Happy Friday, Friend,
Kim and I were gone for 8 days.
EIGHT.
We headed across Northeast Texas to service a Handi Quilter Forte (also known as the Amara 24), then up to Missouri to service a Handi Quilter Amara 20, and finally all the way to Chicago for Handi Quilter Retailer Academy and H&H.
We learned.
We worked.
We drove enough miles to qualify for honorary truck-stop citizenship.
And when we finally returned home to Fox Country Quilts…
…the longarms were mad at us.
Not mildly annoyed.
Not slightly offended.
I mean full-blown “you abandoned us” emotional damage.
The first machine stopped stitching mid-row like it suddenly forgot its purpose in life.
Another one slid sideways so dramatically it could’ve stolen first base if you’re a baseball fan.
And one machine… bless its little computerized heart… completed a full needle down/up cycle…
…and then added an extra half cycle just for fun.
Just sitting there showing off its chaos.
At one point I stared at the machine.
The machine stared back.
I’m pretty sure it was personal.
Kim finally said,
“I think they’re punishing us for leaving.”
Honestly?
That explains a LOT.
Because the minute we started paying attention to them again, they settled down like needy toddlers who just wanted reassurance.
One got an oiling.
One got fresh thread.
One apparently just needed emotional support.
You know how quilters name their machines?
I’m starting to think the machines know their names too.
And apparently they also know when you’ve been out of town helping OTHER longarms.
Honestly, the whole shop felt like:
“You went to Chicago without us?”
“Oh, you serviced OTHER machines?”
“Interesting.”
needle cycle of passive-aggressive rebellion
By the end of the day, everyone was behaving again.
Mostly.
Although I’m still watching one of them closely.
I don’t trust that innocent look.
So if you come by the shop this week and the longarms seem extra clingy…
Just know they’ve been through a lot emotionally.
With laughter, coffee, and slightly dramatic quilting equipment,
Donna
Fox Country Quilts
P.S. If your machine has ever mysteriously acted up immediately after you cleaned it, ignored it, threatened to replace it, or praised another machine… you understand.
