Jazz for Cows, Megaquilter Frustrations

...because it's got to be boring being a cow.  It's nice when they play for you.

My Mega Quilter is giving me no end of frustration as I try to quilt my STARS quilt.  It did Quarta's first quilt fine, after coming back from the servicing.  But as soon as I started on this one, with different thread, it started clicking and making thread nests on the back and breaking thread.  Then it broke a needle, the one that it came back from the repairman with.  I put in a new needle and played with the tension for awhile.  The upshot is, I seem to be able to get it to work with plain white thread from a cone, but the nice Gutermann variegated pink thread just keeps breaking, or making random thread loop nests on the back no matter what tension I have it set to.  Every couple of inches in a simple meander quilting pattern. I tried calling the dealer, which was not helpful at all... no way will I take that puppy off the carriage again anytime soon and bring it across town to get shipped off to Oregon and get charged another $160.  It's only a month since I got it back from the last time. From what I read online, the machine itself is pretty sturdy, so I can't figure out what's up with it.  I've used this thread on this machine before.  I will say that my machine on the frame with the stitch regulator has always been a bit finicky for me, but I can usually "make it work."  I'm frustrated with the dealership because they couldn't give me any tips to try and most of the people I've talked to don't seem very knowledgeable about the machine.  Next step I think is to try buying a smaller size of needle to see if that's causing the problems... they didn't even carry the type of needle I needed... in a Viking dealership!  I think I'll do better with the House of Sewing Machines closer to home.  But tomorrow.  For now I'll work on the Orca Bay mystery and Farmer's Wife blocks, and head out to Knit Night at Starbucks.

Tertia had the quote for the week today.  We've been working with her Life Skills teacher and Learning Support teacher to try to find the middle ground in math for her where she will be challenged and instructed in new concepts but not frustrated.  So I asked her today how that was going and she told me she's working in Ms. W's class (Learning Support) on Order of Operations.  Did she understand it? Yes.  That's good, I said, sometimes I have a hard time with that. "Yes. I know.  Because I love working on Order of Operations in Ms. W.'s classroom."  When you converse with Tertia, you have to embrace the random a little bit.