5/12/14

Ta-ra-ra Boom-de-ay!

It's been a good day. As you know, my notorious Janome sewing machine is currently looking for a new job. She's going to check out Craig's list looking for someone who doesn't do any sewing more complicated than basic mending and then she can take up space in their closet. Today I'm going to boot her off my sewing table to make way for.....

Pfelicity!


Yep...I've been scouring the internet looking at machines. I had my choices narrowed down to two brands: Juki and Pfaff. The reviews I read of both brands were good, and so I started looking at other considerations. When I realized that there were no Juki dealers listed in Oregon, I decided the Juki brand was out. And that left me looking at just one brand...the Pfaff. This morning I narrowed it down to one model, the Pfaff Passport 2.0. I liked it for its surprising number of features from my wish list, and for its compact size.

It's a cute little machine


The store where I went even had a promotion going on where I could get a free extension table and straight-stitch plate for the price of the machine...which was on sale. After spending some time sewing on it and redirecting the sales person to tell me about the machine rather than everything else under the sun (Oy!), I was prepared to buy it. He was going to have to get it from another store, and I wasn't going to be able to take possession until the next day. 

Upon hearing that, I averted my gaze to some of the other machines that were available, because I'm nothing if not impulsive. I asked him to tell me about the "Ambition" line of machines. After spending some time looking at them, I ended up purchasing the Pfaff Ambition 1.0


I realized I could get a much, much nicer machine for only $100 more. It wasn't significantly larger or heavier, and I'm reasonably certain I'm going to be happier with it. It had most of the items on my wish list. The only thing missing was the knee lift, but I decided I could live without that. 

It has two storage compartments where I can store, tools, feet, and bobbins. And, bonus, it takes the same bobbins as my Janome, so I don't need any extras. Nevertheless, the salesman gave me 15 extra bobbins. I should have bobbins for life now.


It came with these five feet:


There was no 1/4-inch foot, but I just ordered a metal one off eBay for $10. I think I paid about five times that for my Bernina 1/4-inch foot, which was a big reason for avoiding the Bernina brand in this emergency back-up/travel machine. I love my Bernina, don't get me wrong. But it is an expensive and heavy sucker, and the parts are expensive as well. I was trying to get a second machine that would be reliable, have the features I liked, and wouldn't break the bank.

But to get back to the machine...it has 79 decorative stitches and alphabets, and the stitches can be programmed in sequence if you like.


And since this is a machine I plan to take to classes and in our trailer, I wanted a good hard carrying case for it. Check.


There was no promotion going on for this machine, and thus, no free extension table or straight-stitch plate. I just put on my sad face, set my lip to quivering, and prepared to throw a tantrum. That scared the salesman into giving me one of each. So here it is with its extension table.


And--cool--a straight stitch plate.


So it was such a pretty day, I decided to set it up at the dining room table while I read the manual and familiarized myself with its features. I took everything out of the box, discarded the styrofoam packing materials and plastic wrapping and then made myself a cup of espresso to go with my biscotti. I don't think it's possible to properly read an instruction manual without both. Wouldn't you agree?


And then I plugged in the power cord and foot pedal and turned it on.


Nothing exploded or caught fire, and so I figured I was on the right track.

And then I threaded the machine and the bobbin and...


activated my needle down feature (Cool!)...


And took my first stitches. The "chocolate" fabric was just a happy accident. Breathe deeply.


So...not a bad straight stitch, huh?

That's about as fancy as I want to get for now. I know enough to do some piecing, and so that is where I will start. Rainbow Scrap blocks, I'm looking at you.

Smitty thinks this is all pretty boring. If he can't eat it, he isn't interested.


So I guess I'll go set Pfelicity up on my sewing table and get to work doing some sewing. I'm not planning to try anything fancy until after I take my class a week from Wednesday. I'll just stick with straight-stitching for now and see what I come up with. And just in case, they did include a seam ripper with the rest of the accessories. Helpful, no?

Of course, by then I hope to have Big Bertha back, and I can go back to quilting the We are the World quilt. For now, I think I'm a happy camper. I'll report back later on how things are going between Pfelicity and me.

32 comments:

Tami C said...

Looks like your new machine has lots of features that you are going to make use of. Let us know what you thing after sewing with it for a while.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

This is the same machine my daughter is looking at so I will be anxious to hear how it works for you - has great reviews (plus she has a dealer near her which is great for service).

Dana Gaffney said...

Very Nice! and it's pretty. I've heard all good about Pfaff and of course the dealer is all important as far as I'm concerned. Congrats!

Jeanie said...

She's a beauty! May you have many years of creative stitching together!

Lee said...

I have a Pfaff Life Style aka Model 2022 that I bought oh-so-many years ago and love it, but sure do wish I had that needle-down option and an empty-bobbin indicator. Pfaff is now, as of 3/2013, a European holding of SGSB...a company founded in 1965 and headquartered in Shanghai.

Sherry said...

Congrats she looks like a great little sister to Big Bertha. Have fun!!

Donna said...

Cool little sewing machine. Congrats.

WoolenSails said...

I love my pfaff, she sews like a dream when she is not breaking down, lol. I got the first creative vision that came out, since the dealer sold me hers, so I had to have a lot of fixes and upgrades and pay for them since the store closed and no way to get lessons. But, I love the way it sews, love the features and the feet and all the things I can do with it, now i have to learn how to use it more.

Debbie

crazy quilter said...

Oh boy! I have lots of friends with pfaff's an they love them. Happy sewing...

ytsmom said...

That cat needs a bigger bed, his feet don't fit!! Hope you love the new machine.

Junebug613 said...

Congrats on the new addition! I hope she performs exactly how you want for a long time!

Cath said...

Congrats and good choice. I have a Pfaff and one of my favourite features is the inbuilt walking foot which I always have in operation. I hope you have a long and happy relationship with Pfelicity!!
Cath @ Bits 'n Bobs

Terry@ a quilting blog said...

Congrats…happy sewing with Pfelicity!!!

ipatchandquilt said...

Congratulations, it is a beautiful machine!
Esther

Marei said...

Well congrats on the new member of your sewing family. I hope you have years of perfect piecing with Miss Pfelicity.

Celtic Thistle said...

That poor salesman didn't stand a chance once your lip started quivering Barbara! I wish you and Pfelicity many happy years of sewing together.

quiltzyx said...

LOL - you can ignore most of the comment on the last post!!! Pfelicity looks just right. :) Sounds like she'll be as good to you as my HT is to me. Hooray!

Beth said...

Hooray for you! I love my Pfaff and it sounds like you and Pfelicity are off to a good start.

liniecat said...

Pfelicity - LOL love that ~
She looks grand!
Now why might I also need a straight stitch needle plate? I havent heard about them before, so what am I missing out on, do tell please?

Kathy Felsted Usher said...

I like my Pfaff but I still want to take a class. It's programmable but is older and doesn't have anything to connect to the computer or use discs; however, I can program using cards. My dealer will provide an individual class so this summer maybe I'll take a vacation day. I hope you love yours.

Meg said...

Great post - very witty! How exciting for you to get a new machine. The name put a smile on my face.

Strange that they don't come with a 1/4" foot. The tiny Sew Mini from Janome comes with a 1/4" foot but the regular sized machines do not. Go figure.

Getting four foster kittens tomorrow. Will have to send you a pic. Guess they showed up on a farm in southern MN. A farm where all of their cats are altered. Mother disappeared and the kittens were left behind. Still had their umbilical cords... Healthy though I am told (thank goodness).

I guess the local shelters are overrun with kittens right now. Not surprising....that always comes with spring here in MN.

Have a good Wednesday and thanks for your great blog!

Meg

Ann said...

I love that you stepped outside the Bernina box and bought a Pfaff. I will be interested to see how you and Pfelicity get along. I'm going to be looking at a new machine in a few months and Pfaff is on my list.

Diane Wild said...

A new toy. Good for you. We all need reliable backups and this looks like a good one. Sew on.

works4me said...

Congratulations on adding Pfelicity to the fold.

It sounds like you got a good machine at a good dealer.

May you have many happy and productive years with Pfelicity.

Anonymous said...

Looks to be the perfect machine....that straight stitch is wonderfully aligned....it would get my vote!!!! The hard case is worth a lot, too (for the camper/workshop uses). I love my Juki TL2010Q but it's a heavy machine (I use a luggage "trolley" to move it) but it is solid when stitching at top speed. After using an overpriced(!) Bernina all these years, the knee lifter was a 'must' for me.....the thread cutter was a huge 'perk'. Needle-down feature is a given in my books these days! Sounds like you made a purchase that will serve you well in the coming years. Hugs.................

Nita said...

She is beautiful! Congratulations!

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Have fun with your new Pfaff. Sorry the Janome was a lemon. Every brand has a lemon here and there, unfortunately.

Brown Family said...

That is a great backup/travel machine. It will be fun to use. I hope Big Bertha comes home soon!

LethargicLass said...

Pfelicity is the same machine as my Pfilomena :)

Kate said...

It's such a drag when your main sewing buddy is down and out, but it looks like you've got a good back up now.

Michele said...

Yeah for you. I'm glad that you found something and hope she behaves for a good long time.

Val's Quilting Studio said...

Yours has many of the same bells and whistles as my Viking....it's always good to have a dependable back up machine.