She's Heeeeeere!

Of course, I'm talking about my new baby, the HQ18 Avante :-)  And boy is she sweet!  The dealer, Linda of Creative Stitches in Glascow KY (I had the incorrect name, and changed it, I hope it didn't create any confusion), came with her hubby and set up, leveled, adjusted, tweaked the machine and frame, and she patiently taught me the basics of using it.  They were here for about 6 hours!  That's what I call customer service, and I wholeheartedly recommend them!  

By the time they left, my poor brain was totally fried -- I've never used a longarm, except for some timid doodling at a quilt show.  But I played all day yesterday, and just had a blast.  It's so different from quilting on my Janome, but also very similar.  I feel pretty comfortable with the quilting part, and I know practice will help with all those herky-jerky moves.  The loading and unloading are the tough parts!  Seems so weird.  But practice will help with that, too.  And I have lot o'flimsies waiting in the tote to become quilts.  Here's some of the practice areas:

The weather didn't cooperate today, it rumbled thunder off and on all day, so I didn't dare turn it on.  Maybe tomorrow!!!  In just this short period of time, I totally understand the passion and joy I've heard about quilting on a longarm, I'm loving this :-)


And with this happiness, I feel the need to share!  On Saturday, I'm going to have a little giveaway.  Just because.  Meanwhile, think about which you'd choose: chocolate or ice cream?