Thursday 20 March 2014

MMQ: Sandy Beach

Meet My Quilt: Sandy Beach


Sandy Beach is a wall hanging I designed for Down Under Quilts. I had a sketch in my journal (below) of a seaside memory box full of interesting objects


The pattern is applique shapes on top of a memory box background


And the applique pieces are many little seaside memories which you can alter and personalize to suit you. Once you get started it can be hard to stop. Here I am ironing down a block when I should have been cooking dinner!


Just as I was making Sandy Beach, that was also the time I was having great difficulties with my Bernina 820, it is such a troublesome machine, as you can see below I had a lot of difficulties, and with a deadline to boot! I was not happy...

and made many blocks again and again


Sandy Beach is a fun quilt: I had the white washed walls of a seaside room in mind when I designed this quilt, whilst Down Under suggested it would make a great Nursery quilt. I think that's a great idea too, especially as there's so much room for personalizing.


If you make this quilt, consider sending me a picture of your work, I'd love to see it!

9 comments:

  1. How are you faring with the 820 now?

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  2. I wish I'd never purchased and invested so much in such a troublesome machine(well my DH purchased it, but you know what I mean). I'm still very upset about and with it. It's a Bernina failure.

    If only I had been exposed to some honest reviews I would never have invested in it. That's why I'm so frank about it, I don't want anyone to feel as I have felt, it's awful.

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  3. Esther, your quilt is gorgeous. I'm sorry to hear about your machine troubles. I briefly considered purchasing a used 830 machine on eBay about a year ago, but then I went on the Yahoo 8 Series group forum and read a whole slew of posts about problems. It's so confusing, because for each person who wishes they'd never set eyes on their machine, there would be another person saying how in love with it they were, how you just had to "relearn" things differently and then would get spectacular results.
    I was leery enough to realize that the eBay seller was probably one of the ones with a problem machine, and that's why she was selling it for half of what she'd paid. So I went with the 750 QE so I would at least have a warranty and dealer support. A year later, I'm mostly pleased with that decision, loving the smoother embroidery and BSR, all that wonderful throat space and gorgeous lighting, and the monstrously huge bobbin. But there have been several computer hiccups that required trips back to the dealer, one that prevented me from participating in Harriet Hargrave's machine applique class that I had been so looking forward to. While they were easy fixes and under warranty, I still resent the down time. The purchase price of these machines is so outrageous, and I don't need or want half the features. I wish you could buy sewing machines the way you do a new car -- you pick the body style, and then you can choose packages or select features individually that are important to you to add on. So, heated seat, YES, entertainment system for the back seat NO! I hope your stitching woes are soon to be resolved. If you've been having ongoing issues with your 820, how is your Bernina dealer responding?

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  4. Sandy Beach is just gorgeous.. I will see if I can get a copy od Down Under Quilts here..
    Sew annoying when you have trouble with your machine. I have a 440QE Bernina and have ongoing problems with that too.

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  5. Rebecca I just love your idea - yes I wish we could pick and choose our machine features. And for the price we pay, we should be able to!

    I am getting 'used' to my 820 but I have since purchased another machine which I will blog about when I get a minute. The fact is, I have been sewing for 45 years and quilting for 13, so when people say you 'just have to re-learn' how to use the machine, it really annoys me. How much experience do Bernina think a sewer needs to use their machine? To make it fit for purpose?!

    As for the dealer, I have not had any problems with them, they are supportive. The issue is the 820 machine itself. Bernina should issue a recall and put many of us out of our misery. I am working through the issues one at a time, but I resent this breaking in period and the down time, its deeply frustrating.

    Another thing is, everyone recommends that I should somehow trade it in and upgrade to a new machine- but I don't trust Bernina anymore and no matter if I trade it in, I will NEVER recover the investment put into it, if I did trade it in, I would lose EVEN MORE from this machine. Time AND money. I just wish I could go back in time and never buy it! It's a bind. I read reviews that were positive and I tried this machine at a show but I had no idea I would regret it so badly. I would really like to see frank and honest opinions given on machines, it seems like people are afraid to potentially offend manufacturers, well I am a paying customer and I am deeply offended to have been treated with such contempt by such a prestigious brand - the 820 should not have hit the market.

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  6. Wonderful little quilt. I will have to see if I can find the magazine here in Washington State. Regarding your machine, you may want to consider writing to Bernina and telling them about the problems you have had. You never know, they be responsive. Good luck.

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  7. This is such a fun little quilt to look at!!, I am so sorry about all the trouble you have had with your new machine, that should just not happen to anyone with a Bernina. What does your dealer say or do for you?? Have you written Bernina directly? The squeaky wheel gets the most grease and believe me, I would be squeaky!!! I think they should give you a new machine, have you suggested that???

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  8. This is such a fun little quilt to look at!!, I am so sorry about all the trouble you have had with your new machine, that should just not happen to anyone with a Bernina. What does your dealer say or do for you?? Have you written Bernina directly? The squeaky wheel gets the most grease and believe me, I would be squeaky!!! I think they should give you a new machine, have you suggested that???

    ReplyDelete

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