yikes, 25 degrees at 7:30 am....that's cold for these parts. had planned to visit the gym but plans again derailed due to chemical abuse from nasty neighbors...makes me plenty mad i can tell you...that's what happens when low-life, self-centered people with an over-inflated sense of entitlement live in apartments. came close to ER visit but my life-preserving meds rescued me.
did spend time putting new belt on trudy treadle, made more challenging by significant dust layer, but got 'er done and gave trudy a whirl. by afternoon was able to pick up some sewing....first up
felt good to rock the stitch again and make progress on this..hoping for january finish....then sat down at phoebe to stitch up more blocks for another small reproduction piece. saw the pattern online someplace and tweaked it to fit my needs....25 blocks in all, will be about 35" square when done...
then, somber call from sewing machine repair confirmed the worst--old viking cannot be repaired. parts stopped being made years ago and replacements nearly nonexistent for an issue rampant in these old machines. it was repaired once about 20 years ago extending the life, but now must say goodbye. seems silly but i'm heartbroken. it went with me everywhere--rented rooms, other scuzzy apartments, seemingly immortal with a 25-year warranty that doesn't exist today. it was my grown-up blankie. one last visit next week to retrieve personal effects--magnets and such--that adorn her. profound tearful sadness probably just the result of most recent huge pile of disappointments and stressors of the past year and will pass...but not today.
I’m sorry about your machine. There seems to be a lot of that going around! Can’t wait to see your little repro quilt. Looks interesting.
ReplyDeleteAnd we were 23 degrees for the high today, but that is normal around here. :)
ReplyDeleteLove the rich colors--is it an ocean waves quilt? That is what I recall, but am not sure if I have it right.
Interesting block pattern you tweaked. Look forward to seeing how they look all together.
Sorry about your health issue, and about your machine.
My original Viking is almost 43 years old. It would be very sad to say good-bye, but they have warned me that parts are getting hard to find and I can't expect her to last forever. You are living that reality. My condolences.
thanks...my viking was 43 exactly...so be prepared...
DeleteMy condolences about your machine. When the lightning strike took out the mother and child computer boards on an older Bernina I had, I hated it when the repair shop said no parts available. It just isn't the same....
ReplyDeleteI feel for you in your apartment situation. Cigarette smoke sends me for the inhalers. I wish you had another choice for housing. Here in MO we have some senior housing that is like 4-plexes - all on one floor, others are in rows that only share one wall. I'm sorry things are so frustrating for you, especially with Stay at Home orders.
thanks...been here nearly 5 years and it's been a torture chamber almost from the get go...
DeleteLovely blocks.....
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear your machine is dead..... Do you have another one?
a featherweight and a treadle but will get a zigzag at some point...
DeleteOh, Grace; I am so sorry to learn of the demise of your machine. I am praying for your broken heart. Stress takes many forms and all that you put up with can take its toll. Know that you're being thought of and prayed for~ breathe. Better days are ahead.
ReplyDeletethanks...definitely the last straw there...
DeleteOh no Grace, such sad news about your Viking. I felt the same way when my old Kenmore finally died. I have an old "Simplex" machine I would be happy to give you when you come to Maine. It is in a portable case, but it is not like today's lightweight ones.
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry your Viking can't be repaired. I'm also sorry to hear that you're still having troubles in your apartment complex. With any luck, maybe those people will move.
ReplyDeleteToo bad about your machine. There are probably some out there somewhere :(
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry to hear about your Viking, Grace. I'm attached to two sewing machines and I don't even want to think about the possibility of their demise. Like you, I would be heartbroken.
ReplyDeleteYou have some great quilts on the go, there.