The "Repair Angels" came and fixed my "girl" yesterday. A great Dad and Son team who took lots of time to not only work, but to teach, make me and my husband laugh AND they are only about 45 minutes away!!!!!
The "girl" got new shoes (AKA wheels---what girl doesn't feel better with new shoes). The wheels were not only for the machine itself but for the "shelf" it sits on. No more "wiggle" and lack of control. I also got a new tension "thingy"; a new bobbin case; and a good cleaning including the rails. He said that if I ever needed another job I should try working at Jiffy Lube since I clearly know how to oil---the good news is you can't oil the machine too much--whew! Also gave me some retrofitting ideas should I continue to have tension problems again although he said what he did should make things okay.
He also gave me a really neat little magnet.
Not sure if you can see it in the picture clearly---it is blurred---but you put the magnet on the needle eye. It should be pointing straight at you if the needle is in correctly. He also said if you are having tension problems, you can also move it slightly to the right (at the 5 on a clock). The little magnet helps you to do both. My needle was slightly off--it is amazing how little things can impact your stitch.
I put it on top of the machine so you could see it better. Although it is a really strong magnet and can be stored there, I put it in my magnet tray. I don't want to lose this tool. Also had a lesson on bobbin tension--my tension was too tight. I followed up with the Towa Gauge so I can make sure I get that same tension (230).
It was well worth the cost of a service visit since I am not even sure if this machine ran this smoothly when I first purchased it. The tension is perfect even without the Fil Tex bobbins!!!! I am now rethinking even getting it retrofitted for a stitch regulator since my stitches are so perfect now that I don't worry about tension. I have already loaded and finished a baby quilt to see how it works--finished in in a little over 2 hours and this included time I took to drink a cup of coffee and fix a bowl of cereal....no more thread breakage, weird stitches and unintentional wonky quilting.
Hooray--I am back in business. I have three more baby quilts to quilt (that I found while straightening up for the repair visit) so I can get them to some sick little ones. Not sure if I will finish them all today, but I will complete at least one more. No pressure so I can really take my time and enjoy the journey!
I go back to work on Thursday and so I am going to try to enjoy these last few days of vacation!
The "girl" got new shoes (AKA wheels---what girl doesn't feel better with new shoes). The wheels were not only for the machine itself but for the "shelf" it sits on. No more "wiggle" and lack of control. I also got a new tension "thingy"; a new bobbin case; and a good cleaning including the rails. He said that if I ever needed another job I should try working at Jiffy Lube since I clearly know how to oil---the good news is you can't oil the machine too much--whew! Also gave me some retrofitting ideas should I continue to have tension problems again although he said what he did should make things okay.
He also gave me a really neat little magnet.
Not sure if you can see it in the picture clearly---it is blurred---but you put the magnet on the needle eye. It should be pointing straight at you if the needle is in correctly. He also said if you are having tension problems, you can also move it slightly to the right (at the 5 on a clock). The little magnet helps you to do both. My needle was slightly off--it is amazing how little things can impact your stitch.
It was well worth the cost of a service visit since I am not even sure if this machine ran this smoothly when I first purchased it. The tension is perfect even without the Fil Tex bobbins!!!! I am now rethinking even getting it retrofitted for a stitch regulator since my stitches are so perfect now that I don't worry about tension. I have already loaded and finished a baby quilt to see how it works--finished in in a little over 2 hours and this included time I took to drink a cup of coffee and fix a bowl of cereal....no more thread breakage, weird stitches and unintentional wonky quilting.
Hooray--I am back in business. I have three more baby quilts to quilt (that I found while straightening up for the repair visit) so I can get them to some sick little ones. Not sure if I will finish them all today, but I will complete at least one more. No pressure so I can really take my time and enjoy the journey!
I go back to work on Thursday and so I am going to try to enjoy these last few days of vacation!
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