Oh no, I am so sorry. I have no experience with it, but perhaps they could replace the cover and repair the machine. I think I would try that first.

beverly

When my Mother passed away I inherited her 60s Singer. It was one of the last models with a metal body. I was sewing at the :DR table and my kids were 18 mo and 2 1/2 yr at the time and I heard a weird noise,almost like a choking sound coming from the LR where they were playing. I jumped up and got my feet tangled in the cords and machine came off the table upside down and landed right on it's head. It was twisted and bent and although it would sew it made a horrible sound. I took it to the repair shop where they recommended a "full burial" ! I hope your machine fares better than mine did.

Mary
P.S. the weird noise from the LR was the cat!!

Kate, I'm so sorry that your beloved machine got a boo boo! Hopefully, Andy can work his magic. You just had it in the shop a little while ago for service! Maybe you could write to Elna and send them a picture and tell them all it's been through and it still works and they'll give you a new machine and take yours as a testament to quality :o)

Just so you don't feel so alone, I will tell you a dropping the sewing machine story :o) When I first moved into this apartment, I came with the only sewing machine I had at the time... an early 90s middle of the line (middle of the line because the only thing that separated it from the economy model was that it had adjustable needle position) Brother that I got at GoodWill for 10 dollars. It actually wasn't a bad machine, just really ugly and lacked a lot of basic features that are standard now... I was carrying it from the bedroom to the living room and had the cord dangling behind... somehow, I tripped over the ironing board... The machine, the ironing board, and I landed on the floor. I caught my breath and looked at the machine... the housing was cracked, the spool pin had snapped off (and I never found it), and the cord had snapped in two. I threw it in the garbage.... It probably worked fine still, but I wasn't going to fix a machine I'd only spent 10 dollars on.

This is the only picture I have of the poor dear and it was taken just a few days before his passing....

I want a Bernina and they aren't in my budget either, yet, but one day I'm going to get one, even if it's used. We can dream, can't we? Brother just came out with a new line of machines called the Revolution series, and the model called the Dream Maker XE looks amazing.... they are only 6,000 dollars.... less than a new Bernina, but then you don't get that Swiss quality. I saw a Viking Designer SE for 2700 on C/L and that might be a good alternative to a Bernina, but not time yet...

Anyway, good luck with the repair, and please let us know how it goes!

Kate, I wouldn't worry about the scratches.....in fact, you can be proud of them! Maybe put "Exit 58 - 2012" on your machine as a reminder and conversation starter. Sorry it happened, but it was nice it still worked well enough for you to finish your quilt. Hoping they can find and repair the noise it's making.

SharonG/FL

Gosh, hope it can be repaired. At my guilds retreat a couple of years ago, my Janome 6600 fell to the floor when a portable table I put it on collapsed. My heart stopped and I said a bad word, but it turned out just fine. Took it to the "doctor" as soon as I got home and he found nothing wrong. I was worried about internal injuries! Not as far a fall or onto gravel like your machine, but maybe yours will be ok.
Hopefully just in need of a minor adjustment. Keeping my fingers crossed for you.
Murphy

Ouch!
Many dealers & manufactures have no interest payment plans available for buying new machines. Who can really afford or wants to pluck down the thousands of dollars these machines cost?????? You have time on your side right now~start looking~and perhaps consider buying an interim machine for traveling and taking to workshops. When we move our machines around, it is an accident waiting to happen.
The immediate concern is having a reliable machine ~ maybe the winged Elna is ready to be Retired :~) and watch over all the others from the sidelines, proud of her battle scars!
My dealer charges $100.00 just to look at a machine. It is a hard (emotional) decision. I suggest you look at the machine Jen just purchased.

I don't remember which machine Jen bought... What is it?

OMG...how aweful. I would suggest getting it to the Dr. Elna immediately for a complete once over! I'm pleased for you it's still working, but like a bum knee, without proper attention it may get worse. Take it in asap.
In the interim, what a great excuse to shop around!
V.

The link to Jen's post is below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Jen's machine :~)

That is a bummer. If it is still working I would wait until it got it's physical before I would give up hope on a good machine. The case probably took a lot of the shock and maybe the noise us just a bit of malalignment that can be corrected. Good luck and I will keep my fingers crossed everything is AOK.

Yikes! I can't imagine how upset you must be. I love my Pfaff and would be really nervous if that happened. I hope it isn't too much to have it repaired. Did it's wings stay on??
Sue

I'm sorry to hear of your fall!! Definitely have it looked at, but consider what you're options are in case you get a bad report.

The new Janome I got works like a dream. It's a little noisier than the old one, but has all the same features and worked well all through retreat! Not top of the line, but well worth the $$ spent on it!

I'm sorry to hear of your fall!! Definitely have it looked at, but consider what you're options are in case you get a bad report.

The new Janome I got works like a dream. It's a little noisier than the old one, but has all the same features and worked well all through retreat! Not top of the line, but well worth the $$ spent on it!

gremlins

Were you able to get your machine to the doctor yet?

I took it in Tuesday evening, with a note to Andy telling him what happened. They said it might be two weeks before he could get to it. I'm seriously wishing I had a decent backup machine.

Kate I was saying silent prayers to the sewing machine gods that your machine was OK. Hopefully it will just be minor adjustments.

I should get my Kenmore out of the closet and see how it works. If anything happens to my Janome it's a 1&1/2 hour trip to drop it off, leave it, then back to pick it up. AND the guy charges about $150 - $200 just to check the machine. If I could find a repair course I would happily take one.

There are some things I really miss about Orlando lol!!!

I just received the call from Super Repairman Andy. There is real damage: broken parts and a "messed up feed motor". But the good news is that it's repairable! Even better news is that Andy is taking pity on me and only charging me as if it was the annual service because it hasn't been too long since I had it in for that. It could have been much much worse. And I get it back tomorrow!!! Woo hoo!

In the meantime, I splurged and ordered the Juki TL2010qi for doing free motion quilting. That should arrive on Monday or Tuesday. Can you imagine how excited I am?!? I need a weeks vacation just to play with the machines.

Kate

Kate, I'm glad to hear your machine was fixed! I take mine to Andy, too.

Enjoy that new Juki! I wish I had more time to use mine. :(

Donna

Thanks for the update.... glad that your regular machine is repairable. That is nice of Andy too!

Wow, a Juki straight stitcher? Very nice! I bet you are excited! I really like Jukis... someone told me Brother made them, but I can't confirm if it's true or not... I know Brother makes Baby Lock, but not sure about Juki. Their regular machines have awesome features like box feed and a foot pedal that activates the automatic thread trimmer when you press it backwards... (Every time I see the Juki Exceed on HSN, I run to the phone and get my credit card out and then snap myself with a rubber band to stop in mid-process!) Of course the machine you got is a whole different animal... I bet the stitch is going to be beautiful and it will have a lot of power...

Does your Elna have the automatic thread trimmer? If not, you may find yourself piecing on the the Juki, unless you plan to leave it set up for free motion all the time.

I wonder if it takes standard metal bobbins? That extension table will be so nice, and if you ever do get a frame, I think that machine as practically made for frames!

Congrats! New machines are so exciting! :o)