Oops, I think I missed my spa day!

 The 4th of July is over and done with and I didn't post a reminder about spa day for your featherweights.  I'm so sorry but I don't think it's too late.  If you follow my suggestion, I tell people the best way to remember when to do your 6-month oil/grease and lube day is to do it between Christmas and New Year's day and then again between my birthday and the 4th of July.  Those two times are just about 6 months apart.  So, go ahead and do that spa day if you haven't done it already.

It's really been nice up here in the woods this summer.  We didn't get to come last year so that makes it even more special this time.  But, not doing all the things that need to be done last year has meant there is more to do now.  The flower beds were pretty grown over and they all need a boost with some good manure added to feed those plants.  Our neighborhood doe really likes petunias and tomatoes.  She just about devoured those when we had to go back to AA for the dr check up.  I think they will come back.  I hope they will come back.

It's so quiet up here and that means I can catch some sewing time on rainy days and early in the mornings.  I started a Judy Niemeyer quilt, Carnival Flower, back in the winter and took a class.  Nancy Kloster is a great teacher but I was only able to participate in 3 of the 6 monthly classes.  She told me not to worry.  She'd answer any questions I had and she did that.  The quilt top is done now and I really do love it.  I don't know how I'm going to quilt it yet but I'll figure it out, I'm sure.

And, our summer FW retreats are coming up so soon now.  I can't wait for all the fun.  If you'd like to get your name on the list for the 2025 retreats, be sure to email me.  jdquilts123@yahoo.com

Okay, guess I'll get back to my FW and try to get things ready for our get together next month.  Do let me know if you have any questions or comment here.  I'll  be sure to post pictures after our retreats.

So, you want to clean up your FW?

 I had a very interesting and challenging issue that came up this past month.  You know,  there are a ton a u-tube videos out there in the deep dark web that can lure you in so quickly.  They promise to give you all the answers to all the questions you might have about your featherweight and many of them will get you in a lot of trouble!  There are a few things you need to know before you get sucked in!

First, if you've not worked on your FW before, don't start trying to fix a bunch of things all at once.  Even those of us that work on these cute little machines all the time know better than to take a bunch of stuff apart at the same time.  And, if I do take a few things apart I always make sure to keep each area of things separate from each other. My general rule is, 'IF IT AIN'T BROKE, DON'T FIX IT'!  And if you do want to fix it, rely on someone that knows what they are doing!

Next, pay close attention to which screws go where.  There are so many teeny tiny screws in the FW and each one has to go exactly where it goes. The hardware store won't carry a Singer screw.  Use magnetic dishes to hold things and always work over a padded surface.  Those screws get legs and run off everywhere!  Don't let them escape!  Also, if the head of a screw is damaged, DON'T PUT IT BACK IN THE MACHINE!  A damaged screw head is never a good thing.  You can get a replacement screw from me or calling the FW shop.  And, remember that screws are to be tightened just to the snug stage.  Over tightening screws can cause a lot of damage.

And, I hate to say this but really, it's true.  It's best to take your FW to someone that specializes in FWs.  So many times I get  a machine after it's been worked on by a licensed sewing machine repair person.  They often use the wrong grease (like the molykote in this machine), adjust things incorrectly or don't service the motor at all.  BAD STUFF!  You can service your machine if you learn how.  There are people and places that will teach you what you need to know.

You know I love getting your machine back up and running and if I do say so myself, I'm not bad at it.  I just got a machine back to sewing a beautiful stitch after the local repair guy gave up on it.  The machine had been taken apart by the owner following one of those u-tube videos showing how easy it is to take things apart to clean them.  She found it's not so easy.  I even had issues getting it back to sewing the beautiful stitch it wanted to stitch.  You really do need to know a bit more than how to wind a bobbin and thread the machine. 

Take a class.  Follow the Featherweight Shop's great schoolhouse instructions and when you have questions ask before you mess something up.  I will always answer your email questions as quickly as I can and I'm happy to do that.  Contact me!  jdquilts123@yahoo.com.

Okay, that's it!  Let me know if you have questions.  I'll always try to help.

 

How does time get away from us so easily?

Really, I think that I can still do all the things I used to do but, I can't.  I'm getting older and I guess I didn't expect time to fly past me this fast.  What a busy beginning of 2024 we've had here.  I've taught quite a few classes.  I gone to 4 retreats already this year.  We've had some medical issues here with many trips to the hospital and I've been working on FWs like crazy.  I think that accounts for my not getting a chance to do as much as I think I can do.

Our FW Sew-in days have been so much fun.  I've been able to be at most of them and the ladies that come tell me they really LOVE getting together once a month.  There is a change in the date for April and since that's coming up this week, I guess I need to make mention of it.  Usually we meet the 4th Saturday of each month but due to a scheduling conflict, April's Sew-in Day is going to be Thursday, April 25th.  Do go online to the Quilt Patch website, www.thequiltpatch.com, and sign up.  We meet 10am-3pm.  Bring whatever you want to work on and expect a great time with other FW owners.

It's close to time for us to head North for the summer.  If the doctors say that's okay for us to do this year, we'll be heading up sometime within the next month.  If you have a machine you want me to work on or you need to buy a new to you FW, give me a shout out by emailing me, jdquilts123@yahoo.com.  I will try to figure out how we can get all the things done that you need before we leave.

I'll be sending out information about the August retreats pretty soon as well.  Getting the roster set in stone is the first step.  I'm already trying to figure out what fun things to plan for our great get togethers.  I really love all the fun we have.

Do I have any FW tips to pass on this time?  Well, I've had a couple of ladies bring their machines to me because the motor just stopped and there wasn't a hum or any kind of movement of anything.  What's going on with that?  A FW doesn't work just fine and then, all of a sudden it quits.  Well, a dead spot in a motor can do that but you can get things working just fine by giving the hand wheel a bit of a push when you have a dead spot.  Nope, this time, nudging the handwheel didn't work.  So, I had to start doing some investigating.  Why isn't the motor getting any electrical current?  Where is it getting cut off?

After a bit of trial and error hunting through things, I decided to open up the foot controller and that's where I found the problem.  There was a bug wing stuck between 2 electrical connectors where nobody would see them easily.  And, as you can see, it was a pretty big bug wing. How on earth did a bug wing get in that foot controller in the first place?  Well, I'll probably never be able to answer that question.  I used my tweezers to get the bug wing out and then brushed any lint and fluff out that had accumulated.  Everything worked just fine at that point.  You know the FW owner was so embarrased but really, that bug wing could have been there for years and only just that one day worked its way in between the spot where the electricity wanted to flow.  This was a new one to me!  And to have it happen to two foot controllers in the same week was amazing.  Guess I should have bought me a lottery ticket.  Oh well!

Happy Sewing.  Enjoy your Spring while it lasts.  Time will rush it by too soon.

It's time for our Spa Day

 

 

As the holiday gets closer and closer, I'm reminded that I've always suggested doing a Spa Day on your precious little FW between Christmas and New Year's day.  That's tradition for me.  After all, every six months we do need to take care of our machine(s) to keep it (them) running well.

I get asked this question all the time.  'Do I need to give all my machines a Spa Day every 6 months?  Some of them haven't been out of the case since the last Spa Day.'  Well, let's use a bit of common sense here.  If the machine hasn't been out of the case, it doesn't need another full Spa Day, does it?  You'll want to check it all out and for sure give that one drop of oil in the bobbin race before you sew.  You know that spot.  You are supposed to put a drop of oil there every morning when you start sewing.  But, use your better judgement.  If your FW has been working for you quite a bit, a Spa Day does seem appropriate.

What's going on with the FW Club stuff?  Well, the Sew-in-Days are running full swing.  I'm so looking forward to the December 23 get together.  I know!  It's so close to Christmas but I'm planning on this day being for ME!  I'll need a day to just sew and relax and get a belly full of laughs with my FW besties.  Come and join in.  You'll be sew glad you did!  And, for 2024, we'll be meeting every 4th Saturday of each month.

And, the email to March FW Retreat/Workshop participants has gone out.  I've gotten replys from many.  Thank you so much.  The rosters aren't finalized yet because I'm still waiting for a few to reply.  We do have a waiting list but do email me if you'd like to be added.  Sometimes I work through the list pretty quickly.  Email to the waiting list group will go out next week.

Are you ready for Christmas?  New Year 2024?  I'm working on being ready.... I'm close!  I just want you all to know how thankful I am for all of you.  I've found my mission is life because you all have made me feel special.  I do love the FWs and want to rescue every one.  I want your machine to sound lovely and stitch a perfect stitch.  I know that most machines can get to that point.  And, I'm so proud that so many of you have gotten so comfortable with your machine, fixing what needs to be fixed and just gaining so much for doing that.  Life is good.  Let's keep learning and living to the fullest.  Happy Sewing with your Sweet little Featherweight machine.  And....

Happy Holiday to All!

I've had an OOPSIE again!

You would think that a person skilled in repairing our little FW sewing machines wouldn't be a klutz, right?  You would be wrong.  I've done it again, fell and broke a bone in my left wrist almost 3 weeks ago.

It's not so bad, really.  I'm so totally right handed that I don't need my left hand for much.  But, I do need it sometimes.  With my left wrist in a cast I can't open a bottle of water or twist off a pickle jar lid.  I do love my pickles.  I can't carry a box of machine parts.  Thank goodness I can carry a FW case with a FW in it.  I still need to do that from time to time.  I don't recommend carrying the FW by the handle but sometimes, like being in a cast, you just have to.  Be careful though.

Thank goodness I got all the FWs repaired and cleaned that were on my workbench before this happened.  I have all of those back to their owners except one.  That one gets returned at the FW Maintenance class in a few weeks.  The workbench is empty of customer machines at the moment. My machines will have to wait for awhile!

The dr says 6 to 8 weeks and I should be fine.  I'm hoping for the 6.  It's a busy season coming up.  The end of October with Halloween is really coming on fast and November might be my most busy month of the year for me.  I have 2 FW Club classes, 3 FW maintenance classes, and a presentation to do for a quilt guild in Ohio.  Yup, busy month. And, let's not forget about Turkey Day and, the day Santa comes to town!  2024 will burst in with a blast and we'll hop onto the 2024 whirlwind for future fun things just like we do every year about this time.

Is your FW all cleaned up and ready to finish up all those Christmas gifts you decided to make back in the spring? I've decided to stop planning Christmas projects.  It just adds to my stress and I'm stressed enough.  It's a good thing I didn't do that this year, right?

One thing I wanted to tell you about is checking your motor belt on your FW.  This one has a kink in it from sitting so long in a closet, the basement or maybe the garage.  A kink doesn't help the motor give a smooth turn.  You might think about trying out the Super Belt if you haven't done so already.  Send me an email about them.  I can chat all day about the advantages to putting a Super Belt on your FW.  So, if you need to clean up your machine, think about coming to a maintenance class or maybe a Sew-In day. We can talk about what you'll need to do.  I won't be able to come to the October meeting but I plan on being at the one in December.  Because we are having the last FW Club meeting in November, we won't be having a Sew-In day that month.

The Final FW Club class will be November 3rd or 5th.  I have a lot planned for us.  Go over to the Class Schedule tab and you can read about what we'll be doing.

Okay, guess I'll go see what I can accomplish with this green thing on my arm.  If you have any questions or just want to say, hi, email me or comment here.  Have a great day!

Such a pretty time of year

 I guess we will start to get some cooler weather now.  It certainly has been a bit steamy the last couple of days.  I really can't remember a time that we were still picking things in the garden after October first.  I'm not complaining.  We certainly have enjoyed the fresh veggies.

With holidays like Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas coming up, I start thinking of sewing stuff.  And, the first thing with planning to sew is to pull out a featherweight to clean up. Sometimes it's a FW that I own that  needs to be cleaned so it's ready to sell.  Sometimes it's a FW that a customer has asked me to deep clean for them.  Not everybody wants to do that dirty job.

When you open up the spool pin cover, you get a good idea of how badly a FW needs a good deep cleaning.  I was told this machine had been serviced.  I don't know who serviced it or how long ago it was done.  My work was cut out for me. Where do I begin? 

First, you have to remove all the old gunky grease.  I use a wooden toothpick and get as much as I can.  Don't use a Q-tip because you don't want to leave fuzzy fibers in your gears.  Sometimes I use a wooden skewer if there are wads of grease farther than what a toothpick will reach.

Once I get as much old grease out as  possible, it's time to squirt some kerosene on the gears and use a toothbrush or lint brush to finish getting everything clean.  Then I use a rag from an old t-shirt to wipe everything clear. Use a clean toothpick to wipe every tooth of the gear you can reach.

Of course, the gear under the machine needs the same attention.  Usually the bottom gears aren't quite as bad.  Don't run the machine until you've put a new dab of grease on those gears.  And when I say a dab, I mean a small amount about the size of a green pea.

There is still a lot to do before any machine is totally cleaned.  I thought you all might like to see the very first step to getting a FW back to the best condition possible,

If you have any questions, email me.  jdquilts123@yahoo.com

If you need to order parts, go to the featherweight shop through my link:   https://singer-featherweight.com?aff=70.

There will be 2 basic and 1 advanced maintenance classes at the Quilt Patch in November.  Check out all that information on the Class Schedule tab on the right.

And, get out and enjoy the fall colors.  Mother Nature sure does a great job turning our green world into a spectacular display.