Sunday 5 November 2017

Irene Gets a Table

Just got back from a family wedding in Fort Myers, Florida. Always interesting to put family together in the same condo. We had a great time, and the wedding was beautiful! My nephew is such a sweet guy and he's found his princess, so all is well.

Fort Myers has a lot of damage from the hurricane, but they seem to be putting it back together with a positive spirit. We went to a Tampa/Detroit hockey game. Excellent! Saw some museum stuff and help a cute alligator named Marshmallow. Had quite an adventure on the return flight. I had to bring back my running career in the TO airport to get from one flight to another. West Jet handled it well in the end. I appreciate that, but someone somewhere dropped a few balls to put us in the crazy position we were in. I think my BIL is now on a terrorist list. That's not something I saw coming.

I have had my new Pfaff icon (Irene) for a few weeks and it has been an emotional experience! I love it. Pure, simple love. I spent 2 days just pushing buttons. I didn't even thread it. It is so easy to use, can do so much and has everything I could imagine. It uses texting to keep me up to date on what it's doing. It is wifi connected, updates itself and transfers designs with wifi. And it truly threads the needle all by itself. Hands free! When you have 25+ thread changes on an embroidery, that makes a difference.

But it's my DH who has really made this experience a little more emotional that needed. I tore apart my sewing room and spare bedroom (other fabric storage room). There are stacks all over the house. I want my sewing space to be laid out right. At one point he could not go to bed without crawling in from my side. His reaction was to insist I get it right and take all the time I need. Wow, eh? It's still a mess, but coming into shape. Wonder how far I can stretch his patience?

We bought a table for the icon yesterday at Ikea. I had checked out the possibilities and took DH along for the final decision. Good thing. I had a height for the table in mind. We found lots of good possibilities in the desk area but also discovered desks that go up or down for the new standing desks. There was one possibility with a lovely crank to raise and lower the desk from 27" to well up in the air. It was just a bit too tall with the machine sitting on top. We went with a hydraulic lift table that starts down at 22". Amazing! I can adjust that baby to exactly the right position with one finger. I do like to embroider standing up. Not I can do it without stressing my back, and that has been a problem. DH also picked me up a perfect chair that cuddles my back and lets my feet hit the floor. I am feeling so spoiled by this sewing room and its support staff. Why did I need him for this? Because like most women I know I can't spend money on myself without trying to economize and 'make do'. It's good to have someone take you through the criteria without allowing economic digression. Sometimes it just makes sense to do things right.

I haven't been including pictures in this blog for some time. My dear iPhone Lucille is now about 8 years old and increasingly she cannot provide the latest apps or handle pics when needed. She couldn't do the West Jet app. She couldn't get me parking in Florida and had trouble with maps. Now there is a sewing app she can't handle. I am devastated, but she may be on her way to retirement. I will inquire this week about an upgrade. I do not understand why a perfectly good phone has been forced into retirement, but the writing is on the wall.