Anyway, a couple of years ago, I attended a conference (not for weaving) in Atlantic City, I probably blogged about it, and did some outlet shopping.  One of the things I picked up was a Kenneth Cole vest.  On sale.  Very cheap.  Even though there were fit issues on my body, I loved the vest style and construction so much I brought it home with me.

I’ve always meant to copy the vest, and rework the pattern with a zipper closure and longer since it is so short waisted.  I can see this in a number of fabrics, and even with sleeves.

Meanwhile, as I was dusting and cleaning off the cutting table, I revisited one of my many inkle looms with a complex dual 7 thread pick-up pattern from leftover hand dyed warps from a project from a couple years ago.  I tend to keep some looms like the inkles warped with projects that I use for demo purposes and I sort of forget about them as something I can really use.  I’m in a sewing kind of mood, and the vest idea kept popping up in my head.

It is a three inch wide band, mostly rayon so light and flexible, and I keep seeing it as garment trim.  Coincidentally the front panels of the vest are three inches wide.

I rooted around my fabric stash and came up with a khaki linen, I picked up a couple of years ago at Vogue Fabrics in Evanston, IL.  I probably blogged about that as well.

There are probably other options in my vast stash of fabric, but the first job at hand, as I think through the possibilities here, is to finish weaving the band.  I’m into a rhythm here, and knocking it out, even with the slow tedious pick up, in record time.  I wanted a project that wasn’t too intense and complicated because really, I have some other things to contend with in the studio, like exhibition deadlines and photo shoots, and local and online teaching commitments, and my lovely wonderful husband is home, for only a couple weeks, so he will get top priority in my daily schedule.

But I’m intrigued with the possibilities here, I love having an idea mull around in my head, and I’m never quite sure where it will take me, but that’s the point of a journey, at least the kind I like to take, to places I’ve never been before, and experiences that will challenge and excite me…

Stay tuned…

I stewed for a day, and then went to look to see what it would actually cost to replace my old trusty machine, and behold…

$199.00 with free shipping from Amazon…  It is pretty much the same machine as far as I can tell from the descriptions and photos, so it will fit all my walking feet, and other assorted parts for a short shank machine.

So that’s on its way…  Meanwhile, I took my Janome 66oo Professional machine in, I had trouble even leaving it there, I adore that machine and somehow not having it in my studio made me feel like I was missing an arm.  The repair guy called back in an hour and said the timing on the machine was perfect and there was nothing for him to service.  Sigh…

So back I went, and picked up my sewing companion, and with all my electronic children back home, and my dress and fabric basically finished waiting for the photo shoot, I decided to do the only thing I could do under the circumstances, and completely houseclean the studio.  I sort of go through this when I complete a major project, I clean up the table, and put things away, and dust and vacuum and generally make everything tidy.  (As tidy as is possible considering how my stuff is crammed in this little 350 square foot space).   I went through all the paperwork, paid all the bills, sent off my application for Small Expressions, got the books in order for the tax man, and cooked a lovely dinner with my son.

I have a new standby sewing machine on it’s way, and my husband is coming home in another 48 hours.  Which is a good thing, since I just had a complete system wide USB/card reader port failure.  12 ports and all of them not working.  I was able to dump the images onto my laptop from the card reader, then reload them onto a USB drive, which still failed to work until I rebooted the whole system.

See, this is why I’m a weaver.  There is never any issue with a loom, because it doesn’t plug in.  It is a simple device, powered by my own hands and feet, and my imagination.  There are no webcams to cause blue screen of death, there are no USB issues.  There are no timing issues like on a sewing machine, no power outages, no internet down time, nothing that can get in my way of total control.  I suppose I just hit the nail on the proverbial head…  I’m a weaver because I can be in total control.  When something isn’t going well, it is more than likely my fault, because I didn’t handle a yarn correctly or failed to select the right yarn for a project or miscalculated sett, or something I can either fix or learn from.

Random electronic failures are out of my control and seriously frustrate me and make me want to rip everything out of the wall and go back to working with a pencil and paper…  And a needle and thread….

And so dear readers, I give you some photos of my cleaned up studio, this is as good as it gets considering I have four floor looms and six table looms plus a myriad of inkle and frame looms, and the other eight or so table looms are scattered in other areas of the house, garage and attic…  My spinning wheels and spinning stash are also located elsewhere.

And now I’m going to shut everything down.  Close the door, and climb into bed with an old fashion book, not my Kindle (which I do love) but a real honest to goodness book with no bells and whistles or ability to plug in…

When I teach a garment construction class, that involves a hands on, where students bring machines, I always suggest in the materials list that they have the machine oiled and serviced before they bring it to class.  Rarely do the students actually do it, but it sort of suggests as a reminder that everything needs a little TLC once in awhile.

I’m really embarrassed to say that I’m probably the worst offender.  I’m not sure why that is.  I have this personality quirk that makes me think I can take care of everything myself, hence declining help with my bags, or hiring people to do what I’m perfectly capable of doing myself, even though I never get around to it. (Like painting the studio…)  I was raised in a strict German household, where my father famously quoted, “Be Self Reliant”, yet he was the first to admit he was not a do it yourselfer and hired contractors whenever he needed a repair or something changed in the house.  He did however do all the painting and the yard work, and of course was a perfectionist at it.  No one could mow a lawn, tend flower beds, or paint a room like my dad.

Ok, so what does my dad’s painting skills have to do with my sewing machines?  Well it all started when I agreed to do what seemed like a basic task, hem the  sleeves on a number of my brother- in- law’s athletic shirts and sweaters.  I don’t have a cover stitch machine, but knew I could simulate the look of the cover stitch with a simple serged edge and a twin needle.

Let me back track for a minute.  I own a serger, a couple of them as a matter of fact.  I bought my Baby Lock many years ago, and really really loved the way it stitched.  I don’t really use it for anything other than a seam stabilization for commercial fabrics or handwoven garments that will be lined, I’m a firm believer that it is too commercial of a look for a handwoven garment, there are better finishes out there…

Anyway, I obtained a Janome serger back in 2006 in a round about way, and though it is really a competent machine, I would default to my old Baby Lock because I really really loved the way it stitched.  A couple of years ago, it wasn’t stitching so well anymore.  I tried everything, changing the needles, giving it an oiling, cleaning it out as best I could, but it was pretty clear it needed an overhaul.  So I switched to my Janome serger and did what I had to do, but still missed my Baby Lock.

I talked to a representative at Baby Lock when I attended the LA American Sewing Guild Conference last summer, about getting my machine serviced.  I didn’t know any good repairmen anymore, and could I just send it back to them?  He laughed, said that was not realistic, and proceeded to try to sell me a $1500 state of the art serger that threaded itself and made snacks for me while I waited.  It was a pretty cool machine, and with all the show discounts, it would be $1200 with free shipping. I walked away thinking, no, I really just want my little Baby Lock back up to speed.

Back to my brother in law’s sweaters.  My machines were balking at the job.  All of them.  My Janome serger, and my Janome 6600 professional sewing machine which I adore and wouldn’t give up for the world.  I changed the needles on the serger and got it to do the job I wanted it to do, but the sewing machine kept skipping stitches all over the place. I dug out my old Kenmore standby, and it was frozen and a mess.  So I went to a local quilt shop, not sure what I’d find since they were pretty messed up in the flood last summer.  I knew they had a repair shop, but they are a Bernina dealer and had 8 feet of water in the basement, where the repair shop was located.

I was looking for twin needles, mine were old, and the biggest cause of skipped stitches is a bad needle.  While I was there, showing the ladies my sample, I was reminded that the other leading cause of skipped stitches is out of whack timing.  I’ve been sewing for 45 years and never had a machine adjusted for timing or anything else.  They’ve always worked with a little of my own TLC.

I talked to the repair guy.  And I took my Baby Lock over, and he looked at it a little leery, when I explained all the things that were wrong with it, and said he would look it over and get back to me.  He called yesterday and said it was all done, and he really really liked the way it stitched.  It was really out of whack, the timing was off, some of the parts were rusted and broken, and he was able to overhaul it for about a hundred dollars and change.  Can I say how happy I am, and how stupid I feel that I didn’t look into this two years ago?  It serges like a dream again, and now I realize that my sewing machines need a complete tune up as well.  I had dug out my old trusty Kenmore sewing machine and it skipped stitches, and was actually frozen from lack of use (and probably lack of oil).  So that is in for repair now, and my beloved Janome 6600 sewing machine is next.  In all fairness, I really threw it out of whack with the silk denim and shearling jacket I made last month, you can look back a few blog posts ago for that. Click here.

So, the moral here is though I’m a competent person, I can fix toilets and drains, paint rooms, and photograph my own work, build and maintain my own website and three others, and lift my own bags, sometimes there are consequences of trying to do it all, just ask my physical therapist who is trying to undo the damage to my back from years of hauling bags around the country.  At least my old trusty serger is back up and running, and hopefully within the month, my sewing machines will be humming along as well.

For the locals, I used the repair service at Acme Country Fabrics in Pequannock.  He did a great job.

And now dear readers, 50 pound suitcase in hand, I’m heading into NYC to give a lecture to the NY Guild of Handweavers, I’ll be parking in a garage and have to wheel the suitcase to the School of Visual Arts, but this is what I do, and I try not to complain much, my back does enough of that for me…

My wonderful husband is half a world away in Saudi Arabia.

My clever son is asleep in the basement.

The dog is outside romping in the rain.

Which leaves me all alone.

Which isn’t really a terrible thing.

Except I’m so excited I could spit.

First, I’m not in pain.  Really.  Two visits to the physical therapist’s and the difference is like night and day.  My back feels wonderful and I feel like the entire weight of the world has been lifted off my shoulders.

Second, this…

There is no one to share this with.  So dear readers, you get to see it first.  All it needs is a lining, and I am thrilled beyond belief.  I love the color, the line, and OK, so I’m wearing hand knit socks, but hey, any port in a storm…

Stay tuned…

It has been awhile since I’ve posted, I know, but I’m moving in slow motion this month, and haven’t had a whole lot to say, which is all good actually, and very very different from my life 10 months out of the year.  I welcome this slow easy sleep until 8am kind of pace, because soon, it will be just a memory full of stupid regrets like, “I should have gotten up at six and done…”

So last weekend, I headed up to the Catskills with my lovely daughter, who asked for a “spa” weekend for her Christmas present, and of course I joined her.  We had a full day at Emerson Spa and resort, which is about 10 minutes from my sister and her husband’s house in the Catskills, (that’s NY State for those not in this area), so we combined it with a stay with them.  I’m thrilled my daughter enjoyed her day, of course you know I did, a facial, body scrub, hour long pedicure and of course a massage.  And they had saunas, a steam room, an outdoor hot tub, and fresh fruit and tea available all day.  I could seriously get use to this.  I think of January as a pampering month, the month to recharge, and renew, rethink and regroup.  It is a month when one thinks more than one does.  I’m probably just making excuses, but I need this month, and I’m sad it is almost over.

Anyway, as always, fresh from my relaxing weekend, re-entry always sucks…  I walked into my house Sunday afternoon, to find a flood under the sink, where my kitchen drain once again failed, and the vaulted ceiling lights burned out so I couldn’t even see what the problem was.  Welcome home.  I had also agreed to alter the sleeves on a number of my brother in law’s athletic shirts, since they required a special cover stitch, requiring a special piece of sewing equipment, which I didn’t own, but could simulate, and his gratitude that I would even try was so sweet.  That kind of thing is easy for me, except I agreed to do it so they would be ready for him when he passed my house on his way home from the Catskills a couple hours behind me.  I had to really stay focused on the task at hand, first the shirts, then the light bulbs in the ceiling, then replacing the drain, then sweeping up the dog hair and tidying up the kitchen since my sister and husband were coming in for dinner.  We were definitely ordering out.  I’m not superwoman.

I survived Sunday night, still with relative calm from my relaxing spa weekend, able to curl up with a beer and watch the latest episode of Downton Abbey.

The rest of the week has been a lot like that.  I have this enormous to do list, that comes up in my face every time I look at my computer screen.  Windows 7 has this great app that allows on screen post it notes, so I don’t have scraps of paper littering up my desk.  There were things on my list like, “Get the car inspected”.  Check.  ”Renew passport”.  Check.  ”Send proposals for ANWG Conference”.  Check.  ”Make a doctor’s appointment to look into Physical Therapy for my wrecked lower back from dragging 50 pound suitcases around the continent trying to do what I do for a living.” Check.  ”Get Brianna to the dentist before she goes back to college”.  Check.  ”Get Brianna a replacement phone since her six month old phone died and she needs one in college.” Check.  ”Check out why my phone is freezing up”.  Check.  ”Figure out why my entire computer system goes to blue screen of death when I click on the video icon in WEBEX software when I am trying to teach an online class”.  Sort of check…  I spent a couple hours on the phone with tech support in India yesterday afternoon, I’m not even going to comment on that experience, and no resolution.  This has been an issue for awhile, I seem to be the only one with this problem.  I’ve tried three different Logitech webcams.  Yesterday’s class I had to go without video entirely, which worked out well considering the subject matter didn’t need real time video.  I’m meeting today with Erica from Weavolution to look into new conferencing software for Weavolution on-line classes.

I have to interject at this point how much I adore teaching this way.  I’ve booked a lot of online classes through Weavolution, and being able to sit down, in my own studio, and not have to pack suitcases, or get on a plane, or further wreck my back, is so appealing and this software/hardware glitch is really really frustrating.  I want this medium for teaching to work, I see it as the future at least for someone like me, who is slowly wanting to cut back on the amount of road time, and is tech savy enough to embrace new technology and celebrate what it can do bringing the world closer together.  Still, after three blue screens of death, and 10 minutes to bring the system back up and running after each incident, and no one able to tell my why, it was enough to curl up with two beers and call it a night.

But I didn’t do that.  I took my aching head and back, and my fabric which I sadly finished weaving, sadly because it was such a joy to weave, and because I was shocked when I happened to get up to check on an email, glance at the back of the loom, and see this…

I cut the fabric off the loom, dragged my aching head to my knitter’s group, where I sat with bright light, magnifying glasses, good eats, and a room full of fun knitterly types of talented women, and carefully by hand,  rewove the errant yard and a half mistake I discovered a yard and a half into the weaving.  Check.

So now the fabric is in the washer and I’m deciding what to tackle next.  Some task on the to do list, or my dress…

Stay tuned…