When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get....

Meet Bernie!  I tried finding a used one, but the used Berninas were going for more than I wanted to pay for a used machine, so yesterday I mustered up my courage and bank account, and bought this--which technically solves my stash problems too, because now I don't have any money to spend on yarn or fabric anyway......

It's a purely mechanical machine, and this is the one that home ec and theater classes used, so I figure if it can withstand teenagers, it will work for me for the next 40 years.  And even when I eventually DO get Jeeves back, it will be a good idea to have a heavier machine for bigger sewing projects since Jeeves has more things to go wrong.

Speaking of Jeeves, I called and left a message at my Husqvarna dealer yesterday before setting out to run errands and pick up Bernie ........and no one has called me back yet--more than 24 hours later.  I think I would have gotten Bernie even if Jeeves had been ready to be picked up yesterday, but the poor service from Husqvarna just keeps adding up.  If they start consistently not returning my calls, I'll be making a call to the Attorney General's office and the Better Business Bureau.  You can't advertise a warranty and then effectively not honor it.   

My first sewing project is this
and I was hoping to have it finished last night, but that's bias tape all the way around the dress, and it takes quite a while to to put it on each part.  BUT, I should have a project done today!!!!!! 

Someone is unimpressed..
Since Jeeves has been gone most of 2 months, I don't think Theo believes we're actually sewing again.  Maybe in another week......

Comments

Dana said…
I have my great-aunt's Bernina from the '70s and it's still running strong...Hi Bernie!
August 19, 2010 at 10:53 AM
Janet said…
Good for you, Bernie should fill in the void wonderfully. I enjoy having more than 1 machine (I have 3, lol) makes a whole lot of sense when a machine goes down, lol. Luckily mine only need to go in for a good TLC cleaning and such. My big Janome 1600P is a professional grade machine, only a straight stitch, but lots of different attachments. I have to get busy and order the extra parts one day so that I can do more than just piecing quilts and machine quilting. Although it is a dream. Mechanical machines are great for all the heavy duty sewing you need to do. And just think, when Jeeves does come home, you can have an embroidery project going, as well as sewing something else on the other machine at the same time! TIME SAVER!!!!!!!
August 19, 2010 at 4:22 PM
RobinH said…
Yay for Bernie!

I have two mechanical sewing machines, both of them close to as old as I am. (Yard sales!) Plus a third one that came with a sewing table that I got on Freecycle, and I still need to take apart and clean. (If I can get that one working, it's going to a friend who had one of mine on loan for a year or so.)

Of course I don't sew as much as you do, (one reason I've never looked at anything more modern), but having a decent mechanical machine is great for the run-of-the-mill mending and occasional projects I do with them. And the heavier of the two machines stood up beautifully to that massive theatrical drape project I did a couple of years ago. Not complicated, but boy, going through multiple layers of heavy duty velour was no picnic!
August 20, 2010 at 7:13 AM
carolyn said…
Make sure you post a picture, preferably with you modeling the dress! I love the pattern!!!

I can't believe you're getting jerked around this much on Jeeves -But, hello Bernie! Do a good job for Toni, okay?
August 20, 2010 at 12:05 PM
Mandy said…
That is a lovely pattern you are making. I lok forward to seeing the finished dress.
Congratulations on getting Bernie. It is so wrong that the repairers are taking such a long time to let you know what is going on.
I do hope that you hear somethign about Jeeves, or better, still get him back in perfect working order, before too much longer.
I really could do with a second machine now that my daughters have got my other two...........
August 20, 2010 at 1:59 PM
Daniele said…
Theo will have to see real evidence before he believes you! Nice machine, there!! Good for you. :D
August 20, 2010 at 2:09 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I Used The Glue Gun Without Burning Myself!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Image
I'm not sure I'll have a prouder accomplishment all year--or a more surprising one.  I think I have a few fingerprints left. Andy is gone for the weekend, so the kitties and I are having a crafting weekend.  With their help,  I finished the first project of the year. The colors are a bit more subdued in real life, but I don't know how to reduce the intensity of this cell phone's camera.  I also cut some more strips for other projects, and wound another Hank from Hell:  A couple years ago I bought some Feza Rio that was on clearance, and for a cashmere/merino blend, it's not at all soft, and until this yarn, I didn't know one could hank yarn badly, but there does seem to be a way to do it so unevenly that permanent kinks are put into the yarn, and if that weren't enough fun, rather than being normal human beings who tie the ends into the threads holding the hank in place, these deranged maniacs tied the two ends together and snipped off the end...
Read more

Whew, It's Been A While.

Image
Wow - more than a year.   I am still crafting - lots of chemo caps knitted this year, but I'm also still learning to quilt.  This, is one of a set of table runners after I made a huge mistake on what was going to be a quilt.  Whoops.  That's twice I've done that.  I'd show you the other set, but blogger isn't letting me upload any older pictures.  I can show you this, which is from a kit and is one of my new favorites. This quilt, is my first attempt with a striped fabric, and is going to be shipped off to it's recipient today, who hopefully doesn't suffer from dizziness or vertigo.  What I learned from THIS project is that stripes aren't always printed straight, and if they are, I certainly don't always cut or sew straight.  Ahem... I am back to working from home.  I had been the marketing director for a local air conditioning company, but it was a family business, and what I discovered during the slow months is that it was a nightmare....
Read more

Ostrich Plume Scarf

Image
This scarf is actually very simple, but I'm trying to make the directions as thorough as possible.  It has a moss-stitch border of 6 rows on top and bottom and 4 stitches on each side, and uses the stitch pattern KNOWN as Ostrich Plume (hence the name).  There's a 3-stitch decrease using a slip 2, k1, pass slipped stitches over, which creates a nicer look than the traditional slip 1, k2tog, pass slipped stitch over technique, but feel free to use the more traditional decrease if you choose.  I used a shorter bottom and top edging to allow the wavy stitch pattern to pull the border into the wave effect, but you could certainly add a few extra rows of moss-stitch to the top and bottom if you would like. I have written this to slip the first stitch of all but the very first row as I think it makes a nicer edge, but you may choose to simply knit them.  As a matter of personal preference, I never slip the first stitch of the first row--it doesn't work with some cast-o...
Read more