Sewing Machine - We're going to try and work things out

I had a nice afternoon with my machine! We got to know each other a bit, I told it I would try my hardest to understand it, as long as it would just give me a sign that it still wants to be with me!

We only broke 2 needles!

But together we hemmed a stack of jeans that have been waiting for a year! I know some of you will cringe, but I absolutely love ripped up worn out hems dragging on the ground (how 90's grunge of me!), so I always keep the factory hem at the bottom!

Now here's the cool part: both needles were broken on the first pair. After that first pair, instead of stomping off mad, I pleaded with my machine, put some safety glasses on, and learned how to quickly lift the presser foot up as I hopped over the side seams - woohoo, we rolled right through the other pairs! I know that my machine isn't designed really for so much thick denim, but it's over now! I rarely even do this so I'm looking at least a year into the future before I need to sew jeans again.

After realizing that the feed plate thingy wasn't jammed full of thread this time, the bobbin didn't freak out on me through the whole ordeal, I had an epiphany: I'm going to learn to sew on this machine! When I was so frustrated, I thought "if only I had a better machine"... but then I knew NOTHING about sewing machines. Now that I have been reading about and pricing them I pay attention to things a little more. I dug out the manual, and was surprised to learn my machine actually has plenty of stitches, does embroidery, and I still have a baggie full of the feet, etc that came with it. I also took note that the $99 I spent on it in 1992 (wow, that's 19 years ago!) is probably the same thing I would be buying for $250 now.

It was then that I took a break and checked the blog for comments, and overwhelmingly, y'all are telling me what I already suspected, that I should continue to save my $$ for something better than another entry level machine and I realized I should really try harder with this one, at least then when I do make the purchase I will know better the functions I need/like. This may be futile, but after this afternoon I owe it to the old Monkey Ward Yugo to give it another go! Plus, I really do like that it is STURDY, those plastic new light machines are going to take awhile to grow on me, I don't know why I'm so terrified I'll break them, must be jeans flashbacks!

So, much to the kids' dismay, when they got off the school bus today we headed to the fabric store (I want to add that JoAnn Fabrics here is terrible, understaffed and rude every time I go there - if you are in the local area drive the extra distance to Hancock), and I picked up a few things to get me started - more machine needles, for one! I almost fell over the first time I learned what a cutting mat was and saw the prices, but today they were 40% off on rotary cutters and mats so I bought the largest mat I could afford, along with a rotary cutter. I think I got a pretty basic cutter, but since I don't even know how to use it yet it will do for awhile! I did purchase my first pair of dedicated scissors last month, I used my last pair to cut everything from paper to tomato stems, yep, there I said it! These should really be locked up from myself LOL.

I'm not sure what my first project will be, but you can be sure it won't involve denim! Probably an apron or something of that nature, I have a few patterns and several yards of fabric bought on sale a few weeks ago. I also have picked up a few library books and am learning all kinds of stuff - like what interfacing and bias tape are... now that I know how basic that stuff is that I didn't know what they were, can you tell what a beginner I am?

I rented the kids a movie to keep them occupied this evening, and sitting on makeshift sewing table are screwdrivers, canned air and a lint brush, and I'm going to sit down when I'm done blogging and give my Yugo a spa day and hopefully turn her into a good impression of a Subaru, wish me luck!

Sound like an exciting Friday night? You betcha! And if things take a turn for the worse, I'm going to hit the bottle of bourbon I bought for making pound cake! See, I'm prepared either way!

Beginners' Basic Sewing Notions

P.S. Overheard in the car today on the way to the fabric store-

Finn: "where are we going?"

Loch: "the dumb sewing store"

Finn: "why?"

Loch: "mommy thinks she can fix that thing, but I bet she won't remember to fill up the gas can"

Me: "I'm done mowing the lawn for this year, we don't need gas"

Loch: "dontcha need it for the sewing machine?"

(LOL! I thought to myself that if that thing had a gas engine, I bet men would sew!)