Where Has May Gone?

Doesn't it seem like the month is just flying by? I'm working in the office today (bummer), but I'm counting the days to the long weekend, which I (hopefully) plan to spend finishing my daughter's quilt.

Saturday the hubs went with me to Sistos Quilting so I could pick up the Thangles BOM for my sister and myself. While there I took a quick (wishful) look at the Berninas. I'm still not over my 'close encounters' of Friday night.

I was tooling around surfing Parsons sewing cabinet because I think I'm pretty much set that I want to get rid of my sewing armoire and sub in something else more practical, with less maintenance (read: does not need to be sanded and painted). Anyway, I find one on Craig's list in Baltimore, only this one comes with the old Bernina 830 (mechanical), and it's a cool $350. What???? The post was from April 30th, so I'm thinking there is no way he still has it. Seriously, my sister has this machine, and I would love to have one of my own. It is a great machine for freemotion (if you can get over the no needle down thing). I email him, and then look for more.

I find a new 730e listed for sale, which includes the BSR for --sit down-- $1000. And it was just listed that afternoon. I immediately email that person, though I'm highly suspicious and wonder how someone who paid $7K for a machine 8 months ago is letting it go for $1K because they just don't use it that often. The BSR alone costs $500.

Saturday morning I get up, no response from the 730 person, but the 830 guy does still have the machine, though someone is coming over to look at it that afternoon with cash, and he promises that if they don't buy it, he'll email me and I can have a shot at it.

Now, there's another 730e listed, and this one is listed for $1500, no BSR. Both machines are from Washington DC, so by now I'm thinking someone has stolen these (sorry D.C.--you've got a bad rap, what can I say). I don't email on this one, which has just been listed, because it doesn't have a BSR. (Obviously, I'm an idiot).

When I checked back a few hours later, neither machine was listed anymore, and no one contacted me, so it just wasn't meant to be. Next time, I'm not going to be such an idiot and send emails asking questions, I'm going to send emails asking where I can bring the cash.

All in all, it wasn't a bad day. I got a new Pro 6 Kitchenaid stand mixer, (going to sell my old one on Craigs list). Already used it twice. Love it. Do you sense a pattern here with me and 'appliances'?

Tales of Woe in Serger Land

Okay, I am officially a serger loser. Let me just say that trying to figure out how this thing works is akin to taking 10th grade algebra for the third time in senior year. (My dirty little secret is out!)

Feeling good about getting the whole house cleaned, a batch of yummy sugar cookies mixed up and settled in for the overnight in the fridge, a pot of vegetable soup and fresh bread from the day before for lunch, I finally pulled out my serger Sunday afternoon and vowed that I was finally going to take that baby for a spin, come Hell or highwater.

Well...needless to say, with Satan himself looking over my shoulder, savoring a virtual symphony of 4-letter words spewing from my mouth, I was cursed from the proverbial 'get go'.

We're not talking dimestore serger, thread your loopers yourself here, we're talking Babylock Imagine...Jet Air looper threading at the push of a button....WHOOSH!.

Okay, while I had the looper threading down, I am far from threading the needles correctly. Sewing results in a nice straight line stitch on one side and a mess of unsecured loops that pull right out of the bottom. All I know is that I do not know how to thread this machine, and I'm not exactly thrilled at the prospect of watching the VHS video that came with it. (I tried that once, and the woman in the video is the Mr. Rogers of serging---can you say 'suicidal' boys and girls? Just the sound of her voice and the slowness of the words made me want to hop in the car and head on down to the Shady Grove Metro station to throw myself on the third rail.)

Anyway, I even looked at signing up for a class (my husband's suggestion), but the nearest Babylock dealer is at least an hour's drive, and I just don't want to learn this machine badly enough to spend a couple hours every Saturday driving to and from a class.

Everyone said, 'oh, don't sell it on eBay, try it out first, you'll love it, you'll kick yourself for not using it all these years'. (I've had it for 5 years, unused, in a case under one of my work tables). Sorry, I tried.

I've got my eye on a current eBay auction for this machine, and I think I may just find myself with $800 to burn and a little more leg room under the work table come the end of next week.

I can do a lot of things, but apparently serging is not meant to be one of them. (I suppose as long as I'm on eBay, I may as well list the stripper pole too.)