Today, a parent dropped off an older Brother sewing machine and a current model Singer serger, plus a tub of fabric and accessories. She’s in the process of moving and doesn’t have room in her new place for all of her craft supplies. One of my coworkers took the sewing machine home once I confirmed that it worked. I brought the serger home to see if I can get it to work. If it does, I’ll keep it for myself as it’s a definite upgrade over my 20+ year old Sears Kenmore serger.

After work, I picked up two mechanical sewing machines from Miss Pat. She decided to give them to me for kid’s sewing classes. One is the very same JW5622 I gifted to the shop when we stopped doing clubs at school. The other is an earlier model of the same machine but sports a Kenmore badge. This particular model must be very popular for Janome. It’s been been around a while and you different variations of it under the Janome, Elna, Baby Lock and Necchi brands.

Anyway, neither machine had been used in a while. The Kenmore made such an awful clanking noise that I was certain it was destined for the trash. I cleaned/oiled and added a new needle to each machine. The JW5622 perked right up. The Kenmore needed a TLC booster as it was parched. It soaked up every bit of oil I applied. Still made the clanking noise, though. After consulting an online manual, I learned that the drop feed lever that was somehow not in the correct position. Everything looks good now.

Two more machines are coming my way next week. In case you’re wondering, all of these machines will eventually be re-homed. I enjoy tinkering with the machines and bringing them back to their full potential so another person can get use out of them.

Today, I finally got to see my good friend for the first time in six months. We’ve texted and talked on the phone sporadically over the intervening months, but today we were able to walk & talk and sit & visit for almost two hours. It did my soul (and hers) a lot of good. You see, she quit her job to care for her elderly mother. It’s been a harrowing 12 months as she sorted out her mom’s situation, modified her own house to make it accessible for her mom, then moved her mom in with her. (I also got to stick my head in the door to say hi to her mom, too!). Hopefully, we’ll be able to visit again, soon.

One thing we both realized during COVID is that life is short. Having to be cooped up with minimal contact with the outside world isn’t healthy. We’d both rather take our chances and go live than continue the way things have been the past two years. It’s high time we stepped back and took a breather. The elementary school where we both once worked together will continue on without us.

Earlier today, I was mindlessly watching assorted YouTube videos when one about Simple Living caught my attention. I listened to the gentleman, then went and watched a couple of his other videos. He’s absolutely correct – all you really need is food, clothing, shelter, a sense of purpose and a sense of community. The sense of purpose can be paid employment, volunteer work or something else, but you need a reason to get out of bed every morning. It should also be something that makes you happy. The community needs to be a group of folks that you look out for, who will also look out for you. This can include family, friends and others you meet – but your “friends” on social media probably won’t be there for you if you find yourself in a jam at 3 a.m. My friend is one of the folks who will be there for me whenever I call. No questions asked. I’ll happily do the same for her.

Hopefully, you’re a shopper who also likes to search for any discount codes before you hit the check-out button when online shopping. The same is true for buying most of your sewing and quilting needs. Unless you need it right away, you can save real money by shopping around.

My local dealer informed me that a wide extension table was not available for my Elnita EC30. (Well, yes there is, but it would have to come from overseas.) He stated my best bet would be to buy one directly from Sew Steady, the manufacturer. In case you’re unfamiliar with a Sew Steady table, it’s a clear acrylic table that is custom cut to fit your sewing machine to provide a larger flat work surface.

Manufacturer direct price: $89.00 plus tax and shipping. Total: $106-$120, depending on shipping option

Pocono Sew & Vac price: $69.00 plus tax and FREE shipping. Total: $73.50

I had to wait an extra 10 days by ordering through Pocono Sew & Vac, but I saved $35.00. This works for me since I don’t need the table until late April. PS&V is my go-to for feet & parts for my modern sewing machines. I use other companies to supply necessities for my vintage machines.

Joann’s is a great place to take Sadie because it is pet friendly; however, it’s not my regular go-to for sewing and craft items anymore. They’ve marked up the prices so much that it’s usually cheaper for me to buy things at the competition than wait for their special sales. The coupons now have so many restrictions or everything’s already on sale, so the coupon doesn’t apply. It can get frustrating. I was in the Cumming (GA) Joann store on Sunday killing time before I needed to head to a baby shower. I walked the scissors aisle. Fiskars pinking shears with the regular orange handles had a shelf tag of $39.99. Those same pinking shears are $29.99 everyday at Hobby Lobby and about $25.00 at Wal-Mart. It just so happens that the pinking shears are on sale this week at Hobby Lobby for $14.99. This is $25.00 less than the listed price at that Joann store. The Featherweight Shop, which I love, also adopted a similar pricing strategy. It’s raised prices to the point don’t buy from them unless there’s a major sale in progress on an item I need or want. Being a thrifty shopper here means I have more $$ to put toward fabric at my local quilt shop.