Category: craft business

Recalibrating

October 15, 2025

If October had a word of the month for me, it would be recalibrate. My SUV needed to have safety software recalibrated as part of a recall. We met with our financial planner to recalibrate our overall financial plan and update goals now that we’re three years into retirement. Hubs is currently at MD Anderson for his scheduled check-up. This time tomorrow, we’ll be recalibrating future plans as needed based his scans, bloodwork and biopsy results.

Personally, volunteer activities have also had to be recalibrated to accommodate program/facility changes, personal preferences and major upcoming home projects. Soon, Sadie & I will be starting a R.E.A.D. program at a school in a Fulton County. This makes me happy because I was truly bummed when Park Street indicated they couldn’t continue the R.E.A.D. program this year. Yes, Sadie & I will still make occasional visits there, but in a different capacity.

As far as sewing and quilting go, I’ve stepped back from any new charity sewing initiatives and a few guild events to focus on my own projects and those of my private students. Recalibrating our financial goal wish list led to some breathing room in the monthly budget. This helps us deal with the rising costs of everyday living, plus be able to tackle some minor sewing studio updates I’ve had on my list.

Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels.com

Fall vibes

October 12, 2025

Cool, crisp fall days are upon us. It’s my absolute favorite time of year! This afternoon, I spent time piecing blocks on Fiona, my white Singer Featherweight. I had the windows open and smooth jazz on the playlist. It was glorious!

Fiona is a special machine. Like many FW enthusiasts, I wanted a machine that was manufactured the year I was born. I was fortunate to find a celery/white FW in extremely good cosmetic condition. Mechanically, she had more than a few quirks. Learning to address those issues taught me a lot! Now, she sews as beautifully as she looks.

On Friday, I was tasked with servicing a 1938 Featherweight that one of my Friday Sew Squad had purchased from a casual visitor to the library’s quilting group. It was untested, but the seller assured my friend that it had worked prior to being packed away for at least 10 years. Yep, she was right about it being packed away for at least a decade. The machine had been sitting in the case so long that the lug belt disintegrated. The tiny, rubbery bits literally superglued themselves to the motor pulley. I had to soak the hardened mass in sewing machine oil and remove it bit by bit. The rest of the machine was in decent shape – oil, lube and a good wipe down were the main things she needed.

I suspect tension issues are what caused the machine to be packed away. This old girl may have a 1938 chassis, but she also sported a number of parts from newer machines – chiefly, the motor, bobbin winder and tension assembly. Someone had installed the parts to the upper tension assembly in the wrong order. I fixed that. Still had issues with the tension. Tried a different bobbin case. Problem solved.

My next task will be to disassemble and clean the original bobbin case. I’ve never done this before, but something seemed off on the bobbin case latch. I ordered a new tension screw and bobbin case spring just in case. Fun bit of trivia: a business card in the FW accessory box was from a quilt shop in south Georgia that has long since closed. Put it this way – the web address listed on the business card was a page hosted on Compuserve. It’s been a while.

Tinkering on Featherweights and teaching machine maintenance classes make me happy. My “shade tree” sewing machine mechanic activities now account for about 20% of my business revenue. I think that’s kind of cool.

How often do you buy quilt patterns?

October 8, 2025

I don’t buy quilt patterns very often and this week I bought two!

One is Silver Lake by Wendy Sheppard, which is part of a fundraiser QAL with Pat Sloan to support the Virginia Quilt Museum. It starts in January, 2026. When I saw the pattern, I knew it would be perfect for the layer cake bundles I’d been saving. I’ve already pulled all the 10″ squares I plan to use. In fact, I even purchased and cut out the background fabric this afternoon. Hint: the background yardage requirements are on the generous side. You could get away with 3.5 yards, if you cut carefully.

As usual, I made a sample block before cutting everything out. Notes: (1) If you are using 10″ squares, you have enough wiggle room to starch your fabric before cutting. (2) Use a scant 1/4″ when piecing. (3) The pattern doesn’t indicate which way to press seams. Consider pressing HSTS and major seams open to reduce bulk.

The other pattern is Clippings by Thimbles & Needles. The pattern’s controlled scrappiness is definitely my vibe. To me, the consistency of the same QST fabrics throughout the quilt is key to tying everything together. The quilt’s a single a block design, making it great for retreats, sew days or when I just want to sew without thinking too hard about it. I discovered the pattern while perusing class listings for the upcoming Myrtle Beach Quilt Party – and bought the pattern & printed out the registration form just in case!

The block – Combination Block, Split HST, Three Color HST or whatever you call it – isn’t hard to make. It’s one side of an HST married with one side of an Hourglass block. If you are a member of Team Oversize & Cut Down, then you’ll want to upsize cutting measurements given in the pattern. I added 1/8″ the HST cut square measurement and 1/4″ to the QST cut square measurement. Proceed to cut and sew the units together as directed in the pattern. Give the block a good press and trim to the required size. Tip: A square-up ruler in the exact size needed or the Tucker Trimmer will make the trim down part go much faster.

This time of year, I deliberately plan projects and activities to get me through to mid-February because the holiday season can be hard at times. Having an involved project like the Bonnie Hunter mystery quilt I did last year helps keep me engaged. I have a cross-stitch and two potential quilt show entries to finish this year. The January QAL with Pat Sloan and potential beach retreat at the end of January give me something fun to look forward to.