Monday, March 7, 2011

MY SEWING MACHINE IS BACK

My sewing machine was acting up ,so I opened it up to clean and oil it ,but still no go ,I looked at the feed dogs and they just didn't seem to be moving as they should so......

I opened the cover underneath and looked and saw that the feed dog bearing was completely worn out ,do you see behind the white bearing it is connected to a brownish colored one which has some worn out light colored flakes on it ,that is the one .  Well my husband thought that since I was able to find the cause ,I can replace it on my own ,I don't know why (he must think I am a superwoman LOL)
So we went to the Singer center just down the street from our shop and got the right part ... well I looked and it just seems that one is connected to so many other parts I called it quilts after 5 min . My husband kept saying it is nothing if he  could see better he would do it ,I don't think I would let him just  between you and I .  So I took it in and got it yesterday Yay !!!!
Since I couldn't sew I spent my free time at home organizing my fabrics here I have all of my pretty prints ,notice how pleased my doll is .          
I also worked on the teapot templates after working on the  drawings !!
I had some rough sketches on a piece of paper and then redrew them and traced and cut them out with a box cutter since I am using thick matting board.
I was looking through my stash and I noticed that I had some batting scraps, they happen to be the right size for potholders so I made some.
I made 3 of them .
There is a large department store near my home I decided to go in and looked around ,it just recently opened, It is huge , I looked around  and these are the only things that I found use full for me ,now the white roll is used for seams so you don't have to use a needle and thread ,sort of fusible web ,I will try it for applique.

And the little cups I thought they would be perfect for pin cushions.
And there is my little Bunt cake it looks puffy enough I think!! I am quite pleased with it ,I will be making more of these.

I had some of these spare blocks from a previous project , so I played with them ,cutting in  different pieces and putting them back together sort of doing a puzzle seeing how to put them back in a way that was most appealing to the eye, notice that I used the bottom left one for the pin cushion .  So that is what I have been doing,I wish all of you a nice day and to make something nice and creative . xoxo theodora

18 comments:

Oops-Lah said...

You are very brave trying to fix your sewing machine. I can just about clean and oil my machine, but that's it. You've been busy again; I love all your projects and I can't wait to see how your teapots develop. I also have lots of those small batting pieces laying around and will do exactly what you did. I'll make a couple of pot holders. I'm sure they will make lovely gifts as well. Hugs Vreni x

Maria said...

How clever are you to have found the cause of your machines problems. Pleased you put it in to be fixed and it is now home agin.
You did keep busy though while it was away.

Kelly said...

The seam tape works great for applique, just iron it between your layers. Glad your machine is back and refreshed!

Quiet Quilter said...

Your pin cushion looks so dainty and sweet. I would hate to stick pins in it!

Glad you got your machine back and you were able to work on some items while it was gone.

Sheila said...

Your sewing machine sure needed some help and great that you got it in and fixed , mine needs a tuning right now. The little pincushion is just sweet , how clever of you to think of that . I also love those teapots , can't wait to see what you will do with them .Hugs Sheila

Sally Tharpe Rowles said...

I gave up sewing when my machine gave out.... you would not want to do that.... I really admire you trying to fix it yourself. I love the pot holders & little pin cushion. So pretty & yet so practical.

Wacky Woman said...

You are a brave, brave woman trying to fix your machine yourself. I feel so pleased with myself when I clean and oil mine. I also like how you store your stash. You can quickly see what you have at a glance.

sunny said...

You must be sew happy to have your machine back! Your teapots are adorable. I've recently purchased a couple of little ice cream dishes that are begging to be made into pincushions, so I'm happy to see yours for inspiration.

Cyndi said...

Oh goodness, Theodora, you are so industrious! I don't think I would ever attempt to try to fix my own sewing machine...it would end up a bigger mess than it started out being! LOL!! But I'm happy that it's all done and back home so you can sew. Your little pincushions are so cute. You come up with the most clever ideas. I, too, can't wait to see those teapots come to life in fabrics...I know they are going to be fabulous!

Have a wonderful day, my dear friend!

XOXO,

Cyndi

Sandra Henderson said...

Sorry about your machine. You sre so clever! Im going to make some potholders, thanks for the idea! Love the pincushion idea, all of it! Grewt blog! Xo

Angela said...

Great stuff Theodora! Very creative! I think the pincushion is fabulous!!!
Have a great week!
Angela

beachvintage.com said...

Wow look at all that fabric...what a stash!

Val said...

What a busy day! but so much to share :0) I love your pincushion and the idea of chopping up spare blocks and seeing what you can do with them. Very inspiring and creative :0)
Val xx Oxfordshire UK

Teje Karjalainen said...

Dear Theodora! You have wonderful fabrics! I was today in town, but didn't found much what I needed. Your potholders are beautiful - I love always blues! It would be great to clean and make service for our machines by ourselves!
Have a lovely time! xxx Teje

Anonymous said...

My grandma always said the old fashion sewing machines were the best. She lived from 1890 to 1964.

Sally Tharpe Rowles said...

Hi Theodora, Thank you so much for your sweet comment on my blog. I wanted to share with you that Redrose & her family are safe. My thoughts continue to be with the Japanese people as I am sure yours do too. Thank you for your concern.

Angie Padilla said...

My oldest sewing machine is a Singer (mechanical), too. I do all the maintenance on it myself, but now I now need to replace some parts (the foot often falls off while sewing because the threads on the screw have worn out). I think I will follow your example and take it to the dealer this time!
I love posts like this one where odds and ends (treasure) are incorporated into our sewing! Love your pincushion! (-:

Sandra Henderson said...

I am so proud of you! Good girl to fix your machine! I love the potholders, ive been saying how i need to make some. Great fabrics!