If I want something not necessary but sure would be nice to have I pray for it. Prayer is powerful.

Many blessings to you while you try to be content. Hopefully your ship will come in someday. I still wait for mine.

That was a great story and a lesson to be learned. I too would love to own a LA but alas is not in the budget. So I too will be content to just learn to use what I have. Thanks for reminding us of this valuable lesson of life. A perfect day for me to read this.
Pat

Cute explanation for newer is better envy. I've been hit with it a time or two, but my budget rules my life on this one, at least for now. Guess I'll just have to sell more quilts and bags.

Yes, I have been there too. Not with a Tin Lizzie but with other things. Sometimes it is very hard to find that contentment after you have seen something else.

What a lovely reminder of how fortunate we all are. Thank you for helping me to be grateful for today and my equipment and my world in general. I enjoyed your story.

I have not test driven any LA machines yet, but I know I am going to. When I lost my DH, I was left with lots and lots of his tools and guns and on and on. I have just recently decided that it is time to let these things go, so there is hope for a long arm in my future. Of course I have to convert the garage into a sewing room so I have a place for it, but it will happen, I just know it will

phillipians 4 tells us we can do all things through christ, etc--but the verse just before that (and it's my favorite, btw) says, "not that i speak from want, for i have all, and abound; for i have learned whatsoever state i am in, therewith to be content."

i love the focus on contentment. it's the "make do" element that speaks to my heart. i'm with you. i just tend to stay away from the things i "want", because they aren't always what i "need"...

Love the phrase having a "gratitude attitude." Will try that on for size for a while.

I hope this will happen for you!

Right after getting married in 1963 I bought a 1940s Necci-Elna. What a workhorse, burt only straight stitch. In my mind I thought I needed a machine with fancy stitches, so I bought a lightweight one with cams and put my old one on a garage sale. What a mistake! The old one would sew 4-5 layers of blue-drill denim while the new one would barely sew a couple layers of dress fabric. Live and learn. Traded that one in after a year on a newer model w/out cams, just a few fancy stitches. After about 10 years gave it away and bought a computerized Singer which is ok. Two years ago, sewed on my SIL old husqvarna #1 and fell in love; so I bought a used #1+ which I absolutely love. I also have two that were given to me: a Singer slant needle and a Montgomery Ward in a cabinet which is also a workhorse. I also own two sergers, one of which is new (many new features over my 20 year old one). Think I will stick with the old workhorses. I am sewing machine poor but each has its own reasons for staying here in my home...

Now I look back and wish that I had the money that I have spent on what I thought I needed...

I too am in your shoes I dream of an HQ 16 sit down machine but Not in the budget right now but I can dream.

I say Amen to that!! (It's hard, though)

I understand completely and agree you /we should be grateful for what you/we have.....but dreaming is okay too!
I wanted a tin lizze longarm for about 10 years. I could never afford a new one, and never found a second hand one I could afford until this past Feb. I found it on kijiji for $2000.00. It was 4 years old so this was an unheard of price.
I tried it, fell in love ,thought long and hard about it and took my annual bonus and bought it. So dreams do come true!

This reminds me of upgraded technology. Everyone wants the latest Apple or android phone, but not many use all the features that you pay for. There will always be a bigger better more featured machine coming out next month or next year. But my 47 year old Kenmore handles upholstry fabric without a hitch while I have had to have my 1+ repaired twice because it couldn't handle heavy fabric.
Thanks to one of the other posters for mentioning the LQS teaching and renting time on LA machines. I am lucky that there is one only 15 min from me. I am going to sign up for the class and time on the machine this fall. We are in the process of downsizing and moving into hopefully our final home. I too look around at all the things I thought I needed but now have to get rid of and wonder how I could have better spent the money.
The good thing about renting LA space at the LQS is that there is always someone there to help if you run into problems and you are with a community of like-minded souls.
Now if only I hadn't bought all that upholstry fabric because it was a bargain!

So very true. I have had the same problem. My cans don't keep up with my wants. But, I just have to realize I need to be satisfied with what I have. God Bless

Beautiful post. Sometimes though, you can "have your cake and eat it, too." That is, you may be able to quilt on a sitdown at a dealer without having to buy one. By the way, you might also look at HQ Sweet Sixteen which I personally think is a better machine with fewer problems and made in USA. I fell in love in one at a quilt show a few years ago and test drove them whenever I got to a show. Then I discovered that a local machine quilter sells them and she would let me use hers. Often you can pay a reasonable fee to use one to do your quilt. I did eventually buy a demo machine from her, and now I'm open to having people use mine to do their own quilting. So look around, and see what is available near you. There are good used machines much more reasonably priced, too. Tiara and Sweet 16 are basically the same machine, and it's just such fun to use them.

just got a tin lizzie 18 and while am still learning.... love it already!

I am content to let my friend do the longarm quilting. She is exceptionally talented and discounts her prices for me! My DH offered to get me "any machine I wanted," but I am happy with just piecing away on my $189 portable Brother. I was tempted by a Pfaff Passport until yesterday, when I realized it was really similar to the one I already own (and it kept jamming). I am grateful to have a machine that is simple and not tempermental. :)

Maybe you can do what I did when I lost my husband. I went on ebay to see how much the radial arm saw should be sold for. Instead bought a book, instead: "Everything you need to know about your radial arm saw" - this was the best thing I ever did. I now have a woodshop with every kind of saw imagineable, a planer, several routers "everything." I have now learned woodworking and spend my time between quilts and wood!!

I look at it this way. I can use my walking foot and a 'wavy' stitch and produce some pretty nice looking results on my DSM. I am "getting there" with some half decent meandering on my DSM on kid-sized quilts. For those larger or special quilts, well, you can get a lot of professional quilting done for what it would cost for your own long arm setup. :)

Oh, and someone mentioned renting time on a machine. That is another option if you really yearn to DIY. And you can certainly rent a lot of time for what it would cost to buy your own.

We gave up living in a stick-frame house to live in a 36' motorhome. It has been the best decision for us as we can travel all over the country, see new sights AND check out many quilt shops along the way ! I have a Viking Topaz machine and am very content to sit at my 24' x 30" dining room table and create. (I made my 1st king size quilt on it ) No way I'll ever have room for a long arm but I am HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY ! :)

Thank you for the modern-day parable. Definitely needed in our culture. Too much touted as "have to have". Found that is not so in many different things. Thanks for reminding me.

Your comments made me smile~ and made me thankful that I get to live in an age of technolgy that I can reach out to people all over the world and sip a cup of coffee and "chat" over life with ya'll.

How wonderful your comments are---I was inspired looking at the quilt in the link AFQSinc posted ( http://godutchbaby.blogspot.com/2011...by-sherry.html). I'm going to take some classes to hone my skills and am excited about what I can do next :-) Have a fantastic weekend!!!

Which Innova did you buy?

I tried every single longarm machine at the Knoxville AQS show (two years in a row) and fell in love the Innova machines.

Some day. Some day ........ :)

Meanwhile, I love my Husqvarna 875Q. I've had two sewing machines: the first was a 1966 Elna Supermatic that I still have to sew "rough" stuff like fixing my DH's heavy-duty sailing gear.

No truer words were ever spoken, be content with what God has given us !

very well said.... love the lesson and the thought...

being content with what I have....

I am still sewing on my Singer floor display I bought in 1986, I can honestly say the only time it was in the shop was because I wasn't smart enough to realize my needle had a barb in it! I also have my mothers sewing machine and 3 other used machines I have bought as back ups. I know 1 works for sure as I took it in to have it looked over but haven't used it or another of the others yet. I love my little work horse. But I'm sure one day I'll use one of the others...someday. :D

Such a great reminder, mcook03! I often refuse to try more expensive options because I don't want to become discontent with the cheaper option.

However, I did break down and get a longarm almost 2 years ago. I hope to use it for additional income now and when I get ready to retire...which will be no time soon. :thumbdown: Before that I learned on this board to turn my sewing machine a 1/4 turn counter-clockwise to give me more room for my right hand and built a "table" to give me a smooth surface. Here is a link to my post 3 years ago: http://www.quiltingboard.com/picture...le-t52581.html. There are other ways to make the flat surface including using foam insulation board or plexiglass. Maybe this will help while you are waiting for "oneday". :thumbup:

Yes, I know. I had the same experience with the sit down tiara machine.

Thank you for this insightful story. We are blessed. I don't really need a larger quilting machine. I have more sewing machines than I can use now. Just needed to step back and appreciate all that I have right in front of me. And it's all paid for.

Loved your story!
I really struggled with my last quilt. It got caught on my table about every 15 seconds. So frustrating. Told myself I am not quilting another large quilt until I get a new table that my machine can sit down into. Maybe I should be thinking about the Tin Lizzie instead. Maybe they don't cost much more than the nice tables. Time to do some research!

I really don't think of it as bragging. I am glad that people talk about their long arms--but I am trying to learn to be a better FMQ on my Janome. In the meantime, I love to look at what people do--it is very inspirational.

If you are the type of person to be jealous, then you have to be careful what you let yourself see/hear. If not, you are free to see/hear all those wonderful things people have/places people go. It is very liberating to be able to rejoice for others.

But, not to say that if you really want a long arm, why not start saving for it? Start a special ING savings account on line and have a yard sale, ebay sales, babysit, sell off unneeded stuff, look for part time work --put it all in the account and watch your savings grow...

I'm with you, I was all set to buy a long arm this summer but something happened twice when I had the money and it had to go for the good of the family. I'm determined ill have one in the next year. I will only buy what I have pay cash for, I'm getting an affordable Baileys longarm...I've used one and they are basic machines and the price is right for my budget