Long arm qulting table

The trip down retirement’s twisting road hasn’t been a solo journey. My co-pilot of forty five years has patiently suffered the away time (as I was off flying around the world). So now we are realizing some of her dreams.

I have always been aware of her many talents, in the kitchen, genealogy and quilting (actually all the sewing arts). But, I had no earthly idea how complicated quilting was!

First...this is not your grandma’s quilting!” Second...it comes at a price that would have bought grandma’s farm, two horses and a wagon load of hay. Third...the space required to set up this myriad of tables, machines and store the materials (fabric, threads, bobbins, and various other sundry “necessary” items) would take up ALL of grandma’s cabin.

Now I am not complaining, actually I am fascinated by the engineering that goes into the marvels of computerization, joinery and roller bearing gliding parts and pieces. The centerpiece sewing machine is a big screen television (some exaggeration here) mounted into a sewing machine (you have to have a slew of course on how to just turn this thing on!)

And then there is an embroidery module, and on and on. Attachments?...did I mention attachments? Well there are more “hoops, loops, stand alone serger, another sewing machine for “piecing” and other “essentials.” Thread...of every imaginable color in the rainbow. Material...there is enough stored with precision detail to colors and other criteria to make a thousand quilts! (more exaggeration). The quilter’s mantra is “she who dies with the most fabric wins.”

Her room bulges with “necessary” items. The room glows like a NASA control room with computer screens, and the hum of precision and intricately engineered motors.

Ok ...I am almost done.

The last piece to this array of “necessary” equipment is a quilting arm (long arm to be precise). This takes up a whole room! The “pieced” quilt, batting (the middle) and the backing are rolled onto this monster, across to the receiver and the computerized “big screen” sewing machine in mounted on top. After more computer programming, proper tensioning you are ready to go...I think? I say that because I hear mumbling and a few expletive deleted coming from the “control room”...so perhaps this technology and engineering precision has a “learning curve.” Hey, I haven’t bought her anything she didn’t ask for!

DISCLAIMER....the author of this article has no earthly idea what he’s talking about and it has not been approved by the aforementioned “co-pilot” / master quilter.