Come Stitch With Me

I’m going to guess this model is a mid-to-late 1990’s vintage. It reminds me so much of Old Faithful, the Kenmore I had for 20 years before one of my students accidentally dropped it on the concrete floor at school.

Anyway, she’s definitely a happy girl – all clean, oiled and sporting a new red spool pin doily! Hard to believe this was the same machine that sat on the top of the display cupboard in Miss Pat’s shop for so many years. It literally purrs now. There’s just something so satisfying about stitching on a well-built mechanical sewing machine!

General notes:
(1) A free pdf manual (with no watermarks) is available from the Sears Parts website.
(2) Trading metal class 15 bobbins for plastic class 15 bobbins made the machine run quieter.
(3) This model has left to center needle adjustment. There is no way to move the needle to the right to achieve a scant 1/4″ needed for patchwork. Solution: Borrow the scant 1/4″ foot I use with my 221 machines. Problem solved.
(4) Switching to an LED bulb brightened up the workspace considerably.
(5) The machine sews zigzag stitches from the left needle position, rather than from the center. I use small zigzag stitches for machine applique (settings: 1.5 L x 1.5 W). They got lost when using the regular satin stitch foot. An open toe foot with a wide scoop at the top improved visibility.

Will I keep this machine? Although it would be a great machine for travel, I prefer some features that this machine doesn’t offer (needle down, fully adjustable stitch length and width, availability of a straight stitch needle plate) – that my Elna STAR does. I have a sewing friend who needs a solid, uncomplicated machine like this one. That’s one reason I took so much time to clean it up and outfit it with all the accessories she would need to be able to make projects for her grandkids.

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.