Blog Renew 30: Studio Peeks

I bought a new sewing machine! Very exciting.

It's the Janome 2013.  (Very basic machine that they re-release every year with a different accent color.) I bought my last machine in 2001 for about $990. I spent weeks researching and agonizing over such a huge purchase. It was a great machine and I am surely a Janome user for life. I didn't bother considering other brands this time around.

Since my last purchase, I'm much clearer about exactly what kind of sewing I do and what bells and whistles I actually use. Since I am no longer interested in more than a few decorative stitches and have no need for a teeny tiny embroidered alphabet, I was able to look at machines in a lower price range. Yeah!

You may remember that my old machine was in the shop. The whole repair/shopping/purchase saga was pretty awful. I'm thrilled with my new machine, but everything that happened before I purchased it mostly sucked.

Synopsis

• Machine making ugly noise and not working.
• I chose to take my machine to Thomas Sewing Center to be repaired because they are a Janome dealer and had a nice website that made me think they were a professional, organized business.
• Drove 40 minutes to drop off machine. (Then 40 minutes home.)
• Got a call that repair costs would be around $200. 
• Approved repairs.
• Drove 40 minutes to pick up machine. (Then 40 minutes home.)
• Unwrapped machine at home and heard same ugly noise and still not working.
• It was working at the repair shop as I could see from the fabric and stitching on the sample left under the needle.
• Called repair man.
• Went through some diagnostics on the phone. We're both perplexed.
• Drove 40 minutes back to repair shop to drop off machine again. (Then 40 minutes home.)
• Get a call that additional repairs will cost about $100.
• I ask if I could get a store credit for the money I paid on the first "repair" and put it toward a new machine.
• Nope.
• Are you sure? May I talk with the manager?
• Nope. I can give you $50 off the current price. That's it. Plus, you need to bring in all the accessories on your (broken) machine as trade in.
• Drove 40 minutes to pick up broken machine. (Then 40 minutes home.)
• Called several other Janome dealers in the area.
• Loved talking with Clint at Sewing World of Grapevine.
• Drove 20 minutes to buy a machine from Clint.
• He gave me a pretty good deal. $479 with no trade in. 
• (I can keep my broken machine for parts. The lightbulb alone is worth $20, so I'm happy to have it.)
• Plus, Clint threw in the cutest little pin cushion ever! It's designed to fit in the hole for the upright spool.

I wouldn't say this is a clear cut case as far as customer service. They believed they fixed the machine and I got what a paid for even though it broke while in my trunk on they way home from the shop. I was willing to compromise and come to some arrangement where they got paid and I got a working machine. They were not open to discussion.

Anyway, let's not end my 30 day Blog Renew on that distastefulness.

Instead, let me share one more little studio renew.

Here's my old paint storage system.

And here is my new paint storage system! Awesome, right?!

Just three photo storage boxes from Michaels which were on sale for only $1.66 each! My husband noted that if I was really organized, I would have sorted the paint by color. Maybe I'll give that task to one of the kids.