This past month

Well, to be sure, it has been eventful!  

The family visit was lovely, lot's of quality time spent with the children who we hadn't seen for 2 years.  We spent 2 nights at a resort by the lake which was a treat for me as I didn't have to do anything.  I even managed to get into the pool! This is our daughter in law and the children, no way was I posting a photo of me in a bathing suit!

We did some dressmaking and I showed our daughter in law and grand daughter how to make skirts from a pattern.  They each made a reversible skirt.  Here is our grand daughter wearing hers. They got the idea straight away and made them by themselves.  They bought back the Brother XL 703 mentioned in the previous blog post, they just couldn't get it to work properly and had bought a newer machine which they both like.  I finally got to check it out and it works for me although it is very finicky about being threaded correctly and it does thread somewhat differently to most machines. They did have the needle in backwards too which wouldn't have helped but I am happy to have the machine back in my collection.

The guys did lot's of outdoor things and it all culminated with fireworks on the 4th of July.

Before their arrival was hectic and I tripped and fell.  We managed to get me up and I didn't seem the worse for wear.

The day after they left I tripped and fell again.  This time I really hurt my right leg and we couldn't get me up.  Had to call for an ambulance and they got me up and took me to the ER.  A long wait to see anyone as I wasn't deemed a real emergency.  Finally I saw a Nurse practitioner, who was very efficient, and she sent me for xrays.

Nothing broken so they sent me home with instructions to see my knee doctor asap.  I called him but can't get into see him until next Thursday. 10 days after the fall.  Meanwhile, my leg is very painful and is black and blue right to the end of my toes.  It hurts like heck and I have to keep resting and icing it.

Xray reports show chondrocalcinosis.  Of course, I had to google it as I had no idea what it was.  Seems it is where crystals build up on your joints slowly destroying them.  In a way it was a bit of a relief to find this out because since my mid 30's I have had joint pain and stiffness getting progressively worse.  I have nodules on my finger joints and my shoulders don't work like they should and I ache all over all of the time.  I just thought I was being a wuss and tried to soldier on and not complain. At least now I know what is happening to me!!! Nothing can be done other than replacing joints.  I will get my 2nd knee replaced, that is the one which I hurt in the fall.  Thankfully I didn't do any damage to the other knee which has was replaced last year.

So an eventful month to be sure!

Bunny is done!

I finally finished making the Bunny for my great grand baby Jaxon.  I was surprised how big he turned out.  He isn't the cutest bunny in the world but he was made with much love.  I didn't use any choking hazards, the eyes and nose are stitched and the dungarees are stitched closed rather than have buttons.

It has finally turned hot here in the mid west.  Can't complain at all, May was a beautiful month weather wise and I know we have to have the months of heat so was grateful for a cooler than usual May.

We have family coming to visit at the end of June, it has been two years since we saw them face to face so looking forward to that very much.

The new sewing machine is a delight to use, I don't even have to have the foot pedal attached if I do not want to, it has a button on the front to start and stop it.  I bought some nice bright embroidery thread for it and some new bobbins. The thread included some freebies including 2 wound bobbins and 5 new ones so with the ones I bought I have enough bobbins for now.  It also had some backing for embroidering and some thread nets as freebies.  I was very impressed with the package.

I haven't started on the night shirt yet but I did make the bandana for the bunny on it.

Been getting up early to get out and mow before it gets too hot.  My husband's mower broke this morning so it is back to the repairman with it on Friday.  My little mower is doing great, I love it, it doesn't go very fast and turns nicely, I get the job of mowing round all the trees.....and there are lots!!!!

Working sewing machine #6

I have had to admit that I am a bit of an addict when it comes to sewing and knitting machines. I may have mentioned this once or twice before!

Have no excuses, I have been obsessed since an early age with sewing machines and since my early 20's when I discovered there were such things as knitting machines.

Thankfully, I am reasonably sensible and also rather frugal so I have been able to resist the urge on a lot of occasions.

Recently I have been obsessing about vintage and antique machines.  I have one of each so that satisfies that itch, well most of the time anyway.  I passed on one vintage machine to our grand daughter a few years ago but she and my daughter in law didn't really get on with it too well and they bought newer machines to use so that one will be returning home at the end of the month when they come to visit. Now it might well be that the plastic gear in this particular model may have now broken in which case it will become a paperweight because it is almost impossible to find a replacement gear for it but I won't know until it gets here.

Now, on to my latest acquisition.

Found this in our Thrift store for $30.  It is a Brother SQ 9285 and it works beautifully.  It is computerised but stops short of doing fully fledged embroidery but it does have letters and numbers and a gazillion different decorative stitches.  It is quite lightweight and has a bunch of useful features.  They didn't start selling them until 2017 and it came with most of the original accessories.  It is a big improvement on my Singer Sewmate but I love all my machines so that is an observation rather than a complaint.  These newer machines are not constructed nearly as strongly as the vintage and antique machines but I do so love all the features and the lighter weight.

So now I have two fairly new machines, two circa 25-30 years, one 1950's machine and one early 1900's machine.  When the above mentioned wanderer returns I will have a 1950-60's machine.  That will make 7, I think that will be enough, (says she with fingers crossed behind her back!)  I didn't include the old Singer that I couldn't fix after I broke an internal bracket trying to free it up as that one will never get back into commission or an old White that was my mother in law's but has a boatload of missing items and is quite rusted. It came to me that way so I am guessing she had scrapped it at some point.  I am not really into restoring any more, I do not have the energy or ability.

There are two camps when it comes to sewing machines, some just want to have old machines and some just like new machines.  I just like all machines, old and new. Never come across one I didn't love.

Now to make something with the new machine, husband has requested an old fashioned night shirt.  He doesn't like pajamas but thinks he would wear a night shirt.  But will he like all the fancy decorative stitches I have in mind for it lol!

Where does the time go????

 It's been over a month since I did a post!  Where has the time gone?

Well, health issues have played a major part, my husband isn't doing so well and his neurologist was off sick last Friday, the day of our appointment with him.  We left at 6am as it is 150 miles to get there and they in their infinite wisdom didn't call until gone 7am so we made the trip there for nothing.  The previous Friday I had to take him the same 150 mile journey to the ER on the advice of his primary care physician. As he wasn't having a heart attack the discharged him after a couple of tests.  It seems that heart attacks and broken bones are the only thing they treat at the ER. No problem if he can barely stand up or walk!! We were hoping for some answers from the neurologist but as stated above he was off sick and no one else would see him.  

Now this doctor has been amazing in the past but he leaves for another state in just over a week and we can't get any answer as to whether he will get to see him before he leaves.

Added to all of this within one week his stair glide broke, his wheelchair broke and his walker broke.  The chair glide has just been repaired and the walker and wheelchair have now been replaced.

So, needless to say my BP has been very high and I ended up going to my doctor and have to go back tomorrow for a follow up appointment.

Enough of the health stuff!!  Boring!!

I did finish the big boy jacket for my new baby great grandson.  It came out very well but I had problems getting the zipper sewn in.  It took 4 attempts and I am still not happy with but I had sewn it in and unpicked it three times and just didn't want to do it again for fear of straining the knitted bands.  I have put it away for now and didn't take a photo with the zipper in but here is one before I sewed it in.

And Bunny is almost done, all the parts of the rabbit are knitted and I just have to knit his dungarees and sew it all up and stuff it.

Hoping for a more cheery post next time........

I am a great grandma!

Having the water working is totally amazing and I continue to enjoy it immensely.

The best news however is that I am now a great grandma.  Jaxon made his way into the world 7 weeks prematurely on March 31st but he weighed 5lb 4oz and could breathe unaided from the get go.  The birth was very problematic but both Mum and baby are now fine and are at home after a 14 day stay in the hospital.  He is adorable, as all babies are and everyone is thrilled.

I mailed off the blanket and the bootees last week so they should be there in another week or so hopefully and I made progress on the 'big boy jacket'.  The back, two fronts and both sleeves are done.  I can't say it was a simple process as I made a lot of mistakes along the way and had to undo and re knit a lot but they are done now and the patterning matches.  I was using an arran tuck stitch pattern but it wasn't centralised so I had to adjust which stitches to pull out to use so that the fronts were identically opposite each other and same thing with the sleeves.  It was trial and error but I finally got it right.  I just have the front edges and neck band to do.  Next week I will start on those. Then I will know what size open ended zipper I will need for it.

Meanwhile I picked up the knitting needles and am hand knitting a bunny for him.  I can do that at night whilst watching TV. I am making the large one.

Spring has definitely sprung here, the grass is growing so mowing will have to commence very soon.  We took one of the mowers to the repair man as it stopped mowing and my husband just can't get down on the floor to fix it anymore.  The other one needs to go too as it leaks oil but one at a time and we can use the one that leaks for now to start on the mowing.

Yesterday, we had to go to the VA hospital for some tests for my husband and on the way home we stopped at Pizza Hut and actually went inside to eat.  We were the only customers in there so social distancing was not a problem and the pizza was totally delicious straight out of the pizza oven instead of having to drive home and re heat it. Yum!!!

Oh, and I got my second covid shot a week ago so we are both fully vaccinated now.  I had a bit of soreness around the site and extreme tiredness with the this one for a couple of days but all is good now.

Yay, we have water!

Our well guy came on Monday to trench in the pipework, drop the pump in the well and connect it all up.  We now have a tap by the wellhead too. It took him into the early evening to get it all done. Tuesday we had to connect up the hose to the new tap and let it run all day to settle the well.

Wednesday we were out all day, a trip to the VA hospital for my husband to get his port flushed.

Thursday we had to let the water run in the house and drain the hot water tank to get as much of the orange stuff out of the pipes and tank. I cleaned out the cisterns too as they were orange inside.  I even filled up the whirlpool bathtub and let it pulsate for quite a while to clear out the pipes.  We haven't been able to fill that for years.  Personally, I can't get in and out of it any more but my husband, for all his disabilities, can.  And the shower is now sheer bliss!  Before it was not more than a trickle and it took me ages to get my hair washed in it. Now it is a full spray. Such joy!

Friday, as the water is now running nice and clear, I spent catching up with laundry and being able to wash and clean things I couldn't before because of low water flow.  Things like the dish drainer and the tray the dog bowls sit in. Before, the washer would not complete a full cycle because the water flow into it was so slow it just used to stop. I had to push the switch in and out to get the water running into it again, sometimes many times to get a full cycle done now it just breezes through the whole thing.  And best of all I can use the dishwasher again!  I ran a cleaning solution through the washer, dishwasher and water softener before I started using them again so any residue from the old water would get cleared out.

We will now be able to use the power washer to clean the car and do a host of things we couldn't before.  

Now maybe next week I will be able to get back to my knitting machines.  I did the the back done on the baby jacket but haven't been able to get back to them since.

Today I am trying to slow down a bit, it has been a hectic few weeks for sure!

March is turning into quite the month!

In my last post I told of our water problems, it is still not fully sorted.  The well has been drilled this week before the weather turned really nasty but now we can't get the pipework laid from the well to the pump house until it has settled down.

The drilling created quite the mess.

They couldn't drill where they planned because the ground was too soft.

The rig in action

The aftermath

I have been collecting rain water to do washing but I put my back and right leg out carrying in the buckets of water and am in a lot of pain and not able to get around very well. But I consider myself to be a true pioneer woman now!

My husband has had some symptoms return of his heart problems and then to top it all we lost our home phone service for a day.  That, thankfully is back working now.

Hoping it is going to be all uphill from here!

Our deep well gave up on us!

We have had erratic water flow for as long as I can remember here and we have had the well pump and pressure tank and switches changed in our time here.  Finally last Sunday the deep well finally gave in.  We thought we would have to get a new pump but it is much, much worse.  We have to get a new well drilled, seal up the old one and get a new pressure tank and fittings.  Looking at probably $10k.  Ouch!!!!

What is worse that we can't get anyone to drill a new well for weeks.

Our well pump repair man has managed to fix it so we can draw enough water from it to flush the toilets but the water is not usable for washing, drinking or doing dishes etc.  It has collapsed into a sand hole so the water is brown! Yuk!

We are investigating if it is possible to get rural water piped in but so far no one has got back to us.

So we are buying water and begging some from a neighbour.  Using the washer or dishwasher or shower are out and we are trying to eke out the water as much as possible. Not fun but we are surviving.

I did edge the blanket and I love how it looks now.  I am very happy with it.  Haven't done anything else in the 'making things' category though this week, been running around like a headless chicken trying to get the water thing sorted.

Hoping next week will be better, at least I get my first Covid shot on Thursday so that is a positive thing.

The blanket is done

I finally got the baby blanket finished.  I joined a FB group dedicated to garter carriages and learned a lot.  I found it interesting that it was about equal between users.  Those who had no problems and those who did.  It was suggested that the well behaved garter carriages that just knit and knit without needing attention must be girls and the ones that need constant attention and drop a stitch if you dare walk away from them are boys.  Mine is definitely a boy!

That said, I am very happy with how it turned out. I hope it will get well used.

I am going to crochet an edge on the two sides in yellow.

Next project will be a baby jacket using my machine with the ribber attached and the manual carriage.

Good news, I am scheduled to get my first Covid vaccination in March and the second in April.

Weather warming up and the snow has all gone, Spring is on it's way!

Have a great weekend everyone!

An update on the knitting machine and garter carriage

Well, I can tell you that trying to use the garter carriage has been quite the experience!  

If anyone has followed my blog for a while they know that I am not new to knitting machines and know a reasonable amount about using them but this garter carriage is a whole different animal.  I have named it the 'wee beastie'.

The first time I used went like a dream, but I only did a small piece to try it.

Brimming with confidence after that I embarked on a baby blanket for my soon to be new great grand baby.

Well.................what could go wrong did go wrong and it was 99% user error.  I was way too big for my boots, thought I knew it all! Wrong!!!

Anyway, after posting in some knitting machine groups and getting referred to a group dedicated to using garter carriages I got a lot of great advice  and now, finally, the blanket is progressing.  Using the garter carriage is not a quick process.  It knits one stitch at a time and it takes 2 1/2 minutes to knit one row of the blanket.  Unlike a manual carriage which you just pass over the row of needles and a whole row is knitted in seconds.  BUT! the garter carriage can do patterns that just using the manual carriage can't.  That said there are a gazillion patterns that just using the manual carriage can do but it can't do garter stitch or plain and purl in the same row.

Enough of the boring stuff.

Here is a photo of the blanket on the machine, it has taken many, many days to get to this stage.  It has to be baby sat.  You can't walk away and leave it running, can't take your eyes off the 'wee beastie' so it involves a lot of sitting and watching.

I think I will only make smaller items using the garter carriage in the future.

It does regain it's shape when you take it off the machine and I will be edging it in either yellow blanket stitch or a row of yellow crochet to match the top and bottom.

What a busy couple of weeks!

The last two weeks have just flown by.  A lot of time was spent in my sewing (and knitting) room, setting up and testing the new machine, re-organising my yarn, looking online for missing parts and manuals and so on and so forth.  I did manage to get a swatch knitted for a baby jacket but I am not totally sold on it so am going to try a different pattern. I also set up the new to me ribber on my other machine and it works like a charm, I was so happy about that. This week we both had hospital appts. on Monday, Tuesday I had to take the vehicle into town to get a tyre repair done , Wednesday we drove a round trip of 300 miles for my husband to get his second Covid vaccination and Thursday and today he has been having flu like symptons and also tiredness and weakness which apparently can happen after the second jab.

As we sleep downstairs and he is running a temperature I decided not to try my garter carriage today.  The needle for it arrived this week along with the sponge bar for the machine so really I am ready and eager to try it out but it is upstairs and I wouldn't be able to hear him if he called out.

So instead I got my wool winder stuff out and decided to wind some wool into cakes.  I think that is the correct term!

All was going well until the whirly gig thing broke! Once it cracked it wouldn't support the mast.

Bummer! I thought.  I hadn't anywhere near wound all the yarn I wanted to.

How to fix it? I knew superglue wouldn't hold it, there is a lot of pressure on it when the thing is spinning around and being pulled on by the wool winder so it needed something stronger to go around the plastic.  Ah ha! Would a jubilee clip work I wondered.  I trotted out to the workshop and found a suitable sized one and Yay! it did the trick and I was able to continue on and get all my wool wound.

I forgot to take a photo of it while it was still assembled but here it is so you can get the gist. I hope it works for the long term.

So that has been my last couple of weeks. Pretty busy and enjoyable asides from my poor husband not feeling good.

I think my mojo is back!!!

Trying to make a positive out of the negative of Covid

Because of Covid we are not getting out much.  I am missing some person to person interaction.  Online chat is nice but it's not quite the same.  Grateful for it though in these times.

As we won't be moving anytime soon, I have been able to work on my sewing room and get out my knitting machines again.  I have been busy sorting through my knitting machine stuff and organising it better. Oh, and I might have, sort of, possibly, well actually did......buy another one!  It was on FB Marketplace and it came with a garter carriage.  It was a risky buy because the seller didn't know much about it, they had purchased the machine and garter carriage with the intent of using them but never did. So it was untested but really cheap so worth the risk.

It works, I had to give it a good cleaning and oiling and have ordered a new sponge bar for it.  I tried it with an old sponge bar I had and it does knit OK but it needs a better one for sure.  The garter carriage moves along the rails. It is operated by electricity.  Haven't knitted with it yet because it didn't have a needle, have ordered that too. 

They must have not been used for quite a while but they work so all is good.

Looking forward to using the garter carriage, I have never had one before. You can knit both plain and purl on the same row with it so can do rib and patterning with it and do not need a ribber.

Will update with pictures when the parts arrive and I give it a try.

Stay safe everyone.

photos for the previous post

Here is the big guy set up on the desk and the table ready to set up the standard knitting machine and ribber.

Here is one of the fixes I had to do to the big guy as the right corner got broke off in transit and the needle bed was not attached to the base.  A nest of washers did the trick.

This is the carriage for the big guy, it is huge, hence the nickname!

Here are the plastic drawers I got from Walmart for my fabric, they are ridiculously cheap and oh so useful

The bootees I knitted

and finally the woven squares being sewn together

I have done 20 out of 80 so far.

Off to pick up grocery order shortly, decided to get it tonight as there is some nasty weather headed in.

 

Back into knitting machine mode

This is going to be a long and boring post so that I have things written down for future reference. 

In my last post I said I didn't know why I had not been doing much of making things.  When I thought about the last couple of years, I realised why.  Spring 2019 we put the house up for sale, I packed my knitting machines up so the room looked neater and they would be ready for when we moved. House didn't sell until September 2019, when it did I did even more packing away of things,  House sale fell through in October and we were kind of in limbo so I left everything packed up.

Christmas 2019 came and went, I did manage a fair bit of hand knitting up until Christmas. (Nativity scene).

2020 and the pain in my knee became unbearable and my movement was very limited.  Finally decided to get the total knee replacement surgery in May 2020.  Covid had by this time reared it's ugly head and we decided we were probably better staying where we were as we are very isolated.  Several months of recovery and a really hot summer prevented me doing much so I left things packed up.

Then when I was feeling better and it cooled down a bit, later last year, I sprang into action with the sewing room and re-organised it and bought a couple of old sewing machines to fix up.

Now 2021 is here, I am done with restoring sewing machines and I started thinking about getting the knitting machines out again. I bought some cheap plastic drawers from Walmart and got some stuff out of totes into them.  This made my room even more organised.

My husband spotted a ribber on ebay that we thought would fit my chunky knitting machine, affectionately known as 'the big guy.' We put in a bid, it was accepted then promptly had to cancel because it was not the correct one.  BUT! it got me going again with knitting machines.

I set up, 'the big guy'. (Long story about it. Bought it on ebay in 2015, it got badly damaged in transit. Claimed on the insurance and got a full refund and kept the machine.  Managed to get it so it knits OK but he does look a little beat up and the cover is broken and badly dented. It is a chunky 9mm knitting machine and it would be nice to get a ribber to go with it).

Found a ribber on another auction site but it was going for too much.  However, it also had a ribber for my standard machine listed.  I already have two ribbers for it, one that works great and one that I just couldn't get adjusted quite right for my machine. (User error, the ribber is actually in excellent condition).

Any way, the one on the auction site was a later model and looks almost brand new and has all the bits and pieces and I got it for a steal.

Now I can sell one of my other ones and will set aside the money for when a ribber for 'the big guy' shows up.

Now for the really exciting news!!!!! I am going to be a great grandma.  Yay me!

So while 'the big guy' is out I will knit a baby blanket on it, that doesn't require a ribber.

I will set set up the standard machine with the new ribber and make baby cardigans and sweaters. Oh joy. 

I have to make some adjustments in my room so I can have both knitting machines set up.  I have to move my husband's computer (which  I did agree he could have in my room) over to where the organ is sitting.  Then my desk will be free to set up the 'big guy' on and I can put the standard machine and ribber on the white work table.

Now where to put the organ?????

I hand knitted some bootees this past week. First time using the pattern, not sure about how practical they will be but they sure look cute.

Also, I have 80 woven squares that I did on a pin loom some time ago.  There are 40 in a pink variegated baby yarn and 40 in a blue variegated baby yarn. I am slowly sewing them together to make another baby blanket.  I loved making the squares, it was something I could sit and do at night watching TV but not so keen on the sewing them together, I will persevere though as I don't want them to go to waste.

My husband is a VA patient and has many different health issues.  He is eligible for the Covid vaccine so tomorrow we travel for him to get it.  It is a day long deal as it is over three hours travelling each way. I have not been contacted yet but hopefully soon I will be.

That's all for now folks!

Will post updates on the re-organisation and photos in a few days.

A little bit of making things has happened!

I have not had a good year of making things, have no idea why other than life sometimes gets in the way.

This past couple of weeks I have been a little more productive.

I finished off the coaster set for my daughter and got them mailed of to her in England.  The edges and backs were gum-tragged.  Weird word I know! It is a process where you smooth and harden the back and edges to finish them off.  Then I gave them a really good polish and sheen.

I did some stitching of leather on my newly restored Standard sewing machine for my husband. 

 

My next little project was to hand sew a Christmas tree ornament for my good friend and neighbour. 

I had decided not to have a tree up this year.  We strung the Christmas lights around the room and put out some Christmassy things but it was niggling at me that there was no tree, even though it was my choice not to have one.  I compromised and bought out the tiny tree.

And finally, I made a selection of Christmas bags in various sizes to save me from having to wrap presents.  Again, on my Standard 1500 machine. (It is such a pleasure to use). It seems that simple and easy is becoming a way of life for me. They can be used for many years.

As it is unlikely I will be posting again in the next week or so, I wish everyone a Very Merry Christmas and a Safe, Healthy, Happy and Prosperous New Year.

The new to me machine is up and running

I had decided to try and put the sewing machine in the existing cabinet in the sewing room.  I took the machine and electronics out of it's original cabinet and bought it into the house and up to my sewing room. I tried to fit it in the cabinet but the hinges didn't line up quite right and it wouldn't fold into the cabinet. The wheel made it too wide for the hole on the right side but the machine didn't go to the edge of hole on the left side.

I set about modifying it. It isn't the prettiest of jobs. I didn't have the means or ability to make new holes for the machine hinges so I just widened one so they would fit. Then I widened the hole on the right side so the machine could fold into the cabinet.  I had to add a strip of wood to the front the piece of wood at the front of the cabinet that lifts up to allow the machine to be raised. It lays back down for the machine to sit on. I didn't do anything about the space on the left of the machine. That is just cosmetic. The whole cabinet really needs sanding down, re-staining and varnishing but I am not up for that.  It is perfectly functional as it is. My days of wanting perfection are long gone!

I cleaned and oiled the machine, attached the electronics into the cabinet and set the machine in it.

That is just a brief summary, there  was quite a lot of work involved and I realise that I am not really up to it any more so this will be my last old sewing machine restoration.

When I took the original felt off it I expected there to be scratches where the previous owner had used the felt to put pins in.....I was right!  I personally do not use a felt thingy on any of my machines but I did make one to put on this machine just to cover the existing scratches.

The end plate and back plate are very pretty.

It also has a control that you use with the side of your leg as opposed to a foot pedal.  I guess if the cable was long enough it could be used as a foot pedal but I am no electrician so I didn't want to rewire it so I attached it to the right side of the well on the cabinet and I actually really like using it as opposed to a foot pedal.

The tension took a bit of sorting out but I have it done now so she is ready to use.

The machine is a gem and purrs like a kitten. It will be my 'go to' machine unless I need to do any fancy patterned stitching. Having it in the cabinet is great and very convenient.

Other than the machine I worked on making coasters for my daughter's Christmas present.  She had requested some. It was a joint effort, my husband did the staining and he gave them an antique look. She didn't want them all to be identical.

I just have to finish smoothing the backs and edges and they will be ready to mail to her in England.

I am trying to rustle up some Christmas spirit.  We did put up some lights on the front porch and I plan to decorate inside this weekend and put up the tree.  Then cards will be written and mailed.  Presents are all being bought online and delivered directly. It will be a quiet Christmas here but we will have presents and good food so all will be good.

Here I go again!!!

I have to admit to being a tad on the obsessive side and sometimes I can't let things go.  The desire to get another old sewing machine wouldn't go away even after the last disaster.  However I am also very frugal so cost is a big factor in any purchase I make.

So......when I saw this little beauty fall from $75 to $50 then to $25 my interest was very piqued!    

This was the photo they put up:-

It is not a Singer, it is a 1953 Standard 1500 made in Japan.  It is based off the Singer 15-91

I asked the seller if it worked, he assured me it did and he would let it go for $20 so I went to look at it on Sunday.

It is in excellent condition and yes, everything works on it.  The cabinet needs repairing that's why it has a chunk of wood in the photo.  But I am going to put it in my existing cabinet in my sewing room which doesn't have a machine in it.  I have just used it for years to put a portable machine on. I really do not have room for another cabinet in my room.

The cabinet I am using is the one with the white machine on it.

I have to do some modifications to the cabinet to get it to fit and then I have to clean and oil the machine. it has a little dried oil on the workings but not much so I should be able to remove it easily and the paint and metal facings are in are really nice condition. The electrics have to be put in the cabinet too.  I took them out of the one it came in.  So still quite a bit of work to do.

It is a good sturdy machine and it has a knob you can turn to drop the feed dogs for quilting.  Never done patterned quilting before but now I will be able to give it a try.

I am happy and I believe I will stop looking for another machine now.

Photos will follow when all the work is done and it is up and running......

Catastrophic failure!

 I have had to stop with the sewing machine.  I did all the things that I had seen in videos and people had advised. I did get a bit of movement but one of the metal arms inside broke in 2 places. Then I had full movement but the needle and bobbin do not work in tandem. It broke at the junction where these two processes initiate.

I am pretty distraught.

I do not have the ability to strip all the inside parts out, find a replacement part and re assemble. Other than that it would not be cost effective. So for now I have put it away upstairs until I decide whether to sell the parts or I find another one that works and I will have lots of spare parts.

Over the past few months we have been sort of prepping and in the past couple of weeks we have stepped up the pace. Not sure what the next months will bring after this election.

I have also done a bit of therapeutic knitting. A couple of Christmas tree decorations. I needed the distraction.

 Doing this on tablet so if it doesn't come out very well, I apologise.

I have hit a rather large snag!

I cleaned up the machine and gave it a good oiling inside and out.  I freed up the presser foot lever mechanism, the forward and reverse and stitch size and the bobbin winder but for the life of me I can't free up the rest of the mechanics.

I have taken off the motor and foot pedal.  I got a power cord for it and the motor and foot pedal both work.

But unless I can free up the mechanism it is pretty useless.

Today I moved it all out to the workshop where I have more space to work on it.

I have watch a few videos and have some ideas.

Fingers crosses I can get it moving.

Welcome to the home for sad looking sewing machines

Does anyone remember the song, "A sewing machine, a sewing machine, a girl's best friend?"

It is pretty old, from a 1949 movie.  I never knew all the words, just the first couple of lines and I sing it every time I get out one of my machines.

I have been obsessed with sewing machines since I was a young girl.  I have always had one or two. Now in my dotage I indulge in my passion a bit more.

In the past couple of weeks I have serviced and cleaned all of my machines.  I ordered new belts for two of them.

My treadle machine I noticed has never sat right, it dipped when it was set up and sometimes it would catch lifting the lid to raise it into the working position. I realised that the back of the cabinet was not straight when I re arranged my sewing room.  This machine and cabinet are pretty old, over 100 years and it was in bad shape when I rescued and bought it.  I worked on the machine and spruced up the cabinet but I never worked on how it didn't sit right until this past week.

Upon close inspection I could see that the joints had come apart in the back of the cabinet.  I cleaned them up and glued them then put some metal brackets on the bottom to hold the joints together.

Now it raises up and down with no problems and it sits nice and flat. No sagging!

You can see how it was sagging before in this picture from a previous post.

I am really so happy that I fixed this.  I blogged about the original restoring of this machine in 2017 if anyone is interested in seeing the original condition of it. This is the first post and there are posts throughout the process of the restoration.

https://ilikeknittingandsewing.blogspot.com/2017/02/a-bit-of-excitement-yesterday-and-today.html

Now to my my next project:-

I saw this sad looking baby in our local Facebook Marketplace.

As you can see she is in sad shape.  They had it advertised for $50.  I offered $20 and they countered with $25. I accepted their counter. Big time negotiater me!

It doesn't have a power cord and the wheel doesn't turn so I have no idea if I can get it running but I will jolly well try. Power cords are available for it.  If the motor doesn't work after I get the cord I will buy a conversion handle for it and make it a hand crank machine. This machine is approx 70 years old.

Will update as progress is made.  We have been pretty busy these past few weeks as it has cooled down and we are catching up with outside work so aside from washing off the cobwebs and grime I haven't done any more to it yet.