before stitching feathers, they are now just so much easier to do.

The first quilt I loaded after my husband put the new wheels on was for a customer who wanted flurry of feathers on a hand pieced hexagon quilt.

I really like this quilt top.  Green and beige hexagons stitched together randomly.  There was only one paper left in the back.  Usually there are more.

The feathers quilted easily and smoothly and I enjoyed myself quilting for a longer time than I would normally quilt, as my machine seemed to be working with me.

APQS Spring 2010 Block Swap

I belong to the APQS forum chat group.  We regularly have swaps where members make a number of blocks which are sent to a central point collated and them forwarded on to other participants.  Last year I received eleven 12 1/2" blocks.

I put them into a diamond setting so that I could enter it in my State Guild challenge for this year.

I have started quilting it, but had to stop as I couldn't leave work waiting to be done.  It will be finished and bound by the 21st July as I have entered it in a show!

I am also trying to quilt it along the theme of  Diamonds!  The lattice is on the wrong angle - they are diamonds.

APQS Dealership

 I have had my APQS Millenium machine since February 2008, and am very happy to say that I am now one of the New Dealers that have been appointed for Australia.  If you are thinking of purchasing a longarm machine and would like to try one out, please let me know as I would be happy for you to come and have a play on "Good Golly Miss Molly".

More information on APQS machines can be found at http://www.apqs.com/

She has had a few things attached to her since I got her, but they help my job of quilting.  The handiest thing I find is the pin cushion on the handles and the magentic clip I place my scissors on.  There is another pair of scissors at the back so I am never searching for scissors.  The thread catcher on the top is well used.  Once it is full I give the threads to keen embroiderers who use them for "something".

APQS Machines

I have owned my APQS longarm machine for over three years and have had no major problems with it.  It was great to spend yesterday with two of the Engineers from Amercia and go through the sevicing of our machines.  They are very easy to self service.

AS long as you know the difference between man tight and girl tight.  We even through in a few teenager tights too.

Came home and serviced afew things on my mahcine and it is runnng even quieter.  I'll put on another quilt today and stitch away.

My husband even said I could go ahead and buy some new wheels for my machine, when I order my grease.  Good idea to have him accompany me!

APQS Mini Swap

There is a box finding its way from Australia to America with some very special contents for a lucky recipient.  I hope nothing gets broken.

Raw edge applique all stitched down in the quilting process.  Teeny tiny feathers, tiny little swirls and some small continuous curves.  The whole quilt is 24" x 24" so all the quilting had to be on a small scale too.

Once I have heard that the box has reached its destination I will post some pictures.

APQS Mini Swap #2

I thought it was about time I did some more work on my APQS mini Swap #2 quilt.

I am trying a new technique and I am Liking how it looks so far.  What do you think?

You didn't expect me to show the whole lot.  It is supposed to be a secret.  So here are the papers from the vliesofix and a paper spoon .

I will have it in the mail before the end of the month.

APQS Mini Quilt Swap

I received an absolutely gorgeous mini quilt in the mail today. This quilt was sent to me from Rebecca of Illinois as part of an exchange through the APQS Forum. We had no idea of who would send us quilt. We emailed our preferences to a co-ordinator and were then given the details of whom we were to make a quilt for.

We are all slowly receiving our quilts as they cross "the Pond" and "the States".

The details in the quilting are great. The whole quilt is only 26" square so it gives you some idea of how fine these feathers are. The colour doesn't show up really well in this photograph but it is fall tones of greens and I love them.

Rebecca also sent me this little card with the quilt, along with some other treasures.

Now if my swappee has been reading this blog and got this far.... here is a little teaser for you of part of your quilt that was posted late last week.

Check for the brightly coloured mailer it is coming your way.