I’ve become fairly accustomed to the sound of my Tin Lizzie long-arm quilt machine. After working with it for hundreds of hours I’ve learned to recognize the sounds it makes when the needle needs replacing, the stitch tension is slightly off and when the bobbin is running low.

However, there is one sound I had never experienced until the other day. I was busily working at finishing up a quilt. Every ounce of my attention was focused on the detail of the stitching. The intense concentration drowned out all other thoughts as well as noises from my environment. I was “in the zone.” No other distractions were going to zap my attention. At least until the heart-startling moment when I heard what I will describe as a very loud boom.

The loud boom instantly severed my train of concentration and sent chills down my spine. Immediately following the loud boom the lights that illuminated my quilting field went dark. Both of them. You see there are two light bulbs tucked up inside the handles of my machine. Without them quilting would be very difficult. Fortunately I had only a few stitches left to complete. Finishing up without the lights was not too difficult. Their absence, however, would bring to a halt all future projects until they were replaced.

Fortunately we found a local supplier. Their prices were 7x that of the internet but they solved my immediate dilemma. After swallowing hard and paying the clerk for the purchase I was once a again back in business. We placed an order for additional bulbs online. Those bulbs will provide insurance for the future. Broken light bulbs will not be a problem anymore.

After having had this experience I do hope it’s not necessary to have it again. It would be fine with my if next time they just quietly quit working.

Cindy Anderson of In A Stitch Quilting