I mentioned in an earlier post that my sewing machine worked fine the last time I used it. I turned it off and a few days later flipped the switch & NOTHING HAPPENED! No click, no hum, no light, no screen display!!

I did the usual –

• Checked the outlet had power
• Checked the Battery Backup/Surge Protector was on
• Tried another power cord
• Turned off for 20 minutes, moved it & tried to turn on again

NOTHING!

I called my repair shop & the verdict was – a trip to Hinkletown was in order. Hinkletown Sewing Machine Shop is a small independently, family owned Bernina Dealer and machine repair shop in the middle of a Pennsylvania Corn Field in Lancaster County.

Hinkletown Sewing Machine Shop does not have a website but you can read more about them on this blog post

I bought my first Bernina after I  began quilting in 2007 while attending the Hershey Quilt Show. I’ve bought 3 Bernina machines from this family owned dealership and have taken other machines to them for repairs.  All of my machines I bought were either demos or lightly previously owned.

I bought my last machine because it had a larger bobbin & a deeper neck (distance from the needle & right side). I only quilt smaller quilts on my domestic machine but the deeper neck helps when moving around the bulk of a quilt.

So we scheduled a same-day visit and Monday we left very early so we could drop it off at 8:00 am. It is a full day when taking a machine to the shop. It makes for a nice “car date” with hubby, plus a visit to a number of quilt shops while the machine is being serviced or repaired. And of course, before heading home a stop at Oregon Dairy for some ice cream. (No pictures but hubby got 2 scoops of Butter Pecan & I had a scoop of Strawberry Cheesecake,  Yum!)

Lancaster Home and Fabric

The first shop we visited was Lancaster Home & Fabric in Lititz, PA. When I first found this shop it was Weaver’s Dry Goods. I love their selections including a large novelty, children’s and brand name fabrics of all colors & designs as well as a large selection of wide backings. Their prices have gone up over the years but are still very reasonable. My goal was to find a wide backing for my PT Quilt of Valor.

This shop is also in a corn field. I was so busy looking at fabric I forgot to take pictures. But I did find a wide backing I liked and some 1-yard cuts for pillowcases.

Burkholders

Another shop we like to visit is Burkholders in Denver (Lancaster County), PA

There is something in this quilt shop I imagine you’ve never seen in another quilt store. Can you see what it is? (Hint: look at their sign & then find the display in the pictures)

Yes, they sell Beef as well as Eggs. There is also usually reindeer in a fenced in area next to the shop, but the only one we saw quickly ducked into the tall grass so I didn’t get a picture.

I didn’t buy any fabric there as I’m trying to use from my stash this year. They have a wide selection of quilting rulers and other notions. I did buy a cute magnetic seam guide that I think I’ll use on my Featherweight.

Zinck’s Fabric Outlet

I had heard of this shop but never visited it. After lunch & checking on my machine (not ready yet), we headed to East Earl, PA. The shop was not easy to find as it sits near the rear of what looked like an industrial or warehouse park. But follow the signs and it can be found.

The staff was friendly and helpful.  It has more than just quilting fabric and is very nicely arranged and labeled. Unlike some other stores it didn’t have a wide selection of the major quilting fabric manufacturers. I asked if they had Kona Snow and they do not carry Kona but showed me their brand of white fabric.

The pricing was considerably less than the typical quilt shop. I bought a yard of their white and it was $5.99 per yard. I also bought 2 yards of Patriotic Stars Wide Backing which was $13.99 per yard.

Heading Home

We picked up my repaired machine and headed home. The problem was a bad switch and power supply which were both replaced. They also did the regularly scheduled maintenance as I had almost 2 million stitches since the last service. The machine is now in it’s proper place and ready to hum along!

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Hope you are making progress on whatever you are stitching this week!

Happy Stitching!

Quilt Mouse