I'm Dead In The Water

I had lots of time to contemplate the animals yesterday while waiting for the quilting machine repairman.  It seems the only critters out during the day time are the birds.  You really don't even see THEM very often.  Oh there is the occasional coyote I see heading down the road, but rarely do you see anything else.  They are all critters of the night ... including all those scorpions and tarantulas.  I guess hunting for food is better done in the dark. 

I thought maybe this pack had changed it's territory completely, but it appears they are still around.  It seems their range can be anywhere from 4 to 15 miles square.  That's a lot of territory to wander looking for food.

So this is going to be a very short story about my quilting machine.  I spent the morning staring at this trying to figure out how to make it look better.  I was out of luck and came up with no ideas.

Finally Ed arrived.  Ed is the previous owner of a fabulous quilt shop in Sierra Vista called the Squirrels Nest.  Best name EVER!!  Most quilters are a little squirrely!  He's retired now and just does this for fun.  Well it wasn't much fun for me.  

He took out his repair book .... that made me a little nervous .... and we started up the machine.  It made some not nice noises, so out came the screwdrivers.  

Oh yeah ... THIS was pretty scary, especially when you know what this machine costs.  He worked on it and worked on it ... stopping to just look at it on several occasions.  Thinking about what could be wrong I'm sure.    

I was a nervous wreck, but he finally fixed the squealing on the back by adjusting the belt. 

We put it all back together and did a test run.  OMG ... you cannot believe the noise that came from the bobbin area in front.  A screaming, crunching, part-breaking noise that I finally reacted to by yelling SHUT IT OFF!!!  Good grief ... it was like listening to it self destruct!!

I finally suggested he PLEASE call the techs at Handiquilter and ask what might be causing it.  We had to use my phone since he had T-Mobile and he could not get a connection.  No problem ... we talked about Cooper while we waited for "2 calls ahead of you".  

They said there is a bearing that might have come loose ... that needs to be tapped back in with a hammer.  I just about had a heart attack right there on the floor!!!

I now have one day to prepare an operating room for my machine.  Table ... sufficient padding for it to lay on ... towels ... gloves ... you know, the usual.  It has to be removed from the frame, which means I also have to take that quilt OFF the machine.  

The "doctor" did mention he's been to MANY repair classes at their headquarters, which made me feel better ... a little. 

The good news is the operating room will be perfect for me when I have that heart attack!!  Oh well ... it's just money, but inside I'm panicking.