Friday 29 November 2013

Mmmmmmm...I Love Grey and What to Do About a Sewing Machine

My Sew Sisters Kona Solids of the Month club arrived for November with a Movember-themed moustache picture and four delicious fat quarters of grey.

Here is the inspiration photo:
This moustache is charming. The one my husband grew is horrible. Maybe he needs one that looks like this next November?

And here are the different greys:
From top to bottom: Kona Silver, Kona Shale, Kona Shadow and Kona Pewter.
I have to tell you, I love them all. The Shale in particular has this greenish quality that adds a lot of depth. I love, love, love grey and I am so thrilled to add these to my stash.

On the note of sewing: none to report. Despite a dear sewing friend lending me her back up machine, I have not been able to sew. Her machine and I are not friends. The bobbin is side loading and is in a metal bobbin case and it took me ages to figure out how to use it. (My machine had a mega-easy drop-in bobbin with a clear cover). Then the very first practice stitches I did resulted in a broken needle. Argh!

And I heard from the sewing machine repair guy who told me very directly that my machine (a Brother CS-5000H) is NOT meant for someone who does as much sewing as I do. He said "You should sell it to someone you don't know." Whatever THAT means. I am getting the machine back Monday but he said with the amount of sewing I do he thinks he will only last another six months to maybe a year, and that I should invest in a much better (read: expensive!) machine. Sigh. As anyone who has been on maternity leave can attest, spending thousands of dollars with a salary down to almost nothing is not ideal. My husband is being very understanding and we are trying to figure out if I should look out for post-Christmas sales and just do it (as in, buy a really nice, really expensive machine) or wait until mine fully breaks, or replace this one with another less expensive model and wait for that one to crap out before upgrading. What to do, what to do? 

What machine do YOU use? Would you recommend it to someone else? Can it handle all my sewing? I don't want to spend tons and get the wrong machine, that is for sure!

Lynn

5 comments:

  1. hi lynn , on the sewing machine hunt, look into Jamome , they a number of models at prices from low hundred's to thousands' and are good quality for you money hope you can find a machine that fits your budget and that you can enjoy useing

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  2. I find the whole process of machine shopping sort of mystifying myself - everything I look into seems great! amazing! wonderful! in comparison to my junky machine, but then I'll go look for reviews and the bad ones sure do pop out! I guess when I finally do decide to upgrade, I'm going to have to just go try things out in person and see if something just feels right to me.

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  3. I use a kenmore that is 20 yrs old. The last time i took it in for a cleaning he said it runs like a top! lol... i wasn't sewing as much then. I am also debating getting a newer machine and have decided that im not going to get one till I can get one with a bigger throat.

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  4. I sew on an old bernina 1006. I bought it used, and was told in advance that I wouldn't be able to use the special seams, It only sews strait and zig-zag seams, but it sews them like a charm. IT IS THE BEST!!! i love my machine.
    My advice is to think if buying a used machine from a reputable dealer, is right for you. Good Luck :-) Sigal.

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  5. I have a Brother I got at wal-mart that I use for classes and retreats. It's a nice light weight machine for taking out, but I'm not sure it will hold up for long as a main machine. I found an old Singer at a consignment shop for $45 and after cleaning it up she sews like a dream. If you're on a budget and looking at doing lots of sewing I'd definitely recommend looking into an older machine that's made of steal parts and meant to last. Good luck on your machine dilemma.

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