July blocks for Block Lotto and the first product of the Loom

Chequerboard blocks

These are my blocks for July, I think they are great and would love to make a quilt using these in a pastel and white version.  I found the tips from Sara to make them enabled me to zip through them as I had made the yellow one first and that seemed to take such a long time I had left the others until this morning.  Using the Sara method I completed all the other 4 in no time at all.
  I am thrilled to have won in the Lotto draw and look forward to all the blocks arriving, hoping that they all make it to this far off land of Oman.  It is in the Middle East for those who didn't know, next to Yemen and near Dubai.
 Due to the very hot weather here I am staying indoors a lot more these days as it is they only way to stay cool with the AC on, and therefore have got a lot more sewing done.  I am looking for advice on buying a long arm quilting machine and frame and would welcome any thoughts or experience from any of you able to spare the time to write.  I cannot afford a vast amount and the frame and machine will have to be shipped here so that may limit my choice a bit.  Thanks in advance.
I have also bought a Rigid Heddle Loom recently and have been trying my hand at weaving and am attaching a pic of my first attempt, a scarf!

Two weeks today I will be winging my way back home to the UK and some cool weather and probably rain, oh how I long for a bit of rain!  Also going to be there in August and will be able to visit my friend Jan Bevan's exhibition of quilting etc in Pershore and the Birmingham NEC Quilt Show so am quite excited about all these events.
Quilting friend Kathi is on her hols at the moment and I have missed our mornings of sewing together but when she and I both get back here we shall start on our quilted wall hanging of Oman so that should be fun.