Today I shall be Mainly...

[Sue]

Just left the ferry at Portsmouth, now for the long haul home via Coventry

[Stanley]

Have a safe journey Sue back to the gloomy North!
Getting normal communications done, walking Jack and being ready to leave for Airedale at 09:45 when Susan and Jess pick me up.

[Sue]

Torrential rain started at Warwick so we avoided the motorway. Derbyshire was beautiful and not as much spray, but a long journey. Over 8 hours including stops for lunch, dropping stuff off at Coventry and cuppa in the afternoon.

A pigeon has just flown straight into tbe bedroom window. What a bang, its sitting dazed on the garden path.

Today is art , writing and yoga. All back to normal

[Wendyf]

Have a safe journey Sue back to the gloomy North!
Getting normal communications done, walking Jack and being ready to leave for Airedale at 09:45 when Susan and Jess pick me up.

I see Susan is taking reinforcements in case you become hard to handle! Hope the results are positive and that they removed a low grade tumour.

[Marilyn]

Picked up the padding and fabrics ( and piping cord/thread/spray adhesive/staples) for our pelmets today. Hubby has got six of the eight constructed, so it was time to make fabric choices. This will keep me busy for a few days'
We have done pelmets before and made a good job of them. This is good straight sewing to get me used to my new machine. Should be a walk in the park...( fingers crossed because everything is different with the new machine!)

[Stanley]

Wendy, I commented to them yesterday that few men have two highly qualified health professionals as carers! As Susan said the other day, I couldn't afford their fees......
Nice to hear you are back in the groove Sue. I am doing the same today, butcher's as normal and veggie shopping will be the major events.... (Such an exciting life.....)

[Sue]

Craft today, then a visit to Burnley cemetery, as we couldn’t go on the 4 th. Then a meal with friends before wine tasting this evening.

It looks like our garden pond has sprung a leak after Bob and Adam hauled out the massive growth of pond plants that were filling the whole thing. We are a bit unhappy as Bob took extra care not to damage it. If we find the leak perhaps a repair can be made but last time it ended up being a big job having to replace the complete liner. Its a very big garden pond having been placed where the garden used to flood.

We had a good nights sleep last night, back to English time zone! I felt exhausted yesterday after two nights of less sleep. And of course the long journey too.

[Stanley]

Everything looks better after a good sleep Sue! Good luck with the pond, a bit of a set-back but Bob will cope.

[Stanley]

Normal day but a bit of shed, it's time I got back in there......

[LizG]

This is good straight sewing to get me used to my new machine. Should be a walk in the park...( fingers crossed because everything is different with the new machine!)

Which sewing machine did you buy Maz?

Mine had a bit of a glitch the other day. I was finishing off some skirts I'd made for my daughter, I made the button holes, turned the machine off and then sewed on the buttons. When I turned it back on to modify a dress for her it kept beeping and telling me that I should remove the button hole foot; I'd already done that. Eventually I put the foot back on, sewed another small buttonhole on scrap fabric, replaced the button hole foot with the 1/4 inch foot and continued on my merry way.

There's more than one way to skin a cat! (What dreadful expression )

[Stanley]

But a very descriptive one!

[Marilyn]

Liz...a Singer ( One Plus). I'm about 80% happy with it...though as I only paid half price for it, perhaps I should say I am 100% happy with it at the price I paid!)
My previous machines ( Pfaff, Bernina and Janome Computer) were all brilliant machines. Solid metal...and both the Bernina and Janome ( Computer) I could strip right down and fix or fiddle if needed. They purred like kittens and we did many many happy miles together. This is the first "plastic" machine I have bought. Hubby says it sounds "whoo...whoooo...whoo" like a spook at Halloween. He is right. It is most annoying.
Things are in different places. I keep reaching for the back stitch when doing seams. That is just a matter of retraining the brain. The thing I find the hardest is that everything resets to default when you turn it off. I turn my machine off out of habit when I need to go and iron something or I am busy cutting something out. So I have to remember to either leave the machine on or reset it from default straight stitch.
I'm also annoyed that the light that shines on the work area has a blue tinge to it. Not good at all. ( lucky this machine threads itself). That is amazing. I nearly wet myself!
And if I want to stand at a bench to sew...no foot required. It sews without the foot. How clever is that?
I'm hoping my Quilting Walking Foot fits it. Haven't had a chance to check yet.

Two of the eight pelmets completed today. Very happy with them (pattern matching was perfect). Three of the remaining six have had the sewing done.
My desire is to get back into dress-making. I've cleared out all my quilting stuff. I am DONE quilting. I want to get back into making fabulous clothes.

[Sue]

Doesn’t it have a memory button to save settings Maz. My machine bought second hand from a dealer and only 18 months old is a Brother. Its an all singing all dancing machine that can be set up as an embroidery machine. It also sews without a foot but I have more control with the foot. It has a metal arm I can nudge with my knee to raise the presser foot but I don’t use that either. I love it but Brother machines are very noisy. I find Janomes really smooth and quiet. All my other machines except my first Jones which was my Mums have been Janome. I wanted a Janome but this dealer only sells Brother a very reputable dealer who I have known for over 30 years. He used to deal in knitting machines which is when I first met him

Off to look at cars today, mine is due for replacement. A Mini clubman or the new Fiesta are favourite as they can offer everything I want. My present car is a Jazz, but the new model has lost nearly all the features I bought it for. It is our main car , although technically mine, so its the one we usually buy new. Bobs is a 12 year old Volvo but is convertible so great for France in the summer. We went down to one car when we retired but poor bus services meant that we were unable to both get out and about at the same time doing our various hobbies and such.

Claire and Erin are coming over this afternoon

[Marilyn]

Doesn’t it have a memory button to save settings Maz

It may have a memory button, Sue! But I've only watched half the DVD so far.
Don't quote me, but it had over 200 embroidery stitches. (Was it 249??!)
Another thing I am used to is front bobbin -this is drop in. But I seem OK with that.
Also, I am so used to pushing both threads back under the foot in an action that is second nature. This one you have to push sideways through a slot.
It soon tells you when you have done something wrong! And a picture comes up on the screen to tell you what it is.

Still have most of my hair left...but must watch the rest of that DVD.

[Marilyn]

Must say though...learning new skills is so invigorating.
I'm on quite a buzz just now. And I have forgotten to have lunch for 2 days in a row. ( this is how I used to be...totally absorbed and disconnected from the world...in a good way! I used to lose HOURS sewing.)
Never be scared to learn new things or new ways. Gosh it is fun.

[Stanley]

These modern machines sound much more complicated than the machines in the shed..... I am very impressed by all of you!

[Marilyn]

The old machines were rather wonderful. I still have them but they need serious tinkering. I want to get my Bernina up and running again but parts have seized and though I can take it to bits and put it back together, there are certain mechanisms I have never tampered with. Best left to a wet windy day and some CRC I reckon. Like old cars, old sewing machines are fixable.
It still sews straight stitch, but anything else is seized.
The Janome, another "take it apart and tinker" ( and I certainly have over the years)...I had something ( important) drop off and into the workings and I'm not quite sure how to get it out! ( another wet windy day project!) I have tried reaching it with all sorts of forceps but it is around a corner and I can't grasp it. It was the bobbin winder that dropped down one day when I was oiling and tinkering.

[Tripps]

I sewed a button on my trousers yesterday - by hand. Don't mock - quite an achievement for Private Allthumbs. (Copyright Sgt Bilko). All went well after I worked out that the needle threading device had to be pushed through the needle before the thread was introduced.

[Marilyn]

I shall not mock. Well done!
( I have automatic button sewing! Haven't tried it yet mind you.)

[Wendyf]

Not to be outdone I have decided to get my machine out.

20181110_124739.jpg

[Sue]

I have just bought a new car. December delivery. It was a bit like the story of the three bears. Mini 1 too small, Mini Clubman too wide for the garage doorway, Mini Countryman just right. We even tried it in the garage on my test drive, well the salesman did, he was a bit nervous as the test drive was in a brand new car.....no miles on the clock. I am very pleased, all the extras I wanted except the lumbar support seats, but the seats don’t need it. Very roomy, great for passengers and luggage..

New machines are fun Maz, I am still finding out what mine will do. Good for you too Wendy. You have a favourite machine amongst many people.

[Sue]

I shall not mock. Well done!
( I have automatic button sewing! Haven't tried it yet mind you.)

I do too. Mine too has a huge number of stitches ( I can’t find tge number in the manual) and I can even set it to sew horizontally...so the book says. No doubt you can do mirror image and enlargement too etc


Time for some research.......

I see the manual says over 400 stitches and 136 built in embroidery designs but I don’t know if that is included in the 400

[Wendyf]

It's a few years since the Singer emerged from the dark recesses of the cupboard into the daylight! Once I realised that the lack of tension was because I hadn't wound the thread around the right part of the tension screw thingy I was away! A very rough and ready job getting rid of the lining from an old pair of curtains that I'm not ready to replace yet. The fabric has shrunk with washing but the linings haven't, leaving them dangling and dingy looking below the curtain. We never draw them anyway so they should be ok.
Manic kittens don't help though!

20181110_132809.jpg

[Sue]

I am impressed Wendy, keep up the good work.

Exhausted from my car buying I am having a sit down before whirlwind Erin arrives in 45 minutes.that will be the end of peace for the day

[Wendyf]