Friday, January 10, 2014

Broken Essentials

Do you ever have a day when everything goes wrong?
Car tires having problems.
Refrigerator leaking water on the floor.
Sewing machine broken.
Say what?!?!
You can live without a car or a fridge, but not without a sewing machine!
The little hole where the foot pedal plugs into the machine was wiggly and wouldn't make the electrical connection anymore. Mechanic says it's a broken part which was worn out and cracked (me too!) and he has ordered a replacement part, but who knows when it will come in.  Yikes! A person could go into withdrawal without their sewing machine.


Luckily for me, I now have a few "back up" machines, so I can still sew. I set up an impromptu sewing center on the dining room table and have been sewing up my Celtic Solstice mystery blocks with my Sweet Baby Jayne Featherweight. Thankfully she is working perfectly and I am enjoying finishing up these blocks.
Tomorrow I will look into those other non-essential broken things!

25 comments:

The Cozy Quilter said...

Whew! So glad you can still sew! A day without sewing is like a day without sunshine!

scraphappy said...

I so understand where you are coming from! I just got my machine back which had been in for repair since Halloween! It was so wonderful having her back again. Hope you repair goes fast.

Ellen said...

Oh my goodness, you really did have a bad day. Thankfully, you do have backups of the most essential item!

Rita@PinPrickedFingers.com said...

That was my week last week! Car, wash machine & sewing machine! I bought a third machine in April in hopes is never be without. Ones in the shop, using the second one but it's starting to sound funny. I may have to pull out my mom's old Singer Spartan if I get desperate!

Beth said...

I did the same thing on Monday! I think all the sewing on Celtic Solstice did my Bernina in! The tech said it was dirty (inside where I cannot reach), thirsty and the feed dogs were very out of whack. He didn't know how I could sew...I have my 301 humming alone till I can pick it up. (my long arm is named Jane!)

Jill said...

Broken sewing machines are just not in our plans. Lucky you with such a nice back-up machine. Maybe you will prefer piecing with your Sweet Baby Jayne. Keep us posted.

Amy said...

The more serious one becomes with sewing/quilting, the more serious it becomes to INSIST on having backup machines for this very reason!
My backup machine isn't my favorite in the world, BUT... it's a machine all the same! And she's needed when she's needed.
I hope your go-to machine will be up and running again soon. Until then, hopefully your Sweet Baby Jayne will treat you well.

Frog Quilter said...

I have many back ups of all things quilty. My phobia is THAT BAD. Just to think I might be without is a nightmare. I have many worth horses (machines, irons etc)

julieQ said...

I might go into WITHDRAWAL if that happened to my sewing machine, LOL!! Kathy, I so love the colors in your Celtic Solstice quilt...you just have an eye for picking what is pretty. My broken thing was a car battery...$100.00 later, I am all fixed up!!

beaquilter said...

yikes! good thing for back ups, but do you have any binding to be hand sewn or EPP project??? I'd go nuts if I couldn't sew..... ohhh the end is near..... ;) terrible terrible

Pam said...

Hi Kathy! My sewing machine foot pedal stopped working yesterday, too! Unfortunately, I was already using my back up machine. Now I'm down to the treadle!

Trip to sewing machine repair shop is at the top of my list today!!

Many blessings,
pam

karen said...

Nice to have a backup machine! Your celtic solstice block looks beautiful. And if you really have to go without a machine, I'm sure you can find a hand stitch project to work on.

Karen said...

One of my good machines has that wiggle problem where the foot pedal plugs into the machine. I was told it would need a new board which was about $350. I wrapped some masking tape (not on the little metal part where it makes contact) on the connector and it holds it in place. It isn't my main machine and I have used it this way for years, so it will stay that way. I hope your machine is soon back in the running again.

sandi s said...

I'm glad you have an extra machine to keep you going. The other problems are can be gotten to after a little sew time. LOL have a good day.

Deanna W said...

Positive note that water from the fridge will help to clean the floor, car tires problem a good excuse not to go anywhere and to stay at home and sew. I know you have more than one machine so no problem. I love sewing on my featherweight. DH watched me and asked me if it was a better machine and I said nope just cute little thing to sew on!!!He shook his head and walked away. Can't argue with that logic! Hope sewing solves all your problems today!!

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

I am so glad to have more than one machine too! And I just love the colors in your blocks... They look fantastic.

pcflamingo said...

I have my Featherweight perpetually set up on my dining room table these days so I can work on Celtic Solstice while I watch TV after work! (Love your colors!) I had to do a little maintenance on mine as I'd been running it non-stop for so long working on this project of Miss Bonnie's! The DIY maintenance class for my Featherweight was the best $80 I ever spent.

Vroomans' Quilts said...

It seems sometimes it never rains, but pours! Glad you have a backup machine - and a cutie one too.

Denise :) said...

Good gravy ... when it rains it really pours, doesn't it??!! Glad you had a backup for the essential machine! :)

Mary said...

I agree, it is great to have a few spares! Cute blocks. I'm finishing mine up today also, while the wind blows outside...

Tanya Quilts in CO said...

I kind of look forward to when my Pfaff goes in for maintenance because it gives me an excuse to,use my featherweight that is just like yours. I keep looking at your treadle information and am thinking I am going to take mine in and get it ready for sewing too!

Kathy ... aka Nana said...

Glad you have a back up ... and that she's doing just fine! Thankfully I didn't get rid of my old sewing machine when I bought my new one ... although I probably ought to get it into the shop for a tune up so it would be ready if and when I ever need a back up. ;-)

libbyquilter said...

i had a quilt-till-u-wilt event today and was just commenting to another quilter about the relationships that we have with our sewing machines. as quilters, it's a pretty important part of our lives~!

i hope that things are working out a bit better now.

:-)
libbyQ

Kate said...

Hope the part comes in quickly. I hate having my main machine go down.

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Boy can I relate to the car tire problem. I had a flat the Saturday after Christmas, and had to replace all 4 tires (knew this was coming, but, was hoping to hold off a while longer). Shhh about the fridge. Ours is 26+ years old (don't tell it that, it still works). Thank goodness for several back up machines. My back up machines have back up machines. I think I need a few more, just in case...... Hope that foot control comes in soon.