Do as I say…

Not as I do…

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…