Thursday afternoon I was working on a pillow top, and decided to try my hand a free motion quilting.  I found out my sewing machine is not designed for this.  It is an older "computerized" machine, and it won't let you sew a straight stitch with the feed dogs lowered.  For those who are confused by this, the feed dogs pull the fabric in to the needle as you sew.  To properly do free motion quilting, the feed dogs should be lowered so that the material is not pulled, and you can move the fabric freely this way and that  - i.e. the term "free motion". 

Well, being the stubborn Irish girl that I am, I decided that this would not stop me, so I did some experimenting and found that if I used an open foot and set my stitch speed to a medium speed, that I could move the fabric freely enough to take a "stab" at it.  I don't use the foot control, I just use the botton on the front to stop and start the machine and set the speed.

Well, to make a long story longer, I was in a hurry, as I was trying to finish in order to get to my daughters school to see her end of the year pep session (she is a middle school cheerleader).  I was rushing, and not paying as close attention to where my fingers were in relation to the needle in the open toe foot, the fabric was being pull by the machine in one direction, and I was trying to move it in another, and low and behold, I did something I did not think was possible...

I sewed right through my finger - nail and all...

                 

It would not stop bleeding, and I was afraid I may have hit the bone, so I wrapped it tightly, and drove myself to the emergency room. 

                

2 hours, and a $50 co-pay later, I walked out with a heavily bandaged finger, but without any stitches and having not hit the bone.  They did notice in the x-ray, 2 very small pieces of metal in my finger - remnants of the needle (which broke into 3 pieces - one still in the machine, and 2 imbedded in the fabric), which they said would "work themselves out". 

                

Needless to say, I missed the pep session, but under the circumstances, my daughter was very understanding. 

Once again, being the stubborn Irish girl that I am, I went down later that afternoon, bandaged left index finger and all, and finished the quilting on the pillow top.  All things considered, I think it turned out pretty good, and not one drop of blood was shed on the fabric.