I Saw, It Came, I Failed to Conquer!

This post could also be titled "Here Today; Gone Tomorrow", except that would be in error!  It was here yesterday, and it's gone TODAY!  I guess it could also be titled "Much Ado about Nothing!"

Now for the rest of the story!

While at the Dallas Quilt Show a couple of weeks ago, I made a hurried and unwise (for me) decision to purchase this.  It arrived at my home on March 7.  Now tell me, why would I think I needed to buy this little pile of boards packed in all those white peanuts???  I can't believe I made that mess in the living room!

I moved it to the sunroom, got it set up on my table, and this is how it looked.

It is called the "Easy Quilter" frame, made in Oklahoma.  That stack of boards in the middle of the table is two elements of the thing, each with a set of rollers that allows it to move forward/backward, left/right, diagonal, or circular, with the ease of greased lightening!  My home sewing machine will be sitting on that top section, and the quilt is then attached to a little "stick" on which it will be rolled as the quilt is quilted and the finished quilted roll will then lie in those two silver "hooks" on the front.  Movement is guided by pushing/pulling on two little handles at the front of the stack on rollers. 

Next I put my machine on the center part, and then clipped my "quilt" to the boards going across the ends of the table. (My practice quilt is 2 yards of cheap muslin, a 80/20 batting, and another 2 yards of muslin and pin-basted.)  It looked like this (some of the time).  Pretty nice, huh?  The unquilted portion of a quilt will be rolled around the stick that goes through the harp of the machine, which, on my machine, is only 7"-not much!  Not nearly enough!  I could quilt about 48" left/right before hitting the frame, and about 6.5" forward/backward without hitting the roller poles.  That meant unclipping everything and moving the quilt.  Maybe I never got it all figured out correctly, but I can say for sure that with my stroke-damaged left hand, it was not "easy" for me!



I need to tell you that my machine has a top loading bobbin, does not have a thread cutter, nor a knee control for the power pedal.  I ran out of bobbin after the first trek across the length of the table.  Changing the bobbin and re-threading was difficult for me, but I did it finally.  With no knee pedal thing, I was moving the foot pedal often because of my short legs!  (I told a friends that if skate board wheels weren't so tall, maybe that would work to move the pedal. *giggle*)

I have no doubt it will work for most people, especially if your machine has a deep harp, but I just could not see it helping me with all my problems.  Needless to say, I'm disappointed in myself and in the frame.  So this morning I called the vendor, packed it up, and shipped it back.  They should have it by Monday.   I think I'd be happier just having my big quilts professionally quilted as always, and learning to do free motion on my machine someday maybe.  I was concentrating on that before this thing came along, so now I'm going to try to go back to practicing that again. 

I never knew the Easy Quilter existed until I saw it at the show.  I thought it would be just the thing for me and that I could do it easily.  I made a decision in 45 minutes, which is very unlike me!  I should have known better!  I saw it, loved it, bought it, had it delivered, but failed to conquer it.  I gave up!  I think I have better things to do than stress out over something I know I will never be able to do to my satisfaction.  So ---- on to better things, hopefully!  I don't want to discourage anyone from getting one.  It's just that with my machine, in addition to my hand never knowing what it's doing, (and my feeble brain!),  it wouldn't work for me.  However, I would encourage you to really "try" before you buy.  I have to admit I failed in that area also.  (Dumb!) *frown*!

Something good did come from the experience though.  While my Viking was on the frame and out of use to me for piecing, I decided to sew on an old Singer 3102 I inherited from my old aunt.  It is in a beautiful walnut cabinet, and I hadn't used it in years!  (Yes, that's three quilts awaiting quilting on that rack!)

It did just fine until it just locked up totally!  I read the book and decided to take the cover off and check it out.  What a gummy mess it was!    I got the machine oil, cleaned it and oiled it good, and it runs like a top now.  I put the cover on and now when I don't want to sew in the sunroom at night (no drapes or blinds), I can sew in the back bedroom on the old machine that actually makes a prettier stitch than my Viking!  *big smile*

I've not accomplished any worthwhile sewing or quilting (or anything else!) while the frame was in my house!  I spent all my time fiddling with it, and finally gave up. 

There!  I feel better already!

So now --- back to the real world, and on with life!  I hope to sew most of  Saturday!  More on that another day! 

---"Love"