I have been sewing almost daily for the past two weeks. I love, love, love my new machine! It is easy to use and has all of the nifty gadgets that make all the little details in sewing so easy to execute. I spoke before about my favorite foot, with its nifty 1/4″ guide, which gives me a perfect 1/4″ seam every time with no effort. I do not think I could mess it up if I tried. But I digress…enough about the wonders of my new sewing machine. Its time to talk about sewing now…well, almost.

Our sweet little Sarah-cat (who really is not so sweet anymore) is old, sick, and loudly demanding. She has grown so small and thin, and we know it is just a matter of time before she is gone. She has some issues. One of these issues is pertaining to her…um…elimination practices. She manages to get near, or even halfway into, her litter box. But her business end is frequently outside the litter area. She does not seem to understand that even though her front paws are in the box, her rear ones are not. We have had to resort to puppy pads placed around the litter box, which my husband changes frequently. He is always looking for a plastic grocery bag to place the piddle pads in so he can take them out to the garbage can. I used to keep them all in a large Target bag on the back of the pantry door, but these were not really very easy to get to. Then I remembered a tutorial I saw a while back and a light bulb came on.

So, back to sewing. I have a box that I keep all of my scraps in. I had bookmarked Dioramarama’s grocery bag dispenser tutorial quite a long time ago, but had never taken the time to actually make it. I realized when digging through my scraps that I had enough odds and ends of adequate size to put together my own bag dispenser. A short while later I had my very own sleeve hanging prettily on my pantry door, within easy reach.

It has been a very long and busy week! I have worked quite a bit, and when not working I was busy sandwiching in appointments. Sewing was also a big part of my week. My new machine is a dream to sew on, and so much nicer than my old one. I took a quilting class, and today I finished my very first machine-pieced quilt top! (Sorry…it is too dark now for pictures. I will post some soon.) I have not yet decided whether to quilt it by hand or wait for the machine quilting class. I already have fabric for a second quilt, and ideas for a third. Whew! I am going to be busy! I have another class tomorrow morning. This one teaches me all of the ins and outs of the new machine. I have figured out all of the basics, but I know there is still much to learn.

My husband has been so nice and supportive of my sewing. He does not mind if I steal away in the evenings to work a bit on a project, and he has commented positively on my quilt-in-progress. He recently started a blog of his own, and this week he came home with a sly grin and told me I had to read his most recent post because it was about me. Actually, it was his side of our story. He usually makes me tell it when people ask, or we both tell pieces of it together, so I liked reading his perspective without any of my interjections. Being a man of not-so-many words much of the time, the length of his post surprised me. I was both pleased and amused by his use of literary quotes, especially the first one. It is a line from one of my favorite books:

It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
-Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

My husband knows me well. He knows of my love for literature and knew that quote would pique my interest. Literary quotes aside, it was my husband’s closing paragraphs that touched me the most and echo my sentiments exactly. He is my husband, my best friend, and my life-long mate.

…about my new sewing machine! A couple of years ago, I got my very first sewing machine and learned to sew. Since then, I have improved a great deal and even opened my very own Etsy shop last year. (Sadly, it is empty right now, but not for long!) After working for nine months at a Bernina dealer/quilting shop/yarn shop, I had begun to long for a better machine. After thinking about it and discussing it with my husband for several months, I bit the bullet and brought home a brand-new Bernina!!! I had planned on purchasing a lower model (the white pearl), but the owner of the shop gave me a deal that was just too good to pass up, and still allowed me to stay within budget. I am now the proud owner of an Aurora 430! I sewed on it over the weekend, and it is wonderful. The machine is not just for pleasure, though. I am using it to expand my selection in my Etsy shop. Soon it will be stocked with more of my knitting project bags, as well as some new designs I am working on. See that stack of fabrics on the back of the table (below)? Yes, the Heather Bailey ones…they will be making their way into the shop shortly!

The new sewing machine has all sorts of features that I really like: The knee lift allows me to move my knee an inch or two in order to lift the foot from the fabric – great for pivoting or turning the fabric. I also love how smooth and quiet the machine is, especially compared to my old one. I think my favorite feature (today, anyway) is the #57 foot. It has a nifty guide on the edge that is perfect for piecing quilts with a 1/4″ seam allowance.

So I am curious about those of you in blogland who sew: What is your favorite sewing machine feature?