Tuesday, March 20, 2018

Sue's Saga of the Day

Well, I was going to make a Facebook post, but I decided this was more of a saga and would be more appropriately presented in a blog, so here goes:

I decided I needed to convert a dress into a long top and was halfway into that project when I realized I didn't like where my sewing machine was located. So I stopped the Dress Conversion Project to move my sewing machine to a different wall in the same room.

This, of course, also meant the relocation of where some things were plugged into the wall. 

As I assessed that issue, I determined that all my electronics, which are located in the same room as my sewing machine, would be much more aesthetically pleasing if they were inside of my desk drawer, so as to hide all the cords a little better. So I began making those changes, which is no easy task -- it requires a fair amount of rolling around on the floor with my head under the desk.(And then, of course, there is the issue of getting back up off the floor...) 

In the middle of that task, there was a knock on the door, and I was elated to see that the new wheels for my small carry-on bag had arrived from Amazon. I had spent some time a couple days ago figuring out how to replace them and what to order. Normally, these parts would be ordered from the luggage manufacturer, but my bag is an older model and they no longer sell the parts, which is not just the wheels, but the wheel housing as well. I knew, after researching online, that I could replace just the wheels, but it would require drilling out the wheel axle, which was riveted into the wheel housing. I had spent a few hours trying to do that and was close to getting one wheel done, when my friend, Mike Pape, stopped by to deliver a table he made for us.(He is a master with wood, by the way!) I noticed He actually had a manly drill, unlike my little girly one, which prompted me to ask him if he would be so kind as to help me with the Drilling Out of the Riveted Axle Project. He graciously agreed and was able to complete the drilling in no time. Of course, I am now fraught with drill envy..... Anyway, that all happened a couple days ago and I was anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new wheels so that I could reassemble the wheel housing with the new wheels and axle. Let me just say here, that in case you have ever wondered, like I have, why your luggage lining has all kinds of zippers and velcro in it, I now know the answer to that question. You have to get under the lining to remove important screws when you replace things like wheels. Okay, that's just a side note for those inquiring minds out there. 

When the wheels arrived at my door, I completely forgot that I was ever doing anything else and went right to work on the Install New Wheels Project. That turned out to be a bigger job that I expected because the new axle had a bigger head than would fit into the recessed hole it needed to go into. I knew ahead of time that this might be a possibility, and that if necessary, I may need to drill out the hole a little bigger to accommodate the axle head. So I promptly began to do just that. Again with the drill envy (maybe Santa will take note...) ! Anyway, it took a long time to get the hole big enough, but eventually I was able to drill out the hole, insert the new axle and wheel into the wheel housing and reattach the housing to the suitcase, reinserting all the screws I had removed. Yay! It worked and the suitcase rolls like a new bag! I am beaming with pride!

Then as I walked back to my office, I noticed the Dress Conversion Project that was still waiting on my new table in the living room where I left it when I decided to move my sewing machine.

And then I remembered that I was also in the middle of moving all the plugs for the electronics as well. That's when I started to laugh. I had actually had three projects going at the same time! 

And of course before I could finish either the Plug Moving Project or the Dress Conversion Project, I was now compelled to tell someone about it, which as everyone knows, is best done in a blog. So, there you have it. Sue's Saga of the Day is born, and you are lucky enough to get to read all about it!




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