My New Car

I obviously need a new car. Everyone tells me this. However, if I were to buy a new car, I would have NO money for other things, like quilting. Instead of buying a new car, I decided to get my old car fixed. Thus I would use the money to buy a quilting machine. My friend Alex took me to see the machines at MQX in New Hampshire. Before I went, I researched on-line, read all the views from QA as well as went through a check list. I had narrowed the affordable field to 2 machines. However, when I went to the show, I discovered a new machine, the Innova. The second day I crossed off one of my original choices. The people were not helpful [busy talking with each other] AND gave NO show discounts off the price on-line. This made the machine the most expensive for the amount of quilting space. I crossed that one off.

It took me two more days to decide on this machine. It was neck-in-neck with the APQS Lenni. Both dealers were very helpful. I felt I could rely on both for support. I know a lot of folks who are happy with APQS machines. The Innova is rather new to the market. I don't know anyone who owns one. Major decisions involving a lot of money. I wasn't going to get a second chance. Finally at 2PM on Saturday, Alex said she was anxious to get on the road. I needed to decide IF I was going to buy a machine. It was a hard, chancy decision. I really knew nothing other than the ads. However, the Innova has the best frame I've ever seen. I could get 26" on the Innova versus 20" on the Lenni. The Lenni dealer is in Maine AND her husband works on the machines. The Innova dealers are in upper New York state. I really liked the Innova handles; hate the Lenni handles. I remembered a quote, "Just do it!" I did. I know I made the best decision with the knowledge I had at the time. Whenever one buys something in this technological age, it will be improved before we get it home. Several things I did NOT notice about either machine: spot lighting, holder for spools, adjustment how-to's, and more I have yet to discover. However, sometimes it is good to , "Just do it!" In the end, my journey may not be perfect, but it sure is interesting. I think this will add a lot to my ability to create. I'm sure I will use it more than my car. I am also sure my dining room will get a lot more use than it did before. Plus, I can still seat 4 people at the counter.


Old car parked in front of a garage shared with the house next door.


New Innova 'parked' under my 'fabric garage'.


New Innova out of the 'garage'.

Old car viewed from the side.


New Innova front-side view to the kitchen showing dining bar.

Old car view from the back.

New Innova view from the back showing balcony, china cabinets, and stair.

Old car close up showing 'fender patch'.

New Innova far view from the stair showing work table behind.

Extra feature, the bobbin winder.

Innova with the spot lighting it came with. Not very bright and lots of shadows.

Innova with my added clamp on light. It really brightens up the area.


Front of my blouse yoke. After many, many practice sessions, I decided to try and complement the design on some fabric I purchased a couple of years ago for a blouse. This would give me a chance to try different threads and see how well I could follow the designs.

Back of my blouse yoke. Another practice session.

It is far from perfect. However I learned a LOT. Hopefully some day soon I'll have a new blouse that will be very unique. I'm enjoying this journey. What more can we expect.