Easy upgrades for your sewing machine that just make sense

December 13, 2023

Nowadays, many people buy their sewing machines online or from a big box store. Your sewing machine probably came with a few basic accessories including an all purpose foot, zipper foot and a buttonhole foot. With a few simple additions, you can make your sewing time more productive, enjoyable and comfortable. I’m sharing what upgrades I made to my Elnita EC30, which I use at home, for teaching and as a travel machine.

  1. Upgrade your presser foot thumb screw to one that is more ergonomic. Janome uses the thumb screw pictured on the far right on its higher end machines. The same screw also fits the lower end Janome and Elna machines. Well worth the $4.00 investment. Your fingers will thank you.
  2. Add the feet also featured in the photo: 1/4″ foot, zigzag foot with the spring (if your machine didn’t come with one), and an open toe foot.
  3. Add an LED light strip, especially if the machine’s lighting is dim.
  4. Buy a mat to place under your sewing machine. It cuts down on machine bouncing and protects your table.
  5. Consider an extension table, especially if you travel or take your machine to sew days and classes.

6. Invest in a comfy seat cushion, This one stays packed in a canvas tote I take to sew days. It also comes in handy if I decide to sew at the kitchen table while streaming a movie.
7. A wheeled sewing machine trolley is also nice to have if you plan to sew outside your home with friends, attend retreats or take classes. Visit your local big box craft store to see what’s available. 

Do you plan to RV, fly, or travel extensively with your sewing machine? Consider a padded bag or a wheeled under seat carry-on. I have flown with my Featherweight and my Elna STAR in a 16″ black Travelpro underseat bag. The ATL airport is huge and I do not want to schlep a sewing machine on my shoulder the entire way. It took some maneuvering but I managed to get the Elnita EC30 safely in the case. Here she is packed for a flight. Normally, she travels in a different case when going by car. I’d like to take her to Boise, Idaho next May. Friends have told me that they’ve found similar rolling totes at Costco and Walmart. Whatever you decide, don’t put your machine in the cargo hold.

If you’re a quilter, you’ll probably want to add some specialty feet such as an open toe walking foot, quilting guides and a free motion foot.

If you’re into garment and heirloom sewing, you may want to add other specialty feet.

Visit your sewing machine manufacturer’s website to learn about compatible accessories available for your machine.

Places to buy extra feet and sewing machine accessories:
Ken’s Sewing Center
Pocono Sew & Vac
Amazon.com
Sewing Parts Online

Any products linked in this post are products I actually purchased and use with my own sewing machine(s). I receive no renumeration for any of these recommendations. I’m merely a satisfied customer sharing what worked for me to help newer sewists improve their knowledge.

Happy news: our fundraiser quilt was accepted as an entry into the Group category at QuiltCon 2024

December 10, 2023

Meet Kaleidoscope – the East Cobb Quilt Guild’s fundraiser quilt for the Georgia Celebrates Quilts Show coming to Marietta in June 2024.

Several members of the guild collaborated to make this quilt a reality. Yours truly made some of the strippy purple FPP hexie units you see in the upper right of the quilt. I’ll be sure to take a picture @ QuiltCon!

Interested in winning this quilt? Get all the details here!

De-stashing Progress

December 10, 2023

This is all that remains of my solid white fabric – a smidge over 4 yards. I had 3 full bolts back in the spring. My fabric storage bins are roomier and it’s becoming a challenge to find fabric in my stash for projects requiring more than a 1/2 yard of a single fabric. That’s a good thing.

Since retirement, I’ve been working diligently to reduce my stash. Approximately 1/3 of what I had in June 2022 is gone – donated, used in kid’s classes, shared with my sewing squad or turned into completed blocks, flimsies and quilt backs.

There have been some fabric purchases in recent months; however, I’ve been much more mindful about what I actually buy. It’s usually for a specific project or from a special event such as the northern lights fabrics from our Alaska trip. Lately, I’ve focused on completing projects where all the blocks have been made, but the quilt top still needs to be assembled. After the holidays, I’ll turn my attention to actually getting the pile of flimsies quilted and bound.

One benefit of clearing out and reorganizing my sewing space is that it’s easier to shop my stash for future projects. Coupled with a buy nothing fabric-edition challenge, it didn’t take long to select fabrics for my BOMs that begin in January 2024. While I might be short of white yardage to use for background fabric, I do have several yards of light gray on hand that I can substitute for the white. One project calls for two matching jelly rolls. I have two coordinating bright jelly rolls in my stash that look great against the light gray background fabric. I’ll be using those. The second project lists a lot more fabric than is needed to make a throw size quilt, so I’ve opted to start with a small FQ. bundle (8 FQ total) from my stash. I’ll make a couple of blocks before deciding any other fabrics I might need to add. This quilt will also use light gray as the background fabric.

A few members of my Friday sewing group are participating in a no-buy fabric challenge for January 2024 in another sewing group to which they belong. I thought it would be fun play along. The rules are simple: no spending your own money on fabric or notions for the entire month of January. No getting your quilting pal to buy it for you with a promise to repay her in February, either! Methods allowed to acquire fabric under the buy nothing challenge include: swap, borrow, take from the free table, and/or use gift cards received as a present. Since I already have a line item in my monthly budget specifically for quilting/crafts, no spending in January means more shopping at QuiltCon in late February!