Review: Iron: Eurosteam Next Generation

I think an item most quilters ask about is an iron. I had a Rowenta Professional Iron that I used for almost 10 years before it sprung a leak. It was one good multipurpose iron. I wanted to try something new for a change. Earlier this year I saw the Euro Steam iron being sold at the NJ Garden State Quilt Show. The odd thing about this iron is that it is either available online or via an independent seller. You cannot walk into a store and buy it. I was impressed by the demo sessions and bought it. It arrived home by mail a few weeks later.

I have now been using it for a few months and here is my review on it.

I do love the iron, but if you believe that steam and quilting don't match this iron is not for you. Without steam this iron is nothing. It's all in the power of steam. To lay it out clearly:

Pros	Cons
A great steam iron, can iron multiple layers of fabric at a time.	Does not work that well without steam.
The ceramic faceplate ensures there is no burning or scorching.	It's high pressured steam so the cover to the water compartment is airtight and must be opened only when the iron cools down. There is a wait time between filling the water tank.
Can iron out wrinkles from almost any fabric type, wool, silk, chiffon, georgette, etc. You can even steam cushions and upholstery with it.	A bit on the heavy side but that works in it's favor.
Lifetime warranty	Not ideal for foundation paper piecing.
Irons seams really well, no starch required. It has a great sharp point for opening seams too.	Need to use filtered or bottled water only.
Very sturdy construction.	No dealers available locally. Everything needs to be done via mail.
Great for ironing large fabric pieces like quilt backs, etc. If you tend to prewash all your fabric this is the iron for you.	Expensive.

From the list above it seems the cons out weigh the pros but I do like the iron and it's performance. It's seems very sturdy and atleast seems to give the impression that it will last a while. Unfortunately it's not the only iron you will need in case you do a lot of paper piecing and applique. 

Disclaimer: The opinions presented here are mine and mine only. I have purchased these items on my own and have not been compensated or influenced in anyway by the vendor or the re-seller. I do not have any affiliations with them either.

Bee block streak

This weekend I decided to get a few bee blocks out of the way.

First up two blocks for Robin at Robin Sue Quilts for Scrabeelicious, the online bee that I am a part of. They were a lot easier to make than I had anticipated.

Next up a quick and easy churn dash block for Myra for Central NJ MQG Bee

Lastly two hexagon blocks for Laura.

This marks the end of our CNJMQG Bee and I learnt so much along the way.

We made a wide array of blocks ranging from Jessica's house block to intersecting Porthole block for Sandy. Then there were some real easy blocks along the way like Carol's improv block to Alison's String block.

All in all it was a lot of fun and I am proud of myself for sticking with it through out the year and making it through every block.