Carrolyn Vidal
Quilt made as 8 yr. old
Quilting has been my passion for over 50 years! (My first quilt was carefully pieced using old clothing at my grandmother's treadle at age 8. (See pix) I still have the quilt and hope my piecing has improved.

As my family grew up, I continued making and learning on my own--generally memory type quilts. One day a girlfriend introduced me to the joys of longarming by asking me to come with her to a quilt shop and quilt with her. Wow--suddenly I had found my new love and bought every book, read every article, and visited every quilt shop available. She and I would drive miles away to a small shop in Ephrata, WA to longarm together on their two machines.

Then in about 2000 I was hurt in an accident and began my series of knee surgeries etc. ending up with double knee replacement three years ago. I had been soooo depressed about my quilting because I could no longer endure standing for long periods to long arm nor could I keep my quilt on a machine in a shop for several days to finish it a little at a time. While at Sew Expo in Puyallup in 2005, I got my first glimpse of the HQ Sixteen and immediately fell in love. Not only was it easy to use--it was affordable and the answer to my dilemna. Just days before my actual double knee replacement (both done at once!) it arrived and they set it up in my home. It was the constantly visible "golden carrot" that brightened my long days of recovery and encouraged my physical therapy etc. I continue to longarm and enjoy my machine working on my quilts as my knees allow. Halleluja I may no longer be able to run and jump….but I sure can still longarm!

I own the following HQ machine: HQ Sixteen