Category Archives: Bernina Q 24 longarm quilting machine

My First Quilt quilted on my New Bernina Q24

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I finished my first quilt on my new Bernina Q 24 and have entered it in QuiltCon 2017!  This is actually my first quilt submitted to a show.  I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it will be juried in.   Drunkard’s Bullseye WOW! is an enlarged version (58×58″) of one of the blocks I designed on EQ7 for the Modern Quilts Unlimited/Michael Miller Fabrics “Everything Old is New Again” (#OldisNewMQU) block and quilt challenge.drunkards-bulls-eye-1800-p-300-ppi-copy-2

I have to say that I really LOVE this new machine.  Even though it was new to me, it made things so much easier.  I did do some practice pieces prior to loading the quilt top.  I tried a variety of thread combinations and played with the top tension….Oh, yeah!  You can digitally adjust the top tension!  No turning a tension dial and hoping it is approximately where you want it.  Did I say, I LOVE my Suzi Q?  (BTW, you are supposed to name your machine, so I dubbed mine Suzi Q because the tag that came with the machine said she was made by a woman in Switzerland named Suzi.)   There are so many things I love about this machine….I love the digital display showing the different programs, plus I can set a specific program for the thread and tension that I am using, along with specifying SPI and BSR.   While I was working,  I could easily go from manual (doing small circles), to BSR 2 for doing ruler work, and then BSR 1 stitch regulated mode and automatically it would bring up the speed I had been using.  This may not make all that much sense to you, but compared to my  A-1, the Bernina Q24 is  like  Lamborghini and  my A-1 was a VW Beetle.

I also loved that I can sew from right  to left and from left to right and from botton right to top left and no thread breakage!   And I was using Superior’s So Fine thread.

I’m not sure what I love the most, but I love that the stitch regulator is truly a stitch regulator!  There are sensors on the foot plate on either side of the needle that determine how fast the fabric is moving and it adjusts the speed so that the length of the stitches stay consitent and  are truly accurate.  The quality and consistency of the stitches in BSR 1 and BSR2 is absolutely amazing.

Another thing I love is that threading the machine is done at the front  and there is a great built-in bobbin winder at the front.  You can easily exchange hopping feet.  They just pop on.  You use regular sewing machine needles which is nice…no special order.  Oh, and the lighting is great.  I’m sure I’m forgetting something, but I will keep you updated on my progress with Suzi Q.

Next week we install the computer…another adventure and learning curve begin!

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Out with the Old and In with the New!

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Congratulations to Sarah Rothwell on the purchase of my A-1 longarm quilting machine.  Sarah and her dad showed up with a flatbed all the way from Lubbock to pick up her new A-1 longarm.  I quickly showed her the ropes and she got to test drive it…fortunately she loved how it handled.   Jerry and I, and Sarah and her dad, Gary, began  the arduous process of disassembling it. About 3 hours later we had it down and loaded with lots and lots of bubble wrap and blankets.  Sarah owns a fabric store in Lubbock called RahRah’s Fabric and Quilting.  She plans to rent the machine to customers to do their own quilts.   I’m thrilled that this really nice young woman will be using my machine.  It has been a good one!

Now that the upstairs “sweat shop” is devoid of the longarm, we are having the carpet removed and replaced with a vinyl plank flooring that looks just like our hand-scraped  wood floors down stairs.

All of this is to make way for the new machine…the Bernina Q24!  ( I think “Q” stands for Queen of quilting).  Right now my new baby is sitting in the garage waiting.  Friday, the Bernina folks from Sew it Up in Grapevine, Linda Davis and her husband, will be coming out to set it up.  I can’t wait!

bernina-q24

The hard part is that I’m leaving for a quilting retreat on Sunday in Wisconsin at the Madeline Island School of the Arts for Gwen Marston’s last retreat before retirement.  That was a stroke of luck as I got the last spot available in the retreat!  It will focus on “Small Studies”.  Gwen was doing “modern quilting” before anyone called it modern quilting.  I’m really looking forward to the retreat, but also anxious to get back and get acquainted with The Queen.  I have a couple of tops ready to quilt and have been waiting to do them. Stay tuned for more about the new Q24!