New Addition and a Finish

I’m so excited by our newest addition! I have acquired a gently loved HQ16 by Handi Quilter. It is an older 2006-ish model (before the tilt screens or updated lights.) It didn’t come with a table but my wonderful handy husband rigged this set up from a set of steel shelves from Home Depot.

He even cut the shelves down to be the perfect height for little ole me (5’ even.) It’s quite a bit heavier than my Brother 1300 I was using before so it requires a bit more force to move it around the tracks. The tracks themselves were not in the best shape with several nicks on the tracks and carriage. I was able to sand them out though.

I’ve heard good things about the edge rider wheels and tracks from Urban Elementz. They are supposed to really help the machine glide. They are rather pricey (around $500.) I don’t think I’ll buy them until I’ve had a chance to try them out in person.

I loaded up my first quilt, which happened to be a custom ordered Baby Name Quilt, and finished it off in about 30 minutes. It should have gone quicker but learning the placement of things and the quirks of a new machine/system is going to take some time. I’m really loving the stitch regulator and the 12” of sewing space (as opposed to the 3-5” I had before.)

The quilts are available in my shop.

Stats:
37”x39”
1 layer of Warm n’ White batting
Fabric: Kona Cotton “Snow” on front. Owl fabric on back found at Hancock Fabrics (long ago, no manufacturer info available on fabric.) Kona Cotton “Persimmon” for binding. Timeless Treasures Wimsy-C 3416 was used for the name.

~Norma