Long Distance Acquaintances

A few months ago I was contacted in a convoluted manner by a woman in Fort McMurray. She is a long Arm operator/owner with a HQ but her "elderly" friend had purchased a used bastardized Juki known as a B - Line 18, the machine I own and operate.  She had bought it second hand. As the company folded about 5+ years ago, we've been left to fend for ourselves.

Could I assist her?
Wait a minute....She lives in Fort McMurray, Alberta and I live in Guelph, Ontario.
She has two friends WHO QUILT, albeit on a different machine.

Now just in case you didn't know, Ft McMurrary is the center of all the oil sands exploration/exploitation, controversy in the west, in CANADA. Ft McMurray is the little dot on the map just above the last A in Alberta. Never been there.. never will. ( The End of The World?  sorry my Albertan friends )

Now Guelph, isn't on this map of a Canada, but it's an hour west of Toronto, which is.

So here I have a plea for help, from a elderly lady ( gotta watch that term...it's a little too close to home any more! ) who lives 3807 mi. from me. 39 hours buy car or 4+ hours by air ($500+).

What's wrong with this picture.
I spent an hour on the phone with her last night. She is SOOOO frustrated. I remember the learning curve and it's brutal.
We talked about a number of her issues. So I think I helped her with some. I recommended she purchase the best book I know for rank beginners. But the rest is up to her.

Still available and still relevant, I won't part with my copy.

Yes, I have a lot of cheap and dirty solutions up my sleeves that I'm happy to pass on to her. I spent part of the morning photographing some of the cheats I use in place of the pricey aids her friends were recommending. ( My McGyver gene)

But like ANY new skill, whether it be quilting, Free Motion Quilting, Thread Painting.......

Practice, PRACTICE, PRACTICE

Post Scrip - 4/13 - I'm happy to report my new quilting friend in Alberta has the McGyver gene as well. All is well in the western province.