For a couple of years, I have been considering a liquidation of my machine quilting business. A long bike trip in September convinced me that I wanted to do more biking while we could still manage to do so….so my life in Shelton needed to become less encumbered with possessions and responsibilities. The fabric inventory and Gammill business seemed to be a logical place to begin the downsizing process.
An added incentive was the deterioration of the rug in the machine room. It was obvious, after being away for 6 weeks, that the flooring needed to be redone with a more durable product…so the moving began!
The goal was to empty the machine room so the new carpeting could be installed…and set up the fabric inventory for sale. I decided all the sale fabric would be 1+ yard cuts rounded down to the nearest 1/4 yard increments. The process took 5 weeks to complete and, at some points, was very heart wrenching….especially when I got to the reds, oranges and batiks! But I ignored the little voice that said…that’s gorgeous and I intended it for… The end result is a remaining fabric stash with nothing over 1 yard cuts except for a few Kaffe Fassett and Laurel Burch fabrics that I could not force myself to relinquish…and, of course, Larye’s stash has remained untouched!
During the process of clearing the basement, I rented time on a machine at a local quilt shop…an experiment to see if there was actually life after Gammill ownership. Considering the type of quilting that I plan to do in the future (clothing, art quilts and a few dorm sized quilts for grandchildren and great grandchildren), I think renting time is a very good alternative to maintaining my demanding long term quilting buddy. Of course, I have a consignment quilt to finish this week, a new grandbaby quilt and one left over quilt top from my sister’s stash that still requires attention.
The 2002 Optimum Plus has a 30 inch quilting space with a 14 foot table. Accessories include a circle lord, multiple books, tools, stencils and, a few pantographs. It has computerized stitch regulation and has been extremely well maintained with all the upgrades….a titanium needle bar, new mother board in 2007 and multiple tune-ups over the years. My good friend has seen me through thousands of quilts, art projects and clothing in the last 12 years…and after trying other brands of quilting machines, I would go with an industrial grade Gammill every time.