My new arrival!

I'd been patiently waiting for my new arrival after being told that it would come in a month. Imagine my surprise when I came home last night and found this on my porch:
Wheeeee! My new toy!

Of course I ripped right in and started playing with all the features. Had way too much fun trying out all the utility and decorative stitches that I don't really know what they are for but look pretty and will definitely show up in some art quilts or handbags.



I only officially sewed 1 real seam last night, but it was a good one! This machine sews soooooo nice compared to my entry level Singer. The knee lifter and needle up/down button alone have the potential to change my life! And the auto tie off/backstitch. And sewing without the pedal. Too cool, the pedal is on a different cord. You can completely unplug it and sew at a constant speed with the stop/start button. Not practical for some of the handbag seams, but will be awesome for decorative stitches and such.

Enough rambling about my baby, for now. I'm sure there will be more!

Here's an update on the Tremendous Totes:
I've been working on a "prototype" to make sure my pattern works, and that's almost done. I've even made some improvements from the winning bag! The rest of the original colorway are all cut out and I'm hoping to have those done in a week. That's a loose deadline, now, so don't get too excited.

The pattern is coming along nicely as well. I've got everything drawn out in Illustrator so it's going to look awesome and professional. Now I'm just double checking pattern markings and writing the directions. It's harder than I thought to describe some of the crazy stuff I did! This pattern is definitely going to end up as an intermediate level, mostly from all the pockets and extra details that make it so cool.

I'll be sewing all weekend, so check back for an update Monday!