Yesterday started off as a great day. I go through periods of slight insomnia. I sleep, I just don’t sleep well, so I was up around 4:45 with a cup of coffee, answering emails, doing some care taking around the new Etsy Team I am Co-Captaining (a Canadian treasury team), with the help of Kathleen, a very talented Canadian Artist (we both coincidentally were born on Canada Day, weird huh?). I even found some time to wash my hair, which is now super long and a pain to wash so I always put it off! By 6:30 I was in my new comfy swivel chair in front of my sewing machine.
I have had to retire many items from my shop due to a shortage of supplies, so I spent the weekend cutting out new samples. On Monday morning I worked on those, as well as a rush Valentines Orders. At 2:30 I went to sew some black elastic onto a bra when my sewing machine made this god-awful “crunch” sound. I do not use pins when I sew so I knew it was something bad. Alas! The timing went and crushed my bobbin casing… again…
I pleaded with the repair shop to sell me a new one after-hours. Coincidentally, I had just been in looking at sewing machines two weeks ago. I wanted one that did straight and zig-zag stitch and could withstand 8-10 hours of sewing, 5 days a week.
The sewing machine I use regularly is actually my Mom’s. My mom is a quilter and bought a beautiful Pfaff Expressions machine about 10 years ago which does a million and one stitches and will even cook you breakfast! It’s all digital and fancy, but has this timing issue, which has happened 3 times now over the life of the machine. It is an issue with this particular model. As a whole, considering how much I sew, I am very very happy with Pfaff. My mom’s machine is now in the shop and will be returning to me once it is fixed and cleaned.
So, my sewing machine family has grown rather unexpectedly, but I desperately needed a sewing machine last night and today, and now if my mom ever wants hers I can happily return it (oh, I will still be using it, it does everything), annnnd I can keep one machine threaded in black and one in white and work double duty! Now, if only I could clone myself and sew on two machines at once! I feel much less stressed knowing that if I were to have a machine problem, I have a back up…
I am actually pretty happy with this machine. It is non-digital which I have to get used to again (gosh, I’ve been spoiled), and the “reverse” button is in a different place, but over all it’s great. It feels like a tank. I’m looking forward to sewing on it today…
Ugh… so it was a stressful day. I really didn’t want to disappoint anyone on Valentines Day!
8 Comments
Madalynne
February 5, 2013 at 12:58 pmyou have dedication girl – DEDICATION!
sarah.e.norwood@gmail.com
February 5, 2013 at 1:06 pmlol! Thank you! Sometimes I think I am just crazy 🙂
ninjadesigns
February 5, 2013 at 4:02 pmyou know, i really really really love my pfaff, but its timing went out before i'd even owned it a year! the service guy was really surprised that it happened so fast and so my service was comp'ed, but i'm always so wary of that dredded "CRUNCH"!
sarah.e.norwood@gmail.com
February 5, 2013 at 6:03 pmI think my mom had to have it repaired within the first week or so too! Is it an Expressions 2034 (or in that range)? I read that it's a problem with that issue. Despite that, I am sold on Pfaff machines!
ninjadesigns
February 8, 2013 at 4:12 pmit's a pfaff creative 2134 with an embroidery arm… her name is Pfelicia 😀 http://ninjadesigns.wordpress.com/2011/01/06/pfelicia-pfaff/ and i do love her a lot!!!
sarah.e.norwood@gmail.com
February 8, 2013 at 6:13 pmI just browsed over your post, and it made me remember how much I miss the needle threader on my old machine! The new one does not have it… 🙂
Kathleen Maunder
February 5, 2013 at 5:47 pmSorry about your stressful day, Sarah. I only sew only on a very occasional basis these days, but I recognize that sound from a problem I had with my sewing machine years ago. Hope your new machine serves you well and the other is as good as new soon. I used to have my Mom's old Singer machine but returned it to her. I kind of regret that now as it was so pretty. Didn't do anything fancy but had a lot more character visually than the new ones.
How nice of you to mention me! I saw that someone came to my Etsy shop from your blog. I didn't know that you were a blogger too. Less of a coincidence than the birthday, perhaps? 🙂
gingermakes
February 7, 2013 at 3:32 amEep! How scary! My machine conked out over the weekend, too, and I seriously FREAKED OUT (and I'm not a professional seamstress!). I really wish I had a backup, although I don't have the space. Sounds like you've got a great setup going now!