Cheerio! Pip-pip! Toodle-oo! Goodbye!

Did you ever have an old dryer on its last leg?  You know the one that sort of jiggled across the basement floor, just to let you know that it was still working? While singing to you in a loud mechanical voice, just so you know it's still down there? That was my Elna 2005.

I received it as a very generous college graduation gift from my mother back in 2001. We went to the local sewing specialty store, and on the advice of the salesperson, chose that model.  After reading this post from Threadcarefully, I realized that when that particular model was made, the brand was languishing, and the machines were essentially Frankenstein monsters cobbled together from parts by different manufacturers.  Since then, Elna has been acquired by Janome, and the machines are much better!  So, when you buy a machine from this particular store, you get a 'beginner's workshop' type class where you get to know your machine, thread it, etc.  Needless to say, the instructor was less than warm and fuzzy, and I left with more questions than I had come in with, but was too intimidated to ask!  I switched teams to knitting (still love to knit!) and started the Master Knitter Program (I'm currently procrastinating on level 2!) even was a knitting instructor for several years while my boys were babies, teaching knitting at Laura's Sewing School, where she graciously set me straight about sewing! So knitting got me back to sewing! Since then, I actually have taught sewing classes to kids (loving every minute!) and always keeping that first workshop experience in the back of my head so I would never make any new sewer feel unwelcome at the machine. 

Even little ones love to sew (with supervision, of course!) Here's some post-bathtime fun at our house.

But, I digress..I had spent many sewing years thinking I had done something wrong with this machine, even though every other machine I have tried has been fine! I thought the tension was wrong, there was too much lint in the machine, needs more oil, etc. Finally in the middle of a free-motion quilting Luci's quilt it died! Right before a marathon of Christmas quilting/sewing/gift-making! One panicked phone call to Mom, and she and my brother decided that I'd be getting a new machine for Christmas. Phew! So, I'm going to get the machine, finish the Christmas sewing, box it up, wrap it, and act 'oh so surprised' on Christmas morning! Thank you time-traveling Santa! I tested out this new machine last night (Brother CS6000i), and OH, the difference! Like butta it is! After testing out every fancy stitch with my enthusiastic 4 year old on some leftover binding strips, I got half of the free motion quilting done in record time for the quilt for our new baby cousin!

Just right for me!!!