We've added another FW Maintenance class in April

Are we having fun yet?  You bet we are.  I met with all the ladies that had signed up for the case cover class last week and that whole project is now well under way.  Yeah!  There will be so many pretty case covers popping up in the near future.

But, I wanted to let everyone know that we've added a maintenance class for later in April.  People just keep calling and wanting to take that class.  There are so many featherweights that need to be serviced and gotten up and running.  That's what the maintenance class is all about.  So, here are the dates:

Maintenance class at the Quilt Patch - Tuesday, April 24, 10:30-3:30.  Check the Class Schedule pages and scroll down for further information.  If you haven't taken one of these maintenance classes, you really should.  It's a time to learn all about the fussy little things you need to remember so you don't have problems with your machine in the future.

The May monthly Club Class will be Friday, May 4 or Sunday, May 6, 1-3pm.  Don't sign up for both because it's the same class just offered on separate days so those ladies that are still working 9 to 5 jobs can come and learn more about the machines, too.  You're not going to want to miss this one.  I have some very special things planned since it will be the last of the winter  classes until Fall 2018.

April's Club Class is sneeking up on me faster than I can imagine but I'll be ready.  I have listed the information on the Class Schedule page.  Go check that out.  I have a couple of things up my sleeve for April as well.

Oh, before I forget, I'm doing some research on setting up a FW retreat sometime in August.  Let me know if you are interested or have a favorite place to do retreats.  More info on that is coming up soon.

Guess I'd better get moving on everything I need to be doing.  Happy Easter and I hope to see you all very soon in some class.  Or email me if you have questions.

We have dates for the May FW Club Class- + another FW tip

How does life get so busy?  I'm not really sure.  They say retirement is the time in our lives to do all the things we've wanted to do but didn't have time when we were working.  Well, I must want to do a lot of things because I'm busy beyond belief some months.  This month has been that way.

But, we've set the dates for the May FW Club classes and I'm thinking we're going to have a rip roaring good time at that one since it's the last for the winter.  We may do a summer class at some point but nothing is planned at the moment.  I'll keep posting here during the summer but the regular Club Classes won't start up again until mid October or November.  You'll be watching the blog all summer, right?  I'll have tips and ideas for you all summer long.

May's Club classes  for 2018 will be,  Friday, May 4 and Sunday, May 6 at the usual time, 1-3pm.  If you had to miss one of the classes in Feb or March I'll move that payment over to May's class.  I have a list of those that paid but missed so email me if you're not sure of your status.

The Case Cover class is starting this week and I'm very excited about that. I expect to see a lot of new case covers soon.  Each one will be different so you'll be able to find your machine from all the ones at class so much easier.  But most of us want to make a case cover so our old cases are safe and secure.  So many handles have been damaged over the years and continuing to use them could cause permanent issues.  I'll post pictures as these get finished.

And, I know you'd like a FW tip, right?  Well, usually I have people coming to me with issues that give me great ideas for your tips.  This one is a simple one but something so important that you want to always remember it.

When you are sewing with flannel, wool, corduroy or any other fabric that has fuzzy to it, lint will pile up under the throat plate on your machine. It even happens with regular cotton quilting fabric, just not as fast.  We don't see that pile of fuzz with our everyday sewing but it is often there building up.  I took the throat plate off of my machine to take pictures to show you and, oh my goodness, look at all the fuzz in there.  And, I didn't even know it was there!  I've only been sewing on regular cotton quilting fabric lately.

I've opened up a new to me machine to find packed fuzz so thick that it's like felt.  From time to time we need to take the throat plate off the machine and clean that out.  And, here's where the tip comes.

Once you've taken the throat plate off and cleaned out the fuzz, you need to pay special attention to how it's put back on.  When you took the maintenance class, we made sure to mention this but we did a lot that day so often people forget. Look at the bottom of your throat plate.  There is a space between two metal parts that I call the valley.  Do you see it?

If the little finger on the bobbin assembly is not positioned correctly in the valley of the throat plate, your machine will not sew.  I know, featherweights can be fussy little machines but you just need to remember this one. With the throat plate off you can spin the bobbin assembly around and around.  See that little finger extending off the bobbin assembly?   I usually position that little finger up where I can see it, put the throat plate back on and then, before tightening up the screws, I look at the end of the machine to make sure the little finger is still in the right position.  It fits right in that valley.  If it is in the right position, go ahead and tighten down the screws and you're ready to sew again.  But don't tighten them super tight.  That's never necessary.

Okay, I'll go work on having things ready for our next class while you go clean out the lint from your machine.  You enjoy your day, and don't forget to email me if you have questions.  I'm always here for you.

Here's a tip about breaking a needle on your FW baby

I guess when you're busy you don't notice how time flies.  Here we are in March already and I have a tip to get your month started.  Spring will be joining us pretty soon with summer close behind.  See, time flies.

While I was away for a few days I helped a dear friend's neighbor with her featherweight that had recently been serviced.  She didn't know how to thread the machine so I was able to help her get that FW threaded and running.  This lady was 90 and wasn't sure she'd use the machine much.  I sure hope she uses it a lot.  That's what I try to do, make people feel comfortable sewing on these little beauties. They are sometimes fussy because they want everything done exactly right. Aren't we all that way?

So, here's the tip.  If by some unfortunate circumstance you would break a needle, please, please, please make sure you find every segment of that broken needle before you sew again.  During a maintenance class last week, one lady's machine wouldn't make a good stitch.  In fact, there were big blops of thread on the underside and no matter what she did, a good seam was not happening.

The first thing to do when something like this happens is to take the upper and bobbin thread out of the machine and start over.  Re-thread both the bobbin and the top and then try (gently) to sew once again.  Be sure the upper thread is going between the tension plates and not in front or behind them. And, another important thing to pay attention to is that the presser foot is UP during the threading process. That will disengage the tension and allow the thread is scoot down and fit right where the thread needs to be, between the tension discs.  Sometimes, even when you know how to thread the machine, you can have problems.  All machines like to throw a fit once in awhile.  Just don't panic.  You can locate the problem but starting over with the threading is always the first step.

Okay, we did all those things but still, blops of thread were the result so it was something more serious.  So, maybe there were threads wrapped around the bobbin assembly shaft.  I took the bottom drip pan off to get to the underside of the bobbin assembly and there we found the problem.  There was a broken tip of a needle stuck on the drip pan.  Where had that needle tip been hiding? The drip pan had been off during the maintenance of the machine and no needle tip had been seen. But turning the machine upside down and on it's end cause that tip to fall in some other direction. When a needle breaks, the path of no resistance is right down in the needle hole and that needle tip will fall somewhere in the bobbin area. Had it caused any damage while it was hiding somewhere? Yup! Unfortunately, there was some damage.  Metal to metal (needle tip stuck in the bobbin assembly) when there shouldn't be metal to metal will wear rough spots and that's what had happened.

The machine had to come home with me so I could take that bobbin assembly all apart, clean it and then polish off the burr that had formed from the assembly scraping against the needle tip. Luckily the damage was repairable because the rough burr that formed was small enough that it polished out. It's back sewing a good seam again but I don't want this to happen to anyone else.

The bottom line is, if you should break a needle, make sure you find every little bit.  It can do some major damage if it falls into the bobbin assembly area and gets stuck. And, that's where it tends to go.  Mean old Mr. Gravity will take it down and it will settle in wherever there's something to stop it. The shop owner where I teach classes told us that day that she had just had  a needle break and couldn't find the tip in her modern machine.  She had to take it into the repair shop and the bill was close to $200. Whew!  It's amazing how a tiny piece of needle tip can do so much damage.

So, this tip about making sure you find every little bit of a broken needle is a good one no matter what machine you are using.

Check out the class schedule for details on what classes are coming up.  You'll find the list of things to bring over there as well.  I'll be adding some quilts soon on the quilt page and I'll add a couple more recipes I love to the recipe page, too.  And stop by the Jackson flea market at the Jackson fairgrounds on Ganson street tomorrow or Saturday if you can.  Be sure to say, hi as you go by.