I made a poncho!

I have made a crochet poncho for our little grand daughter, I have never made one before so thought I would give it a try.  I had started on a little knitted top after finishing the little cardigan but I could see it was going to come out too big so I unravelled it and started on the poncho.

The aim was to use yarn from my stash which I started off doing but I couldn't find any similar sport weight yarn to go with it.  I have plenty of double knit but the pink I started with was thinner so didn't want to go to thicker yarn.  Well, darn! I had to buy some more. Just one skein, but a mighty big one! pretty pastel colours.

It is difficult to know how big to make things when you don't see the children all the time so I edged it with loops rather than a fringe and that way I can add to it easily if necessary when we see them next month.

Last Sunday was Mother's day here in the US so we went out for lunch on Saturday for a treat and to avoid the Sunday crowds. We passed by a swap meet going so on the way back we stopped and I got out for a browse.

I only spent $3 and got quite a bargain.  A sewing box with some bits and pieces in all of which are useful.

Thread, bobbins, long tweezers (for picking out fluff and cotton around the bobbin area), some sewing feet and an attachment so that you can change the sewing feet easily.  These are great, I have them on my other machines so this one can go on the treadle.  There was also some embroidery transfers.  I have been hankering to do some embroidery, don't know why as there is nothing really I want to embroider but I just want to do some.  Putting it down to old age eccentricity!  I have lots of embroidery hoops and embroidery skeins so may as well put them to use. There is also a roll and a half of iron on hem bonding tape and one of those spiky wheel things.  I have one of those already and for the life of me I have no idea what it is for. Anyone know?????

The box and contents

Bobbins will fit my Singer Sewmate and the sewing feet will fit all my machines.  The blue thing has a spiky wheel and I have no idea what it is used for.

Plenty of embroidery transfers

The sewing feet and some sewing machine oil and a screw to attach sewing machine to table, (will keep as a spare)

A full roll and a half roll of hem tape

I was well pleased with my bargain.

I also had to work a little more on my treadle cabinet as the machine started getting stuck down in the cabinet again.  It was catching again on the metal slide.  Also I needed to adjust the mechanism that raises the machine as it wasn't going up completely so wasn't sitting flush.  When I eventually found the right spanner I was able to adjust the height it came up so it is now more or less flush.  For now I am leaving it up and covering the whole machine and cabinet with a sheet when not in use. I will have to find a way I can fix the metal slide in place better but that is a job for another day.

Last week we went to the VA hospital for my husband to have cardioversion which is where they shock the heart to try and get it back into normal rhythm.  It worked after the second shock but now they are monitoring him for congestive heart failure. They sent him a machine and a set of scales and a blood pressure cup that plug into it that he has to use once a day at the same time each day to take his blood pressure/heart rate and his weight.  Then it transmits that info to the hospital, it is called Telehealth.  Pretty nifty.  It can also have other attachments too to monitor more things but that is all he has for now thankfully.  It does it through the cell phone signal as we do not have a land line anymore as we went to satellite VOIP phones. I am impressed, just hope someone at the other end is reading it!

A little more productive this past week

It stopped raining and I have been able to get out and mow quite a bit.  We mow about 5 or more acres all together so I split it up into sections.  The rain had certainly been good for the grass as it is quite lush and was very long.

Yesterday was not such a good day though, I got the mower stuck in some mud.  This is the second time this year but it was in a different place where we could get the van close to tow it out.  Well, that backfired because we got that stuck too!

Ring, ring, "Er hello Cynthia, I know this probably isn't a good time as you are going in to the hospital for knee replacement surgery tomorrow but do you think you could ask your son if he could come with his pick up truck and tow us out the mud again please?"

"He will be right down" she replied laughing.

Have I ever mentioned we have the best neighbours ever?

Well he came on down and towed out the van and then the mower.  Needless to say I was done mowing for the day.  I did get out this morning and got some done, though giving wide berth to that particular area!

My favourite iris bloomed. It is obviously not in a good place soil wise as it doesn't produce many blooms a year but the colour is very delicate.

Our light purple ones also bloomed in abundance this year as did the yellow in a bed further up the lane.

But aside from the mowing and all the usual household chores I finished the little shrug cardigan I was making for our grand daughter.

I didn't follow the pattern exactly as when I did the front bands as per the pattern it seemed way too bulky so I undid them and improvised by crocheting the front bands instead. Also, I decided to put buttons all the way down the front rather than just one at the top.  I had found some lovely multi coloured glass buttons when sorting out some of my sewing stuff, they must have been from my MIL's things as they are quite old. The packaging was very dated and I don't recall buying them. They are delightful. It looks a bit squat but it is only meant to be a short bolero style cardigan for a 2-3 year old.

I have started on another little knitted summer top while I am in the knitting frame of mind.

On a different note, this coming Friday we have to go to the VA in Columbia for my husband to have cardioversion, where they knock him out and shock his heart in a bid to get it into normal rhythm, he has been in persistent atrial fib since February and it is taking it's toll on him.  I thought he was going to peg out on me yesterday when we were trying to get the mower out of the mud.  Hoping for a big improvement after this procedure.  Fingers crossed!

What a lotta rain!

We have had a lot of rain here this few days, more than usual for this time of year but needed to fill up the aquifers so no complaints.  It did put the kibosh on the mowing and it is really quite muddy outside. The dogs, no matter how many times I tell them, do NOT wipe their paws when they come in lol. So, an ongoing battle with dirty paw prints but what the heck, I love my dogs.

Maggie, doesn't much like the heavy rain, it is a job to get her off the front porch to go do her business.  She holds it in rather than get wet but eventually, when she can't wait any longer, she finds the driest way through the bushes to the grass then hi-tails it right back back in.  Boris doesn't care, he doesn't mind the rain at all.

We got a few hours of no rain yesterday so I took them for their walk. For a doggie who doesn't like the rain she doesn't care how wet she gets running through the wet grass and came back soaked through!

I had a chance last week to spend a few hours on the treadle machine, getting used to using the treadle and trying different sewing feet from an old machine.  Some worked and some didn't.  The walking foot actually does work on it so I really have no excuse not to start on the quilt.  The rolled hem foot worked great too but the gathering foot didn't. That may have been user error though.  I have to look up a youtube video to make sure I was doing it right.

I have also picked up the knitting needles again and am making a little bolero jacket for our youngest grand baby who turns 2 tomorrow.  We will see them at the end of June so will save it for then. The back and fronts are knitted in one and I have done up the the splitting for the sleeves and one side so far.

I am trying use up some of my stash of wool rather than buy more.  I also found a pattern for a crochet poncho so I might make that too from the stash.  I can do that at night when watching TV.

A couple of simple projects which suits me perfectly these days.

I found the patterns on this blog:-

https://mariannaslazydaisydays.blogspot.com/

This lady has a lot of patterns, mainly for babies but some toddler patterns too.

This is the poncho pattern:-

poncho pattern

and the bolero (she calls it a shrug) pattern:-

bolero (shrug) pattern

Addendum

Yep!, user error for sure on the gathering foot.  Watched the video, I was putting the fabric through the foot instead of under.  The slot in the foot is for when you want to attach another piece of fabric on top when gathering the bottom piece. Will give it another try.......

No progress to report but I am thinking about it a lot....

It has been a funny old week, kind of blah and indifferent.  We had a hospital trip which was neither good nor bad, good thing is my husband's immune system might be coming back up, the bad thing if it does then the antibodies start attacking his central nervous system again.  Another upcoming this week which might shed some light on what is happening with his heart issues. Time will tell.

It has turned really nice here, not too hot and we are getting some much needed rain.

Love the colour of these iris and thought they looked lovely with the raindrops on.

Been thinking about the quilt, it will definitely be a go, just have to make a start.  Once I do I know I will keep at it.

I had a dream a couple of night's ago.......

Back in January 2015 I posted about some quilt squares my MIL had made and the night before last I dreamed that I made a quilt using them.

I hadn't been thinking about making a quilt so why that popped into my dreams I have no idea but hey ho, maybe now is the time eh?

I could make it using my treadle machine, that would certainly give it a good trial. I dreamed about how to join them all together and put strips in between so as to make it bigger so now I have to go dig in my stash to see what I can find to make strips.  I have some ideas to make them using different fabrics joined together as I know I don't have any long lengths of fabric and I don't want to buy any more.  Time to utilise the stash!  I do also have some fabric on rolls about 4" wide so they will be perfect but the colour is a bland off white so I think I need to break it up a bit, plus, I have no idea how many yards are in the rolls.

Here is a link to that post and a picture of some of the squares.

http://ilikeknittingandsewing.blogspot.in/2015/01/look-at-treasures-i-found.html

This morning I was out with the dogs and realised that Spring trees are somewhat similar to Autumn trees in colour.

Reds and different shades of green in the new leaves

The iris are budding

 

as are the peonies

Oh yeah, Oh yeah, Oh yeah!

The treadle sewing machine is up and running.  I am so excited, it sews like a charm. Getting the belt right was a bit of a challenge but now I know how it should be, next time I won't be cutting it off a half inch at a time to get it right.  I know how taut it should be now.

It stitches just fine, the stitch length adjustment works just fine.  It has been a gazillion years since I used a treadle machine so I was a bit iffy at first. I can go very fast but going slow I am not so good at.  All in good time.

For now, I am just so happy it all works after all the work I did to bring it back into working order.

I did make a video but some buxom grey haired old biddy highjacked it, have no idea who she is! She sounds just like me though......weird eh?

The white stitching was done on the treadle machine

I bought the original manual on ebay but it is very frail so I copied it to use. Check out the lady, shows how old the machine is

In it's spot

This same old biddy is behind my mirrors too!

The manual is so helpful

The best laid plans 'o mice and men.....and all that

Yesterday, I made it up to the sewing room to start on getting the treadle sewing machine set up.  I was taking stuff off of the table top that I had spanning two short filing cabinets to make a desk.  The plan being to remove the top and put the treadle machine in between the two said cabinets.

Honk, honk, I hear and look out the window to see the Fed ex truck outside.

I went to get the parcel which I expected was the protein powder and vitamins I had ordered from Sam's Club.  It was indeed a parcel from Sam's Club.

You have to remember that we are pretty housebound right now with my husband's compromised immune system and current heart problems so it seemed like the easiest thing would be to order the powder.  We usually pick it up when we go to the VA hospital but I forgot last week.

So Sunday night I ordered it online.  Chocolate protein powder.  We always buy chocolate because that's the flavour we like.  We do not like vanilla.  Protein powder isn't the nicest tasting thing anyway but my husband believes the protein helps with his nerve and muscle disease and at least the chocolate flavour is drinkable.

What showed up? Why, vanilla of course! I checked the order again and it was for chocolate so genuine mistake by them I think, they will put it right I think.  Well yes, I can return it, by Fed Ex at their expense but I have to deliver it to a Fed ex depot. Hrrmm!  The nearest one is 45 miles away!

So I tried calling them and got left on hold for 34 mins, and I have the photo to prove it! They never picked up and I eventually just hung up.  I emailed them twice and have not had a reply.

So now there is steam coming out of my ears and battle will commence!

UPDATE:

When I checked my blog I saw that I hadn't actually posted this so I can report that indeed battle ensued and Sam's Club have arranged for pickup of the parcel tomorrow.

Not sure whether they are replacing with correct item or refunding, have sent email #4 to ascertain that.  Will report back in due course.

And needless to say, nothing done on the sewing machine again today!

Compared to my blogging friends I am just a pretender

I haven't been posting much at all lately but I read all the blogs I follow every day faithfully.  I feel like such a pretender because I hardly make anything these days.  A lot of it is circumstance but have to admit that some of it is lack of mojo.

I did manage to sequester our neighbour's son and two of his friends to bring my treadle machine cabinet over from the workshop and upstairs into my sewing room on Monday. It got wet from the rain in the process so I have left it until today so it thoroughly dries out.

Today, hopefully, is the day I get it all set up.  First I have to give the rest of it a good polish and oil the machine again.  I am hoping all the repairs I did to the cabinet hold up and it will be a go.

I am excited to do this and this has been the first time lately I have felt motivated.  I love making things so much that I feel guilty for feeling happy when everything around us is not going so well.

I think this is why I haven't been making things and I have to work to get over this silliness.

I was somewhat inspired also by a video I saw this morning of Josh Turner's 90 something year old grandma playing her piano at the Grand Ole Oprey.  I am sure she has faced a lot in her life but she was up there playing like a champ.  God bless her.

If she can pursue her love of the piano then I am sure I can pursue my love of making things.

The last coat of varnish is on

It has been pretty gloomy here the past few days which is actually a good thing because we have had some much needed rain.

Yesterday I put the second and final coat of varnish on the sewing machine lid.  Because of the dampness and a hospital trip tomorrow all day I am not going to try and move it.
It needs some dry air to dry it out properly.  It does look nice though even though the colour does not match exactly.  I am happy with it. You can see that it is not properly dry yet.

When it is fully dry I have to get someone to help me carry it up to my sewing room then I will be able to put it all together and give it a try. I will try and do a quick video of me using it.  The excitement of it all has been dulled with recent events but I know I will be happy to have it all working.

I took some photos on my walk out with the dogs today.  The trees are not flowering so gloriously as they usually do because of the weird weather patterns we are experiencing.  The rain has greened up the grass a lot which is good but the oak trees have not started to bud yet so it is a mixture of Spring and Winter out there.

My husband is not improving any at all, in fact, he seems to be getting worse.  The appointment tomorrow is with the neurologist who has ascertained that his B cells have been totally depleted and he has no immunity at all.  His heart is also a big concern as he has not come out of atrial fib.  We have transmitted four times already and each transmission had 10 events recorded.  There could have been a lot more but he doesn't press the button all the time, only for the really bad events.  They have put up three out of four reports so far where we can look at them online and they all show atrial fib with erratic heart rates both high and low, pvc's and other things which I have no idea what they are. We will take the monitor in tomorrow and get them to unload it while we are there to save bothering our neighbour to have to transmit over her landline.  The VA does not do very well at making sure these reports are seen by the doctors.  His electrophysiologist doctor is only in the VA once a week as is his cardiologist so we don't know if they have even seen the reports.  His neurologist is the only one who keeps on top of things. He has been a godsend to us, we are pretty sure without him my husband would not be here now.

The new normal

Things have quietened down a little here.  Our son Andrew was buried in NJ where his wife and two children live, we were not able to attend because my husband is not well enough to travel.

We organised a Memorial Service here in MO as there are a lot of family here who wanted to pay their respects.  I had a lot of help from neigbours and family to do this and it was a lovely tribute to him.

Our other son and daughter came to attend and spend some time with us but they have both gone back to their lives.  One lives on the east coast and one on the west and we are smack dead centre of the US.

My husband's health is getting worse.  The doctor has told us that he shouldn't be out in public and even in small groups he should wear a mask as his immune system is so compromised now.  Added to that he has heart issues that seem to be getting worse.  He soldiers on though and thinks he is immortal which I am sure is what is keeping him going. He is always sure the miracle cure is just around the corner.  There is power in positive thinking.

So, many changes to come I think, probably have to move to a place where there is minimal maintenance and no land to tend to.

My husband is fighting this because he doesn't want to give up his workshop and tools and the eternal optimist in him believes he will get back out there to work one day. I hope he is right.

The last few days I have been able to get out to the workshop myself and put some coats of stain on the treadle sewing machine cabinet.  Just one more coat I think will do it. Golden Oak to try and get some yellowness into it.  I had to use dark stain to get the depth of colour but it was more red than I hoped.  Hoping the oak will help but whatever the outcome it will have to do.  Finally, a coat of varnish and it will be ready to come back to the house and have the machine put back in it.

It is weird, a few weeks ago this was my primary focus.

How things change so quickly.........................

Might not be around for a while

This past week we had some devastating news.  My husbands eldest son, my stepson Andrew was killed in a car accident.  We are gutted, in shock and totally lost.

Added to that, my husband had the cardiac cath on Monday which didn't show any blockages, which was excellent news, but he has rampant atrial fib which is probably the cause of a lot of his more recent problems.  We spent three out of four days at the VA hospital, they are putting him on anti coagulent medication because of the atrial fib and other factors he is at a very high risk for stroke.  He is also wearing an event heart monitor for 30 days and has been advised not to travel far or fly. He has numerous upcoming appointments.

Plans are afoot for a memorial service to be held in Kansas City for the family from around here but we will not make the actual funeral in New Jersey which in itself is devastating but the doctor fears serious problems if we travel and attend it.

I will be keeping up with reading the blogs I follow as I get some sort of comfort from reading them but don't feel like posting myself right now.

The cabinet top is looking good.

I went to check on the treadle cabinet top this afternoon to see if had stuck properly this time.  It looks like it has.  I wasn't going to push my luck though, thought I would give it another day before I started to stain it.  I covered it back up and put the slab of marble back on top until tomorrow.

And a reminder of what it looked like before I took off the old veneer.

 Can't wait to get it finished............

two steps back but then three steps forward

Today I went to to the workshop to work on the cabinet. I was upset to see that the veneer had raised up in a few places. I set about ironing it back down again but this time applying the heat for longer. It took awhile and now hopefully it is all stuck down.

I also trimmed it to fit, at first I tried using an Exacto knife, with a new blade, but that was splintering the veneer. Then I went to the new long bladed tin snips we had bought when doing the camper reno. They trimmed it almost to the edge then I was able to sand it so it was flush.

I covered it and placed a marble top on it to hold it down while the glue was setting. In hindsight I should have done this yesterday. I sanded down two of the main body of the cabinet's corners that had been scuffed and applied some stain.  They look much better. Other than the top and these two corners the cabinet is in very good condition considering it's age.

I cleaned the metal treadle framework the best I could and gave it a good oiling including the little metal wheels. The treadle just hums along now and it doesn't squeak when you push the cabinet. The metalwork is in very good condition and I couldn't see any rust anywhere on it.

I found a manual for this exact machine on ebay.  I had downloaded one from the internet but it was for a later model.  The one on ebay is in quite worn condition so I will photocopy it then keep it somewhere safe where it won't get any more worn and use the photocopied one for reference. It has been mailed so should get it in a few days.

I am also keeping an eye out for a set of the original accessories that came with the machine but they are just a 'want' and not a 'need' at this point in time.

And the big bonus of the day is I know how I am going to fit it into my sewing room without too much upheaval.  It came to me in a flash, one of those lightbulb moments! I have two two drawer filing cabinets in my room with a worktop sat on top which makes a desk for my Singer Sewmate. Bingo! if I take to worktop off the treadle machine will sit in there nicely and it is under the window so will get light.  I can use the Sewmate on top of the treadle cabinet when it is closed or I have other places I can use it.

Now to see who I can find to help me get it up the stairs when it is done.........

Some more progress on the treadle machine cabinet

Yesterday I got the metal support pieces in place.  The theory of one strip of metal went by the way because of the apparatus to raise the machine that is also attached to the back of the frame.  On the plus side, the two pieces of metal that my husband cut to attach the clamps on to when I glued it were the perfect size to use.  I marked where the holes needed to go and he drilled them out on the drill press for me.  That was a not so strenuous job that he could do without getting out of breath. I had to round the back of them on the grinder so the frame would go down properly and in true clumsy fashion I ground my finger too.  I then attached them to the frame and bolted in the brackets in that hold the machine in the frame.

Today I cut the veneer and ironed it on and my husband tried out some stain to see how close we could get it to match the existing wood.

Tomorrow I have to trim the veneer and shape it round around the curved corners then start on the staining.  I think it will take several coats to get it close.

After the stain has dried for a day or two I will put the varnish (seal) on it.  I have a couple of spots to touch up also with stain then I will give the cabinet a good clean and polish and oil the treadle mechanism then I should be able to try it out.

That might not be until the middle of next week though as Sunday we have to go to Columbia so we can be at the VA for 7.30am Monday morning.  We will stay Monday night too because we have an appointment on Tuesday morning there too plus they may keep him overnight on Monday after they do the cardiac cath.

I also tried to scalp myself today.  I thought I would blow off the cabinet and metal frame to get any loose dust of it.  Instead of doing the proper thing and turning on the air compressor I picked up the leaf blower and turned it on to blow the cabinet off with. Well, I hadn't tied back my hair and it got sucked into the air intake on the blower. Pretty scary and it pulled out some of my hair.  Nothing too drastic thankfully!

Hit a bit of a snag!

The winter tricked me into thinking my knees and arthritis were better.  In reality, I was just doing day to day indoor stuff and working on the treadle machine cabinet in the workshop and no outside work so my knees, especially, were not being too strained.

Yesterday I went to the workshop and spray painted the metal sheet inside the cabinet. The day before I had given it a coat of primer so it needed the top coat.  I used Rustoleum so it wouldn't rust.

After that, this beautiful weather we are having lured me outside and I decided to get the riding mower going and attach the trailer and go pick up some logs we cut last year, before the snakes come out.  This involved dragging the big battery charger outside first, then the air compressor to pump up a partially flat tyre and then the full 5 gallon gas container to fill the mower up. Then it all had to be took back into the workshop.

My husband is so poorly right now he can't help with outside stuff and I am a stubborn cuss and think I can do it all myself.

Well I did all that and drove up to pick up the logs but my right knee went out on me when I was picking them up. I managed to get back on the mower and drive back to the house.  It was fortunate we had the windows open and I could call to JET to bring out a walker.

So for now I am chair bound. I am wearing a knee support and using JET's walker to get to the bathroom. Between us we are managing the day to day things like cooking.  We are quite the sight with the walkers and wheelchair!  I ordered another knee support which I think will be better than my existing one.  I can stand and walk with the walker but about every fifth step I get a searing pain go through my knee.  That is an improvement on yesterday though so I am hoping with lots of rest and the knee support it will get better quickly.

Earlier in the week I had put in a bid and won a used shuttle for the treadle machine on ebay.  It arrived Friday and it fits my machine.  It was only $4.25. To buy them new they are $15+ so I was happy with the purchase and it came with two long bobbins too.  My machine did have the original shuttle and one bobbin so it wasn't a necessary purchase but I thought if I could get it at a good price it would be worth it to have a spare on hand.

I am itching to get the cabinet finished and put the machine back in and try it. As soon as my knee is a bit better I will get back  to it.

Some progress on the sewing machine cabinet today

I had originally planned to do something on the cabinet yesterday but I was just too worn out from the trip to Columbia the day before.  I do not know why it always wears me out but it does. Wednesday was a bit busier than usual because we had two appointments and I did some running around in the stores in between.

First I went to Home Depot to get some veneer.  I had researched it online and theirs was the best price and they had some in the Columbia store.  I walked the length of the store twice and then some in my bid to find it .  Next was Sam's Club to pick up supplies.  Again, another huge store and a lot of walking.  Back to the hospital for second appointment then the three hour drive home stopping at Walmart to pick up our belated Valentine's presents for each other and a few more groceries.  Home to unpack everything then bed.

So yesterday was a bit of a chill and recovery day.

Today however I have been busy.  It is a beautiful day here and it was very pleasant to be in the workshop.  The new heat gun arrived this morning.  It is a better brand than the previous one but only came in a cardboard box.  With a bit of modification to the old one's plastic container I got it to fit in it nicely.

I finished removing the old veneer and sanded down the top ready for the new veneer.

Next I had to remove the temporary fix that someone had done to the cracked frame. That was the hardest job of the day.  I had to unscrew from underneath and kept catching my hands and arms on a thin cotter pin and have scratches all over them.  I eventually found a screw driver with a thin enough head that I could manipulate upside down plus I was not able to see to undo the screws that were in there crooked.  I got it done though eventually.

Next I had to glue the crack in the frame.  I am also going to attach a strip of metal underneath but I wanted to glue the wood first.

I had bought a strip of metal to do this and my husband cut a couple of pieces of it to place above and below the crack so I could put the clamps on it.  This will need to dry for 24 hours. I wiped off all the surplus glue I could see so I hope the metal won't stick to the frame.

Next will be marking and drilling holes in the strip for the hinges to go through that attach the machine to the frame and also some holes to put some screws in to attach the metal strip to the underneath of the frame so when I take the machine out the strip won't fall down.

After that I will attempt to do the veneer.  Once it is on staining and sealing it will be easy but I am a little worried that I won't get it exactly the right size.  I believe it is easy to trim so as long as the piece is exact or a little bigger I should be OK on that.

woopsie! I blew up the heat gun

Today, with the help of my husband with his walker, we got the sewing machine cabinet out into the workshop. Although still heavy, without the machine attached it was a bit easier to lift. We only had to carry it across the gravel driveway and up the gravel path to the workshop so it wasn't too much of a strain on him hopefully.

He had explained to me that the top of the lid was veneer and that it should peel of with heat.  He also explained that we could buy new veneer to replace it.  That was helpful advice indeed because I would have spent hours and hours sanding down the top in the hope that I would eventually get a smooth surface to stain and seal.

So I set about with the heat gun and a scraper (or two or three, well actually four) to remove the veneer. I was going great guns too until the flipping heat gun started to wail, then spark and finally smoke. Well maybe, I thought, if I leave it off a little while it will be OK. Well so much for that theory, I plugged it back in, it sparked some more, stopped working and smoked a lot more.

I did get quite a lot done though.  Now to order a new heat gun to be able to finish it.

The surface underneath is made up of different grained wood so I think it will be best to put new veneer on it, maybe we will get a chance to look for some tomorrow, if not it will be another online purchase.

Meantime, while waiting to get the heat gun and veneer I will set about doing the repair to the frame underneath.  Thursday might be the day to do that.

The cleaning and oiling of the sewing machine head is done

I have spent the last few days cleaning the machine.  It has been quite the job but very satisfying when it was done.  I was hoping to make it like brand new again but that was an impossible dream, after all it is approx 100 years old.  This model was made between 1910 and 1920.  Some of the metal is pitted and some of the paintwork has chips out of it.

I found the best polish was the wadding type, in the UK it was known as Duraglit, here it is called Never Dull.  I also bought a bag of soft rags which were such a big help and they left no lint.

I couldn't get the throat plate off despite oiling the screw many times but I was able to dig out a boat load of compressed lint from around the jaggety things that move the fabric along (whose name eludes me right now!)  Feed dogs! I remembered 10 minutes later.

                       Here are some before pictures:-

And some after ones:-

In the process of doing this the household became quite chaotic.  I did it inside so that I wasn't abandoning my husband for hours on end while he is poorly.  I did do a bit of tidying up this afternoon.

 Next I have to work on the cabinet so it will have to go to the workshop for that,

The belt I ordered for it came today and I am itching to try it but I want to repair the cabinet first. 

I had a mental block on how to seat the shuttle into the machine but after watching a couple of you tube videos I found out how to do it.  Another example off 'it's simple when you know how'! 

We have a hospital trip coming up Wednesday so won't get anything done that day.

I am the world's worst photographer so please excuse the poor quality of the pictures.

Upwards and onwards!