06 July 2008

A Trip to the Sewing Shop

I finally got to the sewing shop yesterday. I had talked myself into spending $100 on a walking foot. But then the guy working there showed me this ...



It's a walking foot, free motion foot and clear stitch-in-ditch foot, all for $130. I figured I might as well for only $30 more. I could use the stitch-in-ditch foot right away for piecing because it has a 1/4 inch mark on the foot. I was pretty happy about getting three feet for $130 because it seemed like a much better deal than just one for $100. So, at this point, you'd expect that I'd just leave. That's what Shane and Caleb thought anyway. But then this happened...

Shane (S): you should get this one, it does all the work for you (pointing at an embroidery machine that was in the middle stitching an intricate design)

Me (M): yeah right! it's probably about $2,000 (having no clue what an embroidery machine costs and thinking this was an outrageous amount of money for an embroidery machine)

Shop Guy (G): well, actually we just got that in and it retails for $8,995

M: (after the shock wore off, I looked closer and see what the machine is) *GASP* *CHOKE* ohmygosh! that's the! i've seen that! designer diamond! on her blog! martha! oh!

G: (looking at me with interest, he gives me more details about the functions)

S: (makes his exit and starts strapping Caleb into his car seat)

But I let the guy give me a demonstration on it and I was drooling. oh my. and then he tells me that they are actually selling it for $1,000 less than MSRP at $7,995. And Viking has a payment deal that is interest-free over 48 months. SO, of course I had to ask how much that would be. $175 a month (this includes the $400 sales tax!) Now, keep in mind that I had no interest whatsoever in an embroidery machine when I walked in. And by the time Shane managed to put me in the car, I was scheming to figure out how I could have this machine. Seriously??? Well, first I'd have to figure out what I will make. I hope some of you will be able to relate because I'm afraid I might be ill. I think it's the possibilities that a machine like this allows. Oh the creativity that could be channeled through this into amazing things! Shane has since convinced me that there is not way in the world I will be getting the Viking Designer Diamond. But I asked him what kind of woman will buy this machine? super rich? retired with no kids to support? embroidery business owner? And he thinks that this is the kind of machine that someone would work up to. So, of course, I took that as a suggestion that I should maybe get a less supercalafrajalistic embroidery machine! But, there is the matter of what I will make with it :)

5 comments:

M said...

lol.... You are not sick.... well, no sicker than the rest of us sewers.... But yes it is a machine that one works up to, and *loves* once they have it. Will I ever get the opportunity to know this first hand? Not in this life.

If I am lucky I might own a machine someday that just does letters so that I could embroider names on baby/children's gifts, but even that is a look into the future.

Unknown said...

letters would be so great! i got a free "green" bag from work and i was just thinking how great it would be if i could embroider Caleb's name on it and let him use it as a library bag. if i do get an embroidery machine it will also be a long time from now, but it's so much fun to research new things and learn.

M said...

You could get the embroidered letters that you add to bags fom Joanns.

Joanna said...

LOL. You're hilarious. I TOTALLY wish I had been there to witness that. Could you imagine? LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL!!!!!

If I need letters embroidered I send it to Johanna. I'd way rather have a serger ANY day than and embroidery machine. That's what Johanna is for.

Hey, let's start our own village. We'd have all the necessary sewing/knitting/crafty stuff we'd ever need and then when anyone needed something embroidered they'd just walk next door to Johanna's house. When they needed a serger, they could just come over to my house. When we needed knitting advice Tina and Marie would be RIGHT THERE! One of them would have to have a bed made up especially for me because if I ever undertake knitting I'll be needing LOTS of advice.

Johanna said...

Yeah, embroidery machines can cost an arm and a leg. What gets me is that the only reasons to spend that much money on a machine are: a)you are loaded and don't have any budget restrictions, or b) you plan to make things to sell with the machine. But if you buy the machine with the purpose of business, it voids a large part of the warrenty. Surely these companies know that the average seamstress would not spend that kind of money unless they could recoup some of their cost!

Have you had a chance to use the new feet for your current machine?