~Happy Mother’s Day To All My Sweet Girlfriends~

‘I Want To Thank You’ ~ Sung by Karen Peck and New River

Have a wonderful, wonderful day!

Kenmore 1301

Wow. Another sweet machine. This Kenmore is a model 158.13011 or shortened, Model 1301.

Louie and I found it at the the Salvation Army in Illinois for a pretty good price. We bought it with the sole intention of donating it to The Sewing Machine Project.

I had to figure it out by myself, since it didn’t come with a manual and I couldn’t find one free online, but it didn’t take long for me to do that. I cleaned and oiled it before I test sewed with it.

This one will definitely make someone a nice machine…if I let it go. I love the color, and cosmetically, it is in very good shape. It is really quiet and smooth.

Singer 603

Wow. I am amazed. Louie and I bought this machine in Madison, Wisconsin when we went up to Fond Du Lac a while ago. It was in very sad shape, and had some rust in the bobbin area. I didn’t think it would make it. The bobbin cover plate was completely off the machine, the needle was broken, and it was pretty dirty. We really didn’t have much hope for it, but we could see a lot of potential for parts. I was going to strip it down and save everything on it I could, then use the case for another machine, and keep the foot control. Those are always good things to have around as spares.

We also needed a motor for a Singer 500A we have sitting in the basement. We thought we could always use this one. I think it would have fit. At any rate, it seemed like a good one to part out.

What I wasn’t prepared for, was for it to turn out to be a really nice machine. It has ALL metal parts…no nylon gears at all. I did quite a bit of cleaning, and gave it some oil, but it was pretty ‘free’ as far as movement went. The motor is strong, and fast, and we didn’t even take it out and go over it like we usually do. I found some information online, on how to wind a bobbin, so I did wind a bobbin. That worked really well. Thank you, www.sewusa.com!

I only had to move the upper tension once to make it sew nicely. This machine takes cams for decorative stitches, but the straight and zigzag stitches are perfect.

This machine will be going to The Sewing Machine Project soon, along with several others….just as soon as I get them dug out from under the basement steps and we find a date that will work for both us and the lady in Madison. It’s kind of funny, really. I rescued it in Madison, Wisconsin, and that is where it will be returning.

I’m happy it worked the way it did.

Be blessed,

Michelle

My ‘Someday’ Track Lights (Machine Quilting Room)

My hubby installed my ‘someday’ track lights today…all by himself…with no help from me. I needed a break from projects, but mostly from being the ‘one woman clean up committee’. I didn’t even go down until the job was finished.

A few weeks ago, I worked in this room, after Louie’s desk came upstairs to his new office. This is how the room looks with only the overhead light on. I did not use my flash.

This picture was taken before the track lights were installed. I did use a flash on this picture, but if you look to the far top left corner, the lamp on the wall, and the corner lamp is on. That is the extent of my lighting, other than the lamp clipped to the handle of my quilter.

I turned off my flash for this picture to show how bright the lights are.

These next two pictures were taken without a flash also. The first one is with the track lights off, and the other lights on……

…and this one is with the track lights on. A noticeable improvement?

Hopefully, it will make a big difference in how well I can see when I am quilting.

My hubby installed a plug on the track lights, rather than wiring them directly into a constant power source. On the long strip, the track lights are plugged in, a heavy extension cord for my sewing machine, cruise control, and lamp, and another cord for the lamp in the corner are all plugged into this strip. When I am finished in this area, I flip the switch, and everything is turned off, and when I want to turn everything back on, I flip the switch again. So  nice!

Now that’s a good job done!!!

Have a great week.

Michelle

A Little Bluegrass Sunday

No words necessary….

Have a wonderful day!