Disappointment

Well... My serger came. I was so excited!
.. gulp
.... swallow
It's missing a part.

The stitch finger.
Bummer. It ruined my day when I found out. One of those "it was too good to be true" moments, you know? So, after moping around the rest of the day, I asked the seller if he would look around for it. He says he's looking...

I found only one site that seems to have the part, but it doesn't have a picture or a diagram, and I hate buying stuff online and having to pay shipping and handling plus a "restocking fee" when I need to make a return. So right now I'm just waiting to see if he will find it.

The blades also need to be replaced (I learned this by trying to serge with extra fabric to the right and breaking the needle in the process!). I'm torn between whether or not I should take it in for maintenance. The only sew/vac shop I know nearby will charge me about $200 for cleaning and servicing. I so don't want to go there bc then I will be kicking myself for spending enough money to buy a spanking new serger. Sigh... Maybe that's what I should have done - just gotten the 1034D from Walmart or something... The good news though, is that it really is easy to thread, and even without the missing part, it does a decent 4-thread stitch - you just have to watch that the fabric doesn't fold over on itself (ending up with a rolled hem).

Ah well. I'm moving on in the meantime, to my next project - Simplicity 4789 - the shorter jacket. I wanted to make myself a light (and simple) unlined jacket before delving into anything complicated. I don't take failure well - hence my current approach to sewing. I cut my muslin pieces out and have the bodice front and back together. I can already see that I will need to lengthen the bodice slightly (interesting because my last simplicity top had to be shortened 3 inches). We'll see how the rest of it goes. Hope to finish with alterations this weekend.