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As much as I would rather be using up scraps and playing on the Nolting, I must make slip covers for the couch and the two orange chairs.  Admittedly the fabric I have is not much better than the orange, but it cost nothing.  I am saving for retirement. 

Mom used her Viking to make a cover for her studio bed.  She used upholstery weight fabric and made piping,  The full Monty, as it were.  She had no problems with her machine.  But I don't want to take my chances with it so I brought in my Necchi Super Nova.

In order for it to function as a flat bed, vs a table top, in the Horn Cabinet I had to adjust the airlift. 

It was relatively simple: loosen the 13mm nut, slide it to the proper position, tighten said nut.

Steven fashioned an insert from a piece of luan underlayment.  It isn't quite thick enough but it will do for now.  I can use this same piece as a template for an acrylic one.

I am now good to go.  I have picked apart the seat cover on one of the chairs.  After the bike ride today I can think about cutting out the pieces.  (Yes Dre, I see the typo in the watermark)

How did

 this:

 become this?

With this:

I sorted my scraps into piles.  There is a pink and purple pile.  I am not in the mood for pink and purple right now.  Maybe later.  Maybe never.  The rest went into this pile and one other.   Those two piles became the scrappy quilt.

I needed to sew something and I did not want to create more scraps.  The original intent was to stuff as many as I could into a "IF IT FITS IT SHIPS' USPS box and ship them somewhere.  I still had many strips left over and Nina at the Quilt Zoo suggested that I just use them up in a scrappy quilt.

"Just start sewing."

Sounded like the perfect was to spend Labor Day Weekend.  That is, after I drove to Woodstock to fetch a Singer 201-3. Sigh.

I used a Kenmore for the first batch of scraps.  It's a whiner; though it makes a nice stitch.  I switched to the 301A, long bed. http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2012/02/what-was-i-thinking.html  but it was not so quiet either.  Something clunky in the feed dogs.  (I figured out what the noise is, I just can't fix it)

So then I got out the Necchi.  Very nice.  Very, very, very, nice.  She did very well for a while.  Then, out of nowhere, big loops on the bottom.  I thought that I had fixed that problem.  I changed to different thread, same thing.  I put the spool upside down on the thread holder (the big one, for cones) same thing. 

I cleaned the bobbin case, same thing. 

I finally switched to Guterman thread, top and bobbin.  No problems.  None.   Fancy Italian machine, like Fancy Italian car, likes high test.  The Kenmore and the 301 could not have cared less. 

I finished up the piecing and added some sashing. 

 I finished that this morning and spent an inordinate amount of time figuring out the back.  I had some big pieces left so I had to piece some more.  My goal had been to get it on the frame by noon.  That didn't happen.

Instead I got distracted by the clunky 301A, or the fact that my sewing loft was a sauna and the shop was cool and comfortable.

The feed dogs drop on the 301.  I did not notice the noise when I was using it for FMQ.  I figured that maybe the dogs were  misaligned and hitting something.  I finally isolated to noise to the feed throw out mechanism.  There was a bit of play, even after re-engaging the feed dogs.  I tried tightening the nut and stripped it.  Uh Oh

Lucky for me I bought out some sewing machine parts last winter.  It's true that I have bemoaned the fact that the guy NEVER THREW OUT ANYTHING.  I was very glad to find just the right sized nut to fit that bolt in the feed dog drop.  WHEW.

The noise is still there.  I think it must be from wear and tear; like my knee, or wrist, or thumb.  I certainly cannot figure out where else to tighten anything.  I tired, believe me.  I did, however, fix the height of the feed dogs.  They were too high.  Loosen nut N2 and turn Screw P2 and then tighten nut N2. 

Mom called during all of this and asked what I was doing.  I told her that I was about to put the scrappy quilt on the frame.

"Oh I wish I could be there so I could see how you do it.  Maybe you will send me pictures."

Maybe, I will. Maybe I will just post them on the blog.

MADE IN ITALY

I don't know why reading those words gives me such pleasure; probably because I have so few things made in Italy. 

This Necchi was given to us last winter.  I did some re-wiring on the light (http://mysewingmachineobsession.blogspot.com/2013/12/necchi-bf.html) and found a motor in the South River stash.  For weeks this machine was sitting on the bench. I finally cleaned it all up and got it stitching.  Guess what?  I love it.  (It smells a bit musty but that is dissipating with time).

 The tension assembly is so classy.  No way did I take this one apart. 

 Basically, this is the same concept as other, end loading, oscillating, shuttles. (Is that an example of the Oxford comma? Is that even grammatically correct?)

 The race cover, however, can't get lost or dropped.  Very clever.

 I was falling in love and wondered if the feed dogs dropped.  I removed the slide plate and saw this. (Oh, I just love that this little piece is stamped "ITALY"

The presser foot pressure indicator is numbered on the face plate.  I am not sure that is all that convenient.  None of the Singers I use have numbered presser foot pressure.  I imagine it is like the tension assy, the number is arbitrary and useful if you need a reference; e.g. when you switch from one type of fabric to another and back again. 

 There is a little tab just above the spring that fits into the slot on the face plate.

 Not such a good shot.  I have dust in the lens.  New camera on the way today from B & H photo.

I used it yesterday.  I had some trouble with thread nests occurring intermittently.  I did all the usual fixes; new needle, wound a different bobbin, good thread.  Nothing helped until I changed from the large cone with the thread holder to a smaller spool on the machine itself.  WTF?  Why that would matter was beyond me.

I watched the thread as it came off the spool today.  When the thread unwound from the bottom, where the spool is wider, it would catch as it came off.  I could feel it when I pulled the thread off the spool.  I fixed that problem.  I turned the stupid spool upside down.  Now it works fine.  I have large cones of thread in neutral colors.  I want to use it up. Practice sewing is the perfect use for it.

Not many people want these old straight stitch machines.  That's why we have them.  I can see that this machine could be treadled.  It might be strong enough, perhaps as strong as my 15-90, to sew through multiple layers.  I may even try some FMQ.  The motor is fast enough. 

Self control

Today I drove to the middle of no where, really.  I live in rural New York and today I drove even further into rural NY.  There was a Necchi Super Nova Julia 534 advertised on Craigslist and I drove to the middle of a state forest to look at it.  I knew that the wiring was bad and that the motor did not fire up.  I still went.  It took me about an hour and I did drive over some flood damaged roads  and some dirt roads.  The garmin wanted me to take a questionable route, so I followed the Gazeteer.  Originally the land was a farm, now it is a forest.  I love nature.

The machine turned freely.  The wiring was a mess.  The power cord looked unique with four pins.  There was no way to salvage it since it is a molded piece.  I knew that I did not want to bring home another project.  Not for forty bucks.  She would not budge on her price.  eBay influence I am certain.  So, if she does list it on eBay I will watch it.  Would I take the 35 mile trek out there again to buy it?  Sure for five bucks.

Now.  I know nothing about Necchi..  Maybe forty bucks is a deal for a non working vintage Necchi Super Nova Julia 534.  But it isn't to me.  Steven is proud of me.  "Way to show some self control, honey."