I'm kind of feeling a loss of sew-jo post honeymoon. I messed up my workhorse Janome machine before I left for the wedding. I've got to get some sandpaper and try to clean up a burr. I'm praying that fixes things. It's not a super expensive back up machine. My Walmart Brother isn't great. I had planned on keeping that one at school to use with kids. Here's a question for you. If the machine isn't super expensive (like around $150), as what point do you just give up repairs/cleaning and just replace the machine? I hate the idea of throwing things out/replacing things a lot, but cost wise, at some point, it has to come to that, right?
Anyway.....back to my goal.
You got married, yay! I remember when you got engaged, congrats! I haven't visited in a while, but I just got married too and hear ya on the loss of sew-jo! Mine is more of a lack of blogging mojo, I guess. I still feel like sewing but can't seem to get back into blogging. Anyways, your quilt is beautiful and good luck finishing the quilting!
ReplyDeleteIt costs me as much to have my machine serviced as the machine itself cost which feels c-r-a-z-y! At the same time, I want this machine to eventually be my back-up machine, once I spring for my dream one, so keeping it in working order is important, I guess?
ReplyDeleteLove that quilt - can't wait to see it quilted.
ReplyDeleteI always think it's crazy when I have my $300 machine serviced/cleaned and it's $100 (which won't be happening too many more times) so I agree at some point it seems silly to fix for the same price as a new machine. But I hate throwing tings away too! Goodwill or craigslist save me from feeling too guilty about things like that :-)
I bought a Walmart Brother in the summer of 2011 when I first started to quilt. I believe it had 100 stitches and cost $179. I literally wore it out (my son was in another country and my husband was working nights so I had a LOT of time to sew). Walmart completely replaced it for free because it was only a year old. I have since purchased a nicer machine with a larger throat but I still recommend the Brother to others, especially if they buy it at Walmart (keep the box). But your question is a valid one -- it cost $129 to have a machine fully cleaned where I live. That's a lot to shell out for a cleaning once a year. I have watched online videos on how to clean my machine so even though I sew a fair amount, I hope to make it a bit longer between professional cleanings.
ReplyDeletePopping over from ALYOF. I don't have a good answer to your question about the cost effectiveness of sewing machines. Personally, I'm a sucker for a new machine and will use any excuse I can find to justify purchasing a new one to my husband! As for the spiderweb Halloween quilt. It looks great so far! I can't wait to see how it turns out at the end of the month!
ReplyDeleteI hope you are able to finish it but you need to enjoy your status as a newly married person too. As far as the machine question....when it continues to drive you batty every time you use it, then I think it is time to replace it. Sewing should be fun, not stressful. And just a suggestion, perhaps you might want to buy a better machine that has been used instead of a new Walmart one. There are some terrific deals available on great used machines that just might have you giving up on the cheapo ones for good.
ReplyDeleteLove the quilt. I would just replace the back up, unless you are super emotionally attached to it. See about trading it in, or even garage sale it, that way it isn't a total loss.
ReplyDeleteLoving the goal, not loving the death of a machine - RIP!
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