Today I spent 8 hours in the car, LOL, yes I am a crazy person. I had been wanting to get an embroidery machine for quite a while to add names, initials, etc to some of the things I make. Ryan and I got some money for Christmas and we decided to split it and each spend our half on whatever new toys we wanted. As usual, Ryan spent his right away but I was waiting for the right thing to come along. I also saved up some money from each quilt sale to add to my Christmas money. I was searching craigslist for a while but I couldn't find what I wanted - most of them were either very low end machines or commercial machines that cost thousands. But finally I found a listing that looked great - but it was a 4hr drive away. So today, I drove to Englewood, FL and met with a charming couple who was selling the machine. Vera (the seller) had gotten quite a bit of use out of this machine over the last few years but she recently upgraded to a much more expensive model and no longer needed both. She showed me how to operate it and we did a little sample and then...I BOUGHT IT! Yay!!!! I'm sure it will take some time playing with it to get it all figured out but i can't wait to be able to offer embroidery to my customers and be able to embroider things for myself, my friends and my family! Here's the machine set up on my desk:
It comes with three different hoops and the max size it can do at one time is 5" x 7" but there is a 5" x 12" hoop where the machine can split the design and do it in two halves so it should be able to do some pretty large lettering and design. Vera was really nice and even gave me some dvd's of embroidery designs she had purchased and downloaded for it.
This is the little sample piece she showed me how to make while I was there to show how it works. This design is a single color and had ~3000 stitches and it only took a few minutes to complete.
Vera also gave me a cute little pouch she had made on the machine and said she'd send me the instructions to make more of them - how ADORABLE are these? It has a snap closure, a front zipper pouch and a back pocket!
Vera also gave me some extra stabilizer and interfacing so that I can get started on some test projects. I am so excited and glad I found a good deal and was able to help someone as nice as Vera with it! So after packing everything up I got a quick bite to eat and started my four hour trek home. I will say - every time I drive my car for long distances I am yet again soo happy that i bought the Honda Insight. It really is a very comfortable car to drive. The seats are comfy and the steering and alignment are perfect, I feel like it practically drove itself home.
Anyways...I was on the way home and I started thinking about getting a new phone again. I've been eligible to upgrade for quite a while now but I couldn't decide what I wanted and I liked the phone I had. I actually set aside some money a few paychecks ago to get a new phone but then the AT&T store didn't have the one I wanted yet. So I thought, "hey, the at&t store is on my way home after I get off the interstate...maybe I should swing by and see if they have the phone I want". They had it...and I BOUGHT IT. Two new toys in one day, WAHOO!!
Anyways...I was on the way home and I started thinking about getting a new phone again. I've been eligible to upgrade for quite a while now but I couldn't decide what I wanted and I liked the phone I had. I actually set aside some money a few paychecks ago to get a new phone but then the AT&T store didn't have the one I wanted yet. So I thought, "hey, the at&t store is on my way home after I get off the interstate...maybe I should swing by and see if they have the phone I want". They had it...and I BOUGHT IT. Two new toys in one day, WAHOO!!
I got the Samsung Galaxy S III and it is pretty sweet - it is really fast and the screen resolution is awesome. This is a huge upgrade from my HTC Aria which was still on Eclair. My new phone has Ice Cream Sandwich (yes I know that I could have gotten Jellybean if I got a Nexxus but i didn't want a Nexxus, I wanted this one). So I doubt I'll do much tonight besides play with my new toys and try not to stay up too late. Because as much as I don't want to go to work tomorrow, I sure am glad I have a good job that supports a comfortable lifestyle and sometimes lets me buy cool toys.
