Original Sewing and Quilt Expo in Raleigh

I've been waiting for months to go to this show! I'm almost in the market for a sitdown longarm and it is very difficult to find them near Winston-Salem. This was the perfect opportunity to test out as many as I could. I joined a carpool that set out from Sewingly Yours and we all headed over to Raleigh:)

 

I didn't realize that this was more of a trade show than an exhibition, but they did have some really neat little quilts on display. In retrospect, I was so interested in the actual quilts that I forgot to get the info on the quilters. Sorry if you see your quilt and I haven't given you credit:(

 

Here's a couple of my favorites:

 

The APQS George was not on site, but I tried out Innova's new sitdown. I also got to test Gammill's new sitdown, the Tin Lizzie version and the HQ Sweet Sixteen. I tentatively tried out a couple of long arms, but I am pretty sure my comfort zone involves moving the quilt myself.

Out of all the options, I liked the Innova the best. It had a good 18 inches of space and was super easy to move the quilt. It had a light touch, like the old car I learned to drive on. You know the kind you can turn the steering wheel with one finger? The Innova was like that. A bit boxy and unattractive, but a good feel and industrial strength. It went through two layers of Steam-a-seam without blinking an eye.

The Gammill was nice, but a little loud and harder to move the quilt around. It is a bit fancy for me. I don't need an Android tablet attached or a black light. And it was a good $4000 more than the rest of the sitdowns. The Tin Lizzie was alright, but not great on visibility and the HQ kept jamming on me. Never a good sign. So I get to try out the George next week. I'm leaning toward that one anyway. Hope it lives up to my expectations.

I also got this really cool gadget called the Fabulous Fabric Glide by the Gypsy Quilter. It has little rubber grippers on the bottom and handles on each side for holding onto. And even better, a nice wide open space on one side so you don't have to wrestle it under your presser foot. They let me borrow one and take it over to the Gammill so I could give it a try. Love it! I have been going through a lot of gloves and this seems like a great idea. And a great deal too. It was only $19.95 for a pack of two (one big and one little).

The show didn't have a great selection of fabric, so we drove over to this little quilt shop called Wish Upon a Quilt. We almost missed it. It is tucked back into what we would call an Industrial Estate in Wales. Construction businesses and window sellers, that sort of thing. But it had an amazing display of fabric and really friendly staff.

I caved and broke my saving streak. It's been a while since I've bought much fabric. I've been busy saving. But who can resist temptation like this? And my cousin is having his first baby. I just had to get some little boy fabric.

 

Is this not the cutest fabric! I'm not quite sure how I'm going to lay it out yet, but I love the little cars and bright fabrics.

 

This one is my favorite! I'm usually not a pink fan, but this pink is so light that it is almost a neutral. If you look closely, you can see the little green lizards running up blue stalks. I bought enough for a bag and a Kindle cover. Love it!