Alicia's Attic

While visting Make It Sew in Broomfield, I discussed with Bob how best to work with older machines or the new machines that really aren't up to the standards of the past. (He really knows machines having worked on all brands for 20 plus years.) We talked about some of the most frustrating parts of working with the sewing machine. He mentioned that not knowing how to thread the machine properly was a significant step. This reminded me that while in 7th and 8th grade, I sewed my clothes not knowing how to thread my great aunt's Kenmore which we had inherited. The bobbin thread always ran straight compared to the top thread. I didn't have a problem ripping out seams as needed, but I'm amazed that my clothes stayed together.

Another issue we discussed is the machine sucking the thread down into the bobbin case area at the beginning. If I forget to grab the threads, I can have a major mess, sometimes. While learning to sew and quilt in the 70's and 80's, many times when I was pushing to finish a project, I would often have the machine lock up right near the end. I think the reason was because I would be in a hurry and not grab the threads (because I knew that I didn't always have to hold them) then I would push on the pedal too fast and the threads would be pulled in, creating a birds nest of thread and quite often an end to my progress. I remember  my mom really didn't like me using her machine because each time I got threads caught she would have to have it serviced.

Since then, I have learned to use Startie-Stoppies and come to realize what a life-saver and time-saver they are. (These are scraps of fabric that I use in between my sewing so that everything is chain-pieced. For them to work effectively, I start with one and end with one, which then becomes my startie, because I cut the work off the back.) I proposed to Bob that maybe by teaching people to sew with these from the very beginning, they wouldn't get as frustrated with their machine and would stick with sewing longer. He agreed that holding those threads is important especially on lesser quality machines...and this might make a difference in how people relate to sewing and their machine. I figure that this simple concept lets the machine do what it does best - sewing - and lets us do what we enjoy doing most - guiding the fabric in... to create something beautiful and special.

If you haven't tried Startie-Stoppies or are not familiar with the concept, let me know you are interested and I'll put together a video giving the 10 reasons why Startie-Stoppies are the best, no matter what type of machine you have. Bob pointed out the latest which is that by having fabric feeding in after sewing, the presser foot never comes in contact with the feeddogs. Therefore these metal parts don't wear down and the small bits of metal aren't down in the bobbin mechanism.