New Toy

Finally broke down and bought a new sewing machine. Lots of bells and whistles, even on the most basic machine in the shop.

My last machine - a small Singer industrial model from my father's business, rebuilt after a warehouse fire - gave up the ghost several years ago, and since I rarely used it for anything other than finishing off my weaving or doing a small repair, I never replaced it.

This new toy threads its own needle, threads its own bobbin, switches from foot to foot with a small lever, and makes 40 or so different stitches just by me changing the channel-type readout on the front of the machine. Oh, and it figures out how big to make the buttonhole when you insert the button you're using into a plastic gizmo that attaches onto the foot. That, after you choose among four or five different buttonhole styles. And, my most favorite part, all the tiny parts store in a little cubby on the front of the machine.
Not that I expect to need most of this. Here's what I would love to make: a quilt as amazing as the iconic Gee's Bend quilt. This one and the one at the top are both from the collection.
Incredible. If you have a suggestion for a pattern, or have a quilting blog to recommend, please help to bring me into the 21st century, so that I can make something old-fashioned.