Ah, so even though I absolutely LOVE the CA sunshine ... it does do damage. Just take a look at this display of our ketubah (Jewish wedding certificate) and dolls that I've made. On first glance it looks nice, no?
But if we look very closely then we begin to see what the sun has done. Look at the fairy's silk taffeta skirt.
And that doll that I made in Deanna Hogan's workshop all these past years? She looks pretty still, no?
But I don't think that I would have chosen such a harsh yellow hair color. It really was a pretty apricot, reddish color.
And finally take a closer look at our ketubah. The signatures have almost disappeared. And I'm especially sad about that because my signing witness was my mentor when I worked in fashion design. She passed away a couple years ago so this really hits me.
Well the quick solution is to put the dolls into better storage. Next I'm going to tape a piece of cardstock over the signatures. When I can look into it, perhaps I can have the frame glass replaced with a UV protection glass. I'm still enjoying the look of everything so they haven't been ruined, just changed a bit. Later on I may investigate dyeing the wig on the doll since it was made with Tibetan lambswool. It's not like that reddish color was natural to the sheep in the first place. The fairy doll's skirt looks nice this softer color so it's still beautiful to me. At any rate, take a lesson from this and be careful with your artwork that's exposed to the sunshine year round. Perhaps rotate them out every year to minimize the sun damage they sustain.
On the way to CA my husband was super sweet and suggested that we spend a few days in St George, UT to go take a look at the Innova longarm quilting machines at Let's Quilt. As it turns out not that many months ago APQS opened up a showroom in town as well. After spending a year working on the Gammills I wanted to test drive other brands for comparison purposes. Here's my findings, purely my own opinions but it may help you when you're shopping for a longarm quilting machine.
Gammills
PROS
Industrial frame and machine, very sturdy and strong
Fantastic stitches
Great software for their robotics (Statler Stitcher)
Drawn lines saved as vector points so can modify easily
The best local dealer with wonderful service!
26" machine head available
Training and assistance from local dealer
CONS
Oil drips from machine head to table (concerned it will get on quilt if not careful)
10 oiling points on machine head
Very heavy machine head for FMQ but not a problem with robotics
Robotics are on inside of sewing machine head so if something goes wrong the entire head has to go in for service and you're without the use of your machine
Specialty forum not responsive to users questions
The wonderful service is from local dealer, what happens if they close or I move?
Innovas
PROS
Sturdy frame made from airplane grade aluminum with lots of bolt points for adjustments
Ease of switching frame size down if needed
One oiling point on machine head
Great stitches
Ease of FMQ movement from lighter machine head (about half the weight of Gammill)
Teflon parts, sealed motor section, no maintenance
24/7 customer service telephone year round
Robotics (Auto Pilot) attach to exterior of machine so even if they have a problem you can still FMQ by hand
26" machine head available
Three days of classes free plus an additional day for the robotics software training
CONS
UI of robotics software wasn't user friendly
Drawn lines in software saved as bit maps, not vector points
Can't pause robotics from machine head unless spend extra $ to get tablet interface
Small hardware for Lightning Stitch regulator is old technology .. if it breaks what happens?
APQS (American Professional Quilting Systems)
PROS
Smoothness of FMQ handling (with and without robotics)
Beautiful stitches
Very lightweight machine head when FMQ
Very friendly UI of robotics software (Quilt Path), almost could figure it out without instruction
Hardware is tablet based on machine head so controls are at your fingertips
Can easily replace hardware at store if it breaks down without lost time
Robotics on exterior of machine head, once again if they have problem still can FMQ
Self-lubricating bushings
Fantastic customer service and forum (mentioned I was in St George and an APQS rep replied that she had emailed the St George shop to expect me in the morning ... wow!)
26" machine head available
1 day of beginner class training included
CONS
Table still sturdy but not as great as Innova
Exposed motor in back, not sealed system with teflon parts like Innova
Has 6 oiling points but won't drip on table
Should have maintenance in 3-5 years with easy to replace parts
Wheels are made of a hard plastic as opposed to a nylon so they'll need to be replaced when worn out in a few years
So even though I've spent a year with the Gammills (both hand-guided and the robotics) I have decided that for me the APQS is the best machine for my needs. I really want to also use a machine in FMQ with rulers as well as using the robotics for pantographs and E2Es so the weight and ease of movement in the machine head were big factors. If I only wanted to use the robotics then I think that I'd go with the Gammill because I really think that they had the better software of the three systems. When the robot is doing the driving who cares how much the machine head weighs. :-)
APQS has three machines in the 26" size, Millennium, Freedom and Lucey. Immediately I discarded the Lucey from the mix because it doesn't have most of the features that I'd like ... notably the Quilt Glide which is the stitch regulator for small detail work. That left both the Millennium (Millie) and the Freedom (Freddie). The only difference between these two is that Millie has a bobbin thread cutter and electronic channel locks, both horizontal and vertical. While trying out the Millie I kept accidentally cutting my bobbin thread .. that was annoying so I wouldn't want to use that feature. Freddie still has a manual horizontal channel lock and you can set a straight line with the robotics so that made the decision very easy to go with Freddie.
Thank goodness that the new versions of Millie and Freddie have discontinued the constant chirping of the stitch regulator. That would have driven me crazy. They've also simplified their control buttons for needle up/down and on/off switches on all four handles in back and front of the machine. I like to use both hands sometimes so that will be a joy.
Table size would have to be 12' to fit in the rental house in Cheyenne. If we were back in CA then I'd have more than enough room to go with a 14' table. (Actually after really measuring the family room in CA we determined that even though we could squeak by with a 14' table that the 12' table is a much better fit.) I've been told that most king sized quilts will fit on the 12' table so not a worry there.
That's why I'll say that it's a great thing not to rush into any decision while shopping for a longarm quilting machine. Try as many of them as possible. Go back, time and time again. I ended up spending two hours at APQS demoing and asking questions then I went back for another 40 minutes. If you can, rent time on different machines and quilt a baby quilt or lap throw to really get a feel for it. Bottom line is that I think that all three of these brands are fabulous, it's just a matter of personal preference.
We're on a short vacation to California so that we could visit with family. My grandfather turned 90 and my grandmother turned 85 within a week of each other so we had a big party. Doggone it, someone took a photo of us but I didn't think to have them use our camera or phone to take one for us. We also got to spend a bit of time with my dad and I went out to lunch with my mom.
Of course we are all really happy to be in warm weather in the middle of February. Look at how the lemon tree is still going strong with quite a few lemons. You just don't get this in Wyoming. (If we wouldn't get in trouble I'd bring some back with us for the garbage disposal to make the house smell fresh.) It's been a nice break from all the snow and cold weather. It was also a good opportunity to see some friends and catch up with a little bit of what every one is doing. I'm constantly amazed at how much things change over the years. Down at my dad's house we were noticing how much the Valley has differed ... buildings are torn down, new ones built, old railroads have become special bus lanes. It's also sad to see the old site of Rocketdyne with an empty lot. Time is relentless.
Hope you're staying warm and cozy this crazy February.
A couple weekends ago Steve and I (and doggies too!) decided to get up and make the 3-hour drive to Breckenridge, CO so that we could see the International Snow Sculpture Festival of 2014. The weather wasn't too cold, around 30 degrees. The hardest thing was finding parking in the little ski village. Luckily we spotted a family leaving after a day of skiing. They even sold us the use of their all-day parking pass. Score!
The snow sculptures were outside near a park at the river walk so we got the dogs in their harnesses and leashes and off we went. It turned out to be very crowded and I was concerned that no one could see the little dogs. I ended up picking up Fiona and snapped a few pictures. The sculptures were pretty amazing but I'm afraid that they didn't expect such high temps because a few of them were showing signs of melting.
Wanderer by Team USA
Winter Fun by Team USA (doesn't the dog look like a cairn terrier?)
The Dark Side of the Moon by Team France? (a nod to the film work of Georges Melies as featured in the movie Hugo)
Steve was kind enough to hold both of the dogs while I went through the Ice Castle. I don't think they allowed dogs and I don't blame them. It was very crowded in very tight quarters but oh so worth seeing. Apparently they "grow" between 3000 to 5000 icicles every night for the show's duration. At night they light up the LEDs that are buried in the ice. That must have been a sight to behold. Enjoy the few pics that I took during the daytime.
There was also a tunnel that you could crawl through but I opted not to try that out. The few people who did it came out the other side completely soaked from crawling on the snow covered ground.
Since we had a long drive we decided against staying in town for lunch. Plus it didn't look like there would be a good place to eat while having the dogs with us. Next time if we plan ahead we can take the dogs to daycare so that they'll be watched while we enjoy the day. But we just hate leaving them home alone for such a long day without walking breaks.
Breckenridge itself looked like an adorable ski village with lots of quaint shops on the main street. Beautiful! We saw people kite skiing along the frozen lake as we exited town. It looked like a lot of fun. So if you ever find yourself in this part of the world next year, I'd highly recommend checking out the Snow Sculpture festival. If you go the week before we did you'll get to see the artists as they make the sculptures. It's all free to the public.
The local sewing machine shop is starting up lots of classes in sewing and quilting. When the owner found out that I made cloth dolls he wanted to start up a doll-making class. As far as I know there's no doll classes within an hour of Cheyenne so this will be welcome to those who are interested in learning how to make dolls. The first doll pattern that I chose for beginning doll makers is this whimsical doll called Pop Tops by Julie McCullough of Magic Threads. It has a sweet face with minimal details ... perfect to cut your doll-making teeth on. Here's the first sample that I made for the shop:
The students will bring their own fabrics and buy a pattern from the shop. I'll provide skin tone fabric in either peach or brown as well as the cute little black beads for the eyes and use of fabric markers for the face. I can't wait for the class. It's always a good thing to introduce people to a new art-form. Wish me luck in my first teaching gig.
