Monday, November 10, 2014

A FRUSTRATING SEWING STORY, AND MY RUDOLF ORNAMENTS


It's around 1 o'clock on Monday afternoon and I am going to take a small break and put up this post. Does it count as a break if you are blogging?  lol.  I need to make this quick though as I really need to get back to my machine. So without any more talk, let me tell you what happened last Friday.  OK, I had gotten all of my regular sewing work done the day before and I sat down at the machine nice and early to get a couple of embroidery projects out of the way.  I try to do them all at the same time as when I embroider I have to take my machine out of it's cabinet and put it on the table that I used for cutting etc., as that is the only way there is room enough to attach my embroidery module.  But I guess I need to tell you what my machine had been doing for the couple of days prior to this.  My machine is basically somewhat of a computer.  When I change from stitch to stitch the needle automatically goes to the default position when it is set.  Well, for some reason my needle was not going back to the default position, so I was merely using the little button I have to move my needle to get it to the positions that I wanted.  It was somewhat annoying, as I wasn't always remembering that it wasn't where it was suppose to be and would start out with it in the wrong place therefore throwing my seam off.  But as it was easy to move and correct it, I wasn't giving much thought as to why it was even happening.  Anyway, now back to the embroidery.  I sat everything up, hooped my project, got my design all set and was ready to begin when I noticed that the needle was not in the right position, and if I had tried to start sewing at that point the needle would have hit the foot and of course immediately would have broken.  So sighing with relief that I had noticed that the needle was NOT in the right position I went to do the way I had been with the little button for the last couple of days. HOWEVER, the needle wouldn't move at all!  I began to panic, and began trying various different things to get the needle to move etc., and no luck.  I got out my manual and began trying to find this problem listed somewhere, and again...nothing.  So I called the store where I bought it and talked to the gal there who convinced me I needed to bring it in to be serviced and checked.  When I asked her how long this might take she told me 8 - 12 or MORE business days!!  I totally flipped out then and told her there was no way I could go that long and that I had a couple of gals counting on me to get their orders together for their business, not to mention my own pile of Christmas projects.  There was of course nothing she could do so I began frantically calling every Bernina dealer anywhere's near me only to get even worse time estimates.  Sooo I packed up my machine and headed down to the shop figuring I had no choice.  Which let me just say this too.  Getting down the carrying case required moving a chair into our closet, to get up on the shelf where it is stored, and loading the whole HEAVY HEAVY thing up and getting into my car was NO easy feat.  However, after I arrived at the shop the repair man who was working there told me that for 40 extra dollars he could move me to the front of the line.  Apparently everyone (or maybe everyone who appears frantic!) is given that option. Soo of course I opened my wallet and told them PLEASE move me.  Well, by 5:45 that night my machine was done and I went back over to pick it up.  I guess I have got over 2 and half MILLION stitches on my machine, and most people who have my machine for that length of time have maybe 800,000 thousand stitches on an average!  So I guess I am making my machine work pretty hard, lol. They told me I should either trade up, or get my machine serviced more like every six months if I want it to run well.  I also managed to get more instructions that I wasn't sure about regarding using stretch stitches on my machine, and left a happy camper.  However!!!!  Yes, there is a BIG HOWEVER....The next day (Saturday!) after we had finished cleaning house (how I had to make myself do that, lol) I sat down on Sat. afternoon and decided I would do the embroidery design I had wanted to do the day before, and that's when I discovered that ALL, and I will repeat that for major emphasis, ALL!!! of my embroidery designs that I had bought, downloaded, designed myself, and used for the last 15 months were GONE!  They had somehow been erased!!  To say I was hysterical would be putting it mildly.  You honestly have NO idea how many hours I had spent finding these designs, working on these designs, downloading these designs etc. etc. etc., not to mention PAYING for many of these designs! They couldn't be just gone...and yet they were.  I looked everywhere I could think of they might be and again frantically called the store only to find out the repair man was not there (apparently he doesn't work on the week-ends) and they were as horrified as I was to hear that the designs had no doubt mistakenly been erased.   She told me I would have to call again on Monday to find out if there was anything he could do.  In the meantime, there was NOTHING she could do.  I told my hubby the whole thing and he called the store demanding to talk to the owner who also would not be there until Monday.  Soo then we began looking through the MANY (and I mean MANY) jump drives where these designs could have been downloaded to, so that we could try and reload some of them to my sewing machine.  Some of them we did manage to find.  Most of the important ones I used all the time, but not all of them by any imagination.  I have no idea where they are.  Hubby told me probably erased off a jump drive to make room for other designs.  I did get the reindeer applique I was looking for to complete the project I was working on and went ahead and got it done....Meanwhile, my hubby is going to go by the store on his way home and talk to the owner and see what can be done.  At bear minimum I want the 160 dollars back that we just paid to have my machine serviced.  This will by no means bring back my designs, nor will it cover the money it cost. But I think they should at least do this!  We will see...I will keep you posted, lol.  I guess I feel like it would be as if you brought your computer somewhere to be repaired, and somehow they lost ALL of your pictures and other important documents.  Maybe this man DID download my designs somewhere and simply forgot to reload them.  A gal can dream can't she?

Soo today, this morning, I finally got busy on the Rudolph ornaments I am making up for my grandkids.  Last July, Diane and I found some fabric that was designed to celebrate the 50 years it has been that the first cartoon movie of Rudolf first came out.  It was a darling whole line, and both Diane and I bought a few yards of it without any idea of what we might do with it.   I had finally decided I would make up a pillowcase for Sam using some of it (how he LOVES this cartoon video would be hard to describe!) and then I decided if I fussy cut some of the fabric, and paired it together with a coordinating fabric, I could make darling little ornaments out of it.  It's what I definitely call "fiddly" but there was just enough for a set of 7 different characters to give to Mel's family, Joe's family, James's family, and a set for myself.  I have one set completely done, and the other's all cut out and ready to assemble.  I hope I can finish them all up this afternoon.  They are nothing great, lol, but I KNOW the kids will love them.  I made a little video for Sam making the ornaments talk together etc. so that he could see them all, and he was just thrilled.  The nice part as he and Luke and all the little ones can hang these ornaments on their trees, or take them back down, or play with them etc., and they won't hurt a thing.  Let me show them to you....

SO HERE THEY ARE...RUDOLF, CLARICE, HERMIE, CORNELIUS, SANTA, SNOWMAN, AND THE SNOW MONSTER

CLOSER LOOK AT CLARICE, LOL

THE FABRIC I USED ON THE BACK

I HAVE ALREADY USED THIS DESIGN FOR SAM AND LUKE, BUT ENLARGED IT TO MAKE THIS ONE FOR CODY


SAM WAS BEGGING TO WEAR HIS FRIDAY NIGHT SO MAMA LET HIM.  HERE HE IS ENJOYING HIS JAMMIES, AN ICE CREAM SANDWICH AND A ROARING FIRE.  LIFE DOESN'T GET MUCH BETTER DOES IT SAM?  LOL

MY GRANDDAUGHTER LINDSEY AND HER NEW KITTY ATHENA
Well now it's almost 3 (I had a couple of LONG phone interruptions!) so I need to get back to my sewing,  Hope you all have a GOOD week.  Blessings to you all, Debbie

8 comments:

  1. Oh,my goodness Debbie, I so feel your frustration. I pray that they can be restored and you will be in great shape. Can't believe how many stitches you already have on your machine. Wow!

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  2. I'm so sorry about all your designs, that kind of stuff puts a pit right in my stomach (I've had photos etc that have been deleted by mistake and it kind of just makes you feel sick) Hopefully they can be restored.

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  3. I for one, hope nothing ever happens to your sewing machine, because I enjoy seeing all of your amazing creations. I am thankful that I have had the privilege of seeing some of those thousands of stitches that your machine did.

    Your pictures are precious, especially the one of Lindsay and her new kitten.

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  4. I hope it can be restored! You are so talented Debbie. Your grandchildren are blessed. I always love your photos.

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  5. Wow Debbie,
    I hope you can get every thing fixed. I love that picture. That is the life, an ice cream sandwich in front of a roaring fire.
    I love those ornaments. They are so cute. I hope every thing works out with your machine.

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  6. Well, Debbie, I can certainly understand your frustration/panic! Hopefully the technician did load those designs onto another drive. Cute ornaments. Sure hope this story has a happy ending.

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  7. Hi Debbie, I love your ornaments and embellishments on the pj's. Hope you get your machine all figured out. I had the girls yesterday and today and it was such fun, but I haven't gotten to sew lately. When I can, I realize I need to visit blogs and then the time is gone. Hope you have a wonderful evening.
    Hugs, Noreen

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  8. Oh Debbie, what a nightmare! I hope you can get your designs back!!!
    Love the ornaments, and all of the things you have made for the kids.
    Keeping my fingers crossed for you!
    XO Kris

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I am so glad that you would take the time to comment on my thoughts and feelings, it is such a blessing to me!