sew happy

an old love rekindled
when i first named this blog "all my scrap" and even when my little sidebiz was named Simply Scrappy, it was with the view to not only venture into scrapbooking but also into an earlier interest in another sort of scrappy hobby: QUILTING. i have never gotten past the beginner stage and i have tried very few projects in this hobby not because i lack interest but because i also encountered the same problems as i did with scrapbooking-- the lack of tools and materials. No, i don't mean the fabrics because there is an abundance of this in what has also become a scrapbooking destination, Divisoria, but mostly of the cutting tools and of a very important component of any hobby, i think: some friends/support group to bounce ideas off. inspite of this, my desire to quilt refused to die. here are some of my previous attempts at it.

this table runner is my first ever quilted project

picture on top: i am so proud of this full queen-sized quilt despite the fact it is is still unfinished. it is lacks the final touch--the binder (the edging). i started it when i was 7 months pregnant with Reine. i remember being sooo big and heavy while basting this project that i was having a hard time, but i was so excited and determined to finish it! unfortunately, i didn't complete the quilting because i gave birth before i finished.

an opportunity presents
when hubby had to go on a trip to the U.S. last week and since he still owed me my anniversary gift, my first instinct was to ask him to get me a Cricut. however, just before he left, i changed my mind. i wanted a new sewing machine. i am getting a hankering lately to quilt again. i did already have a trusty, old Brother sewing machine where i have sewn my few attempts at piecing quilt tops, and as you may have also noticed, some LOs, but i wanted a machine that can do the actual quilting. For the uninitiated, the creation of quilts have 2 main segments: first is the piecing of the quilt top, and second is the sewing of the quilt "sandwich" (top, batting and bottom). this may be done by hand and the beauty of the handquilted creation may be preferred by some but for someone like me who is perennially time-strapped, doing the quilting with a machine is probably the only way to go.

a few days before hubby left, i suddenly remembered this very nice lady, Johanna, who i met at one of the industrial exhibits my husband and i occasionally attend at the World Trade Center at the CCP complex. Her company sells Janome sewing machines and this is also where i saw the sewing machine i longed and pined for, the Janome 10000 (which later had even better siblings the 10001, and now the 11000). This machine is the sewists' dream! it is a top of the line, computerized embroidery, quilting, sewing mean machine that even comes with a colored touchscreen control! it has over a hundred decorative stitches and embroiders monograms, patches, appliques and even does logos. however, i just couldn't afford it since it costs about P12oK. since we met about 5 years ago, i thought she might have new models already and wanted to ask her if she had the $250 kind i saw on Ebay that i was shooting for hubby to get to me. she didn't but we had a pleasant exchange about all things quilting. it was then that it occurred to me that i did have someone right here who can not only be a quilting buddy but a quilting resource as well. it was then that i encouraged her to set up a quilting yahoogroup for us pinoys. we are hoping other "hidden" enthusiasts will eventually find us.

dreams do come true...sorta...
to make this little story short, i am now the proud owner of my very own sewing, quilting, embroidering mean machine. and i got it for a very, very good price deal. although i am still not able to afford my dream Janome 11000, i was able to acquire (actually more like "extort" from dear hubby) the Janome 9500. i had the brochure of this machine pinned to the side of my computer some years ago because i heard this is good inspiration to achieve your dreams through visualization. heck, i should've pinned up a higher model! i'm not really complaining though because this is also a computerized machine with more features than i can even handle at this time. however, it has less bells and whistles than the 10001 or the 11000. An example is it's touchscreen which is monochrome instead of colored. but, it has all of the features i need to accomplish my quilting goals so i am one happy momma! since it does mean embroidery too, i am inspired to do that now also. you can probably tell by looking at how many thread colors i have suddenly acquired. you can also see here my first attempt at it.

this is why i took no time sequestering another nook in our already congested home as my new sewing area. i finally took out my stash of scraps from out of my tampipi and neatly stacked them so i can easily access it for projects soon to come. hopefully, i can take this hobby to the next level. as a matter of fact, with this machine's capability, i can even make a modest sideline out of doing monograms and personalizations or coporate logo patches. that is, IF i can still find the time for that. (do i really need sleep? :-D) and can you guess already how my LOs will look from here on? and hey, i think i have an good excuse to explore mixed media collage! :-D below are more brag pics of my new baby...

my new sewing nook...
i'm betting this wouldn't be as neat once i start some serious sewing!

the top of the machine opens to reveal the bobbin winding and threading area. just look at the many decorative stitches this baby has: it has 98 decorative stitches and 90 built-in embroidery designs plus 3 monogram fonts! however, more embroidery designs and fonts may be added via the computer. my inner geek finds that waaay cool!

the top also hides the additional machine feet--this baby comes with 10 feet in the package already

no knobs! it's touchscreen to pick out decorative stitches or shift to embroidery mode


i love this auto-threading feature. a pull of the lever and voila! no more fiddling and saliva-wetting of thread ends...hehehe...great for bad eyes like mine.

the tool essentials are also incorporated for easy access. yet this detaches so i have a free-arm for sewing and embroidering tight spots like sleeves.

Johanna even threw in some Janome Digest magazines for project inspirations. i'm in sewist's heaven!