My Baby Lock Espire -- Perfect for Machine Applique

One of the features of my new sewing machine, the Baby Lock Espire, is a pivot feature. When this feature is turned on, the pressure foot automatically lifts up and the needle stays down when you stop sewing. When you once again press on the foot pedal, the pressure foot goes down and sewing again begins. This enables you to keep your hands on the piece being sewn, rather than have to lift the pressure foot with the machine lever. It is perfect for sewing curves because you can sew 4 or 5 stitches, stop, pivot the fabric, and immediately continue on -- never taking your hands off of the fabric.

I've finished preparing the circles to be appliqued to the border (i.e. pressing the seam allowances around the freezer paper) but still need to prepare 52 quarter-sized circles for the yellow berries. I've gotten pretty good at doing the circles, so my guess is that it will take about an hour to do the berries. Hopefully I will have time to do this tomorrow night -- and then stitch them onto the project.  I'd love to finish the quilt top and take it to be quilted asap! I have loved this machine applique technique and have many, many projects in mind to now do!

New Sewing Machine Splurge

After a two- or three-year hiatus from serious sewing quilts, my life finally has allowed me to get back into one of my favorite hobbies -- sewing quilts. I have wanted to learn how to machine applique because some of my favorite quilts combine piecing with applique.  Check out Kim Diehl's designs and you'll know what I mean.

The sewing machine I've been using is an 8-year-old Pfaff Tiptronic 2040. (I remember exactly when I bought it -- the Saturday following 9/11!) It's been a good machine, and is light-weight, so I'll continue to use it as the machine I take to seminars and retreats -- such as the one coming up at the end of January (the Heritage Quilt  and Needlework Association Winterfest at Daniel's Summit).

So, anyway, I decided I needed a machine that had more stitches and more options for doing a machine applique stitch. I settled on the Baby Lock Espire.  In the month or so I've been using my new Espire, I absolutely have loved it. It is a very efficient sewing machine. Bobbins are a cinch to wind because they have a separate thread source (no unthreading the machine to wind a bobbin). The automatic thread cutter is a fabulous time saver -- less time lost reaching for scissors. And what's more, I no longer need to start  my sewing with scrap of fabric (although I am no longer creating leaders and enders -- see Bonnie Hunter's description of how to create quilts just from the leaders and enders). The machine also has a pivot function that people rave about, but I haven't taken  the time to learn  how to use it yet.

I am also hoping to finally learn how to free-motion quilt with my new machine. I've tried it out on scraps and it seems  do-able. But I haven't attempted anything bigger -- or that I want to eventually give to someone. I could  never get the tension set correctly on my Pfaff in order to free-motion quilt -- there were always loops on the bottom of the quilt. (Could have been user error, although I certainly  thought  I was adjusting the bobbin tension correctly.)

For anyone who is considering the Espire, I highly recommend it. It  is a computerized machine -- so I do not expect to take it to classes. My guess is that the electronics aren't designed for being carried around like a laptop computer. So the Pfaff will continue to suffice for classes.