Sewing Machines, Busy Week

This week has been a busy one. I thought my work load would slow down, but I’ve got to get busy cleaning and oiling more machines to sell. This week I sold three great machines; a Brother, White and an Elna; all were really nice machines with beautiful stitches. I was somewhat surprised that two of the three buyers were men, but many men are becoming interested in doing their own adjustments on their clothing and quilting - Way to go Guys!!

I’m having a good time buying different brands, sewing with them a few months then selling them. I was always somewhat partial to Singer, Baby Lock and Kenmore, mostly the older metal ones (those manufactured prior to 1962) now I'd have a hard time deciding which one I prefer. I found I really don't need all the bells and whistles for what I do, mostly quilting. But, it sure is fun trying out all the options on the many brands available.

When I sell a machine I make a list of things I feel are important to the new owner.
--Class of bobbin
--Type of needle
--Oiling spots, and how often to oil
--Thread is important, both top and bobbin
They will have to try out the different features, some they will like better than others.

Many buyers like the portable machines to take to the lake, classes, and move around the house. I also like that option, sometimes I like to sew in my sewing room, but there are times I go to the lake, classes or even to a friend's house to sew. I don't think I will ever only have one machine again. It is nice to have one machine for piecing, another to do the quilting and yet another if I want to do a few decorative stitches. I have never had a Bernina, but that is on the top of my list.

I found another neat quilting idea I want to try. In one of the future blogs I'll show what that is, if I remember.

Spring is Here, So is the Yard Work

Oh, spring is finally here. But, along with the nice weather comes all the yard work. This year I decided to have someone come out to aerate, fertilize, cut grass, and rake leaves for me. Guess what, I forgot to ask them to put down black dirt and mulch.

Friday I went to Home Depo to pick up 25 bags of black dirt and compost (a mere 1,000 pounds).  It took all day to get that spread in my front and side flower beds. When I woke up the next morning I was stiff, I mean really stiff.  To limber up I took Willow for a long walk, and then went back to HD for 44 bags of mulch, another 1,760 pounds to carry to the flower beds. I spread 21 bags in the front and side of the house, 23 more to go in the back yard hosta bed (that will have to wait until Monday, no work for me on Sunday). This year I decided to try Scotts Brown Mulch instead of the Red I’ve put down for years, I really like it.

To think I’ll be 72 this fall makes me wonder how life can go so fast. It seems I was just in my twenties with small kids. Now I’m wondering if I’ll have 15, 20 or maybe even 25 years on this beautiful earth.  Mom and Dad lived to be 89 and 86, I’m hoping I can stay healthy and get a bit older, say maybe 95-97??  As I get older I appreciate nature so much more, probably because I’m retired and can take the time to enjoy it.  There isn’t anything I enjoy more than to sit on the patio in the morning with a large strong cup of coffee and listen to the cardinals.  It seems their feathers are such a bright red this year.

After doing the yard work (6:00 pm, too early for bed) I decided to work on a Brother XL-5030 sewing machine that was in need of some oil and cleaning.  Once that was done I tried to sew a few stitches with it. Guess what, the tension was way off.  The top wasn’t too bad, but the bottom looked like a straw stack.  After working on it a couple of hours I finally had the tension right, the stitches look really good. Now all I have to do is post it to see if someone wants to buy a good used sewing machine at a good price, but that will have to wait until tomorrow, now I want to take a long hot bath.