i am in love with a sewing machine

I have been working on a baby girl quilt for a friend of Jessica, and I was all set this week to free motion quilt it. Well, one frustrating hour and three broken needles later, I was cursing at my sewing machine like a sailor. I even scared Sadie enough with my yelling that she went upstairs to get away from me! Later the same day I was telling the hubs how frustrating my machine had become, and how it just wasn't capable of quilting well anymore. In all likelihood, I've just worn the thing out.

 So, imagine my surprise, when that afternoon after work he came home with a Janome 3160 QDC!  He had stopped by the sewing machine store to find out the best machine for quilting (preferably one that would stop turning me into a raging asshat) and the owner recommended the Janome 3160 QDC. 
I'm always apprehensive about learning a new technology, so needless to say I was scared that it would be too much machine for me. It is computerized and has 60 different stitches!

 After Britton went to bed, I took my new machine down to the basement to try it out. You know how when something is easier than what you had before, you don't know what to think? Like getting DSL after having dial-up internet. You think, "What's the catch? Was my previous method really so hard?" 

Turns out it was! This machine is a dream! It took less than 10 minutes to get it set up, and I had that quilt sewn and bound today in less than an hour. I kept waiting for the bobbin to get tangled up, or a needle to break, or the tension to go screwy, and the problems never happened.

I am excited to try the new stitches! How cute for borders, especially those flower and star motifs.

I don't know if you can see it here or not, but my stitches are so much cleaner and tighter now.  And a sneak peek of my current baby girl quilt project!

The hubs gets a high-five on this gift because I am in love with this sewing machine!  I don't get surprised often, so it was fun to have him completely floor me.  And it was funny hearing him tell me about all the features, and how it would work with my quilting.  He even had the terminology down pat!