Wednesday, July 24, 2013

One Big Needle

Needle for 29-2
If I had been clever, I would have put a 130/705H needle next to this one.  But it is beefy, looking.  You can tell.  It also has a nasty burr on its tip.  I don't know if I could file that out.  But there are needles extant for this machine.  No worries.

I think that it is smoother when I turn the balance wheel.  I wish that I had had time to work on it today.  Instead, I serviced a Kenmore 158.1792.
I know. I wish that I had taken a better photo of it too.  It is an electronic machine, in a way.  The foot controller is electronic and very slick.  No matter what, when you lift your foot off of the controller, the machine keeps running until the needle is in its highest position.  Nice.  It has needle up and needle down as well.  The innards are mechanical but the stitch selector is electronic in a way that I had no intention of trying to figure out.  I cleaned, oiled and adjusted it.  I checked all of the stitches except the button hole stitch and those ridiculous fake embroidery stitches on the bottom of the selector panel.  It makes a lovely stitch and the nicest smocking stitch I have ever seen.  It also has speed control.  I think that would be nice for FMQ.

It is heavy.  Some parts are stupid.  That spool pin is a disaster waiting to happen.  It tucks into the body of the machine, as in the photo, for transport.  But the thing doesn't stay up all that well when in sewing mode. The bobbin winder post is plastic too.  But it hasn't broken yet, so I guess it ok.

It only took two hours to service it so I had plenty of time. I mowed and weed wacked because I promised Steven that I would.  It turned into a lovely day.  Cool.  A nice change.

I then set to work setting up the Grace Machine Quilt frame AGAIN.  I am selling it and want to have some photos.   Now to figure out what machine to put on it.

Yes, that is a kitchen in the back ground.  The only space large enough to set up the frame is my sewing loft or our guest apartment above the shop.  The sewing loft is jammed full.  I need it to sew, besides.

Setting up is a tedious task.  Setting up the cloth leaders with zippers is the way to go.  I don't have any long enough but were I to keep this frame, I would certainly invest.  Instead I basted the cloth leader to one end, each, of the back and the quilt top and pin basted the back, bating and quilt top to the take up rail leader.  Now I will mount a machine on the carrier and baste as close to the edge as I can before I start quilting.

I could use this one

But there is not a whole lot of room between the needle bar and the pillar.  I think I will try the Singer 66 again.  I have a nice one.  Or I could put Queenie on the frame.  Clearly, there is more room
The 66-16 has even more.

And you need a a lot of room for quilting and for the take up bar.

You can go faster with the vertical hook, though.  I think I will just try Queenie out.  I like the color.

10 comments:

  1. Ohhh, that is a very big needle. Glad it goes in the 29-2 and not my arm!! Is it possible to get the burr out without blunting the needle??

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  2. Are you getting a new machine quilt frame? If not, why are you getting rid of Gracie?

    Royal Green Queenie will look very pretty sewing over your quilt.

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    1. I have another frame and a big machine. Don't need two

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  3. Oh, I just love the color of that machine! Did it come that way? I love the Singer blacks, but what a great green. Would be great fun to sew on it. I took my Kenmore 1040 on my deck last night to piece a bunch of blocks while hubby was having a glass of wine and unwinding. The motor was so ridiculously quiet, he was able to talk on the phone right next to me. Easy to carry in and out of the slider door also. Very nice.

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  4. I don't understand how you would mount the SM to that frame. I'm interested in seeing you post a phone of it all set up.
    I hope to come across a singer 29 one day. Those machines are just cool looking.

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  5. So far the 15-clones are my favorites on my Pennywinkle frame. Next time I am going to try a Singer 127, which had a very large harp. I just don't know how the long bobbins will work out. That's the most gorgeous color on Queenie!

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