I like little projects with big visible results. This was a big project with little visible results, but it's a huge relief to have it done!
For Christmas this year, I made Dan a pretty cool, if I do say so myself, Steelers quilt, with photos on it from all the years we took the kids out to training camp, games, etc.
After I completed this, I started a pair of pajama pants for me to wear Christmas day (I'm 6ft tall. Pajama pants seems to all be made for women 5'7" and under) , but I barely got them started and my sewing machine just stopped working. It will not pick up the bobbin thread. No matter what I did. No matter how many new needles I tried.
When I mentioned this to my husband, and told him what a pain it will be to have this machine fixed, he told me to go ahead and buy a new (but not fancy) machine. Ok. Then a week later he went to the attic to put some Christmas decorations away, and came down with my old machine, which I forgot I had. He showed it to me and asked if it would work for me, and, frugally minded wife that I am, I looked at it and said "No, it's dirty".
Seriously, HOW did that machine get so cruddy in our attic? I am 100% positive it didn't look like that when I sent it up there.. it came down filthy and disgusting! I stuck it under my sewing desk to deal with later.
Because this was now an unused area, with a few items to be mended, it was of course an ideal place for clutter. My children went all out to help with this endeavor. When I cleaned this area today, I found pocket knives, change, a bottle of glue, and all sorts of little odds and ends. There was a pair of pajama pants here I thought the boys needed mended, but when I looked at them I found they were just a pair no one felt like carrying upstairs and putting away.
Then, to add to the general disorder, at some point someone got in that cabinet (that is the office supply cabinet over my machine) and when they shut the door they knocked down and broke the thread holder that hangs there. The thread must have rolled all over, because it was a tangled mess on that rack. (I have more thread storage in the drawers)
I switched the machines around today, moping quite a bit when I remembered that the old machine doesn't have all the fancy features the non working one has. But then I plugged it in, and threaded it (WITHOUT the needle threader that I so love on the non working one) and the most amazing thing happened..
It worked. It didn't beep at me. (this one doesn't beep at all) It didn't stop every 50 or so stitches. It didn't demand a new needle every 15 minutes. The bobbin didn't make a screeching grinding noise out of the blue (the noise that would make you jump out of your seat it was so sudden and loud) It just sewed. Nice, even stitches.
It is not fancy. Some of the plastic is yellowed from age. It's not cool old like my old 1940's machine that is so pretty (but hard to get parts for these days) But it WORKS!
I got all of my mending caught up, and even finished my Christmas pajama pants. Which I am wearing as I type this, even though my children have rolled their eyes and reminded me "Christmas is over, Mom." :-)
Now maybe I can finally get the slipcovers made for the living room chairs...
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