Good News Update

I heard back again from C********. They wrote:
Valued Customer:
There are no local service centers in your area that does work on the machine. Please be advised that we do not have outside service centers. All repairs are done in our own facility, by specially trained service technicians. The parts are not repairable and can only be replaced.

Whew! Finally an answer to my question. Armed with all of those numbers they requested, I found a new work bowl and the piece that fits on it, both at their web site and, for a much lower price, at Amazon. I decided to buy the work bowl first, then, if I need the piece that fits on top, I could buy that next. Amazon Prime = free shipping, but I would still have to pay for return shipping.

The work bowl just arrived and it fits right on my machine. I put the rest together, plugged it in, and listened to the whirrr of the food processor. Yea!

Thanks so much for all of your comments; they really cheered me on in my marathon. :)

Maybe just maybe I can finish that skirt soon. It's almost completely hemmed and just needs a waistband, which I have already cut out.

Blessings and peace...

A Bit of Customer Service Correspondence

I'm making progress on my skirt, at about the same pace as this easy-peasy lemon-squeezy question I've been going back and forth about regarding my food processor:

Me to C********
Date: July 17
My C******** food processor is in need of repair. Please let me know of any local authorized repair centers so that I can take it in for repair.
Thanks! 
{my name}
{address}
{email address}
{home phone}



C******* to me
Date: July 20
Thank you for your inquiry. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. What is wrong with your machine? Based on the information you have provided, we need the model number, serial number and the color of the unit. The model and serial number can be found on the bottom of your unit.  Please reply, with history, to this email, providing us with the required information so we can further assist you. If you prefer, we welcome you to call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-726-**** with this information.  Please keep in mind the Customer Service Agent will not have access to your e-mail information. The hours of operation are 7 AM -11 PM EST Monday through Friday and 9 AM - 5:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, excluding major holidays.


Sincerely,
{employee first name}



Me to C********
Date: July 22
Model #: DFP-11
Serial #: I did not see a serial #.
Color: Off-white

Problem: The bowl locks onto the base with no problem. However, the cover, the piece that fits onto the base, doesn't completely close/lock. As a result, the machine does not work.

I'm not sure why you need all this information just to let me know of any authorized repair centers in western New York, but I have answered your questions.

I look forward to hearing from you -- I have some carrots to grate! :)

Thank you,
{name}



C******** to me
Date: July 23
Thank you for responding with the required information. Unfortunately the serial number you gave is invalid. The serial number is a 5 digit number possibly followed by a letter or two engraved into the bottom of the unit. Please find the engraved number. Please look on the bottom of the original work bowl, there should be a part number. What is that part number?

If you have any further questions please reply, with history, to this email. We welcome you to call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-726-****. The hours of operation are 7 AM -11 PM EST Monday through Friday and 9 AM - 5:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, excluding major holidays. Please keep in mind the Customer Service Agent will not have access to your e-mail information.


Sincerely,
{employee first name}



Me to C********
Date: July 23
Hello,
The number that is engraved on the bottom of the base is 60701 K. (It didn't indicate that it was a serial number, but your telling me that it is a 5-digit number helped.)
The part number that is on the bottom of the original work bowl is DLC-865AGTX.

I look forward to your response to my original question.
Thank you,
{name}
{address}



C******** to me
Date: July 25
Valued Customer,

Thank you for your inquiry. We apologize for any inconvenience you may have experienced. Do you by chance have a proof of purchase (wedding registry, gift receipt, bank statement, credit card statement, or sales receipt) to show that the unit is less than 3 years old? If so, please attach it to this email in JPG/PNG format. Please reply, with history, to this email. We invite you to call our Customer Service Department at 1-800-726-****. Please keep in mind the Customer Service Agent will not have access to your e-mail information. The hours of operation are 7 AM -11 PM EST Monday through Friday and 9 AM - 5:30 PM on Saturdays and Sundays, excluding major holidays.


Sincerely,
{employee first name}



Me to C********
Date: July 25
Hello again, C******** Customer Service,
This was a wedding gift purchased for us almost 18 years ago.

I don't understand why my first question still hasn't been answered, that is, Please let me know of any local authorized repair centers so that I can take it in for repair.

We've gone back and forth, with you requesting one or two items of information, and me replying each time with the information you have asked for. Then two days later, a reply from you asking for another piece of information.

I've never said or suggested or implied that I want to send it to you in the mail or that I think it is still under warranty.

Once again: Please let me know of any local authorized repair centers so that I can take it in for repair.

Thank you,
{my name}
{address}
{email address}

What can I say? Stay tuned!
Blessings and peace..

Sewing Is So Mathy and Mystery Solved

On June 30, I wrote:
Next up will be a 5- or 7-gored skirt. I tried to make one with inseam pockets, but it was not wearable because I didn't allow for the pulling (the pockets open) that would occur. That pulling emphasizes my tummy. Oh, no! I don't know quite how to overcome that, so this next skirt will be with or without pockets.

I increased the width of the panels of 7-gore skirt that I'm working on now by 1/4" per side = 1/2" per panel—because of my previous skirt attempt described above. That would result in a skirt that fits and has a bit of ease.

Before stitching the seams of this skirt, I referred to my notes and stitched 3/8" seams on 5 of the 7 seams, leaving 2 seams unsewn to allow for making inseam pockets before stitching those last 2 seams. So far, so good.

In preparation for the pockets, I read the pocket notes I could find, did a bit of online searching, created a pocket pattern piece, and was ready to sew the pockets. "Wow," I thought, "this is going great!"

Only because I'm very thorough, I decided to look at the too-small skirt, just to confirm my plan for the pockets. Well, how-dee-do. I stitched the seams of the too-small skirt with 1/2" seams INSTEAD OF THE 3/8" SEAMS called for in the pattern instructions.

Mystery solved. So that's why the skirt was too small. Think that 1/8 of an inch (the difference between the instructions and what I did) doesn't matter? Read on...

1/8" x 14 (the number of panel sides, 7 panels x 2 sides per panel) = 1.75".

So I sewed the skirt almost 2" narrower than I should have. There went the wearing ease.

For my current skirt, I had added 1/4" to each panel side:
1/4" x 14 (the number of panel sides, 7 panels x 2 sides per panel) = 3.5". This would give me plenty of ease. Actually a bit more than I needed, but I decided that I didn't want to fiddle with adding less than 1/4" per side (too much work).

So, when you correct the seam allowance error (1.75") + the newest skirt allowance (3.5"), the total is now 5.25". Of wearing ease. Too much. Which I confirmed by pinning the remaining seams and trying it on.

So now... my plan is to stitch these seams 7/8", which will reduce the overall width by 2". (I will then add the pockets, then trim the seam allowance.) In other words, the newest skirt will have 3.25" wearing ease. Which is very close to the wearing ease of the previous skirt—if I had sewn 3/8" seams instead of the 1/2" seams that I sewed. These 4 panels will be a bit narrower than the other 5, but I am currently striving for something that is wearable.

Anyway, see what I mean about failure?

On June 29, I wrote (near the end of the post):
Failure means I'm learning. Growing. Improving. Alive. Doing something. Living a life.

Lesson learned: Double, maybe triple check the instructions and previous versions of the same project.

I'll leave perfection for others. What's that saying? "Perfection is the enemy of the good." "Perfection is the enemy of done." "Perfection is the enemy of completing a garment sewing project that is wearable." <- My adaptation, which I just might have to print and frame in my sewing room!

Ha ha. Posting about my failures (instead of only the successes) is certainly giving me more to talk about!

Blessings and peace...

Seven-Gore Flared Skirt Progress

I've been working a bit here and there on a seven-gore flared skirt. It's a pattern I've used several times, changing the number of gores, how flared it is at the bottom, and the length. Here's the front three panels, stitched and topstitched.

I am intentionally not matching prints.

Next I'll work on the pockets. My brain has a hard time with these, especially when I'm not following a pattern. That means I'm done sewing for tonight.

Did someone say pattern weights? Here's my largest pattern weight:

On another topic. We went to a Brad Paisley concert the other evening, and as usual, I worked myself into a state of anxiety before we even got there.

I get lost so easily; I'm definitely not the person to be responsible for getting us anywhere. Oh, and I always think for a moment, when looking at a map or even in conversation that EAST is on the LEFT and WEST is on the RIGHT. I actually have to correct myself every time. (Can you even imagine how many times in my life I've done this?)

I've always attributed this (ahem) "endearing quality" to my being left-handed—in a right-handed world.

Anyway, I always feel anxious when we go someplace new or that I haven't been to in a while or when we're taking a different route. Add going into a huge parking lot, knowing that it will be dark when it's time to leave. How *ever* will we find our car??? My husband, who drove, doesn't worry about this one single bit. I don't understand!

Sometimes I wonder whether it's because we moved a lot when I was a kid. Or because I don't know where I lived for my first four years. Maybe we're born with an internal GPS and I lost mine somewhere along the way.

I've tried a lot of strategies to lessen my "getting lost" anxiety, but I haven't found one that works for me. I tell myself, "Look, you've gotten this far. Sure, you've gotten *temporarily* lost; who hasn't. You'll be fine. Get a grip!"

We're going to another concert tomorrow evening, but thankfully, it's close by and at a location I know very well. And the parking lot—well, you just have to remember whether you've parked on the grass or the road.

Blessings and peace..