WOYWW - Fabric, Phoenix and Friendship

It runs like a dream!

Well, look what's on my workbench today (well dining table actually).  Yes, Whats on your workbench Wednesday has come rushing round, just when I borrowed an overlocker.

I'll try and keep this brief:
Remember I burnt out baby blues foot pedal?
Well, when my heart beat had slowed (about 2 days later), I took the pedal to pieces and realised that although it was very simple inside I would never trust it again.  I couldn't decide what to do, so visited Helen Sutcliffe of Eleanor's Attic for advice.  (Just over 12 months ago, Helen was a one man band making bags for 6 shops, now she supplies around 100 shops and owns one herself!).

introducing ...Boring Brown.

I knew Helen had a replacement motor (and pedal) so borrowed it to see if it fitted, but I also borrowed a broken (but similar) Singer machine to cannibalise.

Well the motor didn't fit, but the Singer used the same motor.  I decided to cannibalise baby blue instead (shame, but much simplier process).
So out of the flames a new boring brown machine has risen.

Anyway, back to the overlocker. I decided I needed an overlocker and I have been trawling ebay for weeks now.  But I couldn't settle on my budget because, well, actually I have never used one before.

Eventually, yesterday morning I phoned Helen and asked if she had one I could borrow.  And so here it is.  But not only did she say I could borrow it (and no rush to return it), but she also told me of one for sale (from another friend).  So I now have a local overlocker waiting for me to go and try out.

oh and for the papercrafters: this is what an overlocker does.

WOYWW - Well 'tis the holidays

You didn't seriously expect me to keep it tidy did you?
Obviously I haven't been working on my desk this week.  Due to my sewing machine fire on Wednesday and I have been playing with children and doing a little bit of jewellery making on my lap!

OH has respected my desk reasonably well, but I can see my daughters dressing gown and t-shirt on the corner, and I am certain I wouldn't have put it there.  There is the self healing mat, out of place because I lent it to him and it looks like it has been returned. A sewing machine motor (in a box), some cheque books, some tracing paper as I have been sketching a few designs. Well, just about everything really!


But I know my chaos worries a lot of you, so I have a second photo, this took 4 minutes to arrange (including a short break to help my daughter clean a rhinoceros! ).

The pile is things I need to drop off - mother and toddler group cheque book, jewellery boxes and return a spare sewing machine motor and pedal.  Just on the edge of shot is the other pile,which is jobs I need to do: fix my earring display board, take up do the hem on my daughters school trousers. Oh and the homeless bowl is still there, and still full - I am hoping the ipod lead is at the bottom of it!

Tomorrow is my day at Grug Studio so I get a whole day child free so I shall be back in the mood for craft work by the time I come home.  It also means that I shall have time to blog hop (mind you in theory I should be rushed off my feet with customers), so I should have plenty of time to visit What's on your workbench Wednesday via Stamping ground.

WOYWW - Baby blue in action

As normal my desk is covered with all the thoughts inside my head.

I checked the title of WOYWW and it definately says 'Whats on your workbench Wednesday', so this week I shall stick to showing you just my workbench.  And as normal my desk is covered with all the thoughts inside my head, while the bed (behind me), is covered with all the fabric required to transform those thoughts into items.

But I am delighted to announce that the Baby Blue Singer Sewing Machine is back in action.  I received the machine through the Freecycle system, but it needed a little tlc.

I adjusted the belt to its max position the other week, but I guessed it still wasn't tight enough (I had never looked at sewing machine belt before)  Anyway, the machine beat me to it, and began slipping before I had got around to ordering a new one.

There is a great, sewing machine parts site, it changes its name depending on what sewing machine brand you are looking for, so for the life of me I can't remember the name, but anyway, the belt arrived by return of post, I fitted it and Baby Blue is back in action.

This allows me to leave Baby Blue set up for free motion embroidery, and my Pfaff set up for normal sewing.  (Please don't let me bore you with the different settings required).

This idea is great, apart from one small problem, don't tell Baby Blue but - I just haven't bonded with it yet!  It works, it does the job fine, but it just isn't the same as my Pfaff.

Anyway, this is what the new combo, produced today.  A glasses case and a business card case, (in truth that is my ironing board, not my workbench, but you can't really expect me to move all that stuff).

Sometime soon, I might finally get around to photographing the glasses cases well enough to list them.

WOYWW - ruffled feathers

2 machines, neither in action.

Well I did appear to ruffle a few feathers last week at Whats on your workbench Wednesday, so maybe I ought to apologise this week?

NO, no apology, just a bit of education instead.

Last week I made a passing comment about my 3 sewing machines, and all you paper crafters started having palpitations. 

Only the other week Hettiecraftcz justified two glue guns because one was on special offer.

And papers, the things I could tell you lot about your scrappy piles when seen from a distance!

Pot calling the kettle black I say.

Pop back a posting and you can hear about how my baby blue Singer has risen from the grave.  Following that posting, Twiglet of Sisters Crafty Creations, sent me a darning plate from her old Singer (a machine now long since departed from this fabric ladened world).  On removing the sewing plate from mine, I discovered a section that yet to be de-fuzzed.

And if you recall from last week, my vaccum cleaners has broken down, so that is the stage the machine is at, waiting to be de-fuzzed.

The desk itself has several part finished items, some doorstops / bookends waiting to be filled, some waiting to be made, a stack of books waiting for me to attach the covers, (which are in one of the boxes under the desk).  All of which need to be finished for Dolgellau Thursday Market.

And finally, tomorrow (Thursday), there will be a small giveaway on this blog in recognition of all the generosity out there in the blogging world.

Handmade Monday - Technology

Singer 347 - complete with zig-zag stitch

Handmade Monday is normal the post where we show you what we have created with our own fair, crafty hands, but today I thought I would introduce a bit of repair to group.

I was given this sewing machine through the freecycle system ( you list things you no longer want, and someone collects it for free, or in my case, you ask for a sewing machine and someone realises they have gathering dust that belonged to their mother.).

I was told the machine was in perfect working order when it was put away.  Unfortunately whilst that may have been true, its 10 years or so in a box had slightly stiffened up the joints.  Also, the little toolbox had become seperated from it, and so it arrived with no bobbins.

Singer, I thought, no problem, I'll raid the handcrank machine.  However it turns out that a drop-in bobbin is a different size.

With the wonder of the internet I found a site that sold bobbins for this model.  They arrived in 3 days.  I loaded one up, but boy was the tension miles out! It took some time to persuade the machine it wanted to behave.

However now that I had the machine up and sewing, I felt the motor was a bit sluggish, so I assumed the belt needed replacing.  Once again I began searching the web to find out if it was possible to get a new belt.  Not only did I find somewhere to buy the belt, but I even found a blog that showed me how to adjust it.  I left a comment on the blog and by this morning the blogger had offered to e-mail me a copy of the manual, all the way from Indiana!



My machine was manufactured in 1965 I think, (obviously there is a website to type in your serial number to work out the age of the machine too).

So by the now my 2nd hand rather tired Singer Sewing Machine is like a brand new machine.

As thanks to the wonder of the internet and the generousity of fellow bloggers, I shall be arranging a small giveaway on Thursday if you wish to call by.

Foot note below




Footnote (pun intended), if you were wondering, this is the generic free motion embroidery foot above a piece of cardboard.  I haven't found anyway of dropping the feed-dogs so I have covered them up!

WOYWW - Far too much

Look at the state of that!

I don't know about you, but taking part on What's on your workbench Wednesday gives me a great opportunity to realise what shouldn't be on my workbench.  Why can I only spot things in the photo?  I hadn't realised it was this full, even though last night I worked on the ironing board!

I am currently covering a batch of books, the drying ones are in the foreground. Mid-way back is a batch mid-way through the process, and the background is a batch of completed doorstops.

However the rest of the table is chaos and debris, including my daughters blanket for her 0-6 month car seat.  As my daughter is now 5 years old, I have absolutely no idea why it has suddenly appeared at the back of my table.  I shall have to check last weeks posting to see if it was there then.

So I thought I'd give you an after photo.  After the kettle had boiled.

Whilst the kettle did its job, I tidied up.

Now in truth, I still can't use that side of the table as on the floor are two sewing machines, one hard sewing machine cover and two vacuum cleaners.  But I promise that once I have posted this, I shall work on moving them.

WOYWW - I've moved house

the 'new' workbench

OK, so I exaggerate, but yes fellow WOYWWers (What's on your workbench Wednesday) I report to you this week from a new location.  I really can't work in the studio at the moment (due to the cold) and tired of putting the machine away each evening, I asked OH if I could put a table in the bedroom.

I haven't quite sorted things out yet, but I'm still really pleased with it, as I can pop in for half an hour and get stuck straight in.

I didn't find an extension lead, so the sewing machine ended up on the short side of the table.  Actually this is a good thing as it leaves the rest of the table for picking through the fabric.

the fabric being hugged by the hoover arm

Yesterday I had the car, so I whipped down to Machynlleth to Wheeler's Fabrics again.  I picked up some more background fabric and had a little look around for beach hut fabric.  Which means this week I shall have a bit of fun checking out what will be suitable.

Now hop off and see what everyone else is upto over at Julia's

Handmade Monday - a brand new start

The end of an era?

 Blwyddyn newydd da. Croeso yn ol i ddydd llun o waith llaw!
(Thats happy new year. Welcome back to Handmade Monday )

I thought today I would show you some of my crafty tools that I received as Christmas presents, but instead I would like to share with you the sorrow and joy of this weekend.

Saturday night my sewing machine broke down, no panic just disappointment.  Sunday I phoned the repair man, but disaster, disaster, disaster, he told me he couldn't get the part for less than £85 and recommended choosing a new machine instead.

It was a double-whammy, not only was I desperate to continue sewing, but there he was, telling me I could never sew on my machine again.  We had been together since birth (well, since I was 14).

To add insult to injury, my mum traded in her Jones machine to buy it - and Eleanor's Attic, sends her Jones machine to the same man to be serviced.

Well I was not prepared to listen, so I trawled ebay, I put a plea on freecycle and I think I may have found the part for £25.

However, in a need to continue sewing, I texted a friend.  My friend would never describe herself as a domestic goddess, but she is woman of a certain age.  And surely, all woman of a certain age can sew?

Sure enough the response came back, saying her machine was in the porch and I was welcome to keep it!

I rushed round, and collected the great lump, clearly good quality. I rushed back home and opened the lid ...

A brand new start, for a brand new machine

Oh, dear, not what I had hoped for, but the story doesn't end there.  As I looked at the machine, it began to dawn on me, that there in front of me, stood a brand new machine... never used...all bobbins empty... no fluff anywhere.  Complete with the original 3 needles in the packet, the instruction book, the factory release card, etc. (I told you my friend was not a domestic goddess, but to have never used the machine in 50 years?)

The urge to sew was too strong and so the domestic goddess (as I've named it), was soon been put through its paces.  Tune in again folks, to hear how it is fairing!

WOYWW - It WAS tidy, it really WAS

What's on your workbench Wednesday?

I tidied up, put all the fabric into piles (classified as: bag sized, small bag sized, handle sized and scraps (you never know when you will need those scraps)).
Cleared the desk with the exception of the sewing machine, and then... I let my children in the room.

They wanted to play buttons.  In my daughters case this is threading buttons onto a necklace, in my sons case this is driving a bus along an obstacle course of buttons ( I didn't stereotype my children, they have managed it all by themselves!).

Now to achieve these games you need the button board - a green board that has been dumped on my side of the room, with a small rim all the way around that stops buttons from escaping.
Unfortunately this was underneath all my fabric, so off it all came, and the best place to put it was back on my desk.
Would you believe I even did some sewing on it last night - yep even in that state!

I'm off to desk hop with WOYWW , but I've been relegated to the old computer, and I don't think blogger is letting me comment from this one, but we will see...