Journey of Quilting

Can't. Sleep.

We had loud thunderstorms all night long that kept us up. But that's really not why I couldn't sleep.

I told Steve this past weekend that I was really wanting to buy a new sewing machine so that's what I was saving my pattern money for. I told him it would be pricey so it would be awhile. I was hoping for sometime in the next few months and I definitely thought that "awhile" meant more than 48 hours!

I have a great Singer but as I've grown as a quilter, I've learned that it's not a true quilting sewing machine. It's fast, it sews through layers with ease and it isn't temperamental in the least. It's a good quality machine that I will still continue to use.

But it has a big downfall: the feed dogs don't drop. It comes with a cover for them but that makes the space between the foot and the quilt very narrow. Plus, the height of the presser foot isn't adjustable so I have to wrestle my quilts to free motion quilt them. My favorite part of quilting is actually quilting a quilt so this has been a growing frustration over the past several years as I have wanted to branch out as a quilter.

I made my list of wants and I started doing some research yesterday. I found the Juki 2000 Qi and it had almost my entire list of wants plus a few things that I didn't even think to want... like a knee lever. And then I found A DEAL HERE that I couldn't pass up. 60% savings = hello, shopping cart!

The best part; after I placed my order I was reading a few blogs and saw that one of my favorites had just purchased a new machine too. I was thrilled to read that she just bought the same machine and absolutely loves it so I was even more excited after reading a "real" review. :)

I will have my new machine in 3 or so days. I can't wait!! I will admit, though, this is a big leap for me. I've always loved the Singer brand so changing makes me a little nervous.

Do you have a Juki or have you sewn on one in the past? And tips or suggestions? If you have one, what kind of thread do you prefer??