. . . a flower pot pocket with a couple of flowers to plant, a shoe with a string to tie - or rather untie,
a lion with a tail to (un)braid, a squirrel with an acorn that hooks on his paw, the tree, or in his hole,
and a cowboy with velcro-ed chaps, a buttoned vest, and and lost hat that snaps on.
After Electra was too big for it, it was passed through Roman and Keiko and now to Owen. I really enjoyed making it one summer during college, but like most things I make, you couldn't pay me enough to make one. I've had requests and offers, and I made another one a few years later. As a gift. It takes a lot of creative energy and a fair amount of time to make things by hand. I like to make quilts or blankets for new babies, but I just couldn't bring myself to sell them. If I charged enough to make it worth my time, effort, and materials, no one would buy them, and if I didn't charge enough to cover those, I'd resent it.So back on topic, Carolyn wanted to know about sewing. Most of the sewing I do is much more utilitarian - PJs for Owen, diaper covers, curtains, mending. For the last 10 years, most of my sewing has been on a great Dial N Sew that Sharon gave me when I was making the dresses for my bridesmaids. It belonged to her grandmother and has been an awesome machine. I really appreciate what a great gift it was every time I use it. It is strong and can sew through anything, but it also does nicely on finer fabrics for delicate projects. It has a variety of single-color embroidery stitches you can do too.
If I were needing to buy a machine to do basic home sewing, I'd look into a good, older (1960's or 1970's) used machine from a sewing machine repair shop. They often sell them all oiled, adjusted, and ready to go. I like computers for writing blogs but not for sewing. All the computerized ones I've looked at are outside my budget and don't seem sturdy. The home sewing machines from 40 years ago were made of steal - for real - not plastic, and you can often find them well under $150, sometimes under $100. I would highly recommend the Dial N Sew's but there are lots of others, so just ask the folks at the shop. Another bonus for buying one at a shop is that they can do your servicing (should be yearly, but I'm looooooong overdue) and any repairs. Look for one that has forward and reverse stitching, a zig zag stitch, and if you're adventurous, some embroidery stitches. I like mine in a cabinet of its own. It is more ergonomic than setting on a table, and your entire work surface is level. Another personal preference of mine is a foot pedal rather than a knee "pedal" (not sure what it's called). The machine I use had the pedal mounted for knee use, but I just unscrewed it from the cabinet, put it on the floor, and have never looked back.*
*This entire post has been written using only my left hand!
5 comments:
Wow so cool!! Thanks for the clarification and inspiration. Oo, Carolyn
When buying a refurbished machine, make sure you give it a whirl at the shop first. Try different fabrics and different threads...denim and chenille...and make sure the machine adjusts easily so that the thread pulls correctly through the fabric.
I looked into buying a refurbished machine in CA. The ones made out of iron/steel that come in their own cabinets are great, but they can be more expensive refurbished than a sufficient machine is new depending on what you want to do with it. I bought a cheaper piece of plastic that is very portable (~$80 at Sears at the time), which was important to me as I moved every year or so in grad school, and it sewed quite well. I even put it in my luggage and flew to AL with it to make Dad some curtains, then flew it right back to CA. It still works fine when I get it out of the closet where it stays these days without taking up any floor space.
-Tracy
Two, opinions for the price of one! About overlock stitches - the seams on most store-bought items are made with a serger. They are really cool tools which are way more expensive (for comparable quality). They also only do seams - no button holes or basic embroidery or the like. They are more for making very sturdy seams FAST because they do what it it takes you and a regular sewing machine three steps to do - sew a straight seam, trim the excess fabric away from the seam, and zigzag (or in the case of a serger, overlock) around the raw edges of the fabric seam. They use from 2-5 threads (where sewing machines use two), and require special cones of thread rather than the standard spools and a bobbin you wind yourself on the machine. I would start with a standard machine then add a serger if you find yourself doing a lot of sewing.
OK look, I could really care less about sewing, but I ead the entire thing and it was all worth it when I got to the part about your wrote this with only your left hand!!! WOW, now you got me, that should be a blog one its own, maybe titled the Left Handed Opinion, getting too political now.
EL-STEVE-A-RENO
Steve, you crack me up. I miss you! Heck, I miss the whole family! Hopefully we'll cross paths over the summer. I keep telling Abram we should buy Bain's farm. Is it still for sale? Can you get us a deal on it? Can you teach us to be apple farmers too?
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