What was your best purchase at a show?
#51
In piggybacking off a previous thread about "worst purchase made at a show" it was suggested that we talk about what was the best purchase we've made at a quilt show.
I bought my Bernina 1031 in the early 1990s at the International Quilt Festival in Houston on a late Sunday afternoon for a really good price. I'd been looking at them for a couple of days but waited until the dealers were nearly ready to pack it all up and go home. They didn't want to cart and move anything they didn't have to, at that point, so the deals were there to be made.
I love this machine! It's the 1990s version of the vintage Bernina 830 (which I also have) and is still going strong after nearly 20 years. My last service on it was in February with a nationally known Bernina repair man who teaches other Bernie service people all over the U.S. He was pleased with how well kept it was and said these were great machines.
I look for hand-dyes and other specialty fabrics at shows. Also, balls of perle cotton other than what I can buy at JoAnns (their color/weight selection is limited) which I often use for big-stitch hand quilting. And I look for John James or Richard Hemming brand English embroidery needles which have a larger eye for these perle cottons for quilting.
Jan in VA
I bought my Bernina 1031 in the early 1990s at the International Quilt Festival in Houston on a late Sunday afternoon for a really good price. I'd been looking at them for a couple of days but waited until the dealers were nearly ready to pack it all up and go home. They didn't want to cart and move anything they didn't have to, at that point, so the deals were there to be made.
I love this machine! It's the 1990s version of the vintage Bernina 830 (which I also have) and is still going strong after nearly 20 years. My last service on it was in February with a nationally known Bernina repair man who teaches other Bernie service people all over the U.S. He was pleased with how well kept it was and said these were great machines.
I look for hand-dyes and other specialty fabrics at shows. Also, balls of perle cotton other than what I can buy at JoAnns (their color/weight selection is limited) which I often use for big-stitch hand quilting. And I look for John James or Richard Hemming brand English embroidery needles which have a larger eye for these perle cottons for quilting.
Jan in VA
#53
Super Member
Join Date: May 2008
Location: Rocky Mountains
Posts: 1,866
I also love the BoNash bonding powder and vinyl mat. I love when my husband goes with me because then the big bucks come out. I just have to start drooling and he says buy. So this year I bought a new Koala table and 2 years ago I got a Janome Horizon. I love the Janome and hope I have the same feelings for the table once it is delivered and I start using it.
#55
Okay I found 2 great things at the International in Cinci last year. One is a large paper clip thing that has a hole that holds my drink and I clip on the desk I am sewing on. If my drink spills my machine and material are ok. Second is a large over sized tweezers looking thing with glass cleaning fabric on the in sides. I place my glasses inside squeeze together and it cleans both sides on my eye glass at the same time. I find these both good additions to my sewing room. I plan to buy several of these as gifts next year.
#56
My Euro Steam Evolution iron. Show price was $200. I love that iron. I could not have made my "Memorial to a Bridesmaid Dress" series without that iron. That fabric was a fake satin poly and you couldn't turn a regular iron up high enough to steam because it would melt the fabric and if you turned it down to the poly setting it wasn't hot enough to get a decent crease on you seams. The Euro iron puts out tons of steam but the sole plate isn't hot enough to burn anything. Awesome iron.
#57
My best purchase at a show was my chair. I bought my Ergonomic Advantage sewing chair at PIQF. The vendor gave me a great deal on the sample which had some upgrades on it, because she didn't want to take it back with her. I just had to wait until the end of the show to pick it up.
#58
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