Oh Brother, I’m cheating on my first love…

Thank you Bendigo for blowing my mind! Gemma and I had such an amazing time and we’re both so very grateful to all of you that came out and said hello and for the amazingness that was Bendigo. If you missed out and you’d like to know more about what happened in Bendigo and how super awesome it all was then be sure to check back on Friday for my wrap up of events… Who knows I might even have some more exciting news to share with you…

My days of traveling are not quite over. I’m flying into Sydney on Thursday to do a two day press event with Brother Australia to promote the Innovis NQ3500D. To say I’m nervous is an understatement of epic proportions. I really have no idea what to expect and I love my Innovis so much that I’m nervous about raving too much about it or maybe saying the wrong thing.

When I first got “serious” about quilting I upgraded the sewing machine that my Nana had so generously given me and purchased my Pfaff Ambition 1.5. I love my Pfaff. My Pfaff and I have had some amazing moments together. (We’ve also had periods, never very long, where we don’t talk to each other.) She was the biggest none IT purchase I’d ever made and I just love her. I still do.

There’s just one problem… another machine has come along. My Innovis NQ3500D.

When Brother Australia and I first started talking about working together in 2015 and they offered me the machine I thought they were crazy. I didn’t need another machine, I had Pffafy. I was so happy with her that I couldn’t conceive of anything else. Then as we talked more and I thought about all the possibilities that having the capability to embroider brought with it I relented and agreed.

In my mind I figured I’d just use the Innovis NQ3500D to embroider and that was it. I mean using a function that my Pfaff doesn’t have isn’t cheating, right? It’s just outsourcing. But the unthinkable happened. Brother Australia sent me Michelle. Michelle is an amazing sales representative for Brother Australia and she came out from Sydney to show me how to use my Innovis NQ3500D. Those 2+ hours that Michelle spent with me blew my mind. (If I ever get to play on the Brother Australia Dream Machine you might just hear the explosion caused by my brain way over in Perth!)

Now, I’m a simple girl. In the 3 years I’ve had my Pfaff I think I’ve used 4 different stitches. I’ve sewn everything from quilting cotton to felt, vinyl, denim, webbing and some really slippery rayon and my machine handled it all. Then I saw what the Innovis NQ3500D could do and I knew that my heart had begun to stray.

But the feature that really did me in… the tie off and cut thread one-two-combo. My Pfaff does the tie off and it’s great, I use it all the time. But I have to manually cut the threads. I never used to see what the big deal was about thread cutting until I saw it in action. When I’ve been working on my Smitten patchwork blocks and there’s been a tonne of Y-seams, I’ve been using the tie off function to end my stitching at the Y-seam point. Perfect. Until I have to pull the patchwork out from under the needle and foot.

The tension from the bobbin and top threads still being connected has, at times, caused my stitching to be pulled. It’s not a world in crisis kind of thing, but when you’re working hard to get perfect points and joins then having your work crinkled up is a pain in the posterior. Now with my Innovis NQ3500D I don’t have to worry about that because it cuts the threads for me. Woohoo!

When Michelle casually showed me this function I knew my days of using my Pfaff as my primary machine were over. I have to confess I felt a little bit like a man who makes it rich while being married to his high school sweetheart only to run off with a younger model when all the money starts coming in.

I’m going to hold on to my Pfaff (to cover the times when the Innovis is off at the Spa getting it’s service) and I hope that one day I’ll use the Pfaff to teach the Little Man how to sew on it. As sad as it is to say goodbye, I’m really excited about all the adventures the Innovis and I are going to have with each other.

Junk Free June Update: Only 2 days to go and June will be done and dusted. It’s been an interesting experience and I can’t wait to share with you all on Wednesday how it all went and what I’ve learned, embraced, ditched and changed. How are you doing? Only 2 days to go… are you going to make it?

Fun things to click on

• Do you have a scrap bin that’s overflowing with goodness? Then why not click here to check out this awesome sew-along to make a Scrap Vortex quilt.
• Bow ties aren’t just for men. In fact I know someone who’s going to love it when I use this tutorial to make some bow ties. Click here to learn how to make a bow tie.
• Looking for a fun coaster to make as last minute gifts? Click here to check out this spinning wheel coaster tutorial.
• Have you lost your confidence? Don’t worry, it happens to the best of us. Click here to find out 8 ways to rebuild your lost confidence.
• How do you prepare your fabrics for quilting? Do you starch? Click here to watch a fun video on how to prepare your fabrics for patchwork.
• Do you have a daily planner? Do your kids use binders for school? Click here to see a great tutorial on how to make a binder pencil pouch.

Community Cork Board

• Looking for a good cause to support, Caroline (of Nightingale Quilts) is in need of help to raise some money to build a bat enclosure to help rehabilitate bats. Now, I’m not a fan of bats in the sense that movies always make it look horrible to get caught in a bat swarm, but I am a fan of keeping our environment in tip top condition and bats are important so I’m all for helping keep them heal and return to doing what bats do. Click here to find out more and donate the cost of a coffee.

Want something included on the Community Cork Board, then why not drop me an email and if it’s applicable to the GnomeAngel community I’ll share it. It can be anything from a local fate, a charity raffle, a class you’re teaching, a pattern you’ve released, a sew-a-long you’re involved in to a community event that’s happening. Be sure to send me as much detail as you can and links to any applicable websites.  Click here to email me.