Thank you, everyone for your warm welcomes.
The arthritis was in the base of my thumb, right where the thumb joins the wrist. Luckily the surgery to fix that is pretty easy, they take out one little bone and tie the tendons together to support the thumb and after therapy to regain mobility and strength you are good to go. I had waited with my left hand until it was very weak before surgery and I have never regained all my strength back in that hand. I didn't want that to happen to the right hand so went in before it got that bad. I'm really glad I made that decision.
I am trying to learn how to make smooth swirls and circles with the quilting frame. So far many of them are rather square. But I'll get there with enough practice. I do want a different carriage to put my machine one, the wheels on the original don't roll as smoothly as I would hope they should. I'm trying to get DH to make one for me. And the rollers are bowed. They have probably been holding quilts for 70 yrs, they came off a table/frame that I would guess was built in the 1950's. My DH has been looking for new 12' pipes in the right size. So far he isn't having a lot of luck. I can learn to live with the bow if I have to, but it would be nice to have straight bars.
I am enjoying my quilting machine and can't wait to get the next one on it. But only after I bind the one I just took off of it.