How to Avoid Work

Hi everyone:

I've been very busy lately working on some new patterns involving appliqué and hand embroidery and they've been going very well, until... squirrel! 

I'm easily distracted (I can see my quilting friends nodding their heads) by bright, shiny objects (well, just about anything to do with quilting, sewing or fabric) and this occurred a couple of weeks ago. I read in one of my quilting Yahoo groups that there was a Singer Featherweight at the local Goodwill store. Well, that was enough to drag me out on a snowy, blowy Sunday to take a look. She was in very good condition, but missing all attachments and I couldn't get her to sew properly - bobbin tension was cranked way up and there was no screwdriver in sight. I decided to think about it - and someone snatched her up early the next morning. Okay, obviously not meant to be. I continued the search.

Charlie & Teeka checking out the new addition

I found an ad on kijiji for a Featherweight in Edmonton, about a three hour journey from Calgary. I contacted the seller and over the course of several emails and additional photos, we arranged for me to view the machine on the next Sunday (yes, this whole saga only spans a week!) as I had a wedding on the Saturday and couldn't drive up during the week - that three hour drive thing, remember? My hubby and I cleared our Sunday schedule so we could drive up until... I received an email from the seller on Thursday night that another person was going to be looking at the machine on Saturday and could I call her Saturday night to see if it was sold before I came up on Sunday. What?!! I was a bit upset, to say the least. Make arrangements with me first, but then let someone else see it before me? My momma always told me that you honour the first commitment, regardless of what else better may come along. I've sold items on kijiji myself and have always waited for the first person to check out the item before allowing anyone else the opportunity to view it. Just good manners. Anyway, I wrote that machine off and figured something else would come along, which it did. In the meantime I was busy helping do the flower arrangements for the Saturday wedding.

Table centrepieces all done!

On Saturday morning, I decided to check the kijiji listings to see if there might be another Featherweight closer to home. And guess what? There was! Yes, just minutes from my home was a Singer Featherweight 222K waiting for a new home. I called the seller, went to her house, checked out the machine, negotiated a better price and came home with E.B. (short for Evelyn Barbara: Evelyn for the seller and both names for my paternal grandmother). All this just hours before I had to attend the wedding (remember the flower arrangements?). I didn't have time to play with my new purchase, but brought her home and let her settle in until Sunday.

E.B. at home

I spent several hours Sunday cleaning up E.B., removing some tape and sticker residue with kerosene and then shining her up with car wax (no polishing agents, please!). I also oiled her all up, took off the stitch plate and cleaned out the bobbin area, which caused a bit of tension issues on Monday, but which I finally managed to resolve after much searching on the internet. She looked great! 

All shined up

The best thing about E.B. is that she is not your garden variety 221 Featherweight (no offense, 221 owners), but a 222K. If you're not familiar with these little guys, they are like the 221, but are a free arm machine and have the ability to drop the feed dogs. Sweet! She was made in Scotland at the Kilbowie plant in Clydebank in 1956 - the year my parents were married. 

Some metal polish cleaned up the face plate

Today I did some scrappy sewing with E.B. and we had a wonderful time together. Her stitches just melt into the fabric and there is something magical about sewing with a machine that is older than me, yet still runs so smoothly and quietly. They sure knew how to build machines in those days! I know that we're going to have many wonderful adventures together. 

Just another vanity shot

Now I just need to wait to hear about the price on that Featherweight in the Salvation Army store near my parents' house...