Photos: Snow Geese, Canada Geese, and a Waxing Moon

Snow geese and Canada geese are flying over by the thousands.  The snowies have a higher-pitched call than the Canadas.  The shots of the moon show it in a Waxing Gibbous phase at 83% of illumination.  And look!  There are buds on the sugar maple!

Snowies

Canadas

Journal: Birthday, Birthdays! (and Quilting, Of Course)

Last Monday was grandson Ian’s birthday.  He’s Jeremy and Lydia’s third child.  Late that afternoon, I sent Larry a note:  “Before you come home, could you pick up a toy for Ian?  He’s two today.  I already have a wooden puzzle for him.” 

I mentioned the child’s age, because Larry always has a tendency to choose something several years too old for the child.  Many’s the time I’ve told him, “The age listed on the box is usually just about right.”

“Okay,” Larry texted agreeably.

Two hours later, he sent this picture of a motorized minibike and a motorized Go Kart from Bomgaars, asking, “Would either of these work? 🤔”

I responded, “Bigger is better.”

Fortunately, what he actually brought home was this battery- and friction-run sanitation truck:

Last Sunday night after church, I helped Ian get his two littlest fingers squished down with his thumb, whilst the index and middle finger stood up (sort of) straight. 

“One, two!” I told him, counting them.  “That’s how old you’ll be!  One, two.”  He was giggling, working hard to keep those little fingers where they belonged.  Then he gave me one of his twinkly grins and said, “And cake!”

Hee hee  Yes.  “And cake.”

After working over the two-fingers thing, I used his fingers like valve keys on a trumpet, and ‘played’ him a lively song.  Doesn’t take much, and kids think Grandma is lots of fun!

Lydia made Ian a Poky Little Puppy cake, and there’s his stuffed puppy.  She even embroidered a Poky Little Puppy on his shirt pocket with the embroidery machine Jeremy gave her for Christmas.

Hannah has not been feeling well for quite a long time.  She went to Urgent Care Monday evening, and the doctor there made a guess as to what her problem is, after listening to her symptoms, which include sinus troubles, fever, migraines, sore throat, and so on.  He told her to see an Ear, Nose, and Throat specialist to verify what he thought.  She saw the specialist Thursday, and, after tests, the doctor told her she has polyps in the nasal passages, just as the Urgent Care doctor had surmised.  She’s on medication now that is supposed to reduce them, but there’s a probability she may need surgery to remove some.

Nasal polyps result from chronic inflammation due to asthma, recurring infection, allergies, drug sensitivity, or certain immune disorders.  Small nasal polyps may not cause symptoms, but larger growths or groups of nasal polyps can block nasal passages or lead to breathing problems, a lost sense of smell, and frequent infections.  It’s done that and more, to Hannah.

Breathing troubles, whatever the causes, are scary!  We worry about our children and grandchildren who have asthma.

Tuesday, one of my quilting friends, in asking me about various computer/internet issues, explained that she asks me these things ‘because you are a geek,’ said she.

A geek!  Many have thought it, few have actually said it.  Haha!

I take it as a bona fide compliment.  However, I imagine I only know a very thin skimming of the surface, when it comes to technology.  I have no idea under the sun how to create a program, for instance.  It’s enough effort, just figuring out how to use some programs.  😄

One of my friends was having a problem with her touchpad.  I told her how one can adjust the sensitivity of the pad, or move or change various functions (such as what occurs when one taps corners, or slides a certain number of fingers in specific directions).  I like my touchpad set with high sensitivity ----- but that isn’t so great, when I’m using it in Larry’s jouncy, bouncy pickup.  Why, I’ve purchased five Ferraris and three Bentleys before I even realized I’d gotten to the webpage!

The birds were all a-twitter around the feeders that day.  I heard a few that were considering starting up their early-spring warbles.  They’re jumping the gun a little, though; winter is certainly not over, around these parts!

Several people have asked about my sewing machines, wondering what kind I have, and if I like them.

My ‘new’ Bernina is 20-21 years old.  I’ve only had it about 6 ½ years, though; I bought it used.  It’s an Artista 180E, and was top of the line for several years.  I love it... and I would love a brand-spankin’ new one, even more.  heh 

I’m a Bernina snob, I guess.  I think their slogan is absolutely correct:  “Nothing runs like a Bernina.  Nothing.”  I’ve used other machines, but I’ve never found one that – in my most humble (or not-so-humble) opinion – can equal a Bernina.  They’re timed so precisely, the stitches are so perfect... the motor runs quietly and smoothly... and nowadays, the computerized models have multitudes of options and conveniences.  The new ones have bigger screens than mine, and they’re in color, too.  That would be a big advantage over mine.

I was so astonished when someone mentioned ‘poor reviews’ of Berninas online.  I looked for them... and sho’ ’nuff, there are bad reviews.  There are really good reviews, too, but not as many as I expected, though there are more good than bad.  I spotted someone’s comment that made me laugh:

“Whaaaaaaaa?!!!!!!!!!!  All these bad reviews!!!!  Where are these people COMING from?!!!!!!”  ((...pause...))  “Ohhhhhhh.  I get it, now.”  ((...another pause...))  “All those millions and millions of people who are totally delighted with their Berninas --------- are busy sewing.  MUCH too busy to be writing silly little reviews.” 

It’s true, unhappy people generally make more noise than happy ones. 

If you ever have a day where it feels like everything is going wrong, just watch a youtube video of Russian car crashes, and it’ll make you feel better, by comparison.  I think their cars come with a barrel of vodka in the trunk, and a drinking tube that travels right up to the driver’s seat.  Also, if they want brakes, they have to special-order the vehicle.  Few do.

Brains are not available in either case.  Nor are their pedestrians equipped with them.

Sometimes I show one of those videos to Larry.  He watches a while... gives the drivers instructions:  “A little more to the right... now to the left ------- okay!  Turn NOW!  Right in front of that --------”  

CRRRRASSSHHH 

Then he rubs his hands together and says gleefully, “Got ’im.”

It’s lots more fun to watch car crash videos with Larry.  🤣

What in the world?  I just noticed that on February 11, 32,587 people went to my Nature’s Splendor blog.  On the 12^th, it was 33,309!!!  On the 13^th, 5,308; the 14^th, 37; the 15^th, 27.  Wow, I was a one-hit wonder! – only I didn’t even know it, until it was over and done with.  That must’ve happened because of something I mentioned on one of the humongous Facebook quilting groups.

I made it to the halfway point of my customer’s New Year’s Eve 1999 mystery quilt that day.

That evening, we went to Jeremy and Lydia’s house to give Ian his birthday gift, and to share his ice cream and cake.  Kurt, Victoria, and Carolyn were there, too.

Little by little, Jeremy is getting their house done.  He’s quite an artist with wood, tile, ... anything.  Here’s a 3D inlaid wood star he put together just inside the front door:

Larry helped put the Kimball baby grand piano, the one that my father got for me when I was 13 years old, into position in the living room.  

Electronic piano in upstairs balcony

Kimball baby grand

Jeremy laid a section of wooden floor especially for it; pianos have a prettier reverberation on wood than on carpeting.  The electronic piano (shaped like a small baby grand) that they got when the Kimball was stored somewhere else is in the upstairs balcony, next to their big, new bedroom.

Babies Malinda and Carolyn were playing near each other -- separately, but side by side, as babies do.  You should’ve seen the expression on Malinda’s face when Lydia picked up baby Carolyn.  She popped her little thumb out of her mouth for a moment or two, and took a long, hard look at her Mama holding that little cousin of hers.  I’m pretty sure if she could talk, she would’ve said, “Hey, that’s not me you’re holding, now, is it??”

I wish someone would have been videoing when we were ready to leave their house, and I went to get my purse in the kitchen.  Ian was hunting for things to show me – anything! – with the express purpose of delaying my departure. 

So I held out my hand and said, “Well, I have to go.  Can you take me to Grandpa?”

He nodded quite seriously, got a grip on my little finger, and trotted off just as if I’d set him about a very important task, and marched me right straight to Larry.

Wednesday morning, Lydia sent a video clip of Ian playing with the wooden John Deere puzzle we’d given him – loaded into the back of a big John Deere dump truck.  😄

That night after our midweek church service, I finished quilting my customer’s quilt.  My machine went on working perfectly, all the way to the end.

Thursday, I packed the lady’s quilts into a box and headed to the post office to ship them back to her.  Would you believe that one not-too-awfully-big box (maybe 24” x 18” x 18”, as a rough guess) would cost $39.30 to mail?!  Granted, it weighed 13 lbs., 12 oz.  But... that’s a lot of money, to ship a box.

Next, I went to Hobby Lobby for buttons for the Baskets of Lilies quilt.  I also got a large watercolor set for a birthday gift for Victoria.

We got about an inch and a half of snow that evening.

Hannah called to tell me about her visit with the specialist.  The more she thinks about it, the more put off she is.  He started with a volley of questions – a ‘pop quiz’, as Hannah called it, ‘to see what she knows about asthma and allergies’, treating her quite as if she hadn’t a brain in her head.  “How would you define ‘wheezing’?” he asked.

She was sick... hasn’t been able to sleep well for days (weeks, months), and didn’t feel like answering all these questions.  When she politely said that she really couldn’t think of answers for all his questions, as she felt quite foggy (her oxygen level was a bit low), he told her she needed to see a psychiatrist!  The idiot had used a scope, and could clearly see what her problem was!

Some doctors are bullies.  Furthermore, know-it-alls never know half as much as they pretend to know, never mind what their exalted status in life might happen to be. 

At least there is consolation in the verse that says, “Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”

There are other specialists.  And at least Hannah now knows what the main problem is.

That evening and all day Friday, I made fabric yo-yos and sewed them onto the Baskets of Lilies quilt, after which I sewed on the buttons – 36 shanked buttons on top; 36 flat buttons on the back (to secure the shanked buttons).  By the time that was done, my fingertips were sore, sore, sore. 

I’d purchased three sizes of yo-yo makers, and used the largest, which makes 2 ⅜” yo-yos.  The smaller ones didn’t look right on such a big quilt.

I posted pictures on several quilting groups, including a shot of this roadblock over which I have to step in my quilting studio.

I truly have no idea why Tiger’s always been such a tub o’ lard; we give him diet food, and try not to give him too much, but he was fat even when he was a stray.  One lady wrote, “Are you sure he didn’t eat the dog?  Has anyone seen Fido?”  Hee hee

Tiger’s so funny.  He can be sound asleep in a far corner of the house – but if he hears Larry and me talking together, he comes hurrying to do figure eights around our ankles, his low-pitched rumble-purr in full gear.  He obviously considers conversation to be a friendly noise, and immediately gravitates to it.  He even does it when I talk on the phone.  I pace when I’m talking, and that silly cat paces with me, often cutting suddenly right square in front of me, staring up into my face, purring away.  He has no idea under the sun that if he trips me up, we’re both in jeopardy.  (Or maybe he does, but knows that I’ll then offer him all sorts of sympathies and consolations, making it well worthwhile.)  When I’m trying to load a quilt on the frame, trotting back and forth from one side of my quilting studio to the other, Tiger trot-waddles with me, in front of me, beside me...  If I stop, he rushes in front of me, leans against my legs, and peers up at me with his piercing gaze, clearly wanting to know, “Do you love me???”

People had been mean to him before he came to us.  I can never understand how they could do that, to such a nice kitty.  He has the sweetest disposition.  Amazing, that an animal can be so loving when I know good and well he was badly mistreated.  I don’t feel aggravated toward him when he gets in my way; he makes me laugh.  😊  😍

I follow a quilter on Instagram who has a couple of computer-driven Gammills in his studio.  He churns out – get this – anywhere from 3 to 6 quilts every day.  😲

I’d like to sneak a camera into his studio, set it up in the morning, and let it go all day.  I wanna know what he does whilst his machines are chugging away at those quilts!  Maybe he just leans back and sips from a steaming mug of coffee, only getting up to roll the quilts forward now and again?

The computerized program for my machine is $10,000.  😲  Therefore, I move my machine by hand.  I do love my new machine.  I just learned that instead of the 1,800 stitches per minute I thought it could go, it’s 2,200 spm!  That’s pretty fast. 😊  My HQ16 could only go 1,100 spm.

A friend of mine who lives in Colorado lost a big, beautiful cat over a year ago.  She figured a fox had killed him.  He was gone for a year and two months – and then about six weeks ago, there he was sitting at her patio door meowing and crying!  His three sisters accepted his return like he had never been gone.

“Don’t things like that make you wish the animal had a teeny, tiny camera on him somewhere, and you could download the video from the last year, and just watch?” I asked.

Friday, Dorcas sent video clips and pictures of Trevor playing with the mixer truck and wooden puzzle we sent him for his 2^nd birthday.  He’s a week younger than Ian.

Saturday, February 24^th, was Victoria’s 21^st birthday.  My baby is 21, imagine that!

It was sooo pretty that morning, with new-fallen snow stuck to all the trees and fences.

On one of the online quilting groups, someone posted the following:  “Typical longarm quilting machine question:  I put the thingamabob inside the whatchamacallit, turned the doohickey, and the wuteveritis still doesn’t work.  Any ideas?”

People promptly chimed in with the answers:

First Answer:  “Duct tape.”

#2:  “Try wiggling the whosamawhatchit.”

#3:  “Don’t forget to check that the doomagatchi is plugged into the other thingamabob.”

And then Debbie Downer comes along:  “Maybe I’m just in a recurring bad mood but I’m so tired of people’s questions not being clear.  It’s not like everyone reading the question has time to ask the 4 or 5 questions needed to clarify the problem.  And then there’s the typo’s.  My goodness!”

I wanted to write back and correct her typo – that apostrophe in the word ‘typo’.  It’s a plural, not a possessive, for pity’s sake.  Furthermore, since it was supposed to be a plural, the linking verb should be ‘are’, not ‘is’ (seen in the contraction ‘there’s’).

Along comes Obdulia Obvious:  “LA’s (longarmers) are a wonderful group we all speak and understand the same language” 

(Even if there’s no punctuation, right?)

Next, I was reading through a few posts on a Facebook quilting group.  There are thousands and thousands (and thousands) of members in the group, so things can be a bit impersonal – but that’s no excuse for being downright rude.  One can hurt another’s feelings, even if one doesn’t know the other.

Here’s what I read:

One lady was having a bit of trouble with her longarm – which by coincidence is the very machine Larry gave me for Christmas.  She mentioned that the majority of the problems occur when she moves her machine in a northwesterly direction (as one stands from the front of the machine), especially with a particular type of thread.  This is a fairly common problem with any mid-to-longarm machine, and has to do with the direction the bobbin race turns compared to thread tension compared to quilt tension on the frame compared to needle flex, et cetera. 

(That’s a simplified explanation, but if I try to get any more specific and complex, I’ll reveal my ignorance on the subject.) 

Several people responded with a variety of helpful advice – and then one wrote something on this order:

“I have a new 26” Gammill Vision with the Statler computerized system.  I can put any type or weight of thread on my machine and move it in any direction, either manually or by computer, and never have the slightest problem at all.  Why would you even have a machine that won’t do that??”

My parents would’ve disowned me, maybe even from the grave, if I talked to anyone like that – especially someone who is having troubles and asking for help!  The setup that snotty woman owns has a price tag of about $32,000.  Mere pocket change, right?

Here’s one of the more famous quotes in history (probably attributed to the wrong person):  “At some point around 1789, when being told that her French subjects had no bread, Marie-Antoinette, bride of France’s King Louis XVI, supposedly sniffed, “Qu’ils mangent de la brioche.”  (“Let them eat cake.”)

(It was more likely Marie-Thérèse, the Spanish princess who married King Louis XIV in 1660, who said that.)

If some poor person is having engine problems with his Ford Fiesta, should we look down our noses and ask, “Why ever why won’t you just get an Escalade?!”  Or if you spot someone in the grocery store picking up a package of generic hotdogs, carefully checking the price, do you march up and say in your haughtiest tone, “The filet mignon is right over there.” (pointing an arrogant finger)

When I was four years old and heading off to Sunday School for the first time, my mother said to me, “Whatever you do, don’t ever, ever look at anybody else’s coloring and act like yours is better.”

I thought, A great big four-year-old girl knows better than that! – but I’ve remembered her admonition well, all these years ------ and tried to teach it to my own children as well. 

At least there were plenty of nice people doing their bestest to help the lady with longarm troubles, and nobody else answered Ms. Hoity-Toity.  Sometimes, the least said, the soonest mended.  You could waste your entire life’s precious seconds/minutes /hours, having scuffles and ka-fuffles on the Internet – and to what purpose?  I prefer to only argue in those venues wherein I am assured of having the last word.  (Or wherein I am close enough to the villain to box his or her ears.) 

That afternoon, I pulled out my Letraset ProMarker dye pens, and painted a few of the appliquéd petals that didn’t quite have enough contrast.  Can you tell which petals are painted?

Next, I made an embroidered quilt label and handstitched it to the back of the quilt – and then it was done.

I plan to enter it in our State and County Fairs before I give it to Todd and Dorcas.  It’s for their next anniversary, which is in October.

I might have the quilt appraised, too, so they can add it to their home insurance policy.  It will probably be appraised at $3,000-$4,000, judging by other quilts I’ve had appraised. 

If you don’t have an appraisal for a quilt, and something happens to it, you’ll get no more from your insurance company than it would cost to replace it with a blanket from Wal-Mart.  With an appraisal, you’ll get the entire amount.

My brother Loren brought me his late wife Janice’s foot pedal – she had the same machine as my older Bernina, the 830 Electronic Record.  You’ll recall I tried to use it a couple of weeks ago, and it quit?  I gave the pedal a try — and my machine worked perfectly.  Yaaayyy, it was only the pedal, not the machine!  I thought so, but it was good to know for sure.  I looked for one online, but only found generic ones. They’d probably work all right; and they are brand new.

The 830 Record was the top-of-the-line machine in 1978, and for ten years.  It still sews beautifully, and the motor purrs quietly.  I clean and oil it and use it now and again, in order to keep it that way.

A couple more inches of snow fell that evening.  Hundreds and hundreds of Canada geese flew low over our house, their wild calls drifting for miles across the hills.

Guess what?!  (Did you guess?)

Larry used his handy-dandy little pocketknife/file set on my foot pedal, filed the connectors on the rheostat, hooked them back up ------ and it works like a million bucks.  Or at least like several hundred bucks.  As Lydia said when she was two, “My Daddy can fix anything.”

Yesterday afternoon, I put my camera on the tripod, positioned it in the snowy back yard, and then set the shutter on ten-second delay (which is as long a delay as possible).  Then I stood on the deck, one story up, with the Baskets of Lilies quilt lopped over the railing.  Larry pressed the button on the camera, then came dashing through the snow in a one-hoss open sleigh ----- no, wait.  He came rushing through the snow drifts, up the steps to the deck, where he grabbed one corner of the quilt and helped me hold it as it hung down. 

The camera clicked.  We draped the quilt over the railing and trotted down to the camera to see what the picture looked like, readjust the angle if necessary, and take another shot.

By the time we had half a dozen pictures or so, we were well-exercised and snowy of the hoof.  But we did get a few decent shots.  More photos here.

The quilt measures 115” x 115”.

Kurt and Victoria invited us over after church last night.  They gave us some of their Sunday afternoon meal – venison (I didn’t even know that’s what it was – I thought it was extra-tender beef roast), baked potatoes and carrots.  Mmm, mmm. 

We played with Baby Carolyn for a bit before Victoria tucked her in bed, and then we headed for home.

My word, a squirrel out in the maple tree has been scolding so loud and long, he’s going to need a cup of Slippery Elm tea for a sore throat!

Snow geese by the hundreds flying over, sparkling in the sun.  I grabbed my 300mm lens, put it on the camera, dashed to the door...  The camera wouldn’t focus.  I switched it to manual focus.  By then the snow geese had nearly all gone over the house toward the south; I didn’t get a single shot. 

Then suddenly I spotted a bald eagle, soaring low over the hill from the north, heading my way.  I focused on him... pressed the shutter button --- but nothing happened.

That’s when I remembered:  I had the camera set on 10-second delay from when Larry and I took pictures of the Baskets of Lilies quilt yesterday.  Bah, humbug.

I reset the camera as I scurried through the house to the back deck.  The bald eagle was long gone, nowhere in sight.  The snow geese were quite some distance away by then, but I got a few shots, and took a couple of the moon, for good measure. 

Since it was over 50°, I opened the front door and slid the window down a bit, so I would hear any geese that might fly over again.

It wasn’t long before several flocks did fly over – first more snow geese, then Canada geese.  This time, I got several decent pictures.  But I never saw the eagle again.

Now I shall get back to working on the Americana Eagle quilt.

(Oh, the painted petals are the ones with the brighter greens and pinks.)

,,,>^..^<,,,          Sarah Lynn         ,,,>^..^<,,,

Journal: Back in Working Order Again!

Last Tuesday, I spent a good eight hours struggling over a small baby quilt that should’ve only taken four hours or less, all because my machine was being troublesome.  Larry had tried timing it the night before, and while it was obviously close, it just wasn’t quite right.  By suppertime, my back hurt from leaning over the frame to pick out stitches after the machine skipped stitches, and broke and shredded thread. The problems worsened when I pushed the machine in a northwesterly direction – a sure sign of timing or bobbin race problems.

But I did get a note that evening from the lady who purchased my HQ16:  “Just to let u know I have finished my second QOV (Quilt of Valor, for veterans) quilt one with pantograph and my first freehand with stars waves and hearts plus writing patriotic phrases. Machine performing excellent. Will take great care of her and know she is owned by a dedicated quilter with an engineering brain so I do all the maintenance. I am one happy woman.”

Isn’t that nice?  I’m so happy and relieved the machine made it all that way (1,100 miles!) without anything happening to it, and it’s working so perfectly for her.

However, I did say to Larry, “Let’s go get it back!  I’m jealous of her!”

He laughed... but I knew he felt badly that the Christmas surprise he was so pleased to give me was causing all these troubles.  He works long hours, comes home tired... tries to watch a youtube video on timing a longarm (most are for other brands, but some are similar enough to be helpful) ---- but falls asleep in the middle.  Finally Monday night when that happened, I shut off the video and said, “Go to bed!  You shouldn’t have to fix this machine, they should!” – speaking of the ones who sold it to us.  After all, I’d only quilted three rows when the trouble began, and I didn’t hit anything with it, or do anything unusual, other than put in a new bobbin, and the bobbin wasn’t any different than the two or three bobbins I’d already put in it.

No amount of rethreading, putting in new needles, changing tension, etc., helped.  Well, putting in the size 20 railroad spike recommended by the woman who, with her husband, co-owns the store got me through the Baskets of Lilies quilt, but I very much dislike the large holes the size 20 leaves.  They do go away, sorta, kinda... probably won’t show anymore after the quilt is washed... but ...  ugh, bleah, pbth.  Size 20s are not for #50 thread!  They are for heavier thread.

The woman didn’t call me back last week as she promised... and she obviously didn’t tell her husband, the tech, that I’d asked for him to call me, because he returns his calls promptly.

Finally, in Wednesday’s early morning hours, I finished my customer’s ‘Campout’ baby quilt.

The parents love to camp; thus the camping theme.

My machine made a few knots on the back of the quilt, and I didn’t know about them until I removed it from the frame.  Aarrgghh.  I tried to fix them... don’t know if I did a very good job.  So... I gave my customer a discount:  2 ½ cents per square inch for light custom work, instead of 3 ½ cents, and that didn’t seem good enough to me, so I knocked off another $10.

I would not load another customer quilt on that frame until that machine was fixed. 

Still, just look at those circles.  Credit to the frame and tracks!  It moves soooo smoothly.  The stitch regulator is exact and precise, too.

Wednesday, I took the quilt to the post office, and also mailed a fallen-apart doll to a lady who will fix it.  It’s an 18” Max Zapf that Lura Kay gave Victoria quite a few years ago, a very pretty doll.  The legs came off before she’d had it much longer than a month.  Yeah, I should’ve fixed it, way back then.  But I’m not such a good doll fixer, heh.  I prefer to carefully put it away (didn’t know the doll-fixing lady yet), get the child another, similar doll... — and then sew clothes for it, as an apology.  ha  Victoria was sooo disappointed when those legs came off after she’d only had that doll a little while.  She’ll be really happy to get it back.  Baby Carolyn will love it one of these days. 

That afternoon, Larry talked to the tech and gave him all the symptoms my machine was displaying, including the fact that the needle plate shows that the needle has hit it at least twice (not by me).  Kevin told him to file it down smooth (Larry has lots of file sets), give it a try, and then, if that didn’t help, we could take the machine to the store Thursday afternoon.  He would meet us, and work on the machine immediately.

Does anybody else hate it as badly as I do, to scribble around on a ‘practice’ piece, and waste it? 

A quilting friend told me I should complain to the manufacturer about these dealers. 

But... they aren’t both bad, the man and his wife!  If I complained, it would cause harm to the tech, and possibly the other employees.  Furthermore, it would be like cutting off my nose to spite my own face, should their dealership get pulled.  I need them there, after all!  Several others besides just me would be up a crick without a paddle, should their license to sell for Handi-Quilter be revoked – and with enough complaints, that can happen.

The tech has always tried his best to help us – even with the HQ16, which I hadn’t even purchased from them.

The HandiQuilter company, based in Salt Lake City, has a good customer service department, and a reputation for being very helpful on the phone.  In fact, I’ve called them before, and gotten good advice, and whatever product I needed was sent to me promptly.

So... if I have a complaint to make, in this particular case at least, I will make it directly to the person with whom I have the grievance.  And I’ll keep in mind that her husband might very well love her, and might very well not want me to snatch her bald.  Eh?

A friend replied to my remark, “They do say that opposites attract.  But we never know what a person has been through that may be causing their bad behavior.  It’s not only children that act out when they are unhappy or hurting.”

They might attract, but they don’t necessarily get along!  heh

Sometimes people like that haven’t been through anything.  They’ve just been pampered, mollycoddled, and spoiled rotten all their miserable lives.

I know people – some of them, close relatives – who have been through tragedy after tragedy... or who have severe health problems... and they get sweeter, kinder, and more compassionate as the years go by.

That’s the way it should be.  But I know it isn’t, a good deal of the time.

“But you’re right,” I answered my friend, “we never know what someone has been through, or is going through.  I try to remember that, and be understanding.”  ((...pause...))

“Unless she tries to force me to use size 20 needles just because her mother-in-law rearranged her kitchen, or some such transgression.  🙄😠”

After church Wednesday night, Larry smoothed the needle plate with his file, as recommended, and then I tried the machine out.  I slapped a couple of pieces of fabric around a piece of batting, and made a long feathered plume.  Unless it was a plumed feather.  Of course it was fantastic quilting, this test pattern on that quilt sandwich whose back did not match its top.  Why didn’t I make them match, in case it turned into something spectacular?!

But it didn’t.  I switched to a size 18 needle... started up the outside, outlining the first plume – and the thread skipped and then broke.  I rethreaded, tried again, and had the same results.

I turned the machine off.  That was enough struggling with it.

Back to the yo-yos!  It turns out, the 2 ⅜” maker was the right size.  I made 9 of them and sewed them onto the quilt.  Since I need a total of 36, that means I have 25% of them done.

Thursday, Larry came home at noon, got the Avanté off the frame and put it into the Jeep, and I helped him strap it down, along with the carriage.  We grabbed coffee mugs, camera, coffee thermos, coats, gloves, and scarves, and away we went to Fremont, Avanté in tow.  Well, in the back of the Jeep, anyway.

As he was loading the machine, Larry spotted something in one of the little cubbyholes along the side, under the rear window.  He pulled it out.  Lo and behold, it was the little plastic tool case that goes with Hannah’s sewing machine, and it was all full of presser feet, bobbins, and various tools!  She and Joanna had turned their sewing room upside down, looking for it.  Fortunately, she hadn’t had any big sewing projects to do lately (and there is a presser foot on the machine).  That case has been in the Jeep since I took her machine to the Bernina Store in Omaha for a tune-up, way back last August!

The fields were full of Canada geese.  It was an overcast day, but still fairly bright, because everything was covered with new snow.  I like the old brick streets of Fremont, and the big old fancy houses in areas once considered the more affluent areas of town.

As I’d thought, the timing on my Avanté was only just slightly off.  Kevin showed Larry exactly how to do it, so if it ever gets out of whack again, he’ll know what to do.  Kevin goes out of his way to be helpful, and we really appreciate it.

The tech also recommended a different needle, so I bought a couple of packets.  The ones I had, though the right size, were actually for a different machine – the Infinity, that’s larger and quilts faster, which causes a different flex to the needle.  I had ordered my needles directly from the factory.  When I got home, I checked my needle packets, and discovered that while three of them were the right type, two were not.  They worked okay with the HQ16, but the Avanté is apparently a little more picky about these things.

The correct needles for the Avanté are labeled ‘R’ for ‘Sharp Point’.  The packets that are supposed to be for the Infinity are labeled ‘MR’ for ‘Multi-Range’ (also labeled ‘SAN’ for ‘Special Application Needle’.  Evidently when I ordered them, someone at the HQ warehouse scooped up a handful of needle packets to fill my order, and didn’t notice that a couple of odd packets had gotten mixed in with the others. 

Fortunately, I sent the lady who bought the HQ16 size 16 needles – labeled ‘R’.

But the ‘wrong’ needle isn’t what threw the timing off; that was caused by a loose set screw.  Someone forgot to tighten it up last time they worked on it!  I had not yet changed needles when the timing went askew.

When the machine is in perfect timing, even the wrong needle will work.  The only difference is that there is a little more curve to the ‘scarf’ on the MR needles.

When we got home, Larry put the Avanté back on the frame for me, and I loaded a customer quilt and gave the machine a try.  It worked perfectly – except for when I filled a bobbin too full.  ‘Too full’ is no less than a millimeter from really full.  That’s aggravating.  But at least I knew what the trouble was.  The first time that happened, with the HQ16, years ago, I hadn’t the faintest clue what the matter was.  When the aluminum bobbin is filled too full, it gets stretched, and it’s no good ever again.  Why are there no warnings anywhere about this potential problem??!  For that matter, why are there no good explanations about all the various needles for these machines, and which ones suit best for which machines, and go with which threads?  The Superior thread company has articles about needles versus thread, but there are few to none explaining the difference between ‘R’ and ‘MR’ needles.

I quilted a couple of rows and quit for the night.  I sat down in my recliner, laptop in lap, and then, would you believe, a mosquito went sailing through?  Where on earth do they come from, in this freezing cold, snowy, windy, winter weather??

I posted pictures of the quilting online, and, as usual, was immediately hit with a barrage of queries into name of the pantograph, and places where it can be purchased.  But the panto is on an old taped-together paper roll in bad shape – poor printing, etc. – that I think must’ve come from the lady who had my older machine before I did.  There is no designer’s name printed anywhere on it (it probably got trimmed off when she taped it together).  I hunted around for it online, but couldn’t find it.  It’s a bit hard to follow, so some of my stitching is guesswork.  Good guesswork, but guesswork, nonetheless.  I call it ‘Butterflies and Flowers’... but I really don’t know.

Friday was spent quilting away in my studio, with a short break to pick up the grandchildren from school.  The grandchildren were sweet and funny, my machine was working perfectly, tubby ol’ Tiger purred around my ankles and then headed for his Thermabed... 

So I called Country Traditions at about 5:45 p.m. to thank Kevin for squeezing us into his busy schedule, and to tell him how well the machine was working.  

The man who picked up the phone said, “Night security.”

“Is this Country Traditions?” I asked.

“Yes,” he replied.

“They must’ve already closed?” I inquired.

“Yes,” he said again.

“Okay, thank you,” I said, preparing to hang up.

“What did you need?” he asked. “Anything I can help you with?”

— and suddenly I recognized his voice – and his attitude.

“Is this Kevin?” I queried.

“Yes, it is,” he answered.

So I proceeded to tell him, “The machine you retimed for us yesterday now works so nice, and runs so quietly, I keep checking to see if the thread has broken!”

He laughed, “But it hasn’t?”

“Nope!” I said. “I’m halfway through with one customer’s quilt, and the way everything is working, the tension, and the stitches are beautiful; so I wanted to thank you and tell you how much we appreciate you helping us.”

There.  That made him happy he’d answered the phone, even though it was after hours.

At 12:30 a.m. when I rolled the quilt forward, the final border showed up.  That (and an application of Soothanol drops to my back) gave me enough oomph to finish it that night.  More photos here:  Red, White, and Black Quilt

One of the things that speeds things up is the way I can roll the quilt forward so very easily.  It’s a much better frame.

Here’s Teensy, asleep in the chair in front of my serger desk.

Saturday, I got a lovely note from the lady for whom I quilted the baby quilt:  “Once again, you have done an AMAZING job with your beautiful quilting!  Thank you for taking my simply pieced top, and creating a keepsake that this new baby will have forever!”

I was happy to hear from her, happy to know she is satisfied with her quilt.  It’s no fun struggling with the machine all the way through a quilt – particularly a customer’s quilt!

I’m sorta like the spectators who watched a steamboat fire up for the first time.  First, they all stood there shaking their heads and intoning, “It’ll never start.” 

Then when it did start, the terrific noise scared them out of their wits, and they ran for their lives, screaming, “It’ll never stop!”

I feel that way about my machine.  It took off in great fashion, and I thought, There’s no stopping me now!  Then it went out of timing, and I thought, It’s a lemon; it’ll never work right again.

Reckon I’ll ever learn to quit being such an extremist?!!  🙄

That day, I loaded my customer’s king-sized quilt on the frame and got a couple of rows done.  It was a 1999 New Year’s Eve mystery that she had tested for a quilt designer.

My machine continues to work perfectly.  I really, really like it!

The pantograph is called Nemesh Feather Grande, by Bethanne Nemesh.

So many people asked about the pantograph I used for Todd and Dorcas’s Baskets of Lilies quilt, I’ll betcha the designer noticed a big uptick in sales.  I otter getta commission.  heh  (It was the ‘Rapture’ panto by Anne Bright.)

During the night, a layer of ice coated everything, and was then followed by a layer of snow.  It’s really slippery out there.

Oh!  How ’bout that! – I just discovered from the Handi-Quilter website that my Avanté goes faster than I thought! – 2,200 stitches per minute, as opposed to only 1,800.  No wonder I have to really be a-travelin’ in order to finally hear that little bell sound, telling me I’m overrunning the stitches.  Hardly ever happens.   I like to get right up to the speed that makes the bell sound – because then I know I’m quilting as fast as possible.  hee hee

And now, at no extra charge, here’s my (TOZD) Tip O’ Ze Day:

It’s really, really hard to get out of your vehicle if you don’t release the seat belt first.

You’re welcome.

,,,>^..^<,,,          Sarah Lynn          ,,,>^..^<,,,