I need more room in my sewing loft. Last year I bought a vintage trundle bed for 2 bucks at an auction. I thought it would be good for the loft, in case we had need for over flow sleeping space when company came.
"It sounds like a lot of work to me."
She saved me from myself. The trundle sat at the end of the drive way all day today with a FREE sign advertising its availability. The sewing machine stand keeping it company found a new home. But not the trundle. Rain is predicted for tomorrow, so I hauled it back to the barn. I guess it goes to scrap metal. I did advertise it on Free Cycle. No takers. Wonder why? (Please, don't take me seriously. I should have kept my two bucks).
With all that room, I was able to get some sort of order to the sewing loft before Betsy came over to play with the Juki. There is still so much to do. But it is a better work space now. I really needed the room. The dogs can just sleep on the floor. I have more organizing to do. The fabric is still in plastic bags or bins awaiting restoration to its home in the Genuine Authentic Fake Cherry Veneer Barrister Bookcase (REMEMBER THE PFAFF http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2012/08/remember-pfaff.html) I need to cull and sort more stuff (the aforementioned sewing machine stand fell victim to my ruthlessness) but it is a much nicer work space now. Less cramped. And the Juki has its own space.
Mom had given me tons of serger thread. I set up the cones according to the color codes on the threading diagram. Blue for the upper looper, red for the lower looper, green for the right needle and yellow (I only had white) for the left needle.
I tied the new thread onto the ones left in the machine by the tech and turned the handwheel so that they would thread through the machine.
It worked, sort of . The loopers seemed to like that threading system. The needles, not so much. Finally we were able to try it out.
All wrong. We tried messing with the tension; first by increasing it, then by decreasing it. By now it was time for Betsy to leave. We really hadn't played at all.
I tried some more and then gave up. I had lunch, mowed the dog path and went back to it.
The left needle thread kept breaking. I finally decided to use the best thread that I had. I found some Gutterman and some Mettler. Then I got out the instruction manual
Step by step I read the instructions on how to thread the machine. I carefully followed the directions. First the upper looper, then the lower looper. Then the right needle and finally the left needle. The diagrams are hard to follow and I didn't have a magnifying glass. Finally I finished threading the silly thing. It took an hour.
But in the end it was worth it.
This machine is so much like the Bernina. I may take the Bernina out of its coffin and examine it next to this one. Who knows, maybe I can get some parts and try to fix it. Who knows. I won't have a manual for that though, I bet.
Your loft is gorgeous. I love that wall of windows. If it doesn't get too hot in summer it would be a great place to work. You must feel like you're in the treetops. The stitches on the serger look beautiful. And who is Betsy, anyway?
ReplyDeleteThank you. It doesn't get hot anymore. Not this year anyway. The building is shaded by a huge lilac tree in front and some little Elms that are done for. They are growing up through the trash shed which may be torn down this summer.
DeleteBetsy is my partner in Sewing Machine Magic.com. She appears in this blog from time to time.
DeleteI spent all day today getting rid of 'stuff' at my friend's yard sale...felt great. Need to organize my sewing space tomorrow so I can finish a project and get it shipped to MD in time for my mom's birthday on Thursday! yikes. Can't get it done in my messy space :/ REALLY NICE results with your new serger! Looks like alot of fun :)
ReplyDeleteThe old story goes, if you can't give it away, put a price on it and leave it out overnight; someone will steal it.
ReplyDeleteGood idea, Tamar. I would have left it out overnight but the forecast is for rain. It didn't but it will. Steven said a lot of people looked at it (he was on the roof all day). Oh well.
DeleteTurn the bed on its end, lean it against the wall and pin things to it. You'll still have overflow sleeping space and you've got a new inspiration board.
ReplyDeleteExcept that because this is an "attic" there is no real room for it against the wall. Nope. Free Cycle or scrap metal for the springs. Sometimes you just have to let go. Oh and the mattress? It is vintage so you know it has lost its form. It just flops around.
DeleteIt is true, if you do not think something is worth selling, no-one will have it for free, ask 10 Dollars (or Euro's), they will try to get it down to 7 or 5 USD or indeed, take away time overnight. For free at the roadside seems to shout: cheap, worn, worthless, 10 USD shouts barter or steel. I have a remedy for too fine print: scan and print at about 143 % (A4 to A3 on photocopying machines), much easier to follow the threadthrough instructions and keep with the manual. The Bernina locker? Somehow I seem to remember being told to thread the underthreads (I mean those that do not go through the needle-s) in reverse line, so if the instruction says first red then blue, try first blue then red. I think I have done that many times and it worked fine.With smallish, say 60 or 70 fine needles you can do the knot-threads trick too, just pull a longish thread when you reach the needle and then cut before the knot, throw knotted end away and handthread the needle, the eye does not take four widhts of thread and a knot!
ReplyDeleteif you still have the day bed you should make a slip cover for it. I have one that my Aunt had covered in in a yellow with gold chinze fabric with ruffle on the bottom. three pillows across the back. would be great for a spare bedroom or your sewing room. It would really transform the pice with the right fabric and piping.
ReplyDeleteGone. I needed the room.
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