There was a slight detour in finishing my grandmother's quilt. My machine decided to have a meltdown. Then I had a meltdown. My needle kept falling out as I tried to quilt it. The needle down position button wasn't working. When I would press it the needle would stop just above the fabric. When I tried free motion quilting it was a big ole' mess and every 5" or less the needle would fall out again or break.
Yes, I was super frustrated the first night, and in tears by the next day when I still couldn't figure it out, and knew that I wasn't going to have time to finish grandma's quilt before leaving. I even called the shop where I purchased the machine and they had no good suggestions. On Wednesday I took it into for a trip to the spa. (aka repairs and maintenance) The shop I bought her from is an hour away. My helpful sales lady, Evelyn, was able to figure out why my needle would not go all the way down. Too bad she was at a training on Tuesday when I called. Perhaps I could have fixed the problem myself. It had to do with one of the settings in on page 5 of my menu. The cats must have been playing with my touch screen.
I have high hopes that her tweek has fixed the problem, but not in time to get grandma's quilt done. There is still a chance that something is broken inside the shaft that holds the needle, so I left my machine at the "spa" to get thouroughly checked, cleaned and oiled. They told me it could take 2 weeks. Good thing I will be gone for part of the time, because I started missing her as soon as I drove away. Is it weird to be that attached to your sewing machine and your sewing time?
In the meantime I am taking the finished quilt top down with me to CA. It will give me a chance to see if it is a good size for grandma's lap. Come back next weekend for an update on which border I chose.
Yes, I was super frustrated the first night, and in tears by the next day when I still couldn't figure it out, and knew that I wasn't going to have time to finish grandma's quilt before leaving. I even called the shop where I purchased the machine and they had no good suggestions. On Wednesday I took it into for a trip to the spa. (aka repairs and maintenance) The shop I bought her from is an hour away. My helpful sales lady, Evelyn, was able to figure out why my needle would not go all the way down. Too bad she was at a training on Tuesday when I called. Perhaps I could have fixed the problem myself. It had to do with one of the settings in on page 5 of my menu. The cats must have been playing with my touch screen.
I have high hopes that her tweek has fixed the problem, but not in time to get grandma's quilt done. There is still a chance that something is broken inside the shaft that holds the needle, so I left my machine at the "spa" to get thouroughly checked, cleaned and oiled. They told me it could take 2 weeks. Good thing I will be gone for part of the time, because I started missing her as soon as I drove away. Is it weird to be that attached to your sewing machine and your sewing time?
In the meantime I am taking the finished quilt top down with me to CA. It will give me a chance to see if it is a good size for grandma's lap. Come back next weekend for an update on which border I chose.
1 comment:
I know you were disappointed, but it will be even better in the longrun, and she'll see it, and know that you love her. Plus you'll be able to size it right to her! I'm so sorry you had this machine problem. No, it is NOT weird to be so attached! I've had my favorite sewing machine for 20 years this summer, and I would be devastated if anything happened to it! Especially anything unfixable. We've spent years of time together, traveled the country together, made hundreds of quilts, gone to retreats and classes and national shows together. I feel deprived on days like yesterday. I didn't get to sew at all, and it was a horrid day! I have 4 back-ups (3 of them antiques and one Alex Anderson Bernina), but nothing is like the machine I love. =) That's the long way of saying you are a normal quilter. LOL
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