No lights, no machines, no fabric...

Yesterday I received news from Eileen Doughty of SAQA that my quilt „Illuminated“, which is supposed to be still traveling with „Beyond Comfort“ has stopped functioning. The lights aren’t working anymore. After it had started with problems at the first venue in Birmingham in 2011, we had agreed that it would not be hung again should the lights fail again. I don’t want it to stick in people’s minds as the Un-Illuminated quilt when it is shown in the catalogue in its full glory. So the decision that Illuminated will no longer be on display with the rest of the exhibition is mine, full well. But I am very sad about this nevertheless. It is one of my favorite quilts of those I have made. I just hope it will be back to ‘functioning’ or at least repairable when it returns to that European voltage that the LED-lights were made for, and doesn’t have to live with an adapter anymore. Otherwise it would be quite a challenge to take off that string of lights and attach a new one, probably infeasible. Not exactly a good start to a week...

Add to that the fact that my sewing machines needed to go for a check-up, both at the same time. The “little one” had been for wellness in the fall already and I thought I had a safe backup with it, when the big Bernina, after 8 months of intensive usage started telling me that it wanted to be looked at. But when my son and I unpacked the little one to sew a costume for him for the upcoming carnival it kept leaving out stitches. So both of them went on a little retreat. I did get a substitute, but because it didn’t come with a quarter-inch-foot nor with a darning foot (and of course it doesn’t take the ones I have) I doubt that I will be using it a lot. There are plenty of other things that need to be done. Like basting a quilt so that it is ready for quilting when the machines come back.

Play of Lines XXXII being basted

Nevertheless, I do feel a bit amputated.

And, thirdly, the fabric that I ordered to start dyeing the January collection of the fabric club hasn’t arrived yet. It was supposed to be shipped at the beginning of last week, and I had planned to start dyeing yesterday. When I called yesterday, they said they would send it out right away. So perhaps Wednesday. Which means it will be Thursday before I can go ahead and start dyeing.