Hello. I have been reading the forum for a few days and decided you look like a great place to learn more. I live in eastern Iowa, and I've only made baby quilts so far. I piece on either a Bernina 440 or a Singer Featherweight. I used to quilt on the Bernina, but I recently bought a sitdown Handiquilter Sweet 16 that I love! Some of the quilt tops sitting around are finally going to be quilted :lol: I'm also working on my quilting skills which have until recently been limited to quilt in the ditch and meandering.

I work full-time which limits my time in my sewing studio. :-( However I do get time to sew a few garments and I have a (very) small business doing custom embroidery using a Happy 12 needle machine. I love all things textile, but the arthritis in my hands keep me from doing handwork. I also love machines, and I have a stable of them! I primarily use the Bernina 440, but I also have a Bernina 1031, a Singer Featherweight (1950s), a White Family Rotary (late 1940s), a Singer treadle VS3 (early 1900s), and a Bernina 1300MDC serger. One can never have too many machines! I use them all except the White and the treadle, but even those are in good shape just waiting for someone to love them.

Pam

Pam

Welcome from Minnesota and happy quilting

welcome

Howdy, from central texas.

Hi from Ohio!

Welcome from Kansas

Welcome from Kansas

Welcome from the west side of Iowa

Welcome. You will love it here. There are even a couple users who are very knowledgable about machines. I think Lostin51 is one of them. Glad you joined us.

Hello from western Ohio!

Hello Pam and welcome from northern California!

Welcome from the California desert. :thumbup:

Hello Pam, welcome from Oklahoma.

Welcome from a transplanted western Illinoisian (Quad Cities), now in MI, winter in FL. Lucky you - a Handi Quilter. One canNOT have too many machines! I've only been a member for a little over a week and have had lots of fun reading a lot of posts. I'll have to venture over to the chat room again. Already I have met another member in person who lives not far from me here in MI. We had a great time visiting. I think my hubby got a little worried because I was gone so long. :-)

Nita in wet MI

Welcome from Northern California

Welcome

Hello, and welcome!

Welcome Pam!!

Have to agree on the machines, I have a small collection, so many that I have started storing them at my daughters house.

I am addicted to quilting and machines as well.

Hello from northwest Iowa, this is the best site ever. You will be so glad you joined. piecefully, the old one

Hi & Welcome from Macon Georgia

Welcome from Michigan.:)

Hi and welcome to the board from Central Iowa.

Welcome from Maryland and keep those machines humming!

Hello, and welcome from Michigan!

Welcome from West Virginia.

Hello and welcome from Arizona.

Welcome from here in Iowa City

welcome from se TX

Hi from Natchez, Ms.

Welcome from Phoenix, AZ. I am originally from Ottumwa, IA and have a lot of friends in Council Bluffs, IA.

Hello and welcome from ..Arizona !!!

So if you are from Eastern Iowa, and I'm from Western Illinois, we must be neighbors....welcome from the QCA. (Quad Cities of America)...so much fun and info here on the board.

Hello and Welcome from Illinois! :)

G'day from Australia.

Welcome from Oklahoma!

Welcome from NE Ohio

Welcome from Lowell, MA. You'll love this site. I look forward to each day's entries and especially pictures of quilts that have been made. Welcome aboard.

Hello Pam,
Welcome to the quilting board and I was born and raised in S.E. Iowa in a town called Burlington. Yes this quilting board inspires us.
IdahoSandy

Hi MargeD, How are things in Lowell? It's 89 and real humid here. I'm waiting for some rain. Supposed to have some for the next 4 days. Pat

Well, it's hot and muggy - got up to 83 or slightly above today and it's still 73 and muggy. Guess I won't sleep well tonight either. Hubby didn't think we needed the A/C, although he might have been tempted to rethink that. I'm getting desperate - so I had him (attempt) to help me pin baste the family reunion quilt on his bed, as it's higher than mine. What a comedy of errors - we just stuck the safety pins in and pulled them when I rolled up the quilt and that's when I saw all the puckering. There are no easy answers - I had a fantastic over-sized kitchen table that worked great for pinning quilts and it was cooler in the basement. Had to give it up when we moved. My girl friend offered to help me pin baste the quilt, but the weekend got away from us and I wasn't sure I wantd to wait until Sat. for her to help me or not. I have to ship this quilt so it gets to Crete, NE for the July 4th family reunion. If tomorrow goes as well as today, I may have to wait and drive up toNH for her help. I always do this, you'd think I'd learn after 6 or 7 quilts - we have a reunion every 2 years not to wait until the last minute. Of course, it was my bright idea to do the quilt in the first place, so I only have myself to blame. However, they all look forward to seeing the quilt and try to be the lucky one who takes it home. We raffle it off, everyone gets one ticket, then each ticket after is $1. It covers my expenses, as they send fabric in the chosen color/colors for that year, then I supply the background, backing and batting. This year was a tough one as the block I chose was Sister's Choice in memory of my sister who died shortly after the reunion in 2009. It seemed appropriate and the block kept popping up in magazines that I looked at. It's pretty, but I didn't realize how big it was getting until I putthe border on - so this year it's king size. Duh. Will I never learn? I've yet to win a quilt and my one brother and his wife have won 3. Well, as my sister-in-law pointed out - he did buy the ticket. I guess it's my way of being remembered and it's become a tradition. Besides my niece says I can't retire yet. Sorry I babbled on, working with my husband on a project gets me goofy. Take care.