sewing machine Archives

Lucinda October 20, 2014

Shopping On Ebay For Sewing Accessories – Good Idea?

Like many sewists, I have an older, used sewing machine. Don’t get me wrong, I love my Bernina 1005 with its pastel 80’s color theme and the band name “Slip Knot” etched into the casing, but having an older model makes it hard to find feet and other accessories I want/need for my machine, like a walking foot.

I’m starting my first quilt (a lap quilt), and I really don’t want to hand quilt it. Like, really really don’t want to (don’t even try to talk me into it, haha). I don’t like hand sewing my garments, and I can’t imagine sitting and quilting for hours and hours when a machine can do it much faster. And yes, I know machine quilting can be tricky for a beginner, but it wouldn’t be anything fancy, just straight lines. From what I’ve gathered, a walking foot is pretty much necessary for easy(er) machine quilting. When I checked to see if my local Bernina dealership had walking feet compatible for my 1005 in stock, they said they could order it but it would cost a few hundred dollars. Insane!

I took to Ebay this past weekend to see what I could find…and a lot of what I found are no-name brand walking feet that say they’re “compatible” with my Bernina model. However, I’m skeptical…heaven forbid I get one of these feet and they mess up the timing or something like that on my machine! I’ve always been of the school of thought of only Bernina accessories for Bernina machines.

Which got me to thinking…how do people buy sewing machines etc. on Ebay? There’s quite a few to choose from on there, like Bernina 930s, my favorite machine my mom has, and some of them have no description of the quality of condition of the machine. I’m sure you can ask the seller…but it seems so dicey to buy something like that over the Internet without trying it out or being able to return it.

So – have you bought hard-to-find sewing machine accessories on Ebay, or even a sewing machine? Is/was it a good idea/worth it or do you wish you’d done things differently?

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Lucinda February 28, 2012

Sewing Studio Tour

City living is not conducive to crafting. I share a cute, three bedroom apartment with two other girls, so my space is limited when it comes to my sewing and crafting. What you’re looking at is my “sewing studio” – yes, it’s a corner of my room with a door that joins my room to my roommate’s room (which she has her bed in front of – it’s a weird setup). It was too small of a space to fit a computer desk, so I converted it into a little sewing nook instead.

The sewing table is my mom’s sewing table from the 70’s that she gave to me when I first learned how to sew. It’s the right size for my trusty Bernina 1005, which you see above sporting a dust cover I made from Alexander Henry’s “Perfect Pattern” fabric a few years ago. I keep my sewing basket, originally my grandmother’s, and a box of fabric trim underneath my table.

Since I rent, and may move again soon, I can’t really invest in a wall-organizing system like a pegboard or shelving to keep all of my tools in place. A long nail is all I need to hang up my Omnigrid ruler, hip curve, and flexible ruler. Yes, that’s Christmas wrapping paper in the corner still…

I’ve always wanted an inspiration board in my sewing space and I finally made one when I moved in and set up my corner. I followed Laura’s instructions on how to make her bulletin board with a sheet of plywood and some D rings. It’s simple, big, and easy to tack stuff on to! I just updated this the other day with some tear-outs from the March Vogue Magazine.

Some embroideries I stitched up from Sublime Stitching. The bottom one is a quote from a pin on my knitting bag.

I constantly have a long list of sewing patterns that I want to make going in my head, and I find it hard to keep track of them all. I covered an old bulletin board with a woven curtain panel from Ikea I and now use it organize my pattern queue. It’s easier to remember which patterns I want to sew when they’re always out and visible. Plus, when I’ve bought fabric for a pattern, I’ll attach a swatch onto the pattern envelope on my bulletin board so I can remember which fabric is for which project.

Ikea makes some awesome organizational storage. I purchased the wooden drawers a few years ago to keep my fat quarters, scraps, and other odds and ends tidy – love that each drawer has a little insert where you can write what contents are of each drawer. The mini clear drawers are from Target and are great to keep small things, like spools of thread, needles, and buttons contained.

Another fantastic Ikea find. I can’t take credit for this idea since I saw it in the sewing room setup at my local Ikea showroom: it’s supposed to be a bathroom accessory stand for soap and such, but they used it instead to keep sewing notions organized. It’s great for keeping the things I reach for all the time, like my scissors, seam ripper, and sewing gauge at hand.

I have dreams of one day having an entire room devoted to my sewing/knitting/crafting – like my mom – and I even have a Pinterest board where I’ve pinned some ideas that I’d like to try when I finally do get the space. But it just goes to show, no matter how small your space is, it’s possible to make it work for your crafting needs.

How is your sewing or crafting space set up?

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Lucinda September 5, 2010

Sewing Machine Meme

What brand and model do you have? Bernina 1005

How long have you had it? About nine years or so

How much does that machine cost? My mom traded in one of her other machines for my current one, so I’m not sure. It was a gift.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? Mostly clothing, some machine piecing and bags. But mostly clothes.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get? I don’t get to sew as much as I used to, so it doesn’t get a whole lot of use. I tend to go through sewing spurts here and there, but it’s sporadic at best. I really should sew more, there’s so many things I want to make…

What features does your machine have that work well for you? It’s a great straight-stitch machine and is easy to go back and forth from straight to zig zag. It’s pretty much your standard, basic machine. No bells and whistles, but I absolutely love it!

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine? I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how to properly gather fabric with elastic thread! I tried everything. It still alludes me to this day!

Do you have a great story to share about your machine? My machine was previously used in a home-ec class, and some student decided to scratch the name of the band “Slip Knot” on to the side of my machine.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why? Definitely. It’s nothing like the whimpy plastic machines they make now; there’s something about the cast metal that makes it feel serious and that it can handle anything.