When we first moved to Utah, we went to a birthday party for Mark’s sister, Sharon. There were family members there that I had never met before, and I got to talking with one of Mark’s sisters-in-law about quilting. Sharon hadn’t been aware before that I sew, so when we got home, she contacted me and asked if I’d be interested in some sewing machines that Mark’s mom had left when she died. I said I would, so when she came down to see our house, she brought them with her.

The machines had been sitting in garages ever since Mark’s mom died, so when we came down to Tucson last fall, I took all four of them plus my own sewing machine to a shop here to have them checked and fixed. Last week, we went to see about picking up the five machines. It was going to cost $179 per machine to get them back, so I asked if I could trade in the four machines that I got from Sharon. A couple of them were embroidery machines, one was a serger, and I suppose the fourth was a sewing machine, but a different brand than I had ever used before. I would have had to learn how to use them, and I wasn’t particularly excited about having embroidery machines because I’ve always thought that it is cheating. I also don’t really have a use for a serger since I don’t make clothes or use knits.

When I asked if I could trade in the other machines, at first, they showed me another serger and a couple of embroidery machines, and I was nonplussed. The saleswoman asked if there was anything else I’d like to look at, and I told her that I’m a quilter. She showed me a used long-arm quilting machine that had just come in that morning, and it was going to be advertised the next day. They gave me a $300 credit for the machines I traded in, and this machine wasn’t nearly as expensive as brand-new machines. I said, “Yes, I’d like to have this machine!” Funny, I used to think quilting with a machine was cheating, but my hands have gotten to the point where hand quilting makes them sore after a while. Besides, with this machine, the needle stays in the same place, and I have to move the fabric around, so I’m still in control of the quilting pattern.

I was telling Mom about my new quilting machine last night, and she was having some trouble envisioning what a long-arm quilter is, so I took this picture from the cover of the manual because I don’t have the machine in my possession yet:

The machine is still at the shop. I went in for training yesterday, and while the machine itself works perfectly (even if the operator doesn’t), there is a stitch regulator that came with the machine, and it didn’t seem to be working. When I was trying to practice making quilting patterns with it, my stitches were uneven, some being too long and some being way too tiny. The stitch regulator is supposed to even out the stitches, so having it working would be a big help to me. They’re going to check it and see if they can fix it or if they need to order a new one. They also told me that there’s another part that they have on order for the machine. I’m grateful that they are making sure I go home with a working machine!

I praise God that I went in on the very day the machine had come in and the day before it was to be advertised. I believe that was God’s timing. I have wanted a quilting machine for several years, but never dreamed that I’d be able to afford one. I praise God that He made that possible for me! God has blessed me beyond measure, with this machine, and with the house we were able to get in Utah. He blessed me with my father’s inheritance, which came in time for me to have some things done to the house to make it more comfortable. He blessed me with good neighbors and a church home there in Price. I’m grateful to Him for getting us down here safely. I’m especially grateful that Kader and Zak are going to have a baby boy this summer, finally making me a grandmother. God has been so, so good to me!