Christmas in... September!

Hubby scored lots of points today, with an outstanding surprise!  We went to the Portsmouth Farmer's Market, picked up a few groceries, then went to the Portsmouth Fabric Company.  I was looking for the fabric panel that has a town & roads on it.  I wanted to use it as backing for a quilt for my grandson.  They did not have any.  I was talking to the clerk, however, about the Bernina machines (I have wanted one since I found out they have all-metal gears!) and hubby let me get one!  It's not the lower-end model, either - this one has an alphabet, and can store up to 30 characters.  I'm thinking quilt labels!  And it was on sale!

They also sold me a few extra bobbins, and a quarter-inch quilting foot, at a discount with the machine.   The feet for this one are expensive, but it came with half a dozen standard feet, and the Special Edition includes a walking foot and a free-motion quilting foot.

My other modern machine (not counting the vintage "portables" in bentwood cases, and the treadle machines that I adore) is an Elna 3007 that is probably 15 or 18 years old.  It is still a wonderful machine and I will hold onto that until some family member needs an actual good-working sewing machine (as opposed to the crap machines from the big box stores).  That one was $500 when we bought it all those years ago, and it has proven itself to be a workhorse.

I set out all the blocks for the Bear's Paw sampler on the floor to see them all together.  I have not yet done any arranging.  I will probably move a few blocks around before putting them all together.  I started cutting the fabrics for the sashings and borders, but have not yet finished that.  Can't wait to start sewing them together on my new machine!

AND I finished the Irish Chain quilt!  It is off the quilting machine, and bound, and has been washed and dried!  Some faint stains remain, but may come out in time.  They are not terribly noticeable at this point.

I have started putting another quilt on the machine.  It is made of a variety of green squares, all set on point, almost a trip-around-the-world design.  It was a Freecycle find at one point.  This one (and another I put together to try out a design) will be lap quilts for another family member.  Hopefully it will go rather quick, now that I'm finding time to quilt again.  Eventually the grandson's crib will be moved out of our bedroom and into another room, and I'll have a little more quilting time at the machine, but I'm not ready to leave him to sleep alone just yet.