Well, after MUCH laboring, researching, driving to the store and working with Karen (who owns the sewing machine store), I settled on a machine. I ended up with the Baby Lock Ellegante (with computer upgrades). It was a barely used machine that had most of its components still in plaster. The stitch count read "zero". Got it at about half price of new ones. While it's a deal, the darn thing still cost more than my first car!
I've spent a lot of time watching videos on dos and don'ts, but it is clear that sitting down and practicing is important. How to thread the needle? Or more accurately, how to set up the thread so the machine threads the needle? How to deal with the bobbin? Select a pattern? Hoop? It is not your grandma's machine! Heck it's not anything like my old machine! The equivalent is deciding you need a new car and heading to the car store and discovering they have space ships for sale only.
I sat down and did some practice. First disaster was the needle falling out mid-design. That is an unrecoverable error. Note to self: check needle frequently during embroidery. All the vibration can loosen the needle. Second drama: running out of bobbin thread mid-design. This is recoverable - and recoverable such that non one will ever know that happened.
In pretty much no time, my list of things I needed from the store grew. More stabilizer. More thread colors! More needles (had my needle broken, I'd be out of luck).
Got those supplies and pretty much nothing in the house has been safe since.
My yoga pants with holes in the behind? Repaired! One with a pretty flower. And the other with a couple of bunnies. Some green dragons showed up on a black t-shirt I had as well as some of Dave's old climbing pants.
A pretty Robin adorns an old patagonia shirt. Our friend Mark ended up with his name on a gift shirt (he's helping...leading the effort ...in installing cabinets. See next blog on renovation of Den which is ongoing).
The living room is a wreck and the cat is loving it. She's been terribly "helpful" as cats can be. *shakes head*
Once the den is renovated, things get moved around and I'll get a table set up to get the machine on. Until then, I am working on the floor. It's not been as bad this time. Maybe I'm getting used to sewing like a monkey.
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Well, after MUCH laboring, researching, driving to the store and working with Karen (who owns the sewing machine store), I settled on a machine. I ended up with the Baby Lock Ellegante (with computer upgrades). It was a barely used machine that had most of its components still in plaster. The stitch count read "zero". Got it at about half price of new ones. While it's a deal, the darn thing still cost more than my first car!
I've spent a lot of time watching videos on dos and don'ts, but it is clear that sitting down and practicing is important. How to thread the needle? Or more accurately, how to set up the thread so the machine threads the needle? How to deal with the bobbin? Select a pattern? Hoop? It is not your grandma's machine! Heck it's not anything like my old machine! The equivalent is deciding you need a new car and heading to the car store and discovering they have space ships for sale only.
I sat down and did some practice. First disaster was the needle falling out mid-design. That is an unrecoverable error. Note to self: check needle frequently during embroidery. All the vibration can loosen the needle. Second drama: running out of bobbin thread mid-design. This is recoverable - and recoverable such that non one will ever know that happened.
In pretty much no time, my list of things I needed from the store grew. More stabilizer. More thread colors! More needles (had my needle broken, I'd be out of luck).
Got those supplies and pretty much nothing in the house has been safe since.
My yoga pants with holes in the behind? Repaired! One with a pretty flower. And the other with a couple of bunnies. Some green dragons showed up on a black t-shirt I had as well as some of Dave's old climbing pants.
A pretty Robin adorns an old patagonia shirt. Our friend Mark ended up with his name on a gift shirt (he's helping...leading the effort ...in installing cabinets. See next blog on renovation of Den which is ongoing).
The living room is a wreck and the cat is loving it. She's been terribly "helpful" as cats can be. *shakes head*
Once the den is renovated, things get moved around and I'll get a table set up to get the machine on. Until then, I am working on the floor. It's not been as bad this time. Maybe I'm getting used to sewing like a monkey.
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2 comments:
you guys crack me up--never a dull moment around your house, always cooking up something new!
I sure miss my old sewing machine (had to leave it behind in the move), but all it could do were straight stitches. Your embroidery is super-fab! :o)
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