I am so disgusted with Blogger. The Divas and I seem to constantly have trouble posting images to Blogger. This used to only happen occasionally. Now it’s a regular thing and it is keeping us from posting as often as we’d like. As soon as things settle down a bit I am going to be making a move! Stay tuned.
My friend Greg gave me this really strong ceramic magnet to use as a seam guide when he was out of the regular magnetic seam guides. Apparently, he removes them from broken industrial motors. When I wasn’t using it as a seam guide, I had pushed it off to the side of the machine bed and discovered an even better use for it: to hold my thread snips! Now, when I sew really fast my snips won’t go flying onto the floor. I already added one to my serger and hope to eventually have one on all of my industrials. It goes without saying that a magnet should never be used on a computerized machine, but you already knew that.
About five years ago, my friend Greg over at Azar’s Sewing Center (Davie, FL) made me a stand-alone jumbo bobbin winder for my Brother embroidery machine. For the most part, I use prewound bobbins but it’s good to have a bobbin winder for emergencies or when a special color is needed. I don’t use it very often so I put it somewhere out of the way and now, naturally, I can’t find it. I really need it to wind bobbins for my Consew 206! You are supposed to wind while you’re sewing but I’d need duplicate cones of all of my 69 nylon threads in order to do that. A separate winder is the perfect solution!
I mentioned this to Greg when I was in his shop this morning and, voila!, he produced this jumbo bobbin winder. Apparently, he had made it for another customer who never came to pick it up - lucky for me! This one is even better than the original one he’d made. Always trying to improve upon things, that guy!
Many of you may not know that industrial stand-alone winders are very expensive. I paid about $650 for the winder for my 6-head embroidery machine some years back. Prices easily go over $800 today. I paid under $100 for this one. If you’re handy you can probably make your own for about $70 worth of parts.
I have a favorite pewter plate on my coffee table. Around the rim it says “Salud, Amor Y Pesetas Y Tiempo Para Disfrutarlas.” Translated, it says “health, love and wealth - and the time to enjoy them”. It’s that last bit that’s a toughie but I’m working on it.
I must apologize for posting so little this month. Summer should be a lazy time of year where I accomplish incredible amounts of sewing! Instead, I have been busy working, helping out at the DH’s restaurant and trying to get my son ready to head off to college next month. The summer is flying by! That’s not to say, dear reader, that I’m not thinking about sewing. Oh no, thoughts of sewing still consume my every waking moment. This is often a problem because it always leads to too many new fabric purchases - or machine purchases. I took the plunge and ordered another coverstitch. This time it’s a flatbed - the Kansai Special W8103-D. My dealer things I’m crazy. Now, how to get the machine inside without DH realizing that yet another industrial has joined the family….. Hopefully, it will arrive before DS leaves for school! He’ll roll his eyes a bit less than DH. 
I’ll be keeping my other coverstitch set up for binding and use the flatbed for all of my hemming. The best part is that I’ll be able to use a downturn feller and a beltloop folder on the flatbed. Don’t you just love sewing toys?
