A stitch in time

This month’s New Moon is already here. Leos are not known for being sneaky, so we can’t accuse it of sneaking up on us. We’ve just been too busy “vacationing” to spend time at the computer – that, and having unexpected family visits occurring in the middle of typing a blog post. This is future quilter, granddaughter Lexi who’s nearly 6. First we toured all of my fabric drawers and petted the favourites, and then she wanted to make something (with the fabric I’d cut for my Mexican Stars!). So, here she is with the “bird” that we sewed together. (I put the machine on automatic at slow speed and let her hit the on/off button.) If they give us more than 20 minutes notice next time they visit, I’ll be able to prepare something for her to make.

Vacation this year hasn’t included much travelling. Somehow, we keep running out of time. But we managed a quick trip to the beautiful Chase Creek which runs and falls over the rocks and under a canopy of green. It’s a very peaceful place, and I could stay there forever, but sadly I always seem to be in a rush whenever I’m there. A few pictures is all I get before I have to leave again.

So, the New Moon occurs at 7 Leo today, 11:40 am my time (Pacific Daylight Time). It’s no coincidence that Lexi is also a Leo. Firey Leo’s positive traits include childlike wonder, natural leadership, generosity, creativity and lots of energy. This new moon gets a boost from Venus which is at 2 Leo today, adding more artistic creativity, but it’s also square to Jupiter which often makes us bite off more than we can chew - as in, starting too many projects or just one project that we underestimated in some way. And Leo colours are gold, orange, but also anything rich and stimulating as befits a fire sign, especially one that is ruled by the Sun itself.

I’ve had my Janome Horizon for just over a month now, and the differences between it and my last sewing machine make me appreciate the Horizon so much more.

What I like about my Horizon:
- After a couple of days of acquainting myself with a computerized sewing machine, it’s really quite easy to figure out now
- I thought my last machine stitched nice straight lines, but it’s nothing compared to this one
- I love the needle up/down and the thread cutter
- I love the transparent plate over the bobbin
- I LOVE the 11 inch throat - so much of a difference after sewing on a machine with only 5.5 inches
- I love having the thread enclosed so the cats can’t interfere with it
- The Accufeed is wonderful
- I love the automatic speed – it’s like the cruise control in a car and saves me from my lead foot on the foot pedal

What I don’t like:
- I don't hate it, but all those extra LED lights still aren’t enough – I still use my desk lamp when I’m sewing
- I have to remove the storage compartments that come as part of the sewing machine in order to attach the extension table or place it inside the sewing table
- I can't use the machine cover with the sewing table

I still think it’s a great machine. I haven’t tried other brands, but this one does what I want it to do and it suits me just fine. And Ginger can tap dance on it all she likes (but I think I’d better be taking it apart and cleaning it frequently).

Until next time,