Saturday 22 May 2010

Sewing Machine Wars

My sewing machine and I do battle now and then, as seldom as I can manage, and last weekend was a full-on battle! I avoid my sewing sewing like he has the plague. To say we hate one another is an understatement. I swear Troy (so named because he's made by Toyota) deliberately makes my life difficult.
My parents bought him for me for my 21st birthday, aeons ago. I had such wonderful plans for projects we would do together, the clothes I would create, the cushions and curtains I would make etc etc. But it wasn't to be. We took an instant dislike to each other and it's been War ever since!
I know there are a lot of wonderful sewers out there who never have problems, but 'tension' is what causes me the most aggravation - it's either too tight or too loose....I can never get it right. I usually give up after wasting half a reel of thread, and resort to hand-stitching, which takes soooo much longer but gets the job done.
Anyway, I promised my elder daughter that I would use her spare material to make some cushions for her new flat. So out came Troy and.........the same old story. He flatly refused to sew a decent stitch, I twiddled the tension knob back and forth, cursed the stupid machine and...........eventually........ produced these.


Nothing special to you gifted sewers out there. Just two cushions: black one side, cream the other.
But to me it was a small Victory!


I need to remember that  'It’s not who you are that holds you back, It’s who you think you are not.'

9 comments:

  1. They are lovely, and much better than I could ever do.

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  2. The cushion covers look fab. I bet you are really thrilled with your results.
    A x

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  3. Well they are lovely!! Get Troy serviced - he needs a good sorting!! You might find that it sorts out a gremlin or two.

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  4. Well, you've made a great job of these. I recently had my machine serviced and they had to reset the tension on it; maybe that's worth thinking about?

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  5. new word?

    Frus TROY tion?

    lol...i'm calling Mr. Webster now!
    ciao
    creative carmelina

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  6. hurray for small victories!

    tension gets the best of us hon...it's all part and parr...

    have you ever adjusted the tension on your bobbin, or do you just play with the sewing machine tension knob....your problem might be coming from down below.

    here's my tip...if you already know this..then sorry for the 'verbal clutter'....
    when you look at the stitching you've done...if the top stitches are loose then it's the knob you need to adjust...
    but if it's the bottom threads that are bunching up and tangling up .... then chances are your bobbin tension needs adjusting.
    there's a small screw on your bobbin..tighten or loosen it accordingly!

    hope this helps...you need to get along with Troy so you two can play in peace!!!!
    ciao bella
    creative carmelina

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  7. It's glaringly obvious that I know nothing about sewing machines and everyone's comments have been so helpful. I will find someone to service Troy - and the tip about the bobbin screw (I never even knew was there!) is something to try myself. Thanks Carmelina.

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  8. well i think there stunning the cushions, i just brought a new machine for myself as i have been using MIL and it was terrible, so looking forward to doing cushions for my living room, but im looking for the right fabric. Well done xx

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  9. sorry you had problems, but the cushions look fab regardless. It does sound like you need to get your sewing machine serviced, you might find you can be friends afterwards lol

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