I am so darn ticked off!! Something happened to my machine last weekend and it is broken and now in the shop. I wasn't very pleased with my owner's manual. It doesn't really show how to clean and oil it well and I've been so scared of breaking it trying to do it myself, so I send it in for maintenance once a year.

I've pieced more in the last 15 months than I have in my whole quilting "career". I'm in the middle of piecing a 25 block sampler for my DH for our anniversary this year (our tenth), I have all this pretty boy scout fabric I just ordered for a signature wall hanging cut out and ready to go.

I have been piecing 2 days a week 4 months in a row last year, and again from January this year working on my projects. Now I have no machine. I don't know what happened to it. I don't know how much it's going to cost or when I'm going to get it back.

I feel like I'm going stark raving mad!! I cut all my pieces for the next few piecing sessions, that didn't help. I redid my list of things I need to buy soon and things that can wait a while yet. I've looked through patterns. I've hand mended some of the older quilts around here. I don't have a quilt in the frame yet cause the DH quilt isn't completely pieced yet.

Hubby told me when I get this one out to take an old one my late MIL gave me, get it serviced and in the house so I am never without a machine again. He thinks I'm nuts and I'm right behind him. Have any of you felt like this? What helps you?

have you verified that the heirloom machine doesn't work?

i'd be fiddlin' with it whether it did or not. if it did, i'd be a-piecin'. if it didn't, i'd be tryin' to figure out why and bullyin' it back into action. :lol:

i would be going nuts too. Hand piecing does help. I have done all the blocks for a rick rack road quilt by hand, it was fun, not something i would do a lot of tho, but it was something i wanted to try. i did all the pieces of the block by hand while i was in a quilt chat in the mornings and evenings, thnk i will sew the pieces together by machine tho. yes definetly having a back up machine is a good idea. i have a back up for my back up now. hang in there hopefully it won't cost to much to fix it.

I have two sewing machines and just love it. I am never without!

I have 2 machines. When 1 seems to be getting tired I switch them out so I always have 1 to use.

She gave it to me about 8 years ago. Garage Sale purchase. No manual or anything. It wouldn't sew and I was incredibly naive, so had a shop fix it and spent what it would have cost to get a new machine. I thought she was going to kill me. I stopped using it because it's 50 pounds and I can't heft it around by myself. Hubby's project for tomorrow is pulling it out of the garage so I can reaquaint myself. I'm hoping to get to fiddlin' with it tomorrow.

Hubby did promise me a day of thrift stores tomorrow to ease my agitation from lack of piecing. I might just take him up on that offer.

Haven't had it that bad, only a little when I was sick again recently and had noo energy or a lucid thought so I could quilt.

I went through a similar situation this year. I learned the importance of having a second back-up machine. Now I've got 2 so when one is getting it's tune up I'm all set. Good luck.

I have 4 backup machines and 3 more that I need to get serviced. LOL

Simple solution, buy a portable machine. Sears has excellent ones for under $100.

I'm glad I'm not in your shoes, I have 4 machines, but only have 2 set up at a time. I'd go nuts if I couldn't sew when I wanted to.

I would be going nuts. I need to sew on my days off. I can understand what you are feeling.

I am moving on April 1st and have already started packing. I needed to pack my sewing room and knew I would have quilting withdrawals so I kept out a few supplies to start a handsewing project. I had not tried English Paper Piecing - so I put the things I needed in a plastic container. Now when I need a break from packing and in the evenings while watching tv with my DH - I work on the Grandmother's Flower Garden pattern. I really enjoy it, but my fingers are very sore! I'm not used to doing so much sewing by hand, but I'm very thankful that I thought ahead or I would be pacing around in circles tearing my hair out.

I am also making the Grandmothes Flower Garden, been sorting thru some of my remnants fabrics so I can get them all in one spot.

Have fun!

My back up machine is an old Elna from the 70's my hubby bought me from a garage sale for about $35.00 NZ. It has no manual or attachments but I gave it a super clean and oiled it myself and it just purrs along. The lady said her kids were all grown up and she no longer did any sewing! I could not be without a sewing machine for long!

Gal

My machine started acting up this past Friday.... I can't get it into the shop until Wednesday... I have to get it there so its ready for a quilt retreat the middle of Easter... plans are in the works to move my quilting room downstairs so I will be cleaning, painting and arranging so my baby can come home to a new room!

I have three machines set up at all times. I sew every day and not having a machine to sew on would drive me nuts. I don't understand people who never sew but then they think I am nuts to cut up fabric an sew it back together LOL

I don't even like going away because I can't take my machine! :cry: I'd rather stay home than go camping, on vacation - if I can't take the machine... now, granted, I DO go - don't want others to think I have issues - even though I do :)

me too, I have a spare, I just could not go without sewing.

I just bought a new one and my DH asked me who I was going to give or sell the other one to. I told him, no one, that I was going to keep it. He just nodded and then understood that that way I'd never be without a machine.

I have withdrawals when just one day goes by and I don't ahve time to sew. I also went through the old one being in the shop last years --- it's not fun, but it will get all better, be home soon and running better than ever!

You betcha . . . that is why there are now more than one working machine at my house.

go to walmart buy cheap machine just to have a backup. my thought.

Backups are essential and never,ever,ever pass up an opportunity to go to a thrift store. I am waiting on a Singer 252 I bought on ebay last week for 31.01. The Seller sent me an e-mail that she was sick and there would be a delay shipping it. I joined three vintage machine groups on Yahoo so I can learn to service my own machines.

They called today....estimate including cleaning, oiling whatever 70.00.

Evidently it's possible to put the needle in off center. My needle has only ever fit in one way, so he'll have to show me how I did it wrong so I know the right way. I've done it the same way every time.

I don't take the feed dog plate or whatever that plate is off and it was really dirty under there. Something was cockeyed in there a little and it affected the whole "hook assembly"? I know I've had this machine a long time, but he was speaking Greek to me.

He says everyone who really uses their machine needs to know how to clean it and oil it themselves. SO...he said when I come in to get it, he wants to show me the right screws to take off and exactly what he wants me to do to clean it. He sounds like a really nice guy and he knew exactly why I was so unsatisfied with the place I got it at.

It still seems like a lot of money, but I want it to last longer. He did say that it's not really a heavy duty machine. I should not attempt to machine quilt a queen size on it .... interesting. I can do lap sizes okay and all my charity quilts are pillowcased on it, but those are all lap sizes too. I think if I really want to start getting some serious machine quilting done I may need to upgrade.

As soon as I find the spare my MIL gave me a LONG time ago, and get it serviced, I will have 2 machines. I know that one is heavy duty because it's made of metal and about 40-50 pounds. I have to get myself reaquainted.

I'll be back to stitching this weekend...so perhaps you can expect my absence. I'm so glad there are other people like me out there. I've been going bonkers!

I have a back up machine. Old Household from the 60's ? maybe.
I was without a machine for awhile. Never again. It keeps me sane. Hmm I also have about 8 machines out in the shed. lol I wish I had room to set them all out.

That's not really a bad price. Mine cost me $68.00 a few years ago.

I know just what you are going through with the sewing-withdrawls. I had the same experience 30 years ago when my machine went into the shop for timing. I had to borrow my mother's machine as I was ready to go off the deep end. Since then I have a back up machine should this happen again. Happen it did as of 2 months ago, my fairly new Pfaff when out of time or something, it's in the shop and I'm using my old Bernina. I also have a real old Pfaff I got a a yard sale a few years ago, it's my back up for the back up. I never want to experiece sewing-withdrawls again. Now don't let all this get you down. Find a back-up machine. Remember we are all here for you and totally understand what you are going through.

Get out the old machine!! Some of these old work horses
seem to go forever. And should it not be in good working order,
ASK if anyone could help you. You have no idea of how many
of these old beauties are still around and still doing a good job.

In fact, you might want to keep "Old Betsy" around for such a
time, plus, should you have younger ones to teach, this would
be a perfect starter machine.

Okay, here's my suggestions.
1. NEVER, EVER try to live without a back-up machine.
2. Learn to clean and oil your machine, once a year isn't nearly enough. It's not rocket science, if I can do it so can you. Just take that plate off and put a drop of oil on everything that moves. Take an inch square of polar fleece and a some tweezers and swipe out all the lint. Put it back together and VOILA!!!! You've done it.
If I'm sewing everyday my machine gets cleaned and oiled at least once a week usually twice. Depending on the fabric I sometimes clean it every day or twice a day if I'm working with flannel.
You can do this, just take a deep breath, smile, tell yourself that you can do it, breathe again and have at it. If nothing else, ask a sewing friend to show you how.
No one should ever have to live without a sewing machine, that's referred to as CRUEL AND INHUMANE punishment.

Go camping, take your machine with you. Go on vacations--take it with you. Or better yet, get together with some other quilters in your area and organize a sewing retreat--now that's a real vacation!! We have them going on in Danville Illinois almost all the time. You have to book sometimes pretty far in advance. I know that there's already some booked in October.

I know the feeling! That's a good idea having a backup machine. So sorry you are going thru withdrawals, but we are here to help you get thru it.

You are so fortunate to have a maintenance man who is willing to show you how to do the basic cleaning and oiling yourself! It's been my experience that most technicians do not want to share their knowledge as it results in less income for them. He is right, though, in saying that you should know how to do the simple stuff yourself. It will save you big $$ over the years! And his price is not bad, really. Consider it a "private lesson".

I can clean and oil all my old machines but my new one I can't take apart too much. One of the best purchases I made was one of the mini vacuum attachments. I love it. I clean out the bobbin area almost everytime I use it. But once a week I set up the vacuum and suck all the dust from underneath the bobbin area.

hi again! I got a call this afternoon on my Pfaff, model 2124. This is a mid-range machine I bought in 2004 and of coure the warrenty is up on it. It's the computer board. The tech ordered a new one, $219 and then there is the labor $$ to work on it. It's over $300 all together. Yes, made me want to cry. That's a lot of fabric I can't buy.

Oh you gotta have a backup plan. If Hubby can lug it to the table and the old gal is willing to roll over, use it. AND take hubby up on the shop hop - rumor has it there's a lot of fabric to be found in those stores.

...and just think of how much time you have catching up on the QB AND finding new patterns of things you "must" do.

I so far have been lucky with my sewing machines, and thank God I do have two. so sorry that this happened to you. Penny

My machine just walked through the door...well, it was carried in....I went FINALLY and jumped up and went to get it. DH carried it in...he says "I see how I rate....work all day and she runs to the machine!!"

Hee Hee

I can't remember ever living in a house without a sewing machine, growing up and grown up. I gave my two girls each a vintage Singer machine knowing they wouldn't use it but at least they have one in the house.

I know what you mean. I went through with draws when my older machine was in the shop. So now I have a machine on my frame that I can take off to use and I got a little gem Jenome machine that weighs about 12 pounds that I got to take to class so I always have a extra. The little one I got at a quilt show for $98.00 and it has been a lifesaver.
kjym Kathleen

I did this, bought a cheap Brother, I hate it. My Viking has me spoiled. My Viking is at my friend's house where I've been spending my days sewing. So decided to use my Brother at home. Yuk. I guess I just have to set up my New Home Embroidery machine that I haven't learned to use and get some practice on that.