Jumping In With Both Feet

The time has come to jump in with both feet. I am taking this quilting thing to a whole new level. I am buying the Long Arm. Whew! that was kind of scary. Matter of fact it is still scary. I am sure this is what I want and need to do but still that is a lot of money.  But I am committed, I put down a deposit and applied for financing. The whole thing has been set in motion. I just hope I don't regret it as I will have to work until it is paid off. (work is not all that great right now)

All of this took place last Wednesday. I took off work and drove to Lake City, FL to attend an APQS Roadshow. I wanted answers about what could be added later and what I needed to get right away. I also wanted to know the advantages and disadvantages of some of the features. I wanted to be sure they were worth the extra money to me. I was not sure until that morning that I would be getting the Quilt path as I wasn't sure I wanted to go into debt over it. But my wonderful husband told me to get it even though it meant financing. The Roadshow deal gave me all I wanted, at the price I wanted, so I moved forward with it.

So why would someone that has a blog entitled "Quilting Wanna Bee" jump into that commitment with both feet. There are several reasons.

First, I see it as a way to supplement my retirement income. I don't have to make a lot of money but I am sure that any retiree could use a little extra now and then. If I buy it now it is paid for when I retire and that means I can use whatever I make to feed my quilting addiction.

Second, while I am not an competition quilter, I do love to quilt. I have been quilting off and on since I was young. This will help me to get projects finished and on to the next one so I can improve. Besides I need to practice using it.

Third, I can't stand how long it takes to hand quilt things (Heirloom items included). My hands get tired very easily and I am prone to carpal tunnel problems. Plus I am one of those people who likes to see progress on a project every time I work on it. I don't get that with hand quilting.

Fourth, I can't machine quilt big quilts on my machine. It is woefully un-equipped to do any quilts bigger than a throw. I can't manage to get the hang of moving the quilt at an even speed to do any type of free-motion. I just don't have the right tool for what I want to do. The long arm is the right tool.

Fifth, I think this would make my parents happy. Most of the money for the machine is coming from money that my parents left me. I was really good and paid off a lot of debt and got somethings done that made our lives easier. But I know that my parents would also want me to spend a little on myself. So I am. In fact the only reason I am getting financing is so I can get the computerized system. I will need that if I am going to quilt for others.

 So yeah, I am a little bit of crazy but I am making that commitment to get better at what I do.  I am taking the next step. As the saying goes "if you would have a virtue, assume it".  Decide what you want to become and start being that person. It is time for me to stop wishing I was better at quilting and commit the time and effort to becoming better at quilting. That is what I am trying to do. 

Bonus reason, it will help Tatianna as well. We both will improve, finish projects, and maybe earn some money as well.

What are you trying to accomplish?