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.