Congratulations and welcome to the Handi Quilter family! I too, have the Avante 18. Love it and love the company. They have the best customer service!! Be sure to go on their website and submit your MY HQ STORY contest. I was one of the winners for the 2011 year and we had a blast and were given a free retreat (3 day class) and tons of free items to use with our machine! Enter the contest, everyone has a chance to win!! Good luck!!
Wenda