I’m new here!
 

Hullo, my name is Lalla and I’m a long-time thread-drawing person, but that almost always involves quilting, and sometimes I do actually make quilts, even if they usually do include ‘drawings’, usually as appliqués. I illustrate books, too, and my subjects are mostly animals, both in thread-drawing and illustration. I’ve been lucky enough to have four one-woman exhibitions of my thread-drawings in London, where I grew up, three of them at the Royal National Theatre. My original profession is as an actor, and I still do a lot of voice stuff - reading books for audio mostly, and sometimes doing audio plays, all of which I can still do from Hong Kong where I now live, having moved here from Oxford, my home for the last thirty years. My acting career has given me the opportunity here at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where my husband is master of a college, to work with students on presentation skills - I find, to my amazement, that I love teaching and seem to be quite good at it! I love working with these students, they are so smart and quick to learn. I don’t know anyone else who quilts here, and I’m finding it quite difficult to find supplies - I often resort to getting UK suppliers to post me fabric, even though there are areas in Hong Kong that do sell such things but not what I want! I guess I’m too picky? I use a lot of Japanese fabric and you’d think it would be easy to find here, but it isn’t! I first found this site, earlier today, because I’m thinking of upgrading from my beloved Juki TL98P that I’ve had for years and years - it’s done me proud and I feel like a traitor even thinking of changing - but I covet the speed regulator that the newer versions have, and am dithering between the 2010Q and the 2200QVP Mini; I think I’ll probably go for the former because I really don’t need the extra feet that come with the Mini, can’t seem to see that there is much else different, and rather prefer the simplicity of the 2010Q design. I don’t usually do huge quilts so I think I’d be fine with the smaller machine, and I’d have the speed regulator! I very much look forward to reading what others have to say on all sorts of subjects to do with quilting, and am glad to be in touch with you all.

Welcome! You sound like a very talented person. As for your sewing machine purchase, there are many people on this board
that love their Juki 2010.

I must have a search for what people have to say about the various Juki machines; as for talented, thank you for that, but it’s more like just being lucky, I think, and obsessive! I can’t imagine not making things.

Welcome from Southern California. When I was ready to buy the Bernina stitch regulater, the dealer said I didn't need it. I'd had some experience with FM and found that the SR didn't keep up with my FM movements. Try it out first if you can.

Is speed control the same as stitch regulating? I’ve got speed control on my Juki Exceed HZL and it makes a huge difference to my natural tendency to hurtle, it’s just that the otherwise great Exceed is simply not in the same ballpark for free motion or straight stitching as my one-horse-wonder. The Juki semi-industrial TLs are, of all that I’ve tried, incomparably the best, like using a stylus pen instead of a crayon for drawing!

Welcome from Ohio. I’m looking forward to seeing photos of your work!

Welcome from Michigan!:)

welcome from Illinois and I can't wait to see some of your work!

Welcome from Las Vegas. Wow, love your background. As far as advice on what machine to get I always advise going to a dealer & test driving to see what you like & dislike about the different models. You don't have to buy your machine there that would give you a little more knowledge to go on. Good luck.

Thank you so much , everyone, for the welcome, and the advice! I look forward to exploring the site before I ask too many already answered newbie questions! It’s great to know there is somewhere to come with those questions, and to feel one is in a safe environment withe like-minded, knowledgeable people who are generous with their expertise. There’s always so much to learn.

a warm welcome from Ky.

Welcome from central Mississippi. I can't wait to see your work. I'm glad you found the board. There are some amazing artists in here!

Welcome to the board from NE Ohio.

I am being completely hopeless at adding pictures to an album, and can't seem to find out how to do it; any help appreciated! If I go to the place to download them and open my photos, I still see no way of actually choosing and adding files, they just don't come up?? Or a whole stream of numbers comes up but with no indication as to what it is. Could someone be very kind and point this complete newbie in the direction of where on the site to find specific advice?!

I'm not sure about albums. I think you have to create an album before you can add pictures to it. I think if you can find a Link "Upload Pictures" if you have opened the album that you can click on it, that will give you a page with buttons that say "Browse" that needs to be clicked on. After choosing the picture/s then scroll down to a Button that says "Upload Pictures"

My 'stock' reply to how to add pictures to a post is --
We like pictures. In order to post pictures on Quilting Board, you will probably need to reduce or compress the picture to a file size that is smaller than 2MB. How to post images can be found at https://www.quiltingboard.com/attach...020-01-17-.pdf
Don't forget to scroll over to the far right to find and click on the "Upload" button.

I have found that only the big red "Reply" button or "Quote" work to give me the paper clip icon to work for adding pictures.
https://www.quiltingboard.com/attach...p-location.jpg

Some additional info regarding reducing images at post #4 and images for the scroll and upload button can be found at #5 of https://www.quiltingboard.com/main-f...d-t312607.html

Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.

It’s so kind of you, Janey, to go to so much trouble to help me through this minefield! I’ll follow all your leads when I can find the time, and see if I can manage to get to grips with it all. Thanks so much for your detailed reply, hugely appreciated.
Lalla

Welcome to the Board from SE Michigan. It sounds like you have such a full life filled with great accomplishments. Congratulation on your art work. You have come to the right place to get opinions on the machine you are looking to buy. I am sure someone out here has experience with these different models. Unfortunately it is not me. Jump right in and join the fun. Again welcome to the QB.

Welcome from South Louisiana. I can't wait to see some pictures of your work. It sounds fascinating and beautiful.

Welcome from sunny Florida.

Well, I bit the bullet today and bought the Juki TL2010Q; I know I’ll love it because I love my old warhorse, the TL98P, and the newer model has the one thing I really want which is a speed regulator (I like to think of it as the sewing machine version of cruise control...). I live in Hong Kong, and found a dealership here that had them, so although it was more expensive (everything here is!!) it’s got the UK voltage/plug that I want (Hong Kong still has some Britishness about it!), and it’ll work when we eventually return to the UK. I am so looking forward to it’s arrival next week. I looked at lots of posts here that were keen on this machine, and I know I’ll be fine with it. Yippee! Scary expense but worth every penny to me.

Just posted on another thread called 'trouble with my Juki 2010Q...errrrggg - trouble with mine, too, after only three days! Today, in the middle of perfectly straightforward sewing, and with no thread jams anywhere, or any machine complaining, it stopped dead. Nothing working except the light. So it's not a fuse. Honestly, why is nothing simple!! Even with a totally simple, mechanical machine. I've contacted the dealer who asked me to What'sApp him a video but there's nothing to see, except that the light is on. Then, lo and behold, after a half hour's 'rest' it's working again. I've asked if I should hang in there and see if this is a problem that repeats, but I'm really not happy that a brand new machine should have any reason at all to stop suddenly; there must surely be something wrong somewhere.

Hello and welcome from an Iowa Girl!

Sorry I can't help you with your machine problem; I hope you get it resolved.

You have such an interesting background. I am always amazed at how our past experiences influence the new paths our lives take. At 68 I'm still waiting to find out what I will be when I grow up!

Hi and Welcome from Mississippi! I'm another happy Juki 2010Q user.... so happy that I bought the Juki longarm machine, too: 2200QVP.

Would love to see photos of your thread paintings. Please post pictures! It's a bit of a process to do so, but just be sure to make your pics as small as possible and they will upload easily.

I'm putting off the photo download struggle - but one fine day I'll bite that bullet, too! Buying a new sewing machine is easier! My Juki is now behaving beautifully, after the initial glitch; must have been something I did wrong, I think. Anyway, so far so good, and the dealership here in Hong Kong have been very solid, are there when I need them, and if it happens again have said there is no question that they'll replace it. So far so good.

Well, I think (???!) I've downloaded some photos into an album; and I think you get to that by going to a profile page. But I could be wrong! Certainly, if I go to my 'Lalla' profile page there's an album listed there on the right hand column, and I hope it's get-at-able by anyone who might like to see some of my stuff? I realise it's not your average quilting and won't enchant everyone! But I hope perhaps some of you might be interested? And you'll see I've managed, too, to add an 'avatar' photo - I seem to be getting to grips with this photo business at last!

I just took a quick peek at your album. I think my favorite is the chameleon although the camouflaged bird comes in as a close second. Lovely work...I struggle with coming up with original ideas.

That is so kind of you, oksewglad, I’m a bit nervous in this quilting company, I know my work isn’t the usual fare, so your words mean a lot to me

I've downloaded some more pictures - getting a bit carried away with being able to do it! (The downloading of photos, I mean!) So there are three albums on now. I am feeling a bit anxious, I know I'm in very talented company here, and it's good to get feedback, but I've been so isolated in Hong Kong, from a quilting point of view. It's always a bit nerve-wracking showing stuff, isn't it. So anyway, I know it won't be up everyone's street, the things I do, but I do hope some of you out there will like some of it???

Ah we are vulnerable to the opinions of others, aren't we? I don't have your artistic vision, but the color combinations I often use are not current popular choices and won't fit in "so and so's" bedroom decor or over "someone's" sofa. They are mine; not dictated by market choices, but my choice. Now off to look at your albums.

Lalla, after viewing your latest pictures, I think we are in your very talented company! You capitalize on the all the design elements and art principles in every piece. Thanks so much for sharing.

Well, I’ve just looked at your albums, oksewglad, and I am definitely in excellent company here; you say your colours wouldn’t necessarily go with other people’s schemes - could be because your work and your sense of colour is so original and interesting? You are right that we all seek the approval of others but at the same time we have to create our own path, don’t we - it’s a fine line, of needing to know that people think we do good work, and not getting upset when they don’t think any such thing - everyone has their own sense of colour, form, taste generally, interests- I’m happy to say I’ve long got to grips with not being able to please all of the people all of the time...or any of the people some of the time! Your comments mean a lot to me, thank you so much. And looking at your work has so cheered me, that such lovely colour combinations and such delightful compositions can be found, and the enjoying of them enhance one’s perspective.

Oh to have cheered you on, Lalla, even though our techniques are different it is a great complement. Thank you. Your comment prompted me to go back and look at my albums, which I haven't updated in quite a while. It is always good to have pictures of earlier works. Why? Because one sees how much one has grown and improved. Most were completed almost ten years ago! I used to try to use colors/fabric styles that were the rage at the time, but grew tired of constantly needing to "upgrade". Now I mix and match to my heart's content! It is interesting to note that among my small group of quilting peers, they can usually identify what I have made before they actually know.

You are so right about keeping pictures of earlier works; it’s nice to know one has grown and improved. And sometimes it’s nice to go back to a less ‘complicated’ era and throw off some of the striven-for perfection in favour of a more naive approach? Like listening to early Beatles songs and their simple, clear orchestration compared to later, more elaborate, longer, less...I was going to say ‘childlike’, but not exactly that, more un-influenced? There’s a lot to be said for simplicity!

Welcome to QB! I have the Juki 2200 QVP Mini. When I bought it I asked what the difference was between the 2200 and the 2010 and was told cosmetics and you got extra feet with the 2200. I got the 2200

Yes, I was told the same; and as I’d already had the ancient TL98P for a very long time, I’d already accumulated all the extra feet that come with the 2200 - which do make that machine really good value. That, and the fact that I live in Hong Kong, where the choice is more limited (not sure why since Juki is in Japan, so you wouldn’t think it would matter where else in the world you lived, and anyway HK is pretty close!) ended me up with the 2010Q. I love and adore these machines, they are exactly what I need since much of what I do is FMQ “drawing” and I only need straight stitch. These machines are superstar straight stitchers! I do hope you are happy with your 2200?

Hi Lalla,
Only been here a day myself, .......welcome, https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png (shuffles along the bench to make some space).