Queen for a Day

 When I was a small tyke, my mom used to plunk me down in front of the 12" TV and turn on a favorite show to keep me busy. We hadn't heard about limiting screen time back then! One show I remember was Queen for a Day where several potential winners would tell the host their problem(s) in hopes of being chosen and winning all of the prizes. The one with the best story would be named Queen for a Day and would be shown all of her wonderful prizes that usually included kitchen appliances, washer and dryer, maybe a vacation or a new car. I loved seeing all of the prizes but it also made me sad because the other contestants still had their problems and went home with some consolation prize. This post is going to show you how I'm not only a Queen for a Day but every day because I found an Elna Quilting Queen Pro 7300 sewing machine.

Elna Quilting Queen Pro 7300

The first project I used it on was my sister's blue quilt and I couldn't have been happier. Although it has a large table to help with those bigger projects, I set it up on my dining table so there would be even more room for the quilt. The extension table had a large chunk broken off the front but I used white duct tape and made it smooth and usable again.

Extension table mended

There are so many features but I'll list my favorite ones, or at least those I have discovered.

Needle threader: so many sewing machines have this handy feature and they work for the most part but the Elna QQ does a better job than most. Very few are foolproof!

Thread cutter: my only other experience with this feature is my Viking Designer I and it's a bit touchy. This machine makes a rather loud sound as it is engaged but it works every time. Enough said.

Handy features

Presser foot lift: there is a knee lever for this feature that I can't use on the table it now rests on (lever catches on the table's front trim) but it works fine on the right surface.

Stitch chart: I usually find these things annoying but even though it's fairly large I pull it out of the tote bag and peruse it from time to time. How nice to see all of the stitches at once!

Stitch selection chart

Presser feet: these are the snap on variety but work just fine and it came with a fairly large variety. The narrow hemmer worked fine yesterday.

Presser feet of excellent quality

Bobbin winder: place the empty spool on the winder, thread it up, push a button on the screen, it's done. Seems like less fuss than some, winds a nice tight bobbin.

Bobbin winding with the push of a button

 and finally, the even feed foot: it's really the best reason to own this machine. Just like the Pfaff IDT, this is just one foot that locks into place and is a built in walking foot: first photo shows lever

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even feet foot engaged

The Elna Quilting Queen Pro is designed for quilting but it can still be used for garment sewing and home dec but note there is no free arm option, something that is always handy. I still managed to sew up swimsuits, capri pants, and shirts in the past few weeks so I'm not missing it too much. I hate to say it but this might have to live with me for quite awhile until I slink back to my D1. It will certainly be mad at me for my defection. I always say you need more than one sewing machine since some perform better than others at certain tasks but the Elna 7300 has won my heart for now.