Why take a sewing machine maintenance class?

October 26, 2024
  1. Sense of empowerment gained from learning how properly maintain the machine.
  2. A more pleasant sewing experience because the machine is well-maintained.
  3. Confidently troubleshoot and resolve common mishaps as they occur.
  4. Extend the time between professional service appointments.
  5. Save money.

There’s a shortage of qualified sewing machine repair technicians. Long-time sewing machine folks are retiring and no one is waiting in the wings to take offer that service. Customers now must travel farther and pay greater fees to have their machines serviced.

Sewing machine service in my area is $125.00+ for a basic clean, oil and lube. The good sewing machine service shops are backed up and not currently taking any in more machines in for repair and service. Given that 90% of machine issues are related to dust bunnies, improper threading and bad needles, it never hurts to try a few things first before automatically assuming you must take your machine in for repair.

Basic troubleshooting steps:

  1. Unthread and rethread the top thread with the presser foot up. Test sew. Repeat for bobbin.
  2. Check presser foot to make sure it’s the right foot and installed correctly. Tighten screw as needed.
  3. Check to see that needle is inserted correctly. Bent needle? Change the needle.
  4. Clean out the dust bunnies underneath and give it a drop of oil.
  5. Check bobbin winder to make sure it’s not accidentally engaged.

The previous steps should get you up and running again. If not, do a machine reset.

Computerized models: turn off machine, wait 5 minutes and turn back on.
Mechanical machines: turn stitch selector to straight stitch, length 2.5. Make sure tension dial is 3.5-4

Still no resolution? Refer to the back of your sewing machine manual. That’s where you’ll find additional troubleshooting steps and error codes specific to your machine.

Learning about the property appeal process first-hand

October 23, 2024

We knew our property values would go up this year, but the disparate size of the hike compared with three other houses with the same floorpan in my neighborhood left us trying to figure out why. So we appealed our assessment and the appraisal appeal folks deemed our new value “fair and equitable”. With no change in value, our appeal was automatically escalated to the Board of Equalization.

I went before the BOE folks today. There was a $98k difference in value between my neighbor’s house and mine. Exact same floor plan, permit for basement finish and screened porch addition. As I asked the BOE folks, what is it about my house that makes it that much more valuable than my neighbor two doors down the street?

Well, I opened a can of worms. Turns out there are several errors on our property card. The BOE reps voted to continue the appeal pending a property inspection by the property appraiser’s office. They should be out next week to do their inspection. We’ll reconvene a week after that.

One BOE rep told me she’d wished I handled this before now. Me too, but I had no reason to question things before this last round of property value hikes. Besides, now that I’m officially retired and things have settled down, I have the bandwidth to tackle thorny projects like this.

A $2000.00 property tax hike in one year is outrageous. There’s no way on this earth that I would be able to sell my house for what they say it’s worth.

Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com

Some much needed vitamin sea

October 21, 2024
Sunrise in St. Mary’s, Georgia

We spent a long weekend on the Georgia coast exploring St. Mary’s and Cumberland Island. A four day dose of vitamin sea is exactly what my spirit needed. I’m so thankful Hurricanes Helene and Milton did not cause extensive damage to Cumberland Island. Can you believe it’s been almost two years since I last laid eyes on the Atlantic Ocean or the waters of the Gulf of Mexico? Much too long!

Visiting Cumberland Island National Seashore has long been on my bucket list. This long-time Georgia resident has been to the islands of Skidaway, Jekyll and St. Simon’s, but never ventured this far south. We spent a full day on the island, which was plenty of time for us. The National Park Service also allows tent camping for up to 7 days (not me!). The island’s history is so rich and the day long tour only began to scratch the surface.

Of course, I visited the two quilt shops in Kingsland – The Scrappy Rooster and Beyond Fabric. The Scrappy Rooster is strictly a quilt shop while Beyond Fabric does everything from quilting to garment sewing to crafts to home dec. Honestly, if you need some off-the-wall, obscure sewing/crafting doo-dad, chances are Beyond Fabric has it! There’s also a wonderful bookstore in St. Mary’s – Once Upon a Bookseller.

I’m thinking a trip to the Quilted Cow in Gulf Shores, AL and a trip to the 2025 AQS Show in Daytona Beach are in my future!