No April Foolin'

I should be ashamed.

I am embarrassed.

I was totally shocked.

And it was no April Fool's Prank -- my domestic sewing machine had had enough! It just wasn't going to sew right no matter my pleas.

What you are looking at (and sideways for some reason because blogger didn't want to upload it the way I shot it -- guess that's my April fool's prank)...what you are looking at is only PART of the felt pad I removed from my sewing machine sometime before midnight .... this particular nest was UNDER the bobbin case assembly. Take a really good look at the mousey-mess and see just how thick this really is.

Yes, I'm ashamed. I have been quilting on a longarm since 2003 and have been taught, as well as teach others, how to keep my machine free of lint and 'felt pad' build up. I stress over and over again how lose threads and lint can cause mountains of headaches with longarm tension but somehow that never translated over to my domestic.

Hate to admit it, but I've had a fear of working on my domestic. Anytime the tension got a little goofy (about every other year or so, until recently when I started loaning it out in my SnS classes and it's happened more and more) anytime the tension even threatened to be goofy I'd take it to the shop. I hate to confess this, but it's the truth. I was (am) scared to death of the issues that can go wrong with my domestic sewing machine. I change tension daily on my longarm - go figure. The big guy I'm not afraid of but the little guy cooked my goose. My general rule was to rethread and start over. Most of the time that solved the woes. (works on a longarm sometimes too). Until tonight.

I'm working on a last minute project that of course has a serious deadline of Thursday morning (volunteered for the project at 9 PM Weds night and pleased to do it)...so I'm sewing along and having all sorts of problems....took a look into the bobbin department and noticed a little lint peaking out...a little....decided that I could borrow one of my longarm tools and take the throat plate off and really get the lint out...something I do naturally on the longarm yet never considered doing on the domestic. Kinda a blond moment I guess, but I'm not a blond....foolishness perhaps?

Hum...once I took the throat plate off I discovered that the problem was almost insurmountable! Canned air to the rescue - even though I know better than to use it on my longarm, I figured drastic lint built up lead to drastic measures. Hum. Not just lint build up but actually more like a felt padding! Tweezers seemed to fit the bill.

Oh my, did I dig or what?!! Stuff just kept coming out. Then I decided that I ought to check the around the bobbin casing, since I was having bobbin problems (ya'think?) That's when I discovered the above WAD!!

Yes, I'm ashamed that I let my machine get in such a state. I'm ashamed that I teach others to keep their longarm clean as a whistle (which I practice what I preach -- on the longarm at least). But what I'm not ashamed of is that I finally broke out of my comfort zone and discovered that the guts of a domestic can't intimidate me any more! And I will never never NEVER let this happen to my faithful trusted friend. Talk about taking something for granted! Daily maintenance has a new ring to it....

Kinda like relationships. Hum. Maybe it's time to stop and re-evaluate some of my relationships that I've been taking for granted. Perhaps I've let some get a little rusty, or clogged up with lint to the point that I'm not really seeing (or hearing) the clear picture. Wow, kinda like sin. It has a way of sneaking up on you, just like that lint, and before ya'know it, the relationship between me and my Savior is a bit clogged. All it takes is a little confession and repentance on my part, just like cleaning out the lint of my domestic, and then things are running smoothly once again. Hum...a little daily maintenance of a prayer life and Bible reading would be a good idea too ya'think? With a clear path in my relationship, just like cleaning out the lint, things begain to work like they should. Things become clearer, joy in the mist of pain or suffering, patience to wait on the Lord, a little faith growing perhaps, learning to lean, learning to trust again. Yep, remove the sin and things are clean and new again.

Talk about spring cleaning! Me and my machine, who'd of thought that would be my April fool discovery-- the reminder that without Him, I'm the fool....

Reminds me of a billboard I saw on the Dallas news report yesterday morning "Don't believe in God? You are not alone" to which I wanted to reply The fool has said in his heart, "there is no God." Psalm 14:1

Speaking of foolish things...decided I ought to see what the Bible says about foolishness of man and wisdom of God....

for the word of the cross is to those who are perishing foolishness, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside" Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Had not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs, and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

For consider your calling brethren, that there were not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised, God has chosen, the things that are not, that He might nullify the things that are, that no man should boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption that just as it is written, "let him who boasts, boast in the Lord." I Corinthians 1:18-31

words of widsom. If I'm to be a fool I hope to be like Paul who said " we are fools for Christ's sake" I Corinthiians 4:10

Daily mainentance. Something to think about - something to do!!