albertacountryregister.htmlRoad Trip - The Big Bang - in Search of a Longarm It all began with a big bang… I was minding my own business, happily quilting on a baby quilt, free motion hearts and swirls were being sewn onto this little creation. The big bang was the tension heading it’s own direction, which was not in my plans, because it created a problem I couldn’t fix. This quilt needed to be finished so the new baby could be snug and warm. It didn’t matter that the temperatures outside are finally in summer mode and it’s so hot that no one wants a quilt on their bed. It was the principal of the thing! While waiting for my trusty mobile repair man (he could not come for a week) I thought that maybe it was time to upgrade to a longarm machine. (I had been working with a domestic machine on a 10’ frame.) It turned out that the APQS educator Joanne Flamand was doing a demo at My Sewing Room in Calgary. I am from west of Calgary, so it may not be considered a road trip, but I have never been to the store, so it seemed like a great opportunity to visit. They claim to be ‘Canada’s largest quilt shop’ so I just had to see if that was true. Wow! - the place is big, full of fabulous fabric, books, notions and machines, and then there is the classrooms and demo areas! Eleven of us sat and were educated by Joanne, who really knows the machines and truly believes in the APQS product. We all had a chance to operate the “Millie” and see how all the features work to create even more fabulous quilts. I really must figure out how to fit this big machine into my sewing space. My next stop was Chinook Fabrics in High River. I had not been to this store either, and it would have been tricky to find because of all the road construction going on (repairs due to the 2013 devastating flood) but Jane gave me perfect turn-by-turn directions. The store owners could not be there, but Mavis, Shannon and customer Carol were able to show me the Innova Longarm machines that they have set up and ready for people to rent. It is a great way to try before you buy. All that is required by either store is that you take a course on how to operate their machines. Once you take the course you book your time and work on your quilt. I spent a great afternoon with these ladies who provided coffee, cookies and engaging conversation about quilting, fabric, patterns (which they have an extensive selection) and machines. I have come away from both of these great stores with great information and multiple ideas (and more fabric, of course!). Since then my repair guy was able to service my own machine and get me back quilting again, but I am now prepared to move up to a longarm machine. In the meantime I am happily working with the machine that I have, until the next big bang!!
Posted on: Mon, 15 Sep 2014 00:57:58 +0000
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