5/23/14

Don’t ever touch my machine again!

When I was a kid, I was fascinated by machines.  My Dad tinkered with motors and machines and was always taking something apart and putting it back together again.  So, when my Mom left her sewing machine up, I really couldn’t help it. 

I turned all the knobs.  Without paying attention to where they were set to start with. 

She had to take it to the shop to have the tension professionally set.

And, I never touched her machine again.

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Until now.  Mama, I’ve had my hands all over your sewing machine.  I’ve touched it in places you probably never saw.  I touched it again and again.  And, I re-set the tension. 

My Mom gave me her machine, a Singer Stylist 534 a couple years ago and it sat in the garage.  I was actually kind of intimidated by touching it, even after all these years. 

Actually, I’ve been surprised by the machine.  My Dad gave it to my Mom when my youngest sister was born.  That would have been 1976, I think.  I expected it to be all nylon gears and rubber belts inside.  But, it’s not.  it’s mostly steel, with just a bit of nylon.  And, it’s powerful.  It was pretty tight when I first started to sew with it.  But, a bit of oil and the top parts of the machine were moving smoothly. 

I sewed for about a half hour, making adjustments while I sewed a bunch of four patches, and then the feed dogs stopped.  Not sure what’s up with that, but it felt like maybe my Mom was getting even for me touching her machine again.  I’ll try to take the bottom plate off this weekend and figure out what’s up with the feed dogs.  I can’t find anything in the instructions about dropping the feed dogs, so we’ll have to see what there is to see when I get inside.

In other news around the home front, the garden is making me want to spend the day sitting in the swing outside.

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There was another Bernina daylily.

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And, the orange are putting on a show.

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Sydney is becoming quite the gardener and this is her hibiscus.  She chose well.

And, she is also growing a pomegranate.  Have you ever seen a pomegranate bloom?

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It’s made up of a bunch of flowers, just like you’d expect.  Hopefully, soon she’ll have two flowers open at the same time and she’ll get a fruit. 

Yesterday, I gave credit to some important people that said things that helped me get through my colonoscopy.  But, I forgot a couple of very important ones that I’d like to mention.

The therapist reminded me that courage isn’t the same thing as not being afraid.  Courage is being afraid and doing it anyway.

On the way to the office on Wednesday, Rob thanked me for having the test.  I couldn’t really reply appropriately at the time…I was kind of self focused that morning.  But, it really meant a lot to hear him say it, even if I couldn’t respond at the time.  And, as we walked into the office, I looked at him and said, “in a couple hours, everything could be different.  Or, it could be the same”.  Rob’s reply was “In a couple of hours, everything will be different, because you will know.”  Thanks dear.  You know how much those words meant.

Okay, so that’s it for me today.  All work, lots of play, and a three day weekend ahead to see how much trouble I can get into.

Have a great friday and a great Memorial Day weekend.  Remember, it’s not all about the steak and potato salad.  It’s really about remembering the soldiers that fought; those that died and those that came home.  We can’t forget what they did, and we can’t turn our backs on them and we must figure out how to give them the services they deserve after they return, even if it means we have to sacrifice.  We can’t let the selfish dictate our actions and we can’t let them undercut our service men and women. 

Take care.  Lane

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

No doubt you are equally supportive when Rob does it.
Lillian

Michelle said...

I bought this same machine in late 1975. It was my first sewing machine. I used it until a tooth broke off of the gear that does teh zig zag and it would miss a 'zag' whenever it got to that spot in the gear.

If you take off the bottom of the machine under where the bobbin sits, you will probably see a nylon gear. I don't have my machine anymore, and I just donated one just like it to a church quilting group or I would go look, but usually there are two gears that look kind of like this:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SINGER-Hook-Gear-Set-103361AS-Fits-534-834-6136-Mor-/280360211707?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item4146c554fb

One of them usually breaks. When they are replaced, they require timing from the 'singer man'.

Hope this is not what happened, but I'm guessing it probably is. Sorry. Did you know you are to never put oil on nylon gears? It speeds disintegration.

I am happy you finally got your mother's machine. I hope if it is broken, that you will fix it good as new. I loved mine, til it broke.

Anonymous said...

It was good to see the machine again. Bought it when J was born, 1975. We even had to finance it. But it more than paid for itself. Made everything M. and I wore and shirts for you and Dad. Wonder when I had time to sew. Couldn't do it now. You and Rob are very supportive of each other, that is the way it is supposed to be in a Happy Home. Thanks for saying the things about the Veterans. I try to shake their hands and thank them for their service. Also law enforcement. Gotta go this is a blog, not an email. lum

Elizabeth said...

Sydney's hibiscus is gorgeous! And the pomegranate flower is amazing, as well. Wow! Have I mentioned that Day Lilies are one of my favorites? I have a pink one (whose name I can't remember at the moment) that I am particularly fond of. If we were neighbors, I'd ask for a cutting of that Bernina. She is gorgeous!

I enjoyed hearing about your mom's machine. My mom had a Singer that was probably 20 years old when I started to sew in the early 80's. It was a workhorse. I'd love to find an old machine like that -- one that can sew through anything.

xo -E

lw said...

I love pomegranate trees, blossoms and fruit! How pretty all the flowers are in your yard!

Thank you for supporting veterans. I am so worried about the way the VA has been treating our servicemen. They all deserve better. Nearly all of the men in my family have been in the service, and I agree with the officer who spoke at my dad's funeral and said that all veterans are heroes.

I had the absolute worst sewing teacher in high school. She had an anxiety disorder and scared me so much about sewing that I didn't sew again until I was forced to by need when my children were babies. Kudos for overcoming the admonition not to touch that sewing machine on your own, for fun.

Rebecca Grace said...

Hmmm. MY son put glue down the needle hole in the stitch plate of my Bernina when he was a toddler. He and his daddy had been doing some woodworking projects where my husband had predrilled holes and my son's job was to put wood glue in the hole and then stick the peg in the hole. So there was this sewing machine with a hole, and a bottle of glue happened to be nearby... I was SOBBING! Thank God it was only fringe adhesive glue, and the tech was able to clean all the glue off the bobbin and race hook successfully. I am SURE I told Lars not to ever touch my machine again!

I think it's really cool that you are making friends with your mom's machine after all these years.

talkingcat said...

With four daughters, my mother had the perfect solution for maintaining her sewing machine. She encouraged each of us to save babysitting money and buy our own! I still have my Singer 217 purchased for $79 in the early 70's.

Anonymous said...

Thank you for the smart and caring words about supporting our service people - and even if it means sacrifices we make. How can we do less? How can they deserve less?