It’s here!

Some of you may remember me saying that I’d purchased a 2nd coverstitch machine - a flatbed - some months ago. Well, my friend (and mechanic extraordinaire) has been busy (as have I) so I didn’t pester him about the machine. I stopped by the shop last Wednesday to drop off some fabric and was excited that the machine was being delivered that afternoon. He finished building the stand yesterday and DH brought her home this morning. He wants to know what in the world is inside this machine that makes it so unbelievably heavy (the stand actually has steel reinforcement rods). I guess weight of the metal parts and the casting add up. Still, it’s hard to believe that this weighs so much more than my walking-foot machine. I told him to be thankful we have a single-story house!

Since I’ll use the flatbed much more than the binder, I upgraded to the 8800 series. Not that I’ll ever need it but it will sew 6000 stitches per minute. Yikes!

And now that’s it, I’m officially out of space. I’m sure my husband is thankful for that!

She’s all set up and ready to go and I just realized I forgot to put the rubber feet on the stand. :-O Fiddle dee dee, I’ll think about that tomorrow. I don’t dare ask DH to lift this tank twice in one day!

Pool table cover - Final

Woohoo! It’s finished! This is certainly not a project I am anxious to tackle again anytime soon. The sewing was easy enough but trying to control so much (nearly 6 yards) heavy vinyl was very tiring. My shoulders, neck and arms are killing me! In a real workroom, the machine’s power stand would be inset into a large work table. I’m not that lucky so I had some of the cover resting on a chair next to me and the rest on my lap.

I wanted the finished cover to have plenty of ease - this is just a large cat bed, after all. A snug cover would have turned it into a cat trampoline. I somehow miscalculated the length, not allowing enough ease for the center of the cover to lay flat against the table. Rather than remove the sashing strips (ugh) I borrowed yet another idea from my quilting friends: double sashing strips a la the Log Cabin pattern. I simply cut down all four sides and added a second set of strips. The ones on the end are a wee bit wider to make up for my mistake. Not perfect but not bad enough that I’d want to start all over. It’s a pool table cover, after all. Besides, none of my friends carry a tape measure with them.

I’m very happy with the way the corners turned out. I used the same technique that I used on my son’s tailored bedskirt. I sewed the side pieces on first then added a 9″ wide piece underneath. I hemmed the underpiece but left the sides unhemmed to reduce bulk.

I think one of the hardest things about a project like this is figuring out what to do as you go along. I can tell you how much ease I like in a straight skirt (2″) or how much ease I like in a pillow cover (-1″) but I’m a bit lost when it comes to pool table covers so I had to wing it and really exercise my sewing brain. It will be easier next time. Just let me rest for a few years.

Last, but not least, I have to praise Connie, my wonderful walking-foot machine! I am sooooo glad I bought her. She sailed through this project with flying colors, every stitch as perfect as the last. Mwa!

I was a bit intimidated when I first brought her home. Knowing that the foot could walk right over my finger was a little scary - especially when you take a look at the ginormous needle (I think this one is a 22). After two big projects and a couple of purses, we’re old pals.

New bobbin winder!

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.

Time flies

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?

Industrial Sewing Machines

Let’s talk about industrials for a moment. There seems to be a misconception among home sewers that “industrial” means heavy duty. Not so. There are industrial machines for all different types of work. An industrial dressmaking head will no more sew heavy materials and be able to handle heavy nylon thread than whatever home machine you are working on. Nor will a machine intended to handle heavy materials work well if you are making a dress.

Let’s compare:

This is an industrial zigzag - a Singer 20U-33. She used to be blue but she had a face lift last year. I use her mainly for uniform work in my embroidery business (sewing on trims, tackle twill numbers, etc.). She also handles home dec projects very well (dust ruffles, draperies, pillows, etc.) and doesn’t mind lightweight garment leathers. However, she does not like heavy work, nor does she like heavy thread. Believe me, I tried it *very carefully* last year and ended up breaking the hook.

This is an industrial walking foot machine - a Consew 206RB. She LOVES heavy work! She will sew through bulky layers of leather or awning canvas like a hot knife through butter. Heavy thread? No problem! I use her mainly for sewing heavy leathers but she will handle anything and everything from canvas on up. My friend Sandy uses the same machine in her upholstery business and my friend Sharon uses a similar model (the 226) to make tapestry purses and pressing boards.

What really peeves me are unscrupulous Ebay sellers who list plain old domestic machines as “industrial”. Just because it looks like an iron horse doesn’t make it industrial and if it is industrial doesn’t mean it will handle heavy work. Do your homework - I cannot stress this enough! If you don’t know someone who is knowledgeable about the model you are considering, a wealth of information can be found right here on the internet.

Here’s a good one. This machine is being sold as an “industrial walking foot”. Check out the sticker! It even uses “industrial thread”! You mean, like cone thread? Wow.

And look! The seller has cleverly disguised the “industrial walking foot” as a plain old zigzag foot. Read further and you’ll find that the walking foot is “detachable” - a dead giveaway. Honestly, how do people keep a straight face when they are typing up these listings? Even worse, how do they sleep at night?

The seller says he has sold this machine for nearly $1000 new in the box but you, my dear Ebay buyer, can buy it for just over $100. My local dealer sells this budget-friendly home machine for $99.