Central Plateau, North Island

Central Plateau, North Island
View from a friend's farm

Sunday 9 July 2017

It was a Wet and Windy Sunday!!!

Two weeks ago, I put in a bid on  an item in the online trading called Trade Me. I won. This morning, in the rain,  at the suggested time, and the right address, we met Barry and Alex,  then Anne arrived.   The very heavy item  was loaded onto Barry’s trailer,  all hands needed here, the other  heavy parts were put in the back of our wagon,we talked, Barry suggested that the ladies all retire for coffee, and he would continue to our place, and have it unloaded,put together, and all ready to be used by the time we three arrived back home.

Can you guess what it is????????

My dream for some time has to have a long arm quilting machine. I have one. A Gammill  Professional Decorative Quilter. The lady who lives nearby is moving and this was surplus.I am so happy, you should see my smile at your place. The machine will need some of Barry’s TLC, the rollers have leaders, there is a converter as it is 110Voltage, and in NZ we have 240V for power. The table is Australian Jarrah, and there are pantographs as well as a laser light.

Gammill Machine

Unloading in the drizzle.It was cold!!!

Under the blue tarpaulinAnother part unloading

looking better by the minutehere it is

Until it is running,  and all  assembled with  the rollers,  the machine is strapped to the table for safety.

Because this is so special, and too good/precious/wonderful/ ( I’m lost for words)  to keep all to myself,  I am planning to share it with family and friends. They have been invited to come and actually quilt their quilts on it.So if you see a sudden display of “quilted” quilts down here, they might have been in the garage, having some stitching done.  My station wagon had a hissy fit when  I told it “ You are outside in the cold for some time”!!! And Hugh shook his head in dismay!!!

Quotation of the day, author unknown.

“ The possibility that a dream will come true,

makes every day so worthwhile”

Greetings from Jean.

22 comments:

Nancy J said...

I forgot to add that in the future, for some time, there will be no meals, housework, laundry, shopping ( other than quilty things) no firewood chopping , or anything else not considered absolutely necessary. I hope to be able to move it into the warmer part of our home when I rearrange some furniture!!! Hugh is nailing down the bed and his comfy chair right now!!

Razzle Dazzle Quilter said...

This is soooooo exciting.

Out To Pasture said...

Well done, Jean! I'll bet you're wearing a great big smile, which will only get bigger when your treasure is all set up and in action! Congratulations on this wonderful acquisition!

FlowerLady Lorraine said...

How wonderful for you to have this fantastic tool. Dreams do come true.

Enjoy ~ Love & hugs & thanks for your encouraging comments ~ FlowerLady

Lisa England said...

That is exciting news! Have fun! And maybe throw something in the crock pot so you all don't starve! You'll need your strength for all that quilting.

Yvonne from Quilting Jetgirl said...

This is so exciting, Jean! I hope that you can get it set up and start using it soon. :)

Carole @ From My Carolina Home said...

OH how exciting!! Great buy!! You are going to love being able to quilt by moving the machine instead of the fabric.

Carol Mattingly said...

You have embraced quilting with every bit of gusto. I applaud you Jean. My sister is a quilter and I know it is truly a rewarding thing. Carol

Kate said...

Congratulations on your new toy. You will have lots of fun, I am sure.

QuiltinLibraryLady said...

Congrats on your new-to-you machine. You'll have a ball learning to use it and just quilting away. This might be bad news for Hugh, but I've heard of quilters emptying out the living room and setting up the quilting machine in there, then using a larger bedroom as a sitting room. I've considered it myself!

Jenn Jilks said...

That is so fun! It didn't even occur to me that you didn't have one! Your work is amazing!
Congratulations! You sure deserve such a treat!

And, no I don't speak French totally fluently. I just don't know where the Touche Pas came from, except that my grandkids in Ottawa are bilingual! xx

Nancy J said...

Thank you all for encouraging words. Our main bedroom is quite large, and with some new lighting, the Gammill would fit in there so well. A bit cold in the garage, and yes, the crock pot will come in very handy. If I was here by myself, the big lounge would be perfect. Large windows, good lights, a fire in the winter, doors that open for summer, but with a TV there for evening entertainment, how could I take it over for just myself? oh well, I am so happy with what I have right now.

Fundy Blue said...

Wow! I never even knew such things existed! Congratulations on your lucky find ~ may you have many happy hours doing quilty things on it! Sending you and Hugh hugs and love!

Shelley Folkerts said...

That is exciting news, Jean. I wish for a long arm someday but we would have to add on to the house. My everyday sewing machine is acting sick and I hope it is easily fixed. Been basically working in dark as my overhead room light died and I upgraded to LED. You would not believe how bright it is now. They should be able to see me working on my quilts 1/2 a mile down the road. Look forward to seeing all your lovely quilting finishes when up and running. Hugs to you and Hugh.

Jenny said...

How exciting indeed - no doubt you will be busy practising, and practising for a wee while until it becomes second nature. I like the suggestion about putting meals together in a crockpot, if you have one. Then you can quilt away happily while smelling your delicious meal cooking all by itself.

The Furry Gnome said...

Wow! You lucky lady!, Mrs. F.G. bought a 12 foot one when we retired, and it has just been sold, the reverse of what you received. The lady who bought it came with a mechanically inclined friend who could help her, and it was all dismantled, moved and re-assembled in less than four hours. The next day we heard it was working fine and she loved it. Mrs. F.G. Is looking to get a newer but smaller one when we move. So I know all about long arm machines, what they are worth, and what you can do with them Bravo for you! Hope you really enjoy it! Mrs. F.G. found that the setup of a quilt on the machine was the challenge, but the quilting went smoothly once it was set up.

Mystic Quilter said...

Congratulations on scoring the long arm - I am so, so envious!!!

Susan Heather said...

Congratulations - I am sure it will give you many hours of pleasure.

eileeninmd said...

Hello Jean, congrats on your new quilting machine. That is an awesome buy. I am sure you will find a warm place in the house for your new quilting machine.
Will Hugh take over cooking, you do need to eat. Enjoy your new buy!
Happy Monday, enjoy your day and the new week ahead!

Sharon - IN said...

Wow! How exciting for you to own a longarm! I hope you have hours and hours of fun creating on it!

Sew of Course said...

Oh wow, so exciting! I am wishing for one too, but lacking a garage or other space, I am wishing for a roomier house first... I hope you get to use it soon.

What Karen Sees said...

Oh my goodness!! Lucky, lucky you! I've spent some time visiting your past posts that I've missed. Your artistic quilting is so lovely! And now you will have one more 'tool' to help you create! (I just ordered 2 new lenses for my camera that I hope will do the same thing for me!) And by the way, yes, we did see Bridal Veil Falls in NZ, I think it was between Hamilton and Raglan. It was beautiful!!! Here is one photo from there, taken after a huge storm: http://whatkarensees.blogspot.com/2015/09/bridal-falls-new-zealand.html