Dot`sThoughts

August 12, 2009 -Sewing on my electric sewing machine!

Today was one of those days when you ask yourself if you should have stayed in bed. Yesterday I decided it was time I stopped putting off sewing what needed to be done. I had piled up some items on the end of the font room couch near the sewing machine. There it sat all last week while I kept finding other things I felt were more important to do first.
Finally on Monday I started sewing. Finished hemming up four pairs of slacks and got the last pair half done when I ran out of that colored thread. Since I
already had one leg hemmed, I could not use another color to finish the hem on the other leg, so it waits till I can get to the store for more thread.

Then yesterday I shortened a couple of blouses that I had kept hanging on hangers and not wearing. Now I was feeling better just seeing the end of the couch cleared off and most of the sewing done.

Well, then came this morning. I decided that since I still had the sewing machine all set up, it would be a good time to make a couple new pillow cases for the small pillow I take places with me. The original cover was beginning to look worn from years of use. Maybe I should explain the importance of this small pillow. Years ago when my Husband and I were still running the Cub and Boy Scout Troops, I had an accident. My Dining room curtain had fallen and the curtain rod holder needed to be replaced. Back then we did not own a step ladder, so I often used the baby high chair to reach high places. Before climbing up onto the High chair, I took time to remove the other chairs away from that side of the dining room table-out of the way for safety. That day all the boy Scouts were meeting at our home before leaving for a week-end camping trip. Many of the boys came inside to chat with me while waiting for the others to arrive. I continued fixing the curtain rod and hanging the curtain while we chatted. Then when I was finished I started to climb back off the high chair and landed directly on the rounded top of one side of the back of one of the dining room chairs. One of the boys must have thought they were helping by moving the chair back under that end of the table. The impact broke off the tail bone and to this day I still have that separated piece of bone lose and able to move. Since this piece of bone causes pain whenever I sit wrong, I have been using a small pillow with a hole in it where the spine hits, so the bone does not get knocked against the end of the spine and causing pain running up my back to my head.

Now to get back to my day sewing to make the 2 new pillow covers-
First the thread broke and I had quite a time trying to re-thread the machine. I have a needle threader that I bent so I could push it through the machine needle. Takes me many tries before getting the threader through the needle hole.
Times like this I wish my hands were in better shape and I did not have diplopia, but I am still glad I am not really bad off like so many people are. I started sewing again and was doing well when the bobbin ran out of thread. I was glad I had another bobbin with some white thread on it so I did not need to fill the bobbin right then.

After re-pacing the bobbin, I was again sewing along when suddenly the thread got tangled on the post that was holding it. Without thinking, I just turned the spool of thread upside down to keep the thread from tangling again. Not too smart as I was reminded a few minutes later. Started sewing again. Everything was going well until suddenly the spool of thread went flying off the machine and down behind the machine. I reached the thread, but could not find the post as it had unscrewed off the machine and I figured it also must have gone flying. Looked all over and could not locate the post, so I decided to just unscrew the other post that was for winding a bobbin and screw it in the spool post spot. Then when I went to re-place the spool of thread onto the post, I discovered the post was still up inside the thread spool. Since the post is much smaller around than the opening in top of the thread spool, I still do not understand what held the post inside the spool.
So, I replaced the 2 posts back where they belonged and again started sewing.
Sewing the first pillow cover I had used the pins like I was sewing in a straight line, which of course didn`t work when sewing around corners as the pillow is almost a circle shape. So, many of the pins kept catching on the machine as I sewed. I was lots smarter when sewing the second pillow case and put the pins in sideways so the machine could glide gracefully over them. That made the work much faster and lots easier. I had just finished sewing when the second bobbin ran out of thread. Now, before putting away my machine, I should re-wind both empty white thread bobbins so they will be ready the next time I need to use white thread.

In the pictures is the small pillow with the new cover on. Also shown is my sewing machine paper can- an empty large coffee can with sewing items painted on it. I kept a second coffee can cover to add on the bottom of the can. Takes up very little room and so useful beside the machine to catch all the cloth and thread bits.

Even with all these problems, this machine works much better than my first expensixe Sears machine ever did.
My first machine was a Singer with the large foot treadle on the bottom. I loved that antique machine, but thought the new Sears machine would be lots better.
How mistaken I was. The new machine never held the tension and kept messing up till I gave up trying to sew with it. I went back to sewing by hand for many years. Then I saw an ad for a cheap machine put out by the "White Co.". Have now owned it for ten years and it still works great. Proof that money does not mean something is better when if costs a lot more.

Even now, I can still say that old treadle Singer sewing machine was a great machine. I made a lot of the kids clothes on it, plus some of my own.

Two week-ends ago I went to my older sister`s 80th Birthday party which was held about a 4 hours ride from where I live. I rode out with my other two sisters, ones husband (the driver) , plus a sister-in-law ( used her car).
. On the way the driver got lost so we were an hour late reaching the party. It was supposed to be a surprise party and everyone was really surprised to see us arriving that late. We all had a great time, spent the night in a motel and enjoyed spending most of the next day visiting before heading back home. It was wonderful seeing my sister`s family and her grandchildren and her great grand children , some I had never seen before as they live in North Carolina. The flower with the bee was sitting on the tables and the nephews wife who made them told me to take one home with me. One of the cute gifts my sister received was a butter holder. When my older sister came out to visit us this past week-end she brought us all a butter holder like hers. The glass container with the sun flower on it is that butter dish. In one picture you can see what it looks like closed up. In the other picture it has one section on top of the other. You are supposed to add warm water to the bottom section and butter in the top section and the warm water is supposed to keep the butter spreadable. I had never seen one like it before and at first i thought it was going to be a candle holder until she removed the cover. I thought that was real nice of her to give us all one.

Hoping things settle down soon so I will feel more like posting again. We are so worried about our only living brother who had a leg removed three years ago. He now is fighting a bad case of bone cancer and the Dr say there is nothing more they can do to help him. Then my only Aunt was put into a nursing home and she is having a rough time dealing with it. She lost her husband shortly before Christmas after being married for 67 years. I try to visit her as often as I can- at least once or twice a week. Plus visiting my brother and sisters is keeping me busy. I do miss reading all my friends blogs and feel I am missing a lot and hoping you are all doing well.

Just noticed the 1984 L.A. olympics mug was still on the table when I took the picture. My son had just given it to me to add to my stein collection. He said they only made a very few of them- less than 20 of them. Think he said 8 or 9, but not sure. Has the Olympic village stadium on it- put out by the Anheuser-Busch, which also made all the many Clysdale steins every year that are in my collection.

You might notice that both the napkin holder and the cup holders also have horses on them

Labels: Sewing machine