Disaster strikes my Elna in the form of the seamstress.
 

I have a 43-year old Elna which is wonderful and sews so beautifully until last night. I was hurrying to finish a 4th of July table topper to gift a couple today, when my focus wandered and I got my spatula that I was using to hold the ditches in line for quilting under the needle and the needle struck the spatula. Well, it won't sew anything now. I don't know if I bent a shaft or threw it out of time. I am just sick as I have a quilt top nearly finished, several waiting and now my machine is on the fritz thanks to my carelessness. It literally has never been in the shop for repairs. Just an occasional cleaning and I have worn out three feet.
Plus this machine has been so faithful and I have injured her! Just makes me sick and I am wondering how stiff the repair bill will be!! Or if it can be repaired???? In the meantime, I have withdrawal because I can't sew. Have a manual in the basement that I have never used but may try to fire it up and see what happens. Did anyone else ever do such a careless trick?

Oh, bummer! My guess is you threw it out of time, which definitely means a trip to the sewing machine doctor. Too bad you don't have a backup machine. I doubt you bent a shaft, that machine is old enough it's probably all heavy-duty metal inside. I'm surprised you were using a spatula, they're so big! I use a chopstick sharpened to a point with a pencil sharpener.

Hope you get her back up and running soon!

Well, it is a small spatula used for scrapbooking. Not very wide nor thick, but big enough, I guess. It was the first time I had ever used it, it was laying nearby and I thought that would sure work well, and it does, but won't use it again.

I'm sure there's going to be some "quilting and cooking at the same time with a spatula" puns, that I'm not going to go there. But sorry to hear of your machine problems.

Hope it's fixable (inexpensively) - I can feel for you!

Oh Dear!! I hope everything works out good. Bad things happen to me every time I hurry or am very tired.

So sorry this happen to you. Life is all live and learn even in the fun stuff. My first new machine I bought for quilting I messed up. Thank goodness it was an easy repair. This is why I left the shop with a second identical machine. A buy I have never regretted.

I would be in bad shape if I mess up my machine..All I have is a $99 Brother machine I bought in Walmart..altho it has serviced me great for years so far. I really should pick up another machine for back up. I Do always have a hand project going to break the monotony at times, but there are times I just NEED to have my machine.

I'm sure she'll forgive you but I agree with everyone that a trip to the emergency room (aka repair shop) is in order. Timing is most likely whacked. That used to happen to my older Singer regularly and it was usually something I did.

Well, here I am with egg on my face! I am reminded of the verse, "Weeping lasts for a night, but joy comes in the morning." Well, joy did come. I took it to the LQS in Ottumwa, Iowa. There a very kind owner looked at my machine and lo and behold, I didn't have the crazy needle far enough up in the shank! Now I have changed probably thousands of needles, even took this one out, turned it around to be sure I had it in properly, re-read the needle package to be sure I had the right ones, etc., etc., but he said that sometimes in older machines lint accumulates and it is hard to get them in far enough! Well, it was a very cheap fix and of course I discovered some material that I "had to have" so hopefully he got as good a deal as I had. Thank heaven for an owner who can fix machines!