Texas was fun but I'm ready for FW stuff again!

We did have such a good time in Texas.  It was warm, I was able to go to a quilt retreat planned by somebody else, we went fishing and I got to cook with my dear son.  Life doesn't get any better than that, right?

One thing that I really enjoyed was going to the market with my son.  The prices for fresh fruits and veggies was awesome and I sure did enjoy my shopping at Letty's.  Okay,  I had to take a picture of the sign.  Letty is one of our great FW gals so I couldn't resist taking this picture of the Letty's sign.

We got back to Michigan a few days before the big snow but my car handled the white stuff just fine and I got things done that I needed to do.  There's always so much to do after a month long trip.

But, now that we're back,  I have some things to remind you about and some wonderful news to report as well.

Our great friend, Kathy Seals and owner of the Quilt Patch where we hang out for classes and such, is happy to announce that her fight with cancer these last few months is over and done with.  And, Kathy won.  She is doing great.  She's so excited to be feeling better and she is really in shock over the kindness of the FW Club gals who treated her and her hubby to a dinner out every month while she was in recovery.  You all are the kindest gals on earth.  She wants you to know that.

The FW Club classes will start back up this month.  We will be having classes either Friday, March 13 or Sunday, March 15.  Please call and get your name on the list (Quilt Patch- 517-423-0053) if you haven't done that already.  Having a count really helps me so I'll have enough handouts printed up.  You don't have to pay until you come to class so don't let that stop you.  Have you been collecting your selvages?  I hope you have a big pile of them because we're going to make a selvage block at this class.  Go over to the class schedule tab to see what you'll need to bring.

There will be a couple of FW maintenance classes coming up soon as well.  I have one scheduled for March 17 and one on April 18.  If you know of someone that needs to learn how to oil, grease, lube and clean up their FW, let them know.  Again, call to get your name on the list.

And, our FW retreat/workshops are coming up really soon, too.  I plan on getting an email off to all the participants this week.  If you need to pay the balance of your retreat fee, you can pay that at one of the FW club classes or mail a check to me.  Thanks to you that have paid in full already.  Watch for your email this week and check your spam, just in case!  Of course, if you have any questions, just email me.

Okay, we're getting ready to set up at the Jackson flea market this weekend.  It's a lot of work but I sure do love seeing those that show up.  There are some good vendors and always some fun things to see.

I hope to see you all at FW Club classes, a maintenance class, or maybe at the retreat/workshop.  Do enjoy the nice weather we've been having.  I think Spring is just around the corner.

Holiday season- There's so much to do

I don't know how it all got done but Christmas came and I managed to have everything ready.  Yes, I made the usual cookies to send to the grand children and all the presents got purchased, wrapped and given.  My husband having cataract surgery on Christmas eve sure complicated the holiday this time but the first eye is done now and we're looking ahead to having the second eye done on Monday before the new year.  2020 will be starting very soon. I still have a few things to do before 8 arrive for New Year's day dinner.  Yup, things don't seem to slow down around here.  I'm always super busy.

Since it's the week between Christmas and New year's day, have you gotten all your FWs oiled, greased and the motor lubed.  This is my reminder for you all to get that done.  I'm working on all of mine.  Hopefully I'll get them all done within the next week.  Once finished I won't have to do the full Spa day for 6 months. I'll still oil every 8-10 hours of sewing and give that gib area of the bobbin assembly one drop of oil each day I sew.

Our Club class is coming up next Friday and Sunday.  I've giving all the information over on the Class Schedule pages.  Go over there to check out what to bring.  I do hope you will all be able to come.  We'll be making the thread catcher and the pin cushion for the FW sewing machine mat that we started last month.  Check this out.  I had a fun time making these.

I know a few people that bought the FW foot controller rest from me had a problem of the cushion sliding and we think we've got that issue solved.  Researching with the stain/glue specialists, we discovered that the two chemicals didn't play well together.  So, I have new rests to replace the faulty ones.  Please email me if yours was a problem and I'll bring a replacement to swap it for the faulty one at the Club class.  The new ones have a very nice slip resistant material that doesn't slide around.

I'm almost done getting all the names on the retreat/workshop list.  I'll be sending out more information very soon.  Thank you to all that got  their deposit checks to me on time. 

And, I wish you a very Happy New Year.  May it be safe and full of wonderful things for you and your families.  I hope to see you very soon!

Thanksgiving is over. Time to start thinking of Christmas and FWs

It was a busy week getting ready for Thanksgiving and then doing all the cleaning up afterwards.  I'm sure I wasn't alone and I hope you all are getting a chance to relax a bit and catch up after all the food and fun.  We had a great time with 10 at the table and a visit from a cousin we hadn't seen in years as well.  He was just in time for dessert.  The last bits of pie and turkey noodle soup are almost gone.  I don't know how many pounds I gained.  I guess I should step on the scale.  Oh no!  That's too scary!

So now, I'm busy getting my Christmas lists made and shopping done. I'm sure you all have all that done but I've got a ton to do.  I haven't made my Christmas cards yet and I have dozens and dozens of Christmas cookies to make for the dear grandchildren and their families.  I do hope I will be able to get it all done.  But, I do have our Christmas tree out on the porch ready to set up.  See, I've started on Christmas!

We have FW Club Classes this weekend.  If you are within driving distance I sure hope you can come.  Skip over to the Class Schedule page and scroll down to see what we'll be doing this month.  We're making a FW sewing machine mat that will take us 2 months.  You can see the picture of the part we'll be doing this month when you check to see what you need to bring.

While I was making the FW sewing machine mat I was reminded that we do need to put a drop of oil on the bobbin assembly teeth  when we start sewing for the day.  Do you remember that I had you run your machine before we did the maintenance for the first time? I wanted you to see how much better your FW would sound once it was oiled, greased and lubed.  Well when I started the FW mat, I stitched a bit of a line before oiling those teeth and was immediately reminded because the sound wasn't as beautiful as I like to hear.  So, I know it might seem like a bother to do that one drop of oil every day but oh my, what a difference it makes in the end.  That beautiful click, click, click is music to my ears.  The clack, clack, or grind, grind makes cold chills go up my spine.  Do oil those teeth. (Yes, I do see that I need to clean out the fuzz but I needed to get this picture first!)

Okay, I hope to see you in a class but if you can't be there, I understand.  I hope to check in with all of you before the big holiday and try to see how you all are doing about getting ready. I'll be honest and tell you all about the stuff that I still have to do.  And, I won't be jealous of you having everything already done.  Well, maybe just a tiny bit jealous.  You do understand, right?  Have a good week, all.

Winter has arrived

Happy Veteran's Day to all those brave souls that have served at some point in their life and to the families that had to let a loved one go when their commitment meant giving a life physically or mentally.  We are free because of those brave men and women and I say THANK YOU for your service.

I guess a lot of records will be broken today in the weather columns.  I can't remember having this much snow this early but it's here.  We have 3" already and the snow is still coming down. Okay, this picture is more than 3" but if it keeps coming down it could get to be this much.  I drove to the next town to pick up a FW from a lady to fix it and the roads weren't too bad.  People in my neck of the woods are driving sanely.  I didn't see anyone in the ditch.  And, my new car handled the snowy pavement just fine, thank goodness.  I was wondering how she would like the winter weather. I'm back home now just watching it pile up.  It's good to have a nice warm house.

I hope you were able to attend our first FW Club meeting of the winter season.  We did have a fun time.  A few ideas were bounced around for this year's activities and I sure appreciated hearing what you all would like to do. 

We will be focusing on an attachment every month again.  There are so many that people haven't had a chance to see and use.  People that were at the meeting said they want to do these again.  It will take a couple of years to get through all of them.  My favorite is the buttonholer.  We did it at the last meeting.

And, the ladies also told me they like doing a little project each month.  We had so many at the Sunday class that we didn't have a lot of time to make the poinsettia pouches but everyone got the pattern and we started them.  So, we'll be making a FW mat at the next Club class.  I'm working on it now.  Watch the class schedule tab to see what to bring to the next meeting.  I'll post a week or two before class.

And, I'm announcing a challenge for this winter season as well. Drum roll please!  The FW Club Stash buster/Scrappy Challenge has begun.  I hosted one of these on my online quilt guild and it went over well.  You don't have to participate if you don't want but you can participate and bring your projects to any FW Club class to start adding up.  We'll run this challenge until time for me to leave in the Spring.  Totals will be revealed in May, 2020 and there will be a FW prize for the winner.  Here's the rules.

1. You have to use at least 15 different fabrics in each project to be counted.
2. Your project cannot be one that you've already started.  In other words, anything you begin new for this challenge can be counted.
3. You can make any size quilt, wall hanging, or whatever.  The total square inches of your project will be the number added to your total.   If you finish the item by quilting it and binding it to have it ready to use, we'll count 1 1/2 times the total square inches to your total.
4. You need to bring your projects to the FW Club meeting to show it off to be counted.

Okay, the challenge is open.  Get busy using up your scraps and let's see what you make.  I know we're all going to see a lot of gorgeous items.  I can't wait.  I'm going to start working on the prize.  Let the fun begin. Here's one example of an item that could count.  It's called, Jean's Diamonds so you know why I picked this one to show you.

I guess I'll work on machines today.  I have a few to repair/clean, etc. for people.  Keep in touch.  I'm looking forward to a busy winter season of FW fun and lots of sewing projects.  Join me!

Fall is here.... Summer is over!

We're having the last few breaths of summer here this week but the cold will be coming in with a vengeance later today.  Did I hear the 'snow' word on the weather report last night?  I've been meaning to post the last couple of weeks but you know, it's been a busy time.  We've had company non-stop, and the packing is a lot of work for this old lady.  We'll be heading back to SE Michigan very soon though and it will be time to pull out the featherweights and get them cleaned up for the winter.

I hear that the colors are just barely beginning down state.  This may be the most colorful fall we've had in years here in the UP.  Bright reds, oranges, gold and my favorite, peachy leaves are everywhere and such a beautiful sight to see.  I had to drive to town to get a few things before this last batch of company came this week so I took my camera along to capture my drive.  Pictures do not do justice to how gorgeous the colors of fall are this time.  See for yourself!

And, over the summer I've really been busy working on my Little Brown Bird quilt.  I think I've finished maybe 11 of the 40 blocks this year.  I hadn't worked on it very much for a couple of years so without a wedding quilt to make or a Christmas quilt to finish, I got a big chunk of this LBB quilt completed.  I'm down to 9 blocks to finish before starting to put this one together and I'm jazzed to get it done.  No, it won't be done in 2020 but maybe it can be almost finished by the end of the year.  I do love my applique, don't ya know!  Here are 3 of the blocks I've completed this summer.

I've also worked on  things not applique this summer as well.  I'll bring a few of the quilt tops I've put together with Judy, my FW in the UP, when I come to the first FW Club class.  You need to bring your quilting projects made with your FWs as well. I think we'll have a big Show 'n Tell, because I've heard about a few of the things you all have been working on.

Have you heard about the new Featherweight Super belt or the horizontal spool pin thread holder from the FW Shop?  I got a preview of them during my trip to the FW Shop in Idaho back in June.  I've been patiently waiting for the big introduction of these new products.  I'll have them at the first FW Club class for you all to see and I even have one of those tools to show you how much better the belt will be for your machine.  I have a limited supply at the moment but can order more as you all need them.

I've been busy getting things ready for our fall FW Club classes.  You'll have to check out what to bring and what we'll be doing over on the Class Schedule page.  I'm very excited about this year's classes.  Bring your machine and your excitement.  It is always so much fun.

Okay, I have to go start my morning.  With company here, there's always a lot to do.  Don't forget, the maintenance classes will be October 26, 29, and Nov 15.  And, we'll have the FW Club class on Nov 1 and 3.  Mark your calendars.  It's almost time to get this FW season started.

Wait just a minute here!

My featherweights are supposed to sew perfectly, all the time, right?  Well, Judy, my FW that I use all the time here in the UP, just wasn't acting right after I got her home from the retreats.  In fact, she was acting horrible.  I set her up just like she was before I left and I started to sew.  Well, I tried to sew.  She started skipping stitches and not just a little bit. 

Wait just a minute.  I took the tension off and cleaned everything at retreat and I took the bobbin assembly all apart and cleaned that, too.  I knew I had put everything back together correctly.  So what's the problem?  I did all the steps that I tell people to do when they have skipped stitches.

1- take the thread off and re-thread everything.

2- Check that the finger is in the valley of the throat plate.

3- Check to see that the flat side of the needle is on the left.

4- Check to see that the needle is threaded from right to left.

Okay, all that checked out.  I knew it would.  But, still stitches were horrible.  Okay, when did I last change my needle?  I couldn't remember so I changed it.  Still, nothing different.  Urgh!!

So all the usual reasons for skipped stitches were fine.  I guess I needed to check the needle timing at this point.  I watched the stitch being made and could see pretty quickly that the needle and the hook weren't linking up like they should.  And, when I checked out the needle bar timing I found out that the needle bar was set too far down.  So, I fixed that.

Wow!  Judy is stitching okay again.  Wait.  she's stitching when I am sewing two pieces of fabric together but when I go over a seam, she's skipping again.  Okay, I needed to check the hook/needle line up once again.  And there was the problem.

At some point someone had adjusted the needle bar timing to match up with the incorrectly set main shaft timing.  So, it worked before but when everything was taken apart, cleaned, and put back together, the incorrect setting took over and Judy didn't like it even a little bit.

She's all fixed now.  Both the main shaft timing and the needle bar timing are correct and Judy is sewing up a storm.

When you all tell me your machine was working better before cleaning, I guess I understand now.  There is probably something that was 'off' before and now your machine is letting you know there's something 'off'.  You probably wouldn't know exactly what to check.  Sometimes I know quickly and other times I have to think about things and check out issues one at a time.  Sometimes I even have to call the techs at the Featherweight shop.  But, it gets figured out in the end.

Aren't you glad you have a sewing machine that can be fixed so easily?  I'm glad that I know how to fix them.