There are 2 things that keep me sane after a long day/week at work - ok well other than my wonderful hubby and my loveable dog - 1. Running 2. Sewing
Fortunately I did not break a leg because I'm sure that would be a longer, more painful, and more expensive process... but it is almost as bad. My sewing machine stopped working!!
I hadn't used her in several weeks and finally 2 Saturdays ago I thought to myself "hey, I don't have any homework, I should work on my hubby's blanket!" so I started sewing and what happens... "URRGGHHHH beep beep beep beep beep" and the needle won't go up and down and the wheel on the side that turns that turns with A LOT of difficulty and only a little bit. Absolute tragedy people... I'm seriously almost in tears just thinking about it again.
I stared at her with shock and horror and thought to myself "maybe if I turn her back off and on again, she will work"... same result. *sigh*
So this weekend I had a lot of free time and kept forgetting that I couldn't sew and would go to start a project and would then remember. It seriously happened more than once - sad, I know. I'm only 29... where is my memory going? lol After that I decided I needed to get her to the repair shop so hubby and I went on our lunch break today (yes we work together - awesome to the max ;-)). Sure they can fix her for me, no problem... o wait... $120!! Are you kidding me? I love my machine but c'mon... she cost $300 and you can find her at Walmart these days for $240! I just stared at him in shock and disbelief and said ok, I guess I'll have to think about it... which he didn't seem to appreciate but hey, I'm not made of money!
I called one other place and they said $90 just for a basic tune-up, any parts or repairs would be extra - yikes! I called one last place in the area and they said it was ridiculous that I would even ask for a general repair cost without them knowing 20 different things about the machine blah blah blah blah... yea, great customer service right? Let me run on over to the store right away after that... hahaha NOT!
Sooooooooo I am sewing machine-less for right now. Oddly enough I happen to have 4 non-functioning sewing machines in my 1 bedroom apartment, that seems wrong to me. My grandma gave me her old Jenome but the reverse lever doesn't work and how does one sew without a reverse stitch?? So that isn't an option to hold me over right now either. I do have a old treddle machine but it is from my great grandma and I'd feel AWFUL if I ever broke it and I don't even know if it works - the belt is looking super worn and there is no chance we are lifting that beast back into our car to take it somewhere anyway. And I have a random vintage singer I picked up at an antique store a few months ago. The cord was cut by some dufus so it isn't useable but it is cute :) Soooooooooooo... lots of decorations, no functioning machines haha.
While writing this whiney post I've also been texting with my mom and she is going meet up with me tomorow to take it home with her and see if she can maybe get it working for me. She has been sewing for years and years and on lots of different machines so maybe she can work some magic. If not, it is worth a try. I'll try to make the teary-eyed sad face go away now and get through my work day.... big whiner, I know ;-)
Apparently I am emotionally attached to my sewing machine... but then again, I'm emotionally attached to my running shoes so I shouldn't be surprised haha. C'mon... tell me I'm not alone in this weirdness.... ok maybe no one else is attached to their shoes but sewing machine? There must be someone else! lol
5 comments:
Oh no! Hope your mum can wave her magic wand!
Gosh that sounds awful! Maybe it just needed a good clean. Sitting for a while can cause dust build up. That has happened to poor Jano..I need to dust him out properly with a better brush ....=D
Being sewing machine-less is a major bummmer... I feel your pain! I was w/o my machine for almost two months and I thought I would go stir crazy....
oh, no :( I don't know which would be worse for me - being out of Internet (for more than a few hours) or without my machine. . . toss up!
I am feeling the same sadness today -- my sewing machine also has to go "to the doctor" as soon as they open at 10 AM and I googled "sick sewing machine" and found your post. Hopefully by now your machine is working again, but I did just have to comment -- what is this "cute but random vintage Singer?" If it's a Featherweight, then you are absolutely golden and good to go. You can get a replacement power cord/foot pedal from several different places online. If it's a Featherweight, it won't SAY Featherweight anywhere on the machine, it will say Singer Model 221 instead. That machine only does a straight stitch, but it does a flawless, reliable straight stitch that is PERFECTLY straight, not slightly slanted, and it does a much better job piecing for quilts because the feed dogs are much closer together. If it was sitting for awhile unused, it probably just needs a good cleaning and oiling and a fresh needle. The owner's manual is available as a free PDF from Singer's web site, and there are several great sites with tutorials, vintage and reproduction parts, and either new foot pedal/power cord combos that would work or rewiring services of the original foot pedal.
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