My HQ story

This is the tale of “The Magic Quilting Machine.”

When I was 12, my Aunt Pat gave me my first quilt. Today, it is tattered and worn from use but my interest and love of quilting continues to grow.

Like anyone that has been quilting for a long time, and in my case it is now close to 40 years, I had created a number of pieced tops that needed quilting. What I also had was the unrealized idea of all the quilts I wanted to make. I tried machine quilting a few times using my sewing machine but I was never very happy with the results. What I was anxious to do was make quilts, lots and lots of quilts.

I started researching quilting machines about 4 years ago. I was wowed by the detail possible with machine quilting. I was also intrigued by the advertising that said that king-sized quilts could be quilted in just hours. The only king-sized quilt I made took years! When I walked into the Quilt Scene in early 2007, I got to actually try a quilting machine and it was an HQ16. I didn’t wait very long before placing my order but I did wait (very impatiently) as it made its way to me by ocean freight to our small island! My HQ16 was barely up and running before I was on my way - loops, swirls, stars, hearts, and feathers – they were all at my fingertips. Since I live outside the U. S. mainland I was unable to take advantage of the free lessons offered by my Handi Quilter dealer in Miami. I was doing my thing but couldn’t help but wonder what I was missing. What could I do better or more efficiently? What I really wanted to do was talk to other quilters and watch them quilt with their machines.

One of the women in our quilt group was making Quilts of Valor and sending them to long arm quilters to be finished. She would bring the finished pieces to our Wednesday night meetings and encourage us to get involved. We soon started working together to make QOV’s from our combined stashes. Within four months we had completed 6 quilts with the help of my HQ16. When I sent pictures to my niece she dubbed my HQ16 “The Magic Quilting Machine”. Since I have always believed that there is a certain amount of magic sewn into every quilt that is made and given to someone to show love and provide comfort, the name was perfect.

When I learned that friends had purchased a farm in Komga, South Africa and opened a home for children orphaned by AIDS, I was moved to contribute. Since quilting for children has always been my favorite kind of quilting, I asked if quilts were something that the children would enjoy. The answer was a resounding YES. Since the children must share everything, having a quilt with their name on it would be a truly special gift. A project was born! With pictures of the children as inspiration, our small quilt group enthusiastically embraced the challenge.

By the end of February we had completely finished six and we had another seven ready to quilt. I quilted every chance I got. Did I mention that I also had a full time job? My husband always knew where I would be on the weekends. As soon as I took a quilt out of the frame another took its place. I always had something ready to work on. Some of them were finished in two hours and others took eight. Each one was different and they all spoke to me

Open Arms Home for Children now has 30 children and we have all been richly rewarded with pictures of the children enjoying their quilts. The home continues to grow so my HQ16 is as busy as ever. Without it, I never would have considered making so many quilts in so little time. I’ve completed more quilts in the last year than in all of my previous 39 years of making quilts. Everything about my magic quilting machine has been infinitely rewarding. When I’m quilting with my machine I am definitely in my happy place. Every quilt that I put in the frame teaches me something

If you want to learn more about Open Arms Home for Children or a Long Walk for Children, you can visit the following websites: http://www.alongwalk.org/
or http://www.openarmshome.com/

Kathleen Mackay

I own the following HQ machine: HQ Sixteen