Debbie Bowles
This is me taken this year.

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My name is Debbie Bowles from Georgia. I sewed for my children when they were very young then put my sewing machine up for 30 years. My sister-in-law had always wanted to learn to quilt and spoke of it often. I reluctantly agreed to take with her a free “Quilting 101” class from a local quilt shop and immediately caught the “quilting bug.” That was in 2007. Since then, I’ve probably pieced together around 30 quilts. Most of the quilts I made were lap quilts or crib size so that I could quilt them on my on my home machine. I used my neighbor’s mid-arm for the few full-size quilts I made but I hated quilting only 5 inches across at a time. Many of my quilts tops were stored on a shelf; I would not be satisfied until I had my own long-arm machine and I didn’t have the patience to continue to use the mid-arm with a 9” throat after the second try. I just wanted my own long-arm.
In 2009, my husband and I want to quilt shows, test drove the entire inventory of long-arm machines, and asked lots of questions. I loved the HQ for many reasons, one of which was because of the frame. Unlike other frames, it wasn’t necessary to adjust the height of the rollers as the take-up roller got larger. The price was also much more reasonable and had all the features I wanted included the stitch regulator. It was also possible to add other features such as the HQ Pro-Stitcher computerized quilting. Oh, I wanted one so badly. However, I had retired that year un-expectantly and money was tight. I continued to check E-Bay and other websites to purchase a used HQ. Apparently, people aren’t interested in selling their HQ. Again, that confirmed that I was after the right machine. And then… there it was, the HQ Sixteen, and the price was one I could afford. However, when I called the lady, the system had already been sold. The lady, an instructor for Handi Quilter, was selling her system to upgrade to the HQ18 Avante or the HQ24 Fusion Package. (I can’t remember which.) When she noted the disappointment and eagerness in my voice, she quickly suggested that I call another HQ instructor who was also upgrading her system to a larger HQ. I immediately called Meredyth Rotlisberger and made the purchase. It is wonderful. I love my HQ Sixteen and within the first two months, I had quilted 16 quilts that had been stored on the shelf waiting for this addition to my quilting studio.
I enjoy “playing” and quilting with my HQ. It’s so easy to maneuver. Now, I’m making larger quilts and not just the lap quilts. Quilting has given me an enjoyable pastime since my retirement and my family will be warm for many winters and generations to come. I stay in my quilting studio a minimum of 6 to 9 hours almost every day and I thank God, I was fortunate enough to find Meredyth. She was very helpful in helping me to set up my machine and get started. Also, the home office of Handi Quilter has been very helpful in helping me switch over the owner registration and answer any questions I had. I love the company and I love my machine. I have already started a plan to upgrade to the HQ18 Avante or the HQ24 Fusion within the next three years. I want more and I wouldn’t even consider another machine!! It’s easy to see that Handi Quilter was designed by a quilter for quilters.

I own the following HQ machines:


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