Blog #04

Saturday, I made the hour long trek to Jacksonville to get everything my sewing machine needed. The motor and bobbin belts were replaced, and there was a very tense moment where we finally got to see how it ran. It made the most awful screeching sounds, but it was doing everything it was supposed to do. The man who was assisting us took a good look and told us that oiling it up should do the trick.

He was right! It runs really well. I still have some issues. The bobbin belt they gave me is too big which doesn't really matter since my bobbins are too wide to fit under the thread guide on the
bobbin winder. I'll be hand winding for awhile. :)

My stitch length regulator is still rusted in place, but judging by the few test seams I ran, whatever I make is going to be super durable. The stitches are tiny and the seams are impossible to tear with brute force and almost as tough to get out by hand. I'm just happy that my stitches are stuck at something I can work with.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Blog #12: Rice Sock Tutorial

Image
Rice socks are probably the best things ever for me because of my migraines. Just pop it in the microwave for a minute or so. Put it on your hurt, and presto you have wonderful soothing warmth right where you need it. So with the ever present question of what to make with all my Spoonflower swatches, this was the first thing I thought of. Top view A quick and simple swatch project: rice sock! 1. Measure swatch into thirds. Be sure and only measure the patterned portion. 2. Fold one end to the middle along measured line.( The doubled portion of the swatch will be on the outside at the end, and the bit hanging off the top will not be visible.) Sew along the line that you have measured above, or if you can see through the fabric just sew along the end of the design. 3. Fold the small white portion down and iron. Then flip it over and fold the large portion down an iron the same way. 4. Cut off any of the large portion that hangs over the edge. 5. Fold in raw edg...
Read more

Contest Entry: Otter Lace

Image
Significant Otters Design Challenge If you’ve ever watched two otters holding hands (oh yes, it exists!) it’s safe to say this mammal has won the hearts of viewers with their otterly adorable appearance. This week we challenge you to win the hearts of the community with an otter-inspired design. There wasn't much direction on this contest. So I went in my own direction and finally ended up with Otter Lace .  The lace was a fairly simple thing to create. The design is mirrored, which means I only had to draw the one half before the computer did the other side. The plan for the scalloped edge was to have it much wider in the middle section, but I decided the single flower between the otter couples looked better in the main motif. The fancy edge was digitally trimmed to match, and the rest of the computer work was spent on the colors. I also played around with a soft teal color with warm gray for a second version of the lace.   ...
Read more

Project Photos: Undercover Maker Mat

Image
I originally found the pattern for the Undercover Maker Mat on Pinterest, and have finally managed to finish sewing my own! It comes from the blog lillyella by Nicole Young and you can see her post and get free pattern HERE . The mat doubles as both a sewing machine cover and a pocket filled organizer to keep all your notions et cetera at hand as you work. This was a bit of a stash busting project, which required a bit of editing from the pattern. This was almost entirely made up of test swatches which are approximately 8" x 8". The obvious thing  to do was try and break each swatch down into blocks of 4" x 4", but since they end up being slightly less than that, I decided to do a bit of fussy cutting to make 2 slightly larger blocks using the unprinted white space to remain attached in the seam allowance. Here is my rough plan of how to assemble my new pattern. The dimensions changed to 20" x 28" for each side before sewing and seam ...
Read more