2023 brings new things to my quilting practice! Those 40 days of my Bernina Q24 being out of service last fall, was a call to action for me. I knew I never wanted to be put in that position, ever again. I needed to build in some resiliency. I am so loving longarming for others, that my decision was to expand my quilting studio.
When I was first getting into quilting for others, I spent more than 2 years researching which longarm to purchase. At that time, my top 2 were Bernina and Innova, and my final decision was to go with the Bernina Q24 with Qmatic automation. The dealer was closer, and the Innova dealer at that point was winding down their business. Excellent dealer service is critical for me.
While the Bernina was out for its service at Bernina Canada, I was exploring options for my quilting practice. We visited the new Innova dealer in Guelph - Buy the Bolt; had a great visit with hands-on time on their shop longarms - they had their M20, M24 and M28 all set up in their showroom. Getting to know Jeff, the owner, was a delight! He also was part of the SOLO (Southern Ontario Longarm Operators) fall meeting and had a machine set up there for quilters to try out. And I had visits with some of my longarm friends who are Innovians. My decision was made and order placed, for an Innova M28 with AutoPilot Mach 3 and Grand Format Embroidery.
Here is the frame being assembled just before Christmas.
This is Innova's 75th year - special badges are on the sew head!
The beautiful colour panels are bright red, just like my motorcycle and brand!
Working through the putting together of all the things. I'm sure I was a big help. Ha!
First up is learning AutoPilot Mach 3- playing with edge to edge and motif designs. The M28 translates to a 28" throat, which enables some longer diagonals for modern quilts, and more passes for edge to edge designs between rolling the quilt forward.
The sew head shipped in this very sturdy box.
The beautiful colour panels are bright red, just like my motorcycle and brand!
Next is ruler work and freehand! I opted for the Power Feed system, and I love, love, love it!! Especially with the larger throat, this makes it so much easier to roll the quilt.
Loaded now is a wall hanging sampler of the Sew Kind of Wonderful "Wonder Curve Ruler", the "Flower Pop" pattern. For ruler work, I do lift up the left handle and move the machine with only the right handle, holding the ruler with my left hand. Moving the left handle up gets it out of the way, so I do not bump the left handle and have bobbles in the quilting.
The light bar is amazing!! Between the light bar, the lights on the sew head throat, and the new light fixture installed in the room, lighting is excellent, even though there are no outside windows.
With the second longarm, I can offer a quicker turnaround time for edge to edge quilting, and work in custom quilts throughout the year. Those always wreak havoc on your body. Innova also offers 24x7 technical support, directly with their technicians, as well as the excellent support of my dealer, Jeff!
I'll be working through a few of my own quilts before I load client quilts, building my confidence in operating this magnificent machine.