DIY blues

**wideguy** · 04-12-2013, 23:45

I have 3600 sq. Ft. of fabric, netting, all these great designs and all of you for motivation.

But the wife's machine seems lost for good. Eyes open on Craigslist I guess.
* grump grump *

**bigguy** · 04-13-2013, 00:13

I feel ya, I was about to order a bunch of fabric and make a tarp, under quilt, and a backpack. Then my machine just stopped working. I'm taking it to a repair shop tomorrow, but was told 5-10 business days.

**JohnSawyer** · 04-13-2013, 00:14

Sorry to hear. I'd loan you my backup machine . . . but it's a long drive...

**simply_light** · 04-13-2013, 05:45

Originally Posted by wideguy

I have 3600 sq. Ft. of fabric, netting, all these great designs and all of you for motivation.

But the wife's machine seems lost for good. Eyes open on Craigslist I guess.
* grump grump *

I now have 3 sewing machines. My first was my Mom's spare, so it was free (the best price). It is a Kenmore, probably about 30-40 years old. It is a good machine, but I am a little leery of using it for real heavy duty projects.

So, I picked up a Necchi next from Craigslist. Nice machine, and love that it is a free arm. However, it only has one speed - super fast. So, I'm still learning with it.

My 3rd was a Singer 501A, again off Craigslist. It can handle just about anything, and I am very happy with it. It is a slant needle though with a knee peddle, so there is another learning curve on that.

It is nice having peace of mind that a project doesn't have to get put on hold due to a machine dying on me.

**wideguy** · 04-13-2013, 06:51

Yeah, ours was a low end singer to start with but timing's off, bobbin only pics up every third stitch...pretty certain a new machine will be cheaper than a shop. Neither are in the budget right now though.

**Nighthauk** · 04-13-2013, 09:02

See if you can borrow one? Or go over to a buddies house. If there is anyone on the forums that lives close to you that would be a great place to start. If you lived a little closer to western ma. I or Raiffnuke would be happy to help.

Hmmm Maybe make a camping trip out this way. lol

**Jimbo3b** · 04-13-2013, 09:40

There's a lot of stories here about timing issues due to some fluff or a thread caught in the works. Try servicing it yourself before you give up. There are a lot of manuals, tutorials, and videos online. The only "sewing" part I remove is the bobbin carrier. The rest is just clean and lube.

Get some real sewing machine oil before you start, not 3 in 1. Take the covers off, and blow it out with a compressor or brush it out carefully. Then lube any moving shaft. Low risk and high reward if it works.

**Rothman** · 04-13-2013, 14:30

Originally Posted by wideguy

I have 3600 sq. Ft. of fabric.....

Were you planning to make a functioning parachute for your house?!

**Deadphans** · 04-13-2013, 17:51

Originally Posted by Rothman

Were you planning to make a functioning parachute for your house?!

lol, my thoughts exactly. Thats a lot of fabric hot diggity!

**wideguy** · 04-13-2013, 19:54

Yeah Rothman and Deadphans... it's a lot. 60' x 60' screen formally used to project laser shows on. But to be fair it does have a 3" webbing on all 4 sides, so it's really only 59'6" x 59'6"... plus it's got these seams every 72". Biggest "problem" is I don't know what it is. It's coated in some way, but I haven't had a chance to cut a piece to weigh. with all the webbing and grommets and string ties weighing the whole thing is not accurate. Plus it's white. LOL

Nighthauk, if I had a working plan I might take you up on that but I'm still deciding what design I'll make. That could turn into a long visit

But Thanks !