Quilter 65

After 46 of true love with my Elna Super machine, I decided it was time for an update. Purchased a new machine at a deal at the regional quilt show. Got home and NEVER opened the box for a month and a half. You know, just a few more things to do with the old one before it is relinquished to the shelf. Plus, to be honest, didn't know the first thing about the new one and I could thread and run the old one with my eyes shut. So I finally caved, and opened the box. Some more time went by. I REALLY must get this out and learn about it. After finishing up two or three projects and starting a totally new one on the old machine, I phoned and got a class appointment. That was two weeks ago. Then I had priced new tables and found the cheapest at the sewing store was $500 and I thought I can modify that $25 forty-six year old one to make it work. Well, it didn't fit. Too optimistic. I thought a dremel and I can fix this so it will work. Phoned my son who brought the needed tool. He said it won't work. I started in. That is like waving the red cape to a bull for me to hear those words! My husband, unlike many of yours, doesn't do that sort of thing. So he stays out of the way while I am on these missions. All the time, he is encouraging me. After four days of intermittent work, punctuated with going back to the old one and working on the new project, it fit. Got the machine in the hole, plugged her in. Then I fired her up. Success came when the lights came on. Couldn't remember everything she had said in class. Got the book. Changed the feet (because it had been used in classes at the show.) Wouldn't go. Tried to change the length of stitch. Wouldn't change. Pressed Start. Broke a needle. Don't remember when I last did that. Still wouldn't go forward. Looked in the book. Wanted to cry after spending that much money and for sure the old one still worked, and get the old one back out. Ah, but the needle shaft had some play and the feed dogs were a bit wobbly. I had better figure this out. The error message said check the feed dog position and she mentioned something like that in class?. Did that and sure enough they were down. Raised them up. She said there is nothing you can do to this machine that he can't fix. I am thinking, oh yeah! When I bring this back because I couldn't find the broken needle in and it is down there in all those moving things, we'll see about that. Finally found the needle end. Retrieved it. Oh yes, there is a needle drop thingy so I moved that. I just rolled a dial and moved the needle in the old one. Who ever heard of "needle drop position"? But I think she mentioned that in class which I remembered after breaking the needle. I had nearly cried when I put the old machine in its trusty carrying case. It hadn't seen the inside of that thing in so long and I am not sure they recognized each other. Isn't it silly to be this attached to a machine? BUT, I knew if I left it out, I would be hurrying back to it and never learning the new technology. Now, I keep trying to find the foot pedal. My old one had a way of scurrying out of my reach. There isn't one. I can attach one, but trying to give up old ways. Start/Stop, needle down, end, lock, scissors. Sure enough, I kept thinking, my old one--this wouldn't have happened, etc. But finally I got it to sew and with the right foot and no more broken needles. The Dremel approach worked out pretty well. It is a tight fit, but at least it won't be moving about and now I won't be using the old one, because it would be flopping about in the new open space because I had to widen it so much. Did a beautiful job of stitching on the new project. Those 1/4 inch feet are the real deal. Now I can change the "needle drop position" and tweak it a bit to get the golden "scant" 1/4 inch seam. I had the old one's dial so marked up that probably some would think I was doing graffiti. The new project is a Gemstone quilt which has a kagillion HSTs and nearly that many FG. So matching is critical and there is a lot of it! I WILL figure this machine out if it takes the rest of my life. Nearing the end probably and it will probably take that long. Maybe I can take this one with me?? I am sure I will get as attached to this one as I was to the other one, given another 46 years! Now for a name. The ones I pondered last night weren't flattering, but am feeling better this morning and I CAN do this.