First up, It seems I’m not alone in liking those tiny little books. I think Rebecca spotted them first in the old Thrift Shop…Otherwise, someone else would have claimed them, no doubt! They are so adorable, and such sweet stories!
And Joy, I hand stitched Rebecca’s new purse strap on by hand… I punched the holes with a punch and then stitched them with some waxed black leather thread. She was much happier with the new longer length.
Can you guess who the new sewing student is?
Why of course, it’s Rebecca! We bought her a sewing machine for her birthday, which was in October, but we didn’t see them then, so she told us she’d get whatever we had for her when they came home for Christmas. I was a bit nervous about giving it to her because I didn’t want her to think I didn’t want to do the alterations she brought home anymore. I just thought if she had a machine of her own, she could do some minor things instead of waiting till she came home.
She isn’t a total novice when it comes to sewing… years ago, she and a friend took lessons at a sewing place and made a few projects.
She knows more about sewing than your average person, because she’s been around it her whole life… she just needed some brush up.
Well, she was thrilled with it and was very excited to have me teach her a few things. I put together several things she’d need when she begins using it… so she’s going home with a little sewing supply stash.
We finally had time to sit down tonight and go over the machine and all it does. It’s a Janome Jem Gold 2 661 model. It’s got great reviews and is a nice machine for someone who doesn’t have a lot of space devoted to sewing. It only weighs 14 pounds and is pretty compact. It has 3 different straight stitches, an overcast stitch, several zig zag stitches, it can make buttonholes, and it has a stretch stitch.
We went over the basics of the machine and then she wanted to practice a few things. I tried to give her some tips and she jumped right in and wanted to start playing with it.
We practiced all the stitches, and how to wind a bobbin. It also is a self threading machine! I gave her a few extra feet to use and let her pick out threads she uses a lot and embroidery floss for hand sewing things.
She liked playing with the zig zag stitches to sew on patches…
I think she was genuinely happy to have it!
We gave it to her the first night they got here because it was her birthday present…
As soon as they saw what it was, for some reason, they started laughing, and Karn started saying, “Oh, we have to! We just HAVE to!”
Obviously, we didn’t know what they were talking about, but they both agreed and got a little present for me out of the stack of packages they had brought in.
I began opening it and had no idea what to expect…
But look what was in the box…
It’s a little Sew-Ette sewing machine from the 40’s or 50’s. It’s all metal and was a child’s machine. They found it at an antique store and said they both agreed they had to get it. It wasn’t working at all, but Karn is pretty handy, so this is what happened…
It even has a little foot control, that you can use with your fingers… or just turn it on…
Karn took it ALL apart…
Incredibly, he got it all back together… with no “leftover” parts. That’s a good sign! :o) Bless his heart!!
Now look and listen to this…
It runs on 2 batteries and sounds terfific. We tried for a really long time to get it to sew fabric, but it will only sew about 3 or 4 stitches and then it seizes up. I tried to find a manual for it, because I’m not even sure I have it threaded right or the needle facing the right way.
For now it will just go on a shelf in my sewing room and leave me with a warm feeling knowing they thought of me when they saw it. Thank you Karn and Rebecca!!
The week of NEW machines!!
Thanks everyone,
Have a wonderful weekend,
Blessings, Jeanne
I’m delighted you have Rebecca started sewing! That looks like a nice little machine to start out, with enough stitches but not so complicated that it looks intimidating! (And face it, some of those newer machines with all the bells and whistles certainly would look intimidating to someone with little to now experience–even to those of us who’ve been sewing for a while!!)
And that little machine the kids got for you–oh, how wonderful That is!!! And Karn took it apart and got it running. Even if you never can Really sew with it, it is a treasure for sure, and a nice conversation piece for your sewing room. Lucky you!!
Tomorrow I’m taking Ron out to do a little Christmas shopping; he wants to get me a card, so that will be RiteAid (the way it’s arranged, the cards are close to the front, and he can sit on his walker while he looks), and then to See’s for some of my favorite lemon truffles. As to the rest of my gift, that’s the Countdown to Christmas box from the Missouri Star Quilt Co., like I did last year. A present a day for 25 days! I bring each one over and open it with Ron, and thank him for my present! I’ll save the last few to open when he opens his from me on Christmas day.
What a nice looking machine, Jeanne! Yes, not so intimidating for beginners, or not-beginners,(like me)! I am not in the computer age at all when it comes to sewing machines, I don’t care how easy others say they are! My 1965 Singer is fine for me and nothing compares! So cute to see the zig-zag stitches around the patches! I could do that all day too, but sadly, have no patches to sew. However a patchwork quilt might be a good thng to make in some way using that idea, or placemats. I’m sure Rebecca will be forever grateful for her gift, and it will be the start of many sewing items that she chooses to do!
That little sewing machine is darling! It reminds me of the little one I have for Molly. Hers is also a child’s machine, since I think the ones made for dolls are too small. I have a couple of pictures of Molly sewing with her machine on her kitchen table with little sewing accessories,…..somewhere! It was a fun scene to do. Maybe you can utilize that little machine into a sewing scene somehow!
What great presents, both of them, and so thoughtful. That little machine is a gem and a great addition to a sewing room decor. You’ve certainly had a wonderful visit. 🎄
The most important thing in buying a new machine is that it has the self-threading feature, especially useful for when you eventually Really need that feature. Suemae will be taking the sewing lessons for a long time as they have several machines dedicated to overcasting edges that uses up so much thread, and it’s so expensive now. Rebecca will get so much use out of this and be able to turn around her items quicker.
Rebecca’s new machine is absolutely fantastic. I can’t believe that she is already sewing zigzag and applying cute patches. I can just see all of the creative stuff she might make in the future. What about a holiday table runner for next year? Lots of fabrics on sale now. What a wonderful gift to receive. 🙂
And, Jeanne’s fun present is a perfect addition on a display shelf not just in the sewing room, but anywhere in the house. That looks like a really fun vintage piece. Love it. And Karn’s operation on it, was so successful. Good work.
That is great to know about using a punch for a purse strap and not the machine. The purse really turned out nicely with the longer useful strap.
Hope everyone has a few moments to relax and enjoy the season this weekend. Such a busy time.
Your machine choice for Rebecca is perfect. Not too big, not too heavy, not too complicated. She sure got some nice results already.
The tiny machine is so darn cute… could an AG doll be posed using it for a picture? That with an outfit for the 1950 doll would be cute.
One more trip to Costco ugh!