If it's not one thing...

I had this grand idea of whipping up a bunch of felt coasters (among other things) and opening a little shop on Etsy. Good way to make a few extra dollars (very much needed this semester) while keeping the flexible schedule I very much need. No problem, right?

Got the felt, got the thread, practiced a bit...

Realized in practice that, of my two machines, only the Bernette can do this. My viking's pressure foot is non-adjustable and stretches out the felt too much as it sews. That's ok, the Bernette needs to earn it's keep anyway.

It doesn't agree.

To get those nice, thick lines I need a size 3 zig-zag. Fine, the Bernette goes up to 5. But therein lies the problem. It not only goes up to 5, it really, really, REALLY wants to sew 5s. And only 5s. I set to 3, start sewing and suddenly the dial spins and we're at 5. Stop, reset to 3, try again... dial spins and we're back to huge zags. Arg!

Deep breaths. See this as an opportunity ... an opportunity to pull apart the dratted thing and see how it works on the inside. I like pulling things apart and seeing how they work inside. This is good.

Whoever designed the Bernette shell does not agree. Their previous employment? Puzzle boxes. The sort where you push here to slide this lever which opens that hatch... it's the only explination for the shell design.

A half-hour later (!!!) I finally get the back off. Woot. Look inside. See this:



See also that there's no way to tighten from this angle. And the front panel is NOT coming off without doing far more dismataling of internal parts than I'm comfortable with. Seriously, there are far better places to put the screws than where they did. It's a plot. An evil plot.

I did try to delay the inevitable by attempting to jury-rig the dial with tape and a rubber band for traction. It didn't work. No duct tape in the apartment so can't try that. Not sure what else to try.

Anyway, posted problem on PR and hoping that the machine geniuses will have an idea. Sigh. Until then the machine's in pieces, the sewing on hold, and I'm out of excuses to put off some research and reading. Ick.