The Remarkable Pfaff (again)

Well, I did it. I sort of did it. I nearly did it. No wait, I did something.

You know, I forgot the most important thing when I decided I wanted that big Pfaff. I forgot to pray. In my life, prayer is a big thing. It's the way I know what to do and what not to do. And I didn't pray about this Pfaff.

So confused, I didn't even think about praying. I didn't know I didn't pray. I just kept waiting for the money to come, so I could go get that big Pfaff. The yummy one. And one day it hit me... I didn't pray about it!

And so I did. I felt that the big Pfaff was not for me. Well, not right now anyway. I took a look at the previous top of the line machine, the 2170. This top machine also embroiders, but a much smaller field of course. Re-hooping is a must. Those of you who embroider know exactly what I mean. For those who don't, it means that part of the design embroiders, and then you take the fabric out of the hoop and "re-hoop" and start the machine again. This is scary because maybe you didn't quite line it up right, and everyone will see that it doesn't go together right. But if you did it correctly, no one will know!

Once I prayed about the whole thing and decided to get the 2170--the money was there within a few days. I found a good deal on eBay and got it with a $2000 savings over my top notch sewing store.

I can hear you now... ah yes, but NOT a new one... Wrong! It's new! And my friend bought my Janome (goodby old friend) so we are two happy people. My new Pfaff is just great, does good embroidery, has the same spiffy stitches as the current new model.

Yep, in a couple of years I'll be looking (and praying) about the new Creative Vision, or its replacement, I already know that. But for now.... yep, I'm a Pfaffie, and proud of it!

ever,
Kathygirl

Another quilt festival put to bed

Oh boy, that old song is coming true. You know, the one that goes:

The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be,
Ain't what she used to be!

The old gray mare, she ain't what she used to be,
Many long years ago!

Yep. I'm that old gray mare. I can't seem to get my oomph back after my trek across the George R. Brown Convention Center a bazillion times in two days. New shoes please, since the soles on my iron shoes are onionskin thin.

Oh but yes, it was worth it! The colors, the quilts, the fabrics and the people! What sensory overload we had. The hit of the festival seems to have been this new felting craze, plus lots of glitz and embellishments! A close second was the emphasis of getting your quilt done fast. This makes sense, since so many women work full time, where is that precious time to make a nice quilt anyway? Today you can make a quilt that looks like it took just forever, in a very short time.

Long arm quilting machines had quite a focus this year too. They are always present at festival, but it seemed that this year the booths were bigger and there was more attention paid to them.

Lyn and Christine from Kenny's Kreation had a booth this year, coming all the way from Queensland Australia.

Here you see me on the left and Lyn Kenny on the right. Behind us is her Antique Rose quilt. If you would like information about her machine embroidery designs, go to http://www.KennyKreations.com You won't regret it.

Well, did you get to go to festival? If you did, you got to see the new Pfaff, the one with the gigantic hoop, the one with all the breathtaking projects, the one we all want! Yes, there are other wonderful brands and machines, and we all love our machines, it's true. But it just seems that my heart is set on the Pfaff.

Keep sewing,

Kathygirl

OOOH THAT NEW PFAFF!

I will be dining on my own words, I know. I made a big mistake. I went and looked at the new Pfaff sewing/embroidery machine. To say it is very nice would be an understatement!

I made this reckless statement a few years ago: I said I wouldn't buy another home embroidery machine. That if I was going to get another machine, it would be an industrial 15 needle job.

So here I sit, salivating every time I think of that new Pfaff. Man, this thing is just everything! I love my Janome 10,001... yes it's a real workhorse with never ever a missed stitch. I love Janome! They introduced the first home embroidery machine to the world.. the 8000. The other companies scrambled to get theirs out too. So I always knew I'd stick with the Janome.

WRONG! The new Janome, the 11,000... has an 8"x8" hoop. I love the embroidery arm and the way you don't have a big heavy embroidery module to move around. But this feature sadly limits the hoop size. And we know that size is everything these days.

The Pfaff.. now there's a world in its own. First of all, it has a 9 mm spread instead of the standard 7 mm the other machines have. This extra 2 mm makes an incredible difference when you are stitching a decorative stitch or a satin stitch combination... because anyone who sews can instantly see it's bigger, richer than others.

But the hoops! Oh my, the hoops! Now I am not a paid spokesman for Pfaff, alright? But I think the hoop is something like 7.5"x14"... and right there it eliminates rehooping galore! There is a mega hoop you can buy for it too... wouldn't you think this huge hoop would already be the mega hoop? But no! There's a bigger one! Wow!

Okay. What's the cost. Sit down, please! This baby is retailing for about $9,000 US. Yuh. A new car. Two Yugos. And just think, you have to buy thread and stabilizer for life.

But fortunately for me, my sewing machine source is one of the best in the country, so his price is considerably less. And I mean considerably! So when my friend saves enough to buy my Janome, I will be trotting down there to that very shop and getting my Pfaff! How? With a loan from the credit union, of course!

Sew on,

Kathygirl