Hi Wendy,
 WB> I learned that the bobbin on this one needs to be wound just so, or
 WB> it bounces all over the place.  Ruined my first wall hanging quilt
 WB> trying to machine quilt it with a badly wound bobbin!    Live
Well, it taught you that the bobbin is a very important part of the
sewing machine, didn't it?  For such a small part, it can be a pain to
deal with at times.  I was making  buttonholes in a dress for a friend
yesterday (She had made the dress for her granddaughter but her machine
didn't do good buttonholes.) and when I was done, pulled out the bobbin.
There was not enough thread to do another one.  I had thought my
indicator light would have come on but I guess there was just enough
thread left to make it (the light) think that it wasn't needed.  For
large projects, I wind at least a couple of bobbins before I start; it
saves time and frustration.
 WB> Hmmmm, that would be a good idea, the ability to disengage the
 WB> cutter.  If that demonstrator had been really listening to us, she
 WB> would have told us that.  Tom was quite vocal on the subject!
I'm surprised that the demonstrator didn't pick up on that point.  It's
not hard to do and does save a lot of worry about cutting yourself or
the fabric.  Last summer I made a dress for a friend and the cutter
caught just a small area in the skirt.  I was able to fix it
inconspicusly but made sure the cutter was disengaged before going on.
(I'd made up the dress on the sewing machine but was just going over the
seam allowances to keep them from fraying.)
 WB> I'd love to sew more but I'm not very good at it right now.  I'd
 WB> sure have to practice a lot more before I thought about buying a
 WB> serger, I think.
That's the only way to get good at something, practice.  Make quilts,
pillows, clothes, whatever you want but just keep sewing.
 WB> Oh, I'm sure she'd love the chance to help.  My friend said that
 WB> when her aunt got married, her mother and grandmother made the
 WB> dress and they sewed seed pearls in the center of each lace rose
 WB> on the bodice and the tiered skirt.  I thought, boy, what a job
 WB> that must have been!  She said that it was months doing that, and
 WB> her grandfather kept complaining that there were even pearls in
 WB> the bathtub, so heaven knows where they took that dress while they
 WB> were working on it!  hehe
Rachel asked about embellishing the lace with pearls or something, then
decided against it.  She also decided against the lace appliques going
around the skirt so it really has very little lace (just on the sleeves
and bodice),  I'll have to tell her about those seed pearls.
 WB> Mine married Mom on Labor Day weekend, and he was in the Army Air
 WB> Corps, stationed at Standiford Field in Lousiville, KY, which was
 WB> where Mom lived and that's where he met her.  So he wore his military
 WB> uniform for the wedding.  They were married on Saturday afternoon and
 WB> on Monday he had to march in the Labor Day parade!    He nearly
 WB> roasted to death in that heavy uniform--he was from Michigan and not
 WB> used to the heat and humidity of Louisville.
By the time my folks met, my dad was back in the reserves, after being
on active duty (Navy) during WWII,  They got married 4 years later & he
was expecting his discharge papers any day; I doubt he could have worn
his uniform "legally." They had planned to get married in October on my
grandparent's anniversary but moved it up to July when the Korean crisis
broke out.  When Steve and I started talking about a Sept. wedding, my
mom asked why not go for her folks anniversary date.  It wasn't the
right timing for us for several reasons that year.  Three years later,
Rachel was born the day before the October anniversary and the next
year, Steve's sister got married on Rachel's first birthday.  So, with
all of that, I'm glad we stuck to the September date.
 WB>  Dad was very active in Freemasonry, and he had to have a tux for
 WB> a lot of the events he attended after he got the 33rd degree, which
 WB> is quite an honor.  So finally they bought him one.  Now my brother
 WB> has it.  Both brothers seem to be following in Dad's footsteps but
 WB> the tux only fits one of them--the other one's too thin to wear it.
My dad never got involved in anything like that.  I know there is a
lodge in the town where they live and some of his siblings are/were in
it but he never did. I've heard (read) that the 33rd degree is quite an
honor, however.
 WB> Mine was not, too much tension, and his family considered me beneath
 WB> him.  Tom's family's so thrilled that I love him, they think I'm OK.
It's all too true, that you "marry" the family as well as the
individual.  It sounds like you've got a winner in Tom.
 WB> But first hubby's family had delusions of grandeur.    They were
 WB> a very dysfunctional bunch, too, let me tell you!  Drove us half nuts!
I know some families like that.  Enough said.
 RH> after she leaves, I'll make her room into a sewing room and leave my
 RH> stuff out all the time.
 WB> I'm green with envy!    It sounds sooo nice!
That is, if Steve doesn't commandeer it for his computers first. (G)  I
think he will let me have first priority though, especially when I point
out that I won't have all the sewing stuff scattered thruout the house.
(G)
 WB> and part of it which stood out in my mind was the Lord saying,
 WB> "I don't care about your weaknesses and your faults--I know all
 WB> about your weaknesses and they don't matter to me because I've
 WB> made you strong in other ways."  WHEW, talk about meeting a need!
 WB> When you hear something like that you don't quibble if you have
 WB> any sense at all.  You just get up and start walking!  
Right!  And the changes in your life since!  Keep on walking, soon
you'll run & then soar with the eagles (Isiah 40:31).
Catch you later,
Ruth
Geoworks Ensemble & Professional Point - High performance on a budget!
hafflys@primenet.com    FIDO 1:309/63.2
... Luke 1:49 | For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;...
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