Saying goodbye to the sewing machine, but not for long :(

Well, my machine is acting a little funny lately. (I do, of course, mean my sewing machine. About my favorite machine in the house. Her name is “Sassy Pfaffy” for those who don’t know, which is pretty much everyone.) Just needs to be tweeked more often than normal. I was working on some curtains, and it kept bunching up the stitches. So I brought out some scrap fabric of the same weight and tested every tension number on Sassy, and couldn’t fix the problem. I rethreaded, rewound the bobbin, and couldn’t fix it. Since the fabric I was working with was very heavy, I thought I’d switch to a different project, another dress for Silje. It worked fine in the straight stitch, but when I tried the zigzag stitch, it was like watching someone die on a heart monitor. Zig zag zig…straight…zag…straight straight straight…zig, and then just a straight line.

So I’ve seen it coming for well over a month, but have been in denial, but I believe it’s time for Sassy to spend some time at the “sewing machine spa” down on Lincoln Ave. Well, they don’t call it that, but that’s what I’m telling her. They’ll just give her a little tune up, and fix the problem, which I’m pretty sure is just an adjustment to the tension plates. (I know if I went to a spa I would need some tension plates adjusted too.) I don’t know how long they’ll keep her, but I hope not too long. Sewing is my therapy, and I’m as nervous as a chronic patient who knows his doctor is going on vacation.

But I have some other hand sewing projects that need to be done in the meantime, so hopefully I won’t miss her to much! Anyone want a hint as to Silje’s handmade birthday present? I’ve given her handmade things before, but it’s never been the “big gift” like it will be this year. Mind you, this is just part of it…a hint. The food is unstuffed and I haven’t clipped thread yet so it’s still messy.

And for those of you who like to read into things, here “might” be more of an idea for what “may” be in store. (There’s one more link but it’s password protected, and who knows if I’ll even get it done!) But shhhh! Silje doesn’t know, and since she’s not allowed on the computer she won’t know, right?

And here’s a quick morning project I did a few days ago. It was so nice outside I wanted to hang the clothes out to dry. Then I remembered I had run across a clothespin apron tutorial online awhile back that I had saved. So in the time it took my front loader to wash 2 loads of laundry, I whipped out this baby:

I got the tutorial from here.

O Sassy, how I’ll miss you!