Sunday, July 4, 2010

Sew -- A Needle Pulling Thread



hey y'all,

hope this finds everyone (all 4 of you) enjoying a relaxing holiday weekend. happy 4th! besides celebrating our country's birthday/freedom from the king's tyranny, etc., the 4th also means lots of SALES. which, when you get right down to it, that's all that matters, right? ;-)

bonnie and i did hit the junkin' trail yesterday, sans jannetta who is out of town on a family emergency. but before i get to my current junk pics, i'd like to update y'all on my recent "sew easy" sewing machine purchase of last blog.

first, i want to say a big THANKS to all you sweet, kind seamstresses out there who so generously proffered your time and energy to teach me a stitch or two. dana, cindy, shirley ... thanks a bunch. my plan was to take you ALL up on your offers and learn as much as i could. i had visions of fabric and lace and buttons and bows floating around in a cloud above my empty-skulled noggin.

the first attempt with my little "sew easy" darling yielded an actual, if not laughable, product.

a lil pink bag, which took all of two seams. also a couple of seams to attach the trim and handles at top.


i even played around with paper, cardstock, crafty stuff:



after my first session with "sew easy", i still had hope. and don't we all need just a little hope?

my second session with "sew easy" wasn't. easy, that is. nor was there any sewing, per se. just a lot of jammed thread, jammed needles and jammed fabric. oh, and my right index finger cuticle was stabbed about 1/2" deep by the needle. lots of blood, sweat and tears ... and plenty of cussin' proceeded forth.

let me just cut to the chase. i had several more sessions with "sew easy" and matters did not improve. if anything, they worsened. however, it wasn't until saturday morning at our first yard sale of the day, that i actually SAW the writing on the wall. it was v. clear and legible.

the seller had sewing notions, fabrics, threads galore. she is a seamstress. naturally, her sale attracted others like her (birds of a feather). i decided to tap into their combined knowledge and ask a sewing question or two.

"why does my machine keep jamming?"

they all perked up, so eager to assist. apparently, this is a common trait among the sewing species.

"probably your tension," one offered.

"could be your needle," another one added.

"you may not have the machine threaded correctly," the seller said.

"well, i've adjusted the tension, changed the needle and i'm pretty sure i've threaded the machine correctly," i replied to the group flocked around me.

as an afterthought, i added, "it's a "sew easy" machine."

WELL! as if they had been practicing together all their lives, the sewing birds began a perfect chorus of "ah hahs!" and "ooohhs!!" and "no wonder!!" in unison.

"THAT is your problem, dear. the machine."

i told them i only paid $15 for it at last week's yard sale ... to which they replied, "it was a complete waste of your entire $15."

yikes. i was just about to figure that out all on my own, but i'm glad i got their opinion on it. they suggested buying a kenmore or singer, but honestly, i'm rather numb to the idea right now. maybe after (IF) my finger heals (yes, i'm worried about infection, tetanus, lyme disease, diarrhea, constipation, fingernail sensitivity), somewhere down the road, i might consider sewing as a hobby again. but then, i might not.

look closely. miss "sew easy" thang is all wrapped up and ready to GO. am hoping to cash in on the seller's money-back guarantee. stay tuned.


found these sweet, old canisters at the GW bargain barn recently. thought about painting them pink, but now i'm thinking i'll paint just the lids pink.



also, stumbled across this AWESOME black vintage purse that was made in france! looks great with my eiffel tower artwork.

i tried to take a pic of the "made in france" label, but it was too blurry. it also had the little inspection tag inside the purse which states: riveur, no. 2, dofan-paris. did i mention it cost all of 75 cents?!


at the same sale with the sewing ladies, i picked up lots and lots and lots of pearly beads ... and single roses of differing shades. gorgeous, no?!



also snagged these gorgeous blue jewels and chandie prisms!



this yummy pink blossom was at the barn. got it with a bunch of other flowers for 25 cents. it was impossibly huge and unwieldy, but i fell in love. the cd is in the picture simply for size comparison and appreciation.



finally, here's a little beauty i found at the ladies of charity thrift shop (who, btw, are sometimes not all that charitable, if you know what i mean). their white tagged items were 50% off and this vintage chair just happened to have a white tag, marked $1.

fitty cents! can't beat that! will paint her and love her and adore her. heh heh


is it just me, or does wimbledon seem to drag on and on and on ... what is, i miss jeopardy?!

love and hugs,
terry lee


♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

doe, a deer, a female deer
ray, a drop of golden sun
me, a name I call myself
far, a long, long way to run
sew, a needle pulling thread
la, a note to follow sew
tea, a drink with jam and bread
that will bring us back to doe!

♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪♫♪

4 comments:

Jan W said...

"Sew" sorry to hear about your sewing woes, but I think the little bag you made was very cute. I'm glad you got sound advice from experience seamstresses about the kind of machine you were using. "Sew Easy" sounds too good to be true, and you know what they say, "If it sounds to good to be true, then...." well, you know the rest. :)
I love that chair! Do you know what color you are painting it? Are you getting a cushion for the chair? Do you want me to keep asking questions? LOL!

Dana said...

Hi Terry Lee! I'm sorry your sew easy wasn't. I will continue to be on the look out for a good sewing machine for you. Your creations are cute!! Love the purse you snagged (that doesn't sound right), the canisters, the flower and the chair! I hope to get together soon!

vintagesue said...

hey terry lee....
oh know...you got one of THOSE machines!!!!!!!! i have been thru 4 machines with TENSIONS that don't work. whatever that means, it happens. you didn't waste your money too much really and next time you will know what to look for. i have a brand new machine (brand name not here cuz don't want to get sued) that doesn't have the right tension and hasn't ever worked correctly. argh.
best bet for a sewing machine.....get a vintage kenmore from the 60's/70's and you will get some metal parts that can take the heat! they are easy to use and you should be able to find one for around $10-$25. if i can use mine and figure it out, you can too. i refuse to spend lots of money for a new one. i don't know how to sew well, so why waste my $$$
oh...love that black purse!!! cute chair!! lots of cute stuff!!!
good luck with the sewing in the future. sewing is hard! at least it is for me. i just want a single stitch machine. can't handle anything more!!!
as usual...you made me laugh. this post and last post....so funny.
take care. stay cool.
s

Mollye said...

Hi girlfriend, I've missed visiting with you. I'm getting better each day and feel like a little blogging. Quite a haul you got there. The canister pieces, we have the entire set which belonged to Miz Pearl, Mike's momma. I guess it was from the 40's or 50's. Also a salt and pepper in chrome too. AND a huge bread box (all of which I still use!). XXHugs, Mollye