My "new-to-me" Designer 1 has kept me involved through the last several days. I intend to get some pictures posted of what I have been working on, but I really wanted to check out a new fabric store that also sells sewing machines. So, I went for a 1/2 hour drive to Bensonville. The shop wasn't hard to find and I did check out the machines, especially the one I was interested in. The Elna 7300 has a nice amount of throat space, the floor model was available, the price was right and the size seemed very close to being right. I will have to make a template of my cabinet space as it might be a very close fit. Anyway, they will be checking on the availability of a new one on Tuesday and I will call about it then. But, one of the cabinets on the floor was a perfect fit for that machine and it would actually work out better than mine, so I am thinking of ordering it. The cabinet has a wonderful extension on it for when you are sewing large quilts that will be a real advantage to the Koala I have. The price is half of what I paid for my current cabinet-which I will either keep or give away with my Viking Rose. If none of my nieces or grandnieces want the Rose I will try to sell it.
I worked on more decorative stitches on the Designer and am getting the hang of them, but remain unimpressed. They stitch out okay, but the backward and sideways stitching on them is not good. See these mug rugs I used for the experimentation. Yes, a Christmas UFO that might get finished after 3 months.
The next experimenting I did was on FMQing with the Designer. I really like it! Of course, the mug rugs were small and easily managed, but the stitches were very even I thought, considering I didn't even warm up or have a glass of wine.
Binding is next and I hope to find a stitch I will be satisfied with for tacking down the binding eliminating all that hand sewing which takes me forever.
On the way home I wanted to stop at JoAnn's to get a Dresden Plate template and found they had moved their store to a site previously occupied by Hancocks Fabrics and closer to home. I will be shopping there more regularly now since it is only 10 minutes away.
All in all good stuff!!!
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