BECAUSE I SAID SO: I Resign
Hmmmm....this must be a common theme for moms, I wrote in a similar vein a few years ago.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Funny Grocery Shopping Story
What happens with a mom inadvertantly buys an item which her children have snuck into the grocery cart? She takes her revenge on ebay, makes a few times over the money she spent, and publicizes her blog! Hysterically! A friend of mine shared the ebay link, which also includes the link to her blog.
Ain't motherhood grand?
Ain't motherhood grand?
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Sew What?
So the Freecycle machine did not work out. I read the repair book, it was still beyond me how to fix the machine, which was getting the thread tangled and caught in the bobbin casing. I decided to send it back out into the Freecycle-o-sphere. However, I posted an honest offer, detailing the shape it's in and the inability to procure a manual. I got a taker and it's out of my house. Phew!
Meanwhile, my friend who is trying to draw me into her web of crafting has not given up on me and gave me her old machine! (Thank you!) She scoffed at the idea of an instruction manual, but the machine is only a few years old and I was able to get the manual off the manufacturer's website (bonus because I thought I'd have to shell out $15 to buy one).
Of course, there is always an obstacle and right now, it's that I don't have a full-size spool of thread. The Freecycle machine came with one and I left it on there. So someday, I will get to a craft store or a fabric store and get some thread. I will buy good quality thread, having learned from a sewing machine book that people should not cheap out on thread (the chapter was titled something like "People get cheap in the weirdest places"). The implication being that they have already spent perhaps hundreds of dollars on the machine.
Meanwhile, I look at the sewing porn and ponder all the wonderful projects I could undertake. This has resulted in a number of spirited e-mails among other friends who have experience sewing and own machines. Perhaps it sounds too stereotypical, homeschoolers who sew their own clothes, but you've got to see some of the projects we're considering. Corset necktie belts, anyone?
Once again, option paralysis sets in and I have no idea what to make. I am thinking I might stitch a simple cover for the sewing machine. Another tidbit I picked up from the sewing books, never cover your machine in plastic, it makes the machine "sweat." That and use crocous cloth (available at your local hardware store) to gently buff out any 'burrs' on your machine needle or plate.
Yup, once again I have acquired a whole lot of knowledge that doesn't enable me to do anything.
2012 follow-up -- I'm finally sewing!
Meanwhile, my friend who is trying to draw me into her web of crafting has not given up on me and gave me her old machine! (Thank you!) She scoffed at the idea of an instruction manual, but the machine is only a few years old and I was able to get the manual off the manufacturer's website (bonus because I thought I'd have to shell out $15 to buy one).
Of course, there is always an obstacle and right now, it's that I don't have a full-size spool of thread. The Freecycle machine came with one and I left it on there. So someday, I will get to a craft store or a fabric store and get some thread. I will buy good quality thread, having learned from a sewing machine book that people should not cheap out on thread (the chapter was titled something like "People get cheap in the weirdest places"). The implication being that they have already spent perhaps hundreds of dollars on the machine.
Meanwhile, I look at the sewing porn and ponder all the wonderful projects I could undertake. This has resulted in a number of spirited e-mails among other friends who have experience sewing and own machines. Perhaps it sounds too stereotypical, homeschoolers who sew their own clothes, but you've got to see some of the projects we're considering. Corset necktie belts, anyone?
Once again, option paralysis sets in and I have no idea what to make. I am thinking I might stitch a simple cover for the sewing machine. Another tidbit I picked up from the sewing books, never cover your machine in plastic, it makes the machine "sweat." That and use crocous cloth (available at your local hardware store) to gently buff out any 'burrs' on your machine needle or plate.
Yup, once again I have acquired a whole lot of knowledge that doesn't enable me to do anything.
2012 follow-up -- I'm finally sewing!
Thursday, August 09, 2007
Sew...
wow, it's dusty around here. This blog seems almost abandoned. Or is it merely dormant while homeschooling takes over? Maybe it's just that I've found other ways to ignore my kids.
Anyway, I recently acquired a sewing machine from my local Freecycle list. Whether it works or not is a matter of debate. The offeror said it works and from the standpoint of plugging it in and pushing the pedal, the gears do operate. However, the thread gets tangled in the machine. So, I wouldn't call the thing operational. Maybe it's a simple fix. Unfortunately, the free machine did not come with a manual, so I'm posting here in case someone has a lead for me. The label says "Montgomery Ward." It's model UHT J 1984.
I headed to the library when I first acquired the machine to get all kinds of 'how to sew' books. Now, I am requesting all kinds of "how to fix sewing machine" books. Both of them.
I've been visiting the websites mentioned in the "how to sew" books because they uniformly tell me the most important piece of equipment is the instruction manual. Turns out, I've got a 'rare' machine that's not listed on the websites. But some get close.
Anyway, I'm having fun, picturing myself as a tinkerer. I do like to play with machines and might have made a good engineer, but who wants to take all that math? Maybe I would have been a good mechanic, they aren't required to take calculus.
Why do I want to start sewing on a machine? One of my friends made an adorable dress for her child that she found on this site and I thought it might be fun to become 'crafty.' So far, my path is not leading to 'crafty' but to machine repair work. Who knows.
Anyway, I recently acquired a sewing machine from my local Freecycle list. Whether it works or not is a matter of debate. The offeror said it works and from the standpoint of plugging it in and pushing the pedal, the gears do operate. However, the thread gets tangled in the machine. So, I wouldn't call the thing operational. Maybe it's a simple fix. Unfortunately, the free machine did not come with a manual, so I'm posting here in case someone has a lead for me. The label says "Montgomery Ward." It's model UHT J 1984.
I headed to the library when I first acquired the machine to get all kinds of 'how to sew' books. Now, I am requesting all kinds of "how to fix sewing machine" books. Both of them.
I've been visiting the websites mentioned in the "how to sew" books because they uniformly tell me the most important piece of equipment is the instruction manual. Turns out, I've got a 'rare' machine that's not listed on the websites. But some get close.
Anyway, I'm having fun, picturing myself as a tinkerer. I do like to play with machines and might have made a good engineer, but who wants to take all that math? Maybe I would have been a good mechanic, they aren't required to take calculus.
Why do I want to start sewing on a machine? One of my friends made an adorable dress for her child that she found on this site and I thought it might be fun to become 'crafty.' So far, my path is not leading to 'crafty' but to machine repair work. Who knows.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)