Perseverance despite!

For those of you who have been around my site for awhile, you'll know that this is (sadly) not the first time my sewing table looks a little bare..... **sigh**....

I was up a bit earlier than a normal Saturday. Candace slept with me (although it was more like sleep/spin-in-circle/kick-mom-in-face type of sleeping for her). By 7:15, I had already read up on the latest blog posts and had a cup of coffee down, so I headed downstairs to start working on the Maltese Star mystery, step #3. This step was actually posted last Friday, so I am was a week behind since I wasn't home last weekend, nor was able to get much sewing in this week. A little before 9:00; step #3 was complete.

I then took a quick coffee and bagel break, but got right back to things after printing out step #4 that was posted yesterday.

I dunno....I was clippin' along.....and I noticed my machine had a "noise." My best description; it sounded like an ol' hand-crank model engine....she was "laboring."

Then my thread broke......twice. The 2nd time, I took everything apart, did some oiling.....and tried again.

Then.....click, click, click, click.

The needle and bobbin were out of time/sync. The same thing that was wrong last July.

:0(

So my buddy Lee was called; told him the symptoms, and let him know that I'd be arriving in one-n-a-half hours.

**sigh**
Not QUITE how I wanted to spend much of my day, but what's one to do when the closest Bernina dealer is 80 miles away?

Before I left, I sorted some piles of clothes and showed Cass how to run the washer/dryer again. I figured she could at least continue a few loads while I was away.

I also put my thinking cap on before I left! I decided to stop at the Public Library on my way out of town in order to check out a book-on-CD. A 90 minute one-way drive allows for too much "thinking time," and with everything that's going on lately around my school district, I simply didn't want to "think."

Short version: 11:15 a.m. 90 minute drive. "Hi Lee. Here it is." "Okay Amy, looks like she'll have to stay at the shop for awhile." "Yeah, I figured that much. Keep in touch!" Subway lunch stop. 60 minute drive. Stop at Walmart to buy valentines and other necessities. 30 minute drive. Back home. 3:00 p.m.

2 minutes later......my ol' standby Brother machine was out on my sewing table, and I was back at it!

By 4:00, I was finishing up step #4.

I've spent about 4 hours downstairs since dinner working on details for the Raven Stars quilt along. If you haven't read about that yet, the informational post will give you all the details so far.

I also spent some time pressing part of the bazillion HST's needed for Bonnie Hunter's RRCB step 5. I thought I took a picture of the 120 HST's I pressed together tonight, but obviously I didn't, cuz dey ain't on da camera card! But, before I completely turn everything off downstairs this evening, I reminded myself (FINALLY) to remove my ironing board cover in order to throw it in the washer. I LOVE the homemade spray starch recipe from CrazyMom, but it sure cakes up on the cover. This'll be the first time I've washed the cover.

My Brother is not a super-great piecing machine, but definitely better than nothing! I need to wiggle the fabric pieces around quite a bit in order to get and keep a consistent 1/4" seam. I'm sure glad I decided NOT to get rid of it when I purchased the Bernina!

And finally.....


G O   P A C K !!!!!