The gain in this experience is that a year ago, I began to see a Bernina sign on the Poway Vac and Sew store. I bought my machine in Escondido, but I hate to drive up there. In fact, I've grown to hate the store itself for some reason. I called Escondido and asked if the fact that I purchased the machine there in late 2000 gave me any advantage over having it repaired there, and they said no. So I called the Poway Vac and Sew store to see if they really were a full-fledged Bernina dealer and did certified repairs; and much to my delight, they said yes.
Having a Bernina dealer in Poway is a real boost! When I went into the store, sure enough, they had more than a dozen (high priced) Bernina machines set up in a big section of the store! If I get a notion for another presser foot (Bernina is famous for those) or a dozen bobbins, I can just stop there on one of my other outings. They also have classes from time to time. In fact, OESD (which seems to have some tight connection with Bernina - OESD is online) is going to do a presentation of some sort on machine embroidery on Monday and Tuesday of next week. I signed up for the Tuesday session. I feel compelled to support that store so that they stay around in Poway!
The thing I'm thankful for, in addition to this relatively new Bernina store in Poway, is that I have another sewing machine I can use - a good old trusty Sears model. This is great because I'm sure the Bernina will be in the shop a week or two, and I can finish the borders and the backing for the quilt next week. What a nice perk to compensate for the disappointing breakdown of my main machine.Before I left to take my machine to the shop, I grabbed my Wal-Mart list - another store I hate to frequent, so I keep a list and go there every few weeks or so. I had canned air and ping pong balls on my list - something I nearly always get from Wal-Mart when I need to replenish our supply.
Wal-Mart in Poway has been in the process of reorganizing its store in preparation for Super Center treatment. Although the store is much cleaner looking than it used to be, I no longer can find anything there. In fact, not all the things that used to be there are there any longer. The fabric section of Wal-Mart, where I used to get great deals on discontinued fabrics, has been reduced to two isles. It's neat and clean, but there aren't any of the exciting surprises (great buys) that I used to find. And the personnel in the fabric section seem overly protective of their smaller environment. I got chewed out several months ago for opening a drawer to look for bias tape. Hmmmm...
And today, Wal-Mart had NO canned air and NO ping-pong balls - or at least no orange ones, which we used to get there all the time.
So, I miss the old, dirtier, smaller Wal-Mart. I count its demise as loss today.
Tiny little losses abound, but they are signs that things change, and they will continue to change no matter how happy and satisfied I am with whatever is current. A big thing I'm thankful is that I'm flexible enough to be able to roll with these small losses, these small setbacks, even though as I age, I find that I would just as soon things stayed the same and I didn't have to make adjustments so often. I like my little comfortable spot of the world, my little routines, my little space. This realization helps me appreciate older people I've observed when I was younger. I hope I was a patient with them as I am learning to be with myself.
I enjoy the gains, though, that we have in today's world. There are crafters all over the Internet - knitting, crocheting, quilting. Amazon is a definite gain. Even if I don't buy as many books as I used to, I can look inside books and get ideas, and I can put books in my shopping cart and go back and think about them over and over, without having to purchase them just to decide if I really want to have them. I can explore the great theologians and philosophers of our day and of prior times as more and more historical works are made available for the grabbing, even though I don't understand everything they ponder. And then there's I-Tunes. I can listen to the daily news about Africa from the BBC, sermons by prominent (and not-so-prominent) preachers, podcasts about knitting and quilting, stories from Dick Gordon, and, oh so much more. Yes, I do enjoy the gains of today, even while I look back with nostalgia.
Maybe changes, and rolling with the punches, helps keep us younger. Maybe it's sort of an emotional or mental aerobic exercise that will keep the mind agile for a while. I can only hope.
On other fronts, hot off my sewing machine are some little ditty bags the Lydia Circle is making for the VA hospital and other places. These are sewn from upholstery fabric samples which are about 12.5 x 12.5. They are fully lined and are really neat. Carol, who does much of our idea-generation for us, gave me the pattern. The handles are designed so that they can loop around the handles of a wheel chair. I made 5 of them in just a couple hours last Sunday. I will get more samples when we meet again and see if I can output a bunch more.
Here's the results of my felted bag. I decided to use a piece of chiffon, sewn together like a narrow scarf, for the drawstring. I haven't decided what to do with this yet, but it is a great size for a small knitting project, like a pair of socks. It was so much fun watching the washing machine beat the stuff out of the finished bag, felting it nice and tight all over. Carol had made one (not quite like this one), and I loved the felted look so much that it inspired me to make this bag. Carol was sporting a new felted bag last Sunday, one she made using entrelac knitting. She's going to loan me the book so I can give it a try. I've never done that before, although I've done fair isle.
And speaking of knitting, my lacy shawl is coming along. I keep getting my stitches messed up - I think I'm knitting a yarnover with a companion stitch, and little things like that, so I'm fudging it as I go along, adding and subtracting stitches to get to the target at the end of each row. But I think I'm getting a rhythm, and it's going a lot smoother now. In the picture, the top of the shawl is on the bottom. I think this should be nice and cozy when I'm done.
The pink quilt is coming along nicely. Of course, when I begin to actually quilt it, the appearance will change dramatically. I've really enjoyed seeing this take shape as I pieced it together. I've learned a lot this time around, including a flow that keeps my seams at 1/4". Quilting seems to be such a relaxing, meditative process for me right now. I'm sure that my fascination with it will wane over time, but I hope it stays with me for a while so I can learn a number of new techniques.
This view shows the borders on the side. I had sewn about 1-1/2 sides before my Bernina froze. We're off to San Francisco for the weekend, so I'll pick back up with my Sears machine on Tuesday and see what kind of progress I can make.I'm already thinking about my next quilt. It will be for Nathan. I've looked at many, many patterns, and I think I've decided on some variation of a Trip Around the World. It's funny, but I remembered the name of this quilt, I was sure, from something Mammy (my grandmother) said; but I read in a book I borrowed from the library that the first publication of a pattern for a Trip Around the World was in the late 70's. That time frame doesn't jive with my memory, because I was grown up and a mom of two in the 70s, and I'm sure I didn't talk about quilts with Mammy at that late date. (I have learned that my memory provides many fascinating stories that might not have happened. I don't know how they get there! Maybe that's one of the bonuses of old age.)
And then there are other things I want to try in the quilt world. There's so much color play in quilts, and I want to experiment. And then there's applique. Before I lose my attention span, I want to try that. Maybe I'll give a little bit of applique a go when I make Nathan's quilt! I have an idea that might support that little addition.
But whatever, I think this pink quilt will be my last large quilt. I think I'll stick with double-size, or even twin size, for any I do in the future. One can use only so many bedspreads! I can't believe, though, how much fun I'm having with all this! Who would have thought!
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