As many of my long time readers know I long arm quilt, well until July I actually short arm quilted with dreams of some day being able to move up to a larger throated machine. I hummed and hawed about purchasing a Baileys Home Quilter, they are very nice machines, but not exactly what I was looking for, they (until recently) only had a 13 inch or a 15 inch throat, and I wanted MORE! After all I was using a 9" machine, I want more than 6 inches!!!
So, I then considered having my Babylock stretched, Rick at WOW quilts does this for $1895.00 you send him your machine, three months later you get it back doubled in size. I even put my machine on the list... Still no call from them...I have been on the list since May. And then one day I was on one of the Yahoo groups I frequent and noticed an ad for a Homesteader.. for those who don't know what a Homesteader is, it is a stretched singer.. well you can get the idea from the pictures... now 1st things 1st this machine is NOT stitch regulated but it does have a nice speed control. The price was very very good, and gosh I had enough saved up because I had been saving to have my Baby stretched! So I contacted the nice lady, we talked and the deal was sealed, two weeks later Big Bertha (not that is NOT what I call her.. well sometimes..maybe) arrived, we promptly unboxed her, Stuart spend a few hours going over her with cotton swabs, canned air and oil. Making sure everything was there and clean and working (this was a used machine after all and the lady did NOT clean it before she shipped it :( I was pretty shocked at that) then on the frame she went...
This was the picture that the nice lady sent me, I STILL have not had the chance to take pictures of her on MY frame... isn't she pretty. Like I said, not stitch regulated but l am finding that is not a bid problem, I quilted for years on my Baby with out a regulator I was surprised at how easily and fast I was able to fall back into regulating myself.
I did contact Jennifer at the quilting solution (makers of the Homesteader) and got a ruler foot and base for her, plus we did a motor upgrade, the one on the machine was a bit weak this one just races right along! I also found out that she is one of the first machines they made so there are other upgrades that can be done, so she is going in for a retrofit in January. They will bring her up to "new" for me for $400.00 Not bad given that and the price of the motor and my purchase price are still under what a new machine would have cost me! I love this machine it sews beautifully, takes EVERY thread I throw at it, and I have almost ZERO thread breakage.OK so now that you have met my new machine... NOT calling her Big Bertha.... I do need a name, suggestions welcome!!!
Off to part two... keep scrolling down....
See you soon,
Ginny
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