Hooped?

Not sure.  With the back-up sewing machine, definitely.  This morning I was taking it out for a spin, so to speak, and had just finished various stitching samples.  I was pretty satisfied, having also figured out how to change the foot, where the feed dog controls were, etc.

I was now ready to see what kind of seam it could sew, before moving on to free-motion experiments.

Did I tell you that this machine had been given me by my friend B, who'd had it given to her?  B's DH takes care of much of her machine maintenance -- except for the computerized stuff -- so he'd tweaked this Pfaff 1222-E.  One of the tweaks was to replace the presser foot lever, which was missing, with a long bolt and a nut to hold it in place.  It worked fine -- that is, until the socket in which the bolt had been riding disintegrated...

What's left of the socket on the wall of the machine

Replacement "lever" and the other 1/2 of the socket

There's no gluing it back together, either.  If I want to keep the machine as my back-up (to the Husqvarna Lily 555 currently in the shop) I'm going to have to have it properly seen to as well.

So...

Blessedly I have a back-up for my back-up: I may be able to borrow an older Husqvarna from my friend J.  I did this a couple of years ago and it worked well.  I've left J a message and am hopeful...

Meanwhile, I'm blessed to have other things to do in the Sewdio...

Backing up a bit...before the sewing machines went to heck in a hand-basket, I finished my April "Zen" BOM (over a week ago now!)

"Triangle Squares"

I enjoyed this one rather more than its predecessors, and was pleased with most of my 'points'.  I had to give it a good zap of "Best Press" (R) because as is typical when using assorted fabrics, some of them are flimsier than one would like...but their colours are right!

On Thursday I received EB's feedback on my "Colour" sketches and selections -- and this fired me up yesterday to go in search of that field and fence for more photos.  EB wrote:

Color scheme looks good, - but if you notice she [Referring to Sharon Lynn Williams' painting] really doesn't have much green in there....she has a complementary scheme of red/orange versus the blues  and I think it's the orange blue combination that really makes it.......

Red brown is a difficult accent color because brown is a neutral - being a mix of all three primaries, so it will be hard to get it to stand out.  In the above photo, the very saturated red is the one that stands out - so that's the fabric you should use in those accent areas - which usually are not large, but pull your eye  to the focal point - the center of interest.

And now for the key comment (the one that really 'spoke' to me:

you could go with either sketch but I think if you go for a landscape, it will be easier for you to be adventurous with the color!!!  If you decide to choose the fence, crop right down in close to the fence and imagine the boards having LOTS of different colors in them - not brown!

Thus my search for the fencing yesterday...and I found it...and took many photos...and got back and printed several off...and tried to express in another painting session how I felt and what I wanted to demonstrate.

I was out on my back stoop (it was sunny and warm, even if a tad breezy), painting, pacing and muttering to myself.  (Good thing my neighbours were out for the day!)  And this is what my 'gut' spoke:

No matter how I looked at it, the piece must be dominated by the sky and the land. "The Fence is Man's Mark on the Land".

Next up: audition exact fabrics to use and block out the piece (deadline: April 20).  Dunno where I'll put the 'orange'...if anywhere...

And YES, there is knitting...

The Wedding Shawl is now into it's 17th pattern repeat (of 25)...and I am about to turn the heel on this pretty April sock - #1 in this month's Socks from Stash challenge on Ravelry...

Yarn: Spirit Trail Fiberworks - Colour #414 (discontinued)
Pattern: Show-off Stranded Socks by Anne Campbell
(a free Ravelry download)

 The purple perfectly matches the one jolly-jump-up pansy bravely blooming in my plot east of the garage.  :-)

Linking this up to Nina Marie's Off the Wall Friday.  Let your imagine take you away...and have a great rest of the weekend!  

Wait Five Minutes

A lot can happen in a few days.  Even in a few hours.

After my April 4 post, I went into the studio to spend the morning quilting my piece for the SAQA 2015 Benefit Auction.  Several samples and three attempts later -- accompanied by weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth -- I realized I was down.  Not out.  Just down.

For months I've been dealing with ignoring the fact that my sewing machine (a Husqvarna Lily 555) has been skipping stitches, especially when I try to quilt free-motion.  It's happened some with straight quilting too (walking foot) -- and even with piecing, when I 'put the pedal to the metal'.  But mainly when I do free motion.  Going through the hoops (cleaning the bobbin area, new needle, right thread combo etc., etc. wasn't helping.  Saturday, I realized I couldn't put it off any longer.  The **!!@@ machine needed a look-see.

Blessedly, I was going to Red Deer in the afternoon anyway, for the Central Alberta Quilt Guild's Annual Show -- so on the way, I took the machine in to the Red Deer Sewing Centre. Rolly, their Main Man when it comes to machines, will clean and tweak and check the timing, which is what we (the RDSC staff and I) think is the problem.  Estimated pick-up date: April 22...

A mere 6 days (two of which I have to spend at my 'day job') before I leave for the SAQA Conference in Portland, when said auction piece is supposed to be finished and in my carry-on for delivery to the Powers That Be for all things 2015 Auction related.

Not to mention that I have to turn in my quilt for the April EBMC class before I leave...

Sigh.  

What to do?

Well... a few months back a friend gave me a mechanical Pfaff 1222-E, which her husband had brought up to speed, but which she neither needed nor wanted.  Containing sturdy metal parts, it weighs a ton, but will long outlast even the most expensive sewing machines on the market today, which are full of computerized gizmos and plastic parts, sensitive and flimsy.

I figured I'd better dig it out and see if I can use it -- and lo, and behold!  It has a FMQ foot!

Stay tuned for the adventure!*

*P.S.  I've done a bit of Internet snooping, and think I'll keep this review of the 1222E (which is about the same age as my daughter, born in 1981)...with the manual.  ;-)

A Wee Bump in the Road

I went back into the sewdio today to work out the piece I had in my head for the next SAQA Trunk Show.  The piece needs to measure 7" x 10" in "portrait" orientation, and has to be finished and mailed in time for the SAQA Trunk Show team to receive it on or before January 31, 2014.

I decided to do another Tree Study, based on yet another tree in my yard.  Well...the best laid plans...

Back Story:

I have two Husqvarna sewing machines -- a 225 (mechanical) bought some time in the mid-nineties, second-hand, from my neighbour.  She was a teacher in the Kids Can Sew program, and had to turn her machines over every 3 years.  The first time she did so, she thought of me -- and sold me the 225 at her cost: $600 CAD.  That was the most I'd ever spent on a sewing machine, but I was thrilled -- not because of the fancy stitches, but because this machine had a free-arm, and I was still garment sewing.  Ah...set-in sleeves done more easily!  I was in heaven.

About 10 years later, my dear mother died (January 2004), and I inherited some money.  I decided to spend some it on an up-graded sewing machine and a table to go with it -- one in which I could set the machine so I had a level sewing/quilting surface.  By this time I was essentially "out" of garment-sewing and "into" quilting -- both traditional and arty.  I bought a Husqvarna Lily on sale -- because they were going out of production, to be replaced by the Sapphire.  I didn't want an embroidery machine, but still wanted one with a few more features.  This one has a free-arm, 'needle down', and beautiful blanket and satin stitches.  In heaven again!  I kept the 225 for retreats and classes, and kept the precious Lily at home.

Fast forward to 2013.  I've taken care of these machines, ensuring they had regular 'tune-ups' and repairs as needed.  This year the Lily got a new foot pedal.  As I write, the 225 is in the shop, awaiting installation of a broken part that had to be hunted down because they don't make them any more.  One was found in Toronto, but with one thing and another, the machine's not quite ready yet.

When I was working on the Magic Tiles quilt before Christmas, I noticed the Lily was skipping stitches on occasion.  I put it down to lint, the needle, the foot...and gave it extra TLC.  It wasn't consistent.  I figured I'd have it looked at, at the next tune-up, generally in April.

But this afternoon...

She got me through the creation of the piece, to the point where it was trimmed to size and I was applying a facing...and then she decided to "eat" some thread...and stopped sewing altogether.  I managed to remove some thread that I could see seemed to be tangled inside, but I'm quite sure there's some still wound up in there somewhere.

I called my local repair guy (where the 225 is already) and left a message.  The shop was either closed for the holidays, or open and they were serving a customer -- there was no way to know.

I waited an hour, and drove the 43 km (25 miles) to Stettler to the shop.  Closed.  Sigh.  I drove home.

I've arranged to borrow a machine -- yes, a Husqvarna -- from a dear friend, and hope to be able to get to Red Deer on Monday to the larger repair shop...

But something tells me...I might be investing in a new machine...and it may not be a Husqvarna, as they seem to favour all the gizmos for embroidery which I don't want (the pleasure of embroidery for me is reserved to the 'by hand' variety).

In advance of that possibility, has anyone any recommendations?  (NOTE: I would like a machine that comes well equipped with feet and doesn't require shelling out dollars for every little feature.)  Thanks!

Planned to be Obsolete

Sigh. My two-and-a-half year-old bread-maker is having a problem. The parts that secure one of the bread-mixing paddles to the bread pan have come loose, and fall off during bread-making, with sometimes troublesome results -- such as incomplete mixing -- so that sometimes I end up with a full loaf, sometimes a 1/2 loaf, and sometimes just "cooked flour".

Sigh. I've hammered the piece back together 3 times now, and after yesterday's 1/2 loaf (I know; it's better than none!) thought I'd try to get it fixed. Dumb idea. I called the company's 1-800 number, and was advised that "we don't have those repair centres any more" and that I could buy a new part -- i.e., an entirely new bread pan, paddles and all for a mere $40.86 CAD, including shipping from Ontario. It'll be here within 10 days.

Sigh.