Monday, December 31, 2007

On with the sewing (and a knitting plea)

First things first...I am seriously trying to find a copy of Interweave Knits Fall 2007 magazine. It is sold out according to the IK website and it is not a magazine carried at the only bookstore here on island. If anyone has a copy that they no longer want, please email me at mhighfill at gmail.com. I recently subscribed to this magazine (picking up the winter and holiday issues while in Guam), but media mail and magazines take 18 years to arrive. Okay, not 18 years, but I just got my November Martha Stewart Living magazine...yeah sucks.

Okay, on with the sewing goodness...

So, remember when I lamented on and on about my sewing machine and the havoc it was causing me? Good, then I don't need to rehash it. Well (Leah this is for you), as it turns out, I somehow managed to crack and subsequently chip a big hunk of metal off of the thingamajig that the shuttle race fits into. The non-movable, cast metal looking part that holds the shuttle race (but on the top). According to the repair guy, "No fix". English is not his first language. So, I boxed it up and am hoping that there is a Sears around Juneau or another repair person that can fix it for me.

Then, do you remember my obsession with the cutest of the cute Singer sewing machines? Well, when I was at home with Mom in August and September, I scoured eBay, thinking that I would win a little cutie and just load the 80 pound thing into my luggage and bring it home...weight restriction be damned! I have a Silver Elite card for Continental, get out of my way! Anyway, so I won a little cutie. I was over the moon. I could hardly wait. I had visions of setting it up in BFF's basement and sewing my way through insomnia and heartache. It was not meant to be.

I should have known when I saw this as I unwrapped it:


Then I saw this and I was seriously almost in tears:

The machine is not functional and now resides in a closet at my Dad's house. I hope someday to find a good Singer repair person and have them fix it, along with buying a new original green jadeite case. But until then....

Christmas came early! (I got this the week before Christmas)

A Viking Husqvarna Emma!!!

My Aunt in Dallas upgraded to a Viking Husqvarna Designer II SE (the evil one) and sent me her Emma. I am thrilled to bits!

I already love this machine and I haven't even plugged it in yet. I would be lying though if I told you that I wasn't a teensy bit intimidated by it. I have never owned such a nice machine. I am trying to locate a manual for it so I can learn to thread the bobbin. Right now it is threaded with yellow thread (forget something, Aunt Tamie?), so I might just figure out something small to sew up using yellow thread and give her a go. So many projects on the brain...aprons, needle rolls, birthday buntings, quilts...*sigh*

Well, it is New Year's Eve here on Saipan. Baby Tree Hugger is in bed (we are working on weaning and it is going well). DH just brought in a bottle of champagne (maybe to make up for putting in idiotic Nacho Libre in the dvd player?), so I am calling it a night. I will be asleep in prolly 30 minutes. Real exciting around these parts.

I have a few resolutions and reflections, but I will save them for my next post.

Wishing everyone a peaceful, prosperous and happy 2008.

Namaste.

Peace.

6 comments:

Chiloe said...

Happy New Year Missy !!! Hope you will have a great sewing, knitting and stitching year!

I cannot believe how many stuffs have the name Emma ...

debijeanm said...

BIG HUG, Missy! 2008's gonna be our year, baby!

Is it cruel of me to laugh at your sewing machine adventures? Sympathetic chuckles because I feel like your big sister of sewing machine woes. My current machine is the first piece of not garbage I've ever owned. You're gonna love having a machine that works!

Kendra said...

Poor machine! Was it in that condition from the seller or did it get damaged during shipment? If it was insured, then you can file a claim with the shipping service. If it was like that from the seller, then you can definitely file a claim with eBay for misrepresentation of the product!

Congrats on the "new" machine...I'm sure you'll love it! A few years ago, my mom and Granma gave me a Janome machine that had been used in classes at the quilt shop where my Granma "lives"...I'm not a seamstress by any stretch of the imagination, but I can't imagine doing my crafty stuff without it!

Suggestion for the owner's manual...get on the Husqvarna site and find a dealer, then call/e-mail and ask if they happen to have an owner's manual to it...??? Maybe you've already tried that...

Anonymous said...

Don't be intimidated. I have the Scandinavian 200. It sews like a dream, but it works basically like every other sewing machine. Mostly pretty intuitive...just play. And happy New Year. :)

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on your great new machine!

Happy New Year!

Kalu V said...

=[
poor machine...machines

hope you have a very happy new year!!!