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• […] angel friends are (from left to right) Angie, Leila, and […]

• […] friends are Gretchen the silver tabby American Shorthair kitten and Doreen the tabby-and-white […]

• Hello, Anthony and Collinne.

  If you mean the plush toys, they are here: http://hugmeslug.com

  The sculpted art dolls can be found here: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ruffings and sometimes here: http://www.ebay.com/usr/ruffings

• […] Juilette’s friend is Sophie the white kitten. […]

• Hi I love your pink hug me kitten . I have had no luck on finding one . Maybe you can help

• Happy to have found these nice instructions, as I had forgotten how.

• I had my first experience with a questionable repair just recently. My machine (Viking 5540) came back with things missing/broken (parts of the back cover — I could tell that the cover must have been forced off — I am gentle with my machines and don’t FORCE anything!), but nothing I could prove. I took it in for repair, expecting that it would be diagnosed, but only one thing appears to have been fixed — a broken part (thread take up lever) that was noticeable to us both when I first took it in. The repair person knows that I have done one minor repair myself (replaced the fixed cam), so he keeps saying “I” should put oil in a particular place, or that “I” should find a screw to secure the motor cover and that is why the motor is moving and causing the machine to make noise. No/No/No! I spent lots of time observing the working of the machine by simply removing the cover beneath the hand wheel and discovered that gears aren’t meshing properly. I can’t blame him for that but it is something that a “Sewing Machine Repair Person” should have been able to see and when I got my estimate that should have been included. Just putting oil on it isn’t the cure. Sheesh! I learned how to fix certain problems with my washing machine and certain problems with my car as a result of coming in contact with people that don’t know quite what they are doing and/or are too lazy to get it right. So I am on a quest to learn sewing machine repair — enough to get my machine working properly. I have learned to consider the money I have spent as my educational “Tuition”.

• Hello, I came across the Feral Cheryl sock cat, any chance of getting one made?

  Thank you

• I have a Viking 1+ machine which I took into our local Florida sewing machine repair shop. He told me he can no longer get Viking machine parts. He says ours needs a replacement computer board and he has been looking for one in Hawaii and Canada but has not found one. The machine will only straight stitch and not go back and forth; thus, it will not do any of the programmable stitches. I love the blind stitch but needless to say, it won’t do that! Frustrated with not being able to find replacement parts for repairs!!!

• How beautiful Zoomie was. We have a 20 year old Lilac point Siamese named Lynis who has had four seizures which we have been able to love him through and get him out of them but we are certain they have taken their toll on him. He still is able to get around and we refuse to put him down because he does not seem to be in any pain. He is on predisone everyday for his IBS but otherwise he just walks slower and we love him to pieces. We have rescued two other kitties now and he has company and so do we. Both are blended Siameses. Lynis was rescued in Michigan and we now live in Florida. He has travelled with us to Nevada and back to Michigan but we won’t be taking him with us anymore because of his age and the seizures. I certainly understand your love for Zoomie.
  Thanks for sharing the beautiful pictures.

• I took my designer in for a cleaning. It comes back and I can not get my top tension to tighten up. Leaves big loops on the back.

• Thanks so much. I post my Hug Me Kittens in my toy shop as I get them done and photographed. I am working on restocking my different characters, and have many in the works. If anyone is looking for one, and it isn’t there, feel free to check with me. I can usually add a color to my queue if I don’t have one in progress. http://hugmeslug.com

• Thanks very much. I am working on restocking my different characters in my toy shop, and have many in progress. If anyone is looking for one, and it isn’t there, feel free to check with me. The Feral Cheryl cats were special order, and were all hand sewn because the socks I used were heavyweight cotton. I will try to get a basic one ready for my toy shop, with the option to have the extra details, like the tattoo, claws, and teeth added, since those were all hand embroidered. http://hugmeslug.com

• Just bought a print of yours (809 of 1000) a thrush I believe, in St Mary’s county. Enjoying it very much.

• I need a hug me bunny!!

• […] Zanda’s friend shown here is Fern the Himalayan fairy kitten. […]

• Fellow sewing sisters — I feel your pain!!!! I have a Designer Ruby. Yesterday ended the “11th” week it had been in the shop! Called the tech support in Laverne, Tn and “Margo” was very helpful. Not confirmed yet but the guy the Viking sales gal at JoAnn said he was their “authorized” service rep may not be!! Margo told me to “go get your machine” and I did — he’s a Bernina dealer in Chattanooga, that should tell you something. He didn’t have an issue with me picking it up — think he was glad to have it out of there. Ask how much I owed and he said “nothing – I ‘couldn’t fix it” The problem may be the board from what he was saying – at this point who knows! Margo told me to contact local Viking dealer at JoAnn and request that my machine be sent directly to Tech Support in LaVergne for repair. Said I may have to pay postage — no big deal to me — after 11 weeks that’s nothing. Just want it fixed so I can sell it and get a Baby Lock!! I also have a Lily 550 I purchased in 1999 – several months ago I took it to him to clean and adjust — don’t know what he cleaned and adjusted but it wasn’t my machine for sure! Have been trying to use it as a backup with my Ruby at his place for last 11 weeks — real struggle. The last ‘three’ times I’ve had to take it to him I don’t get everything back. Have had to make extra trips to pick up things he didn’t get in the bag – he actually brought my foot pedal to my house one night! I think Viking would do better to get out of the JoAnn shops and set up their own store fronts with their own “trained” techs and sales people to avoid all this hassle it seems all of us are having. The “powers that be” as they say really need to be reading our comments if they want to sell and maintain machines but seems they all have their heads stuck in the sand. Hope I have better luck with a Baby Lock!

• Hi Rebecca,

  Thanks for your comment on my blog. So sorry you and so many others are having sewing machine repair problems! I saw you mentioned you were asked to send your machine to the repair center, and I just wanted to give you a heads up to make sure you pack that machine very, very carefully and insure it. Or make sure the person who sends it does. Tape everything down and wrap everything with bubble wrap, and tape that too. You can start with plastic wrap and then tape and then bubble wrap and then tape. My machine was totaled in transit. Someone had to have just dropped the box from high up. The insides were all broken. I did have it insured, but the Post Office depreciated it even though it had been used about 8 hours! Seeing how hard it is to get repairs, maybe I was lucky to get the insurance money for it. What a nightmare that was. I hope you have better luck! Just be super careful shipping it and be aware you may not get all your money back in insurance. I know that sounds awful, and I guess no matter how I packed it, the drop would still have destroyed the machine’s insides. But I just wanted to let you know, to give you the best shot at getting it back safely. Apparently, none of the carriers really have “fragile” anymore. Everything goes on a conveyor belt.

  Wishing you the best! And again, sorry!

  Take care,

  Elizabeth
  elizabethruffing.com

• Thank you! It really works! The washcloth left bumpy marks on my fleece and so I used a damp pillowcase. That worked great!

• So I’m not crazy!! I have had a Sapphire for about 3 years and just hate it. It also has the tension problems you all have described and the repair problems as well. The first repair visit was within four months of the purchase; it was away from home for three months. The next time, I took it to Joann’s (because I discovered the “repairman” was actually an employee of the dealer and she was doing the repairs in the basement). It came back in a reasonable amount of time, but I was told I was using the wrong quality thread (cotton is cotton, yes?) and that I needed a cleaning kit so I could clean the machine myself. After EVERY SIX HOURS of use. Really? So I tried to take the assembly apart to clean and discovered I couldn’t remove the bottom plate that protects what I was supposed to be vacuuming. The dealer told me I wasn’t supposed to remove that part, that it could only be done at the repair shop. So……now what? I have read and reread the manuals, re-threaded bobbins and needles, adjusted the tension, stitch length, and thrown up my hands. This thing is just a lemon and I seriously regret the purchase. I didn’t mind paying $1300.0 for what I thought would be a basic work horse machine but it is the most delicate, finnicky piece of machinery I have ever owned. Never again.

• We can Only get these on ebay??

• Hi Melanie,

  We also have some art dolls posted on Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ruffings

  Thanks for your interest!

  Kindest regards,

  The Ruffings

• Thanks for everyone’s comments about Viking. I was impressed with the Viking when I went to Joann’s and was about to purchase one. However, when she told me it takes 3 to 4 weeks if you have to get it repaired it made me suspicious and I decided to go home to do more research. The amount of bad reviews far outweigh any good I can find and they all seem to be related to repair issues. Although I really liked the machine, I will not be purchasing a Viking based on all the negative comments I have come across. Again, thanks for saving me from purchasing a machine that could potentially cause so much stress.

• It’s good to know I am not alone. I purchased a Designer SE. I was on top of the world! Until I started having problems with it. Fast forward…………. three trips to the repair shop because it jams, tension will not adjust, the tread shreds inside. I have taken it in several times for the same problem. I’m pretty handy. I have serviced my other machines with no problems. But this machine has cost me more than I care to think about.

  I purchased it (paid cash mind you) just before I retired. Silly me thought I would really enjoy the machine. NOT! I get more use out of my Grandmother’s 1923 singer.

  Would anyone know where I can get a factory service and repair manual? I’ll fix the darn thing myself!

• Is a Genevieve statue still available to buy?

• Can i buy one ?

• Your artwork is unique, I adore what I have seen so far, I sound goofy because I have stayed up too long … but I do know what I like …. just wanted you to know …..

• I have a Viking designer SE since 2009. I have had a lot of problems with it. Right now it is in the shop since Feb. 2017 because one day I turned it on and everything was dead. The shop tells me it needs a new “board”. It cost me $49.00 to leave it so they could find out what was wrong and that the board will be probably $600.00 and another $200.00+ to install it. Also, the $49.00 does not apply to the repair. It seems like it will take probably a couple of months to get the part as well. I thought I had researched for my machine but I guess I should have looked further. I wanted the best and thought I was buying the best. I also have a Viking 905 serger. I broke the feeder myself by trying to get my fabric out of the machine that was caught. It took a long while to get that part because it seems the machine was made in China and they no longer had a contract with them, and so they had to search around for someone who had the part. I wish I never bought a Viking product. If I ever talk to a person who is interested in buying a sewing product, I would say stay away from Viking. I would like to get it fixed and sell both of these machines.

• Hi Liz, I just found your site. Is your dad okay? Just checking in and I do love your bunnies! Terri Massimi

• […] the cutest slugs you ever want to see, visit Elizabeth Ruffing’s Web page, where she sells handmade stuffed slugs in a variety of colors. Below is a graphic of her “Hug Me […]

• I have some Super Slugs in my shop right now: https://www.etsy.com/shop/elizabethruffing?search_query=super+slug

• Queen Henrietta won the internet today.

• My grandson calls me “that old slug Mimi” so it is fun to find positive slug info! Not many grandmothers get to be a positive slug!

• Genevieve has been adopted, But thank you for your interest!

• […] Emmy’s kitty friend is Wanda the Tuxedo Cat. […]

• […] Sasha’s kitty friend is Emmy the Tuxedo Kitten. […]

• […] or even so very long ago, but I thought you might like to see my first art doll. This is “Serenity Starr“. I made her back in November of […]

• […] some of the sketches I drew for them, before I turned them into patterns to sew. Above is “Serenity Starr“, and below are “Cottontail Charlotte“, and “April May”. They all […]

• […] I turned them into patterns to sew. Above is “Serenity Starr“, and below are “Cottontail Charlotte“, and “April May“. They all turned into angels, and have since flown off to their […]

• […] Above is “Serenity Starr“, and below are “Cottontail Charlotte“, and “April May“. They all turned into angels, and have since flown off to their new […]

• […] as small wall hangings, for display. The finished floral art quilts can be seen in this post: https://ruffings.com/2007/02/ooak-one-of-a-kind-original-iris-and-pansy-floral-art-quilts.html Subscribe to our mailing […]

• […] been trying out some new presser feet for my sewing machine. That’s little Beulah Bunny, enjoying her new apron pocket. Husqvarna Viking keeps coming out with new, clear versions of their […]

• […] Foot helps guide you along edges while you do decorative stitching. The Open Toe Foot is great for machine appliqué stitching, because you can see where you are going, when you are following a raw edge or a line. Both have a […]

• […] homework today for another quilting class. In spite of the fact that I am usually behind on Lori’s class, I signed right up for more. This one is supposed to be a yellow and blue quilt, but I bought a […]

• […] was planning a sincere effort to add new Paperclay feet with shoes to my doll project when it occurred to me that it would be a much better idea to do all my paperclay-ing at once. I […]

• […] Festival, also known as Saint Lucia Day, which comes at the beginning of the Christmas season. Once again, I am a bit off with my holiday […]

• […] I’ve sewn and stuffed and attached all my previously adrift doll parts. They look like little fencing champions, all lined up in white. Are there only ten? Oh, but it […]

• […] is my Spring fairy, a little further along. She is actually a little further along than pictured here, and has been […]

• […] If you are in the mood to make some scare-free completely un-mouse-like catnip toys, check out my catnip toy tutorial for catnip squares, cigars, and kickers with free patterns. […]

• […] made up patterns for catnip toy squares, cigars, and kickers. As I mentioned in my last post, we have additional kitties in the house. I decided I would make some catnip toys to smooth the […]