A bit about me (and my sewing machines)

Well, after a bit of playing with the blog's settings and layout, I think I should stop fiddling with colours, backgrounds, borders, etc and start posting.  So to start off, here's a bit about me and my sewing.

I've been sewing for more years than I care to admit to. I used to do quite a lot of dress making and have recently ventured into the world of patchwork and quilting. I'm probably a "keen amateur" for dressing making and definitely a beginner for patchwork and quilting.

I got my first machine when I was about 7 years old. It was a Singer hand crank with the long bobbins and I made many outfits for my dolls using it. As I outgrew the handcrank and wanted an electric machine, I started using Mum's Bernina Minimatic, but then I was given a second-hand, bright orange Husqvarna as birthday present. The machine saw me through my only sewing qualification (an O-level in Needlework & Dress), but sadly I traded in that machine for a new Husqvarna (an Optima 630) when I was a student. This machine was to be my workhorse for many years, but then I was tempted into the world of computerised machines by a second-hand Husqvarna Orchidea. My current main machine is an ex-demo Husqvarna Sapphire 875Q which I've had for about a year, but have probably still only used about half of its features. It is great for patchwork and quilting, but I'm not sure if I would trust it with heavy fabric and am glad to have the back ups of the Optima and Orchidea.

As I seem to spend more time reading about other people's sewing than I do sewing, I've yet to work out quite how having a blog will help with my productivity.