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It’s Hope Yoder again with a peak into my journey as a new quilter. In the last article, I showed you my new, small, cozy quilting space which I set up in my breakfast nook area. After practicing free-motion stippling for what seemed like months, I finally wore my husband down and he gave me the ok buy a machine that was dedicated to free-motion quilting. Now what machine did I want? That is where the fun began. Over the years as a national embroidery and crafting public figure, I have owned just about every brand of machine on the market. But they were sewing and embroidery machines, machines not necessarily designed for free-motion quilting. Oh yes, most machines can be set up for free-motion but not dedicated to just that technique. I’d like to share with you what I chose and, more importantly, why I thought it was the right machine for me.

I put a question out to all my Facebook friends asking for their thoughts. As you can imagine, the answers varied. If you wish to view the post you can find my Facebook link at the end of this article. After practicing free-motion stitching, I began to discover what I wanted in my dream quilting machine:

•  I needed a good stitch regulator
•  I wanted a sit-down machine instead of one on a frame
• Because I have limited space
• I will mostly quilt smaller projects
•  I needed more space between the needle and edge of the machine
•  I wanted an attractive table that would blend into my home and look like a piece of quality furniture
• I needed a whole LOT more practice
• Again, I needed a good stitch regulator and 2 must be better than one, right?

My choice, BERNINA Q20. I visited my BERNINA dealer and purchased the machine with a happy heart and then waited for it to arrive.

My husband Marv, such a good man, took the day off work to be home for the delivery and to set everything up. The machine and cabinet came in 5 boxes.

When you purchase the Q20, the price includes a lovely Koala cabinet. I chose white to blend with the other furniture and it looks great with our wooden floors. The cabinet came with detailed directions with great photos. In under 3 hours Marv put the whole thing together.

The Q20 comes with two extension leafs which you can either store inside the cabinet or add them as we did. With both the leaves inserted the table is 77” long and the perfect size for my room.

I kept one Ikea table to use with my straight stitch sewing machine and rolled my chest of drawers under the Koala cabinet. I’m loving my cozy quilting space.

I’ve had my machine about a month. Do I have any regrets with my choice of machine? Zero. It’s the right machine for me. I love the double stitch regulators!!! Now all I need is lots and lots of practice. For the first time ever, I’m looking forward to football season so I can quilt while Marv enjoys his NFL package. I am trying to master stippling and so far in the last week, not one right angle! YEAH!

After I get a little better at stippling, I’ll move on and try a different technique or give the Rulers I bought for my Q20 a go. Until next time, happy crafting! Hope Yoder.

Here's where you can find Hope:

• Website/Blog www.HopeYoder.com
• Etsy Store www.etsy.com/shop/HopeSewCreative
• Facebook www.facebook.com/hopeyoderdesigns
• Pinterest www.pinterest.com/hopeyoder
• Instagram www.instagram.com/hopesewcreative
• YouTube https://www.youtube.com/user/hopeyoder