When I joined the quilt guild in 2014, I was stunned at the number of sewing machines each member owned. I had a 1975 all metal Kenmore and that was it! Many of my guild sisters had 3 or more. It baffled me and it worked to my advantage because one of those fine ladies GAVE me a 2000 Viking Freesia as she was clearing out unneeded machines. This was the first computerized machine I had ever sewn on and to say it was a revelation to me would be to damn the experience with faint praise. It was my introduction to the new millennium 14 years in. I also bought a 1954 Featherweight at a shop where lil zen and I were taking a class. It just looked so cool. I use it occasionally. It sews a perfect stitch but just one.
I fear that I may get too deep into the woods with this diary though. If you don’t sew, you probably don’t care or know what I am talking about. But if you do care, read on.
As you can see by Itzl's concerned look, this group is for us to check in at to let people know we are alive, doing OK, and not affected by such things as heat, blizzards, floods, wild fires, hurricanes, tornadoes, power outages, or other such things that could keep us off DKos. If you're not here, or anywhere else on DKos, and there are adverse conditions in your area (floods, heatwaves, hurricanes, etc.), we are going to check up on you. If you are going to be away from your computer for a day or a week, let us know here. We care!
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Monday Youffraita
Tuesday: bigjacbigjacbigjac
Wednesday Pam from Calif
Thursday art ah zen
Friday FloridaSNMOM
Saturday FloridaSNDad
Sunday loggersbrat
That Viking machine led me to the Viking Sapphire 930 that I just had to give last rights to. It had more features but I didn’t use most of them. I worked it to death by making denim purses. I did not realize how poorly it was working until I started using the new machine.
Today I am working on the one posted at the top of this diary. Let me tell you the funniest thing about this situation. This Baby Lock is a newer bigger version of my old Kenmore and my even older Featherweight. Yes, I still have both of those and they both work. It is all metal where it counts, has one button to cut the thread but no fancy stitches. You have to change feet to change the width of seams. But it does have one modern option, you can drop the feed dogs to do free motion quilting with a bouncy free motion foot. I just tried that with it. It was so easy and smooth that it pointed out how bad the Viking had gotten. I had to fight it all the time to keep the seams straight and free motion became a nightmare. The new one will do a much better job and maybe I can get better at it.
So, final count at Chez Riley’s Sewing Emporium and Beanery in 2025:
Baby Lock Accomplish- main machine of the day.
Brother XR3140- little machine to do applique stitches.
Kenmore model 1941 (not the year it was made)-in the closet, used by lil zen occasionally.
1954 Featherweight-seldom used but treasured.
Do you have sewing machines or even one? My mother never owned one and my grandmother had a treadle machine. I am making up for them.