Sewing Machine Woes & Decisions

I've made some progress on my place mat sets - about half of them are ready to be quilted.  Not as far along as I had planned though, due to a sewing machine malfunction.  My main machine has been humming along for a few years, and is now in need of at least a tune-up.  I am finding it is not that easy to find a sewing machine repair shop these days, at least not for the kind of machine I have.  So I am making due with an old straight stitch console Singer until I can get it serviced.  The Singer has a nice even and balanced stitch, but does not have the capability of doing freemotion quilting.

I am considering buying another machine, as a backup to my main one, and also  as a lighter and easier model to take along to quilting retreats and such.

In the meantime, I am putting the old Singer to good use, getting all the placemats ready to quilt.

On a different note, a new shipment of  beautiful Bali Batiks has arrived, which I will be listing those over the next few days.  Also, there are still a few more hours for you to get in on this week's giveaway, if you haven't already.  Get the details here.