Hi Wendy,
 WB> No kidding!  That's the first thing I check when something's not
 WB> quite right, and usually that's the problem.  It's so easy on my
 WB> machine for the bobbin thread to catch on something.  If I were
Check out the threading of the machine too; sometimes it slips a guide
and throws everything out of whack.
 WB> to do this over again I'd never buy this one, but you learn from
 WB> your mistakes, and it's good for me to learn to deal with problems
 WB> without falling apart, so I guess it's for a reason.
We've learned to check "Consumer Reports" for a lot of our big
purchases.  Another good source is word of mouth or thru echoes like
this.  I learned what to look for in a serger thru some tips someone
posted here.  The only information CR had on them was from 1988 but at
that time they reccommended Baby Lock as the best one.  From what I read
elswhere, that advice held up so I got a Baby Lock.
 WB> That sure happens a lot!  I have tried to keep a bobbin wound for
 WB> each spool of thread I use oftener, but when I'm in a hurry I don't
 WB> want to stop and rewind a bobbin before I put the stuff away, so I
 WB> don't do that much any more.  Seems like I'm always doing something
 WB> in a hurry around here.  Poor organization, I know!  
I usually have the main colors I use wound in bobbins all the time.
Some colors I'll wind as needed, others, just use the nylon invisible
stuff.  I could probably wind a bobbin for every color of thread I have
but don't really see the need; some colors I got for specific projects
that are done, but I still have thread.
 WB> I have this pillow panel I bought some time ago, thinking that it
 WB> would look nice in our living room.  I have it all ready to sew,
 WB> and now I can't find a ready-made form for it.  I'll have to make
 WB> one.  It's not square, it's rectangular, and all the ones I've
 WB> seen here are square or round, so it's not going to be as easy as
 WB> I thought.  That's okay but I had to change gears in the middle of
 WB> the home stretch.    I wasn't expecting that little surprise.
A pillow form should be easy enough to do. Use either several layers of
quilt batting or fiberfill; I think the batting would be less apt to
shift.  Cut 2 rectangles of muslin, about the same size as your finished
pillow panel.  Sew them together on 3 sides, using a 1/2" seam
allowance.  Tun right side out, fill with the batting and sew that end
shut.  Insert into your pillow [anel and backing, sew together.
Rectangular forms are hard to find; you usually have to make your own.
 WB> She's keeping it simple, hmmmmm?  Sounds good to me.  You don't
 WB> want it to be too fussy.  I think she's smart!
Yes, and it will save time by not having to put on all the fussy
details.
 WB> I would be, too!  You want your anniversary to be your own.  I
 WB> still think about ours; we never are alone on our anniversary
 WB> because we got married Dec. 26th and Tom's sister spends the
 WB> holidays with us now that the other two brothers are both gone.
We don't have many family events in June on either side so this will be
nice for her. My sister got married on Dec. 27; it was cold enough that
the pipes in the motel where his family was to stay, froze the day
before.  They thawed in time for the family to keep the reservations.
 WB> It is.  My father was very active in working with the young
 WB> people's organizations, in fact other people's kids saw more
 WB> of him than we did.  It was sometimes frustrating, not to be
 WB> able to see your father but having all the other kids say,
 WB> "Gee, I sure wish my dad was more like yours."  It was hard
 WB> to convince them that he was a lot nicer to them than he was
 WB> to me, because he was so great with them.  
That is tough.  Because of tight finances, my dad had to put in lots of
hours at the newspaper where he worked when we were growing up.  He also
supplimented his income by doing free lance photography--weddings,
liquor licenses, etc. We saw very little of him at times.
 WB> Yes, and he knows I feel that way.  It took me a long time to
 WB> convince him he was worthy of being loved, that he was lovable.
 WB> I had to work very hard at it.  The world in general is not
 WB> going to tell someone like Tom how wonderful he is, so I had
 WB> to work extra hard to convince him.
Good for you.  It sounds like Tom is one person that the world, as a
whole, does not appreciate--yet there's something special that others
need to open their eyes to about him.
 WB> Now, though, sometimes I'll be in here doing mail and he'll be
 WB> in the next room at *his* computer doing his, and I'll say,
 WB> "Honey?"  and he will reply, "Yes, I am!"  Tickles me, and he
 WB> always gets a giggle out of me when he says that!    I've
 WB> got him well-trained now, believe me!  hehe
Cute!  Got him trained to do other things (laundry, dishes) too?
 RH> point out that I won't have all the sewing stuff scattered thruout the
 RH> house. (G)
 WB> Most men would let you have it just for that reason.  Tom
 WB> wants to learn to sew!  He was going to sign up for a sewing
 WB> class with the Continuing Education people here and they
 WB> would not let him.  They said, "NO MEN!"  I think that's
 WB> discrimination, and I don't think it was fair at all.  They
I think the Continuing Ed. people need to rethink their priorities.
Take in some information on Phil Pepper or Michael James and see what
they say about guys sewing when they see that!  Who would they go to if
they needed a tailor?
 WB> If I get better at it I'm going to teach him myself.  He
 WB> deserves to be able to do whatever he wants to do, as long
 WB> as he's not hurting someone else, and he never would.
If we lived closer, I'd help you teach him.  Steve has learned a lot
about sewing from me.  Back in 1976, he made his own knickers for a
bicentennial outfit.  He sews on a lot of his own insignia too; the
military is too picky for me.
Catch you later,
Ruth
Geoworks Ensemble & Professional Point - High performance on a budget!
hafflys@primenet.com    FIDO 1:309/63.2
... Psalms 23:6 | Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me..
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