New Toy!!!

I'm so excited, I have a new (or more accurately, new-to-me) toy to share today!

But first, I'd like to introduce you to my old workhorse sewing machine, my Elna, which I inherited from my ex-fiance's sister, who herself inherited it from one of the family's great aunts, as I recall.  It's some 50 years old, solid metal, heavy and just keeps on chuggin' - you gotta love that!  Honestly, it's a fabulous machine, high quality and I've loved it deeply for many years.

Elna Supermatic, circa 1961

At this point, I'm sure you're sensing a 'but' so here it is...but, it doesn't quilt.  As you can see, it's a freearm machine, which is awesome for hemming trousers (and being barely over 5'0", every single pair of trousers I buy requires hemming) but not so great for quilting.  Plus, it's so old that you can't buy a walking foot attachment for it, let along a FMQ foot attachment.

I wanted more.  So I finally did something about it.

I'm pleased to introduce my new (new-to-me) Janome Memory Craft 6600 Professional sewing machine!  Complete with original foot attachments (a bunch) - including Janome's own specialised walking foot and FMQ foot, tools, tool box, presser foot lifter knee control and extra extension table!  All at a very reasonable price, and cheaper than brand new but in excellent condition.

Janome MC 6600P, circa 2011

A half century makes for quite an update.  So far I've been sewing on it for three days and I'm already in love with it.  I especially love the automatic thread cutter (so handy for saving on thread wastage), the speed slider, the needle up/down lock, the extra wide arm space, the see-through bobbin cover, the extra wide & marked throat plate, the extra high pressure foot lift and the fact that it sews like a hot knife through budder (yes, that's right, budder - not butter - it's just that smooth).  And I have an English copy of the manual on order.

So far I have one project completed on this girl already, which I'll be sharing with you shortly.  In the meantime, my goal is to finish up the piecing work on my other quilt projects so that I can give my Elna a little R&R time and move my Janome from the kitchen table to my proper sewing table for more long-term usage.