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I've always had a sewing box and a sewing machine. I've done mending and fixing and once upon a time making too - mostly curtains, although I can follow a pattern so could in theory make clothes.I've got needles, cottons, pins, bags with cords, elastic and wool and lots of hooks, eyes and snaps - everything needed to make and create.
(The Glycerine, Lemon and Honey pastilles tin contains pins and dates back to the 1970's - Vintage!)
But about 5 years ago my sewing machine fell to bits - literally - it was very old and the brittle plastic shattered and bits fell down inside and that really was the end of it.
Not wanting to be without a sewing machine I found a new basic Singer going cheap online and bought it.
Then Colin was ill with the heart problems and then the lymphoma, we moved house twice and the sewing machine in its box moved house and didn't even get unpacked.
At last time and space to unpack and try and get it going to stitch a better mask than the one I cobbled together a few weeks ago. The machine has an automatic needle threader but no way could I get it to work - even after watching two u-tube instructional videos. So I threaded by hand but whatever I did everything jammed up after a few stitches. The pathway for the cotton between the reel and the needle seems much the same as any other sewing machine and the bobbin loading is also the same . Tension seems OK and I've read all the problem solving bits in the handbook and everything seems to be set up right.
I gave up and covered the machine - feeling frustrated.
When the world gets back to normal I'll get a sewing machine shop to have a look at it, or perhaps my sister who is much cleverer than me with sewing ( and knitting!) could have a go and see what she makes of it, in the meantime stitching will be done by hand - I don't need to make clothes or curtains so waiting is not a problem.
After trying 2 home-made masks - neither of which had any room for breathing, I found the Co-op were selling washable masks for £3. At the moment the only place requesting a mask is the doctors surgery - for picking up prescription tablets - so one is enough.
Back Tomorrow
Sue
Perhaps that's why someone got rid of it, always jamming up. I need to make a couple more masks if I am to start using the train again. I bought my machine as a treat to myself for my 50th birthday.
ReplyDeleteIt's brand new so ought to be OK.
DeleteWore my Co-op mask for 5 minutes picking up my prescription - it felt far too claustrophobic so I won't be on any public transport anytime soon.
My two layered mask made from a piece of old bed sheet seems ok. I will make a couple more today. 5 minute job.
DeleteSorry to hear of your sewing machine problems,it's so frustrating isn't it. Did you try it when you first bought it, maybe it was not working when it was sold. I know what you mean about the masks not leaving room for breathing I found the same problem when I made one plus my ears get too full with hearing aids and glasses. I am not planning any trips on public transport and I am getting shopping on line so hopefully I will not need one at present.
ReplyDeleteIt's brand new and only let out of it's box to try recently so ought to be fine
DeleteTry rethreading the top completely and make sure that the presser foot is up when you do this. It's a small but very important thing to note
DeleteHow very frustrating. Just wish I could pop round and take a look for you.
ReplyDeleteNothing wrong with hand stitching though - very soothing and sometimes more efficient.
Not a lot of making needed at the moment so hand stitching and mending is fine
DeleteOh that is frustrating. I wish I could pop round and have a look for you. I wanted to email you but on my Norfolk computer & don't have your address. Please could you email me? Ta!
DeleteItreated myself to a Bernina some years ago but really I have never been a keen sewer - i bought it for the embroidery when I was doing a City and Guilds. Now that my Essential Tremor means I can't thread a needle I was able to give it to the niece of the friend who was so very good to me when the farmer was ill. So in the endit pleased both of us.
ReplyDeleteHow good that you found someone who needed the machine
DeleteSorry you can't use your machine anymore, a Bernina is a very generous gift.My Bernina is a 1968 model and I really wouldn't changed it for anything,beautiful stitch, very quiet and built to last.
DeleteSewing machines can be tricky, mine has got me angry lots of times. As you say the manual doesn't solve all problems.
ReplyDeleteI have a Janome that is very reliable, I think you can find them quite reasonable.
Briony
x
I don't do enough sewing to use a machine often so if this one doesn't work I shall abandon it
DeleteShame about the sewing machine. I know what it is like to get motivated to do some small sewing task only to find that something is not working (in my case usually the overlocker - a machine I have never really got on with from day one). Let's hope it is a small thing and easily sorted by someone in a Singer shop.
ReplyDeleteI hope it's nothing serious
DeleteWhat a disappointment. It sounds like the inside is messed up
ReplyDeletexx
I think it's me doing something wrong but I don't know what!
DeleteHi Sue,
ReplyDeleteI confess to reading your blog every day for years and this is my first comment. Shame on me! *blush*
I just want to offer the suggestion of changing the needle on the machine. Even if it's brand new, it could be bent and that could mess up the way the threads loop together underneath. You never know, it might work! 😊
Hello and hooray for your first comment - thank you.
DeleteThe needle thing is a very good idea as that could also be why the self threader wont work. I'd better get the thing out again and have another look
Very frustrating. Perfect excuse to read a good book instead.
ReplyDelete(I am engrossed in the Laura Dawes book which you mentioned a few days ago, a really interesting read for today.)
That's what I thought when I read it. Everyone knew war was coming yet parts of the government were just as unprepared as BoJo etc were for the pandemic.
DeleteOddly enough the bit about the human guinea pigs trying out a possible ration diet came up on QI that I watched the other night.
I could not live without my sewing machine, it's not used all the time, but it's there, I have had a sewing machine since my teens. It will be a simple thing which is stopping it working, hope your sister is able to get it working.
ReplyDeleteI just want to re-iterate what Anne said. It could be the needle. Just last week I wanted to alter some clothes and my (old) machine just kept snagging and thread breaking every few stitches. It seemed to work on cotton fabric, but not on the more lightweight fabric I was using. Changed the needle and Hey Presto! It could be the wrong thickness of needle or blunt or bent. I nearly threw my machine out of the window in frustration but it's been a good girl since I changed the needle! Hope it works for you too. xx
ReplyDeleteI was wandering if you need a little oil on the machine if it has not been used for a long time. Singer is a very old name for machines and mine is the same name but a different model , there are very good tutorials on the internat. Good luck.
ReplyDeleteHazel c uk 🌈🌈🌈
Sorry but smiled at your masks that didn't have room to breathe good ol' coop comes up trumps every time.
ReplyDeleteIt could be that it needs oiling Sue. I use my machine quite a lot but I was told that machines usually need oiling if they haven't been used for a while.
ReplyDeleteI have an automatic threader too and find it hopeless. Once I get it threaded, I find it's a good little machine, but in the time it takes I could have sewn a dress by hand!
ReplyDeleteI have the same machine, like you bought it brand new but never used it for well over a year ….had same frustrating problems time and again, tension seems wrong, automatic needle thing only works sometimes, despite following all instructions in manual and online! I feel the same as you, will just revert to my grandmothers 1912 singer or do sewing by hand!!!! Fiona
ReplyDeleteHope you manage to solve the problem.
ReplyDeleteThank you for the tips about masks. I've just had my first visit to a supermarket for more than 3 months. It was a small Co-op as the bigger supermarkets are 25 miles away. Surprisingly perhaps the masks were there so I was very pleased to be able to buy them. Very strange to be among people and cars again - and so noisy!
ReplyDeleteMy sewing machine causes me trouble also. I don't sew often but picture these easy quilted pieces that I want to create but they never quite come out to match my original idea. I don't know how to properly adjust my machine and think of getting a more modern one but worry I won't be able to figure out the technology of it. Sewing seems like such a beautiful and useful hobby to have, tho, so I may have to keep trying. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteDaughter had to go back to her university town to vacate her room - 2 hours on the train in a mask, a home made one. She found it extremely unpleasant and could not wait to get it off and wash her face. Even yawning (as you may well do in 2 hours on a train) turns it soggy.
ReplyDeleteHi Sue, could it be a problem with the bobbin? My machine jams up if I use plastic and not metal bobbins. Is the stitching ok before it jams or is it all messed up at the back? Viv
ReplyDeleteHi, I had the same problem with my sewing machine. I had it for 18 months before I took it out of the box during lockdown. Eventually got it threaded and tried it out. Jammed practically straight away. Tried a few things but nothing worked. Instruction booklet was no use but watched a YouTube video and got a few ideas. I took the side panel off and the needle plate out. The problem was the bobbin case. It wasn't in properly but once I sorted that and put it back together I haven't looked back. Hadn't sewn for years but am enjoying making fabric baskets to store spare fabric etc. Hope that helps. Margaret.
ReplyDeleteOh you were coming late to the mask making brigade. I made quite a few during March and April, still wear one every day as I walk my dog, gasping to breathe thru the heavy quilt cotton layers. But a scarf or store bought mask should be fine, and perhaps the virus is not an issue there?
ReplyDeleteIf you decide to try the sewing machine again, check that the needle is put in correctly, and/ or use a new one. Flat side goes to the back. Also check that the bobbin case/ shuttle is inserted correctly and there is not fluff jammed under it. Last if it's been stored for years it must need oil.
Many machines also jam if you begin sewing too close to the cut edge, try starting 1/4" in, on your test fabric.
lizzy
I'm so lucky to have a wonderful mother-in-law who has made us lots of washable masks! We have to wear them in shops so I keep them in different places just so I don't forget one. She tried two different styles and I like the pleated one best.
ReplyDeleteMy mum ended up getting hers from ASDA.
Perhaps your bobbin is in backwards. Causes jamming every time.
ReplyDeleteYou should also bring the bobbin thread to the top and hold both thread tails when starting.
ReplyDeleteYes check the bobbin and the direction of the thread. I've jammed up the sewing, till I tried changing the orientation of the thread.
ReplyDeleteIt sounds to me as if the bobbin shuttle in your sewing machine is not sitting flat or in the right position. Take a look at it. Take out bobbin, lift it out and replace it. Your sewing machine manual should show you the correct alignment. If you dont have the manual di a search on line for the model you are using. Hope this heps.
ReplyDeleteThanks for all your helpful sewing machine tips. I have a 6500 Janome and quilted quite a lot and then I had some health problems and haven't used my machine for two years. Now I am planning to make some masks, and I had my machine serviced before I got sick. I'm just praying it will not jam up on me.... that is so frustrating. My sister is a master quilter and has two Janomes. I can call her if I have a problem. Mom taught me to sew when I was a seven, so I have to just get back on the horse... lol. Please wish me luck!!!
ReplyDelete