On buying a sewing machine

I have to say that I'm feeling rather lazy these days! Is it the heat? Is it the thought of returning to work with a BANG next week? Is it the looming deadlines? I'm sure it's a combination of all of the above. 

So, while we had Monday sewing, I'm afraid I didn't accomplish much. I trimmed and put the binding on this table runner. I'm still up in the air about quilting the white border. I KNOW --- I do not need to add more quilting, but part of me feels like I NEED to. I should do it, and then I can put it away. WAIT -- that is going in the sample suitcase! At least one more sample is done. 

Snowman table runner

I did straighten out more samples - I must admit that I have more techniques stitched out rather than made into something specific. There are multiple ways to look at that. If I make a pillow, then people only see a pillow. If I made just the stitch out, it could become a pillow, a bag, a quilt, or a table runner. I'm unsure if my strategy is correct, but I don't have time to make finished samples of everything, so stitch-outs and some finished pieces (I have LOTS) will have to do! 

The NEW Husqvarna Viking Designer EPIC 3 is now on the website. It's still in the sneak peek stage, as it is officially released in October, but some of the features and benefits are listed. I haven't seen the machine in person and don't expect to until next month, but those NEW features and benefits? Well, I can't wait to try them!!

Here's the thing about fancy sewing machines. There are oodles of bells and whistles on them, and one wonders if they will take advantage of everything. I may not use all the stitches every day, but having access to them is important. I'm so used to some of the fancy features (sewing with them for over 25 years) that I would HATE to work on a machine that doesn't have them! I bought my first "grown-up" sewing and embroidery machine 25 years ago! I bought that machine with embroidery capabilities, NOT because I did machine embroidery -- I had never tried it. But I wanted the capabilities, and I've never looked back!! Now - I'm a machine snob! I don't need the top-of-the-line, but I want excellent functionality. 

The shame is that when someone starts sewing, they can't afford the top-of-the-line machine. So they struggle with some of the smaller machines, with tasks that the higher-end machines take care of for you! Then, they get frustrated and stop sewing when an upgrade could make or break their experience. If you are in the market for a sewing machine, you should first set a budget. Then go shopping. Look at all the features you can get within your budget. Then, do yourself a favor and look at the NEXT machine up the line. What does it have that the one you're looking at doesn't? Ask yourself (or friends) if that's something that would make sewing more easy? How quickly will you outgrow the machine you have, and is there any way possible to just go that one step further? 

I've heard that so often that people wish, they had gone one step higher, even though it would be a stretch financially, but then, it would have eliminated the need to upgrade in the near future!

I made significant progress on my writing. I didn't do any writing, but I almost finished the project - I hope another hour? And then I can finish writing, and it would be awesome if that could happen today! 

So I did a "good" thing yesterday and switched to my new phone. I know -- it's been sitting on the kitchen table for almost a week. I swapped out the SIM card and let it do the automatic transfer. And for the most part, everything switched over pretty seamlessly. I did have to reset a couple of passwords - I know --- I will never get that right, and then I ran into a SNAFU. 

By the way, why can't they transfer all the apps and folders for the apps instead of throwing those apps haphazardly into the new phone? I swear there has to be a better way to sort those apps instead of dragging them from screen to screen. That just seems totally archaic!! Transfer the SET-UP as well as the data!!!!!

Libby, which is the library app, didn't transfer. No - the app transferred, but it asked me for a code to transfer the data. I didn't know where to find the code, so I logged into the app on the new phone. MISTAKE!!! It only opened up with my home library and not the other five I can access. So, only the books related to the Mississauga Library came over. ACK!!! My audiobook was from another library! 

Thankfully, I still have full access to stuff on the old phone, so I'm now carrying two phones around the house, since the old one only works on Wi-Fi! Hopefully, I can get rid of the old one as soon as I finish the audiobook. My issue is how to get those five libraries linked again. This process is NOT intuitive. I seem to muddle my way through it, but this time? It's not working. I can have a maximum of TWO libraries linked, but not all six. 

Sigh --- a trip to the library is to get them to show me, once and for all, how to make that happen. I HATE when I can't figure something out, and this should be so intuitive that a baby could do it. Alas, I am not a child! 

I'm so enjoying The Kitchen  Front, and you can see where it will go (at least where I think it'll go), and I LOVE the book! 

I'm afraid that's it for today! 

Have a super day!!!!

Ciao!!!!