The Good, The Bad, The Awesome

I've had my gorgeous new sewing machine for just over a full month now, and in that time I've done quite a fair bit of sewing. I've mended a number of things and made two crib-sized quilts from start to finish. I definitely have a better understanding of what my machine can do, its limitations, and its pitfalls.

As I mentioned previously, the extra throat space is awesome. Now that I've quilted something on it, I can really attest to how much of a boon those additional 3" of space have been. For the two small quilts, it was not necessary but definitely noticeable. The next time I make anything bigger, it will be invaluable. I really prefer to quilt tops myself, and now I can do it much more easily.

Such a pain in the neck.

The bobbin set up is still the worst part of the design, but what really grinds my gears is the low bobbin warning. It beeps and flashes an image of the bobbin on the display. It also stops sewing. Even though you have about 5 yards of thread left on the bobbin, you cannot easily finish the seam. Once you clear the message, it pops right back up and stops stitching again after another 5-6 stitches.

The one depressing, but not entirely surprising, thing is that none of the feet from my old Singer are compatible. Now, it came with a nice assortment, but I don't have a 1/4" foot anymore or a darning foot for when I want to freemotion quilt. At about $25 a pop, it's not the end of the world, but it's something I have to wait for.

There are lots of "little" features I found to be unexpectedly nice, starting with the thread cutter. You push a button, and it snips both the threads for you, leaving only a small tail. You can also change the needle position to automatically be up or down when you stop stitching.

The only bobbin feature that isn't abysmal is that it winds independent of the regular motor. That allows you to wind a new bobbin using another spool of thread without having to rethread the machine (it also has two spool holders for just such a use). The biggest surprise of the little features is that you can access the accessory compartment without having to take it off the machine. It's very handy.

Over all I am incredibly pleased with this machine. With the exception of most things related to the bobbin, it makes my sewing life a lot easier. It's far and away better than my previous machine. I will definitely be getting a lot more bang for my buck.

Eventually I will get around to monogramming something, but I'm afraid once I start, I won't be able to stop until every scrap of fabric in the place has stitched lettering.