Do I sew more than most people? Probably. I do sew every day, usually 5-6 hours of studio time. My machine that keeps track of that kind of thing says we’re at 22,275,775 stitches. It’s not the only machine I work with. It’s the only machine that counts stitches.

Years ago, when I started to sew, most people only had one sewing machine. The sewing machine stores used to insist on trading in machines so people would bond with your new one. It was fairly mean. Most of us bond with a machine almost for life. There’s a learning curve on almost all machines. So it’s a while before that machine and you are bonded.

Most Berninas last at least 15 years with care and feeding. It’s also true that not all machines do every task well. I’m a Bernina fan because of the stitch and the feet. But even within brands, there are differences between machines.

But for those of us who sew maniacally every day, that care and feeding is hard to keep up with. Most of my machines need servicing at least twice a year.

When I lived in Chicago, I sewed a lot at 3 AM. At 3 AM I’m delusional. I actually believe I can time a machine and fix the flywheel. This is the kind of behavior that ends up with you at the mechanics with your machine in pieces in a box.

So I would call my friend Elaine and borrow her machine. She wisely had two. She would politely thank me for waiting until 7 AM until I called.

At a certain point it became clear, one machine was not enough. Particularly when it takes a month to get your machine back from the shop.

At this point, I have some lovely older machines. They tend to be specialty machines that do one task or another particularly well. This 99 Singer is my favorite piecing machine. The stitch is unbeatable.

My three current machines are racing to see which can break down first. All three of my current machines are acting up. One of them is in pieces on my mechanic’s work table, waiting for the parts. My mechanic keeps pointing out I sew more than most people do.

I’ve decided three working machines is the proper number. One that is inevitably at the vet, one for working and one when the second machine joins the first machine in breaking down. That’s my theory and I’m sticking to it.

We bought a second hand 220 Bernina on Ebay. It arrived about a month ago and has run like a top ever since. If you don’t know Berninas, it’s a three/quarter head war-horse machine with moderate computerization. Everything else is waiting until my mechanic’s counter clears.

If you are wondering if you should have a second machine, if you need to sew once a week at least, you probably do. You may also want a machine that does other things than your full-time machine. Like a larger arm space, or a travel machine. But don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t need two. or three. Ask them if they want to be in a room with you when your one machine breaks down. Then, ask them how many screwdrivers they have. It’s simple math.

This last 6 months have been quiet chaos. My health issues are at a status quo. They know what’s wrong but it’s not quite bad enough to fix. If they don’t want to slice and dice me, I’m not going to bring up the topic.

But it has left me in a limbo that I’ve been floating through. I’m quilting every day, but I’ve been hesitant to pursue show options with that all hanging. I’ve finally decided it will hang as long as it hangs and tomorrow is promised to no one. It’s time to get up and VanGogh

I also found myself needing to change web hosts. It got pretty crazy. At one point I found my lost phone in the cheese drawer of the refrigerator. This was an unholy mess, but we got through it.

The new web site is at www.ellenanneeddy.art. Please visit it. You’ll find 20 quilts I hadn’t published yet. And here’s the good part. To pay for the web page debacle we’ve put fabric and quilts on sale for the month of July. They’re 25% off, but if you need something and the price won’t work, Etsy is set up so you can make an offer. The Etsy shop is here.

Here are some of the fabulous new quilts, large and small

Like to have some new handdye, or an amazing new quilt on the wall? This is the time.

I had someone call and ask for this. So Cathy, this is for you. But it’s also information for other people who might want it.

Bobbin work is stitching done upside down with thick thread in the bobbin. It sounds hard. It’s not.

How thick? Usually, I use thread that’s either 5-8 weight for bobbin work. Pearl cotton comes in a million colors in those weights. There are thick metallic threads as well: YLI’s Candelight, Superior’s Razzle Dazzle, and Madeira’s Glamor are all 8 # threads and are beautiful in bobbin work.

I do my bobbin work free motion, because I can draw with it. It builds up images quickly because the thread fills in faster being thick. If you would like more information about free motion bobbin work, look at Bobbin Work Stitch Vocabulary for a short tutorial.

Here’s some basic information on Bobbin Work from the Stitch Vocabulary Book

Settings for decorative stitching

But what if you want to use all those cool decorative stitches on your machine? You can do that! It’s not that hard, but there are differences.

Leave your feed dogs up!

Use an applique foot that gives you some room for the thicker stitching.

Pick stitches that have no zigzag in them. Zigzag stitches are more likely to jam. Instead, stitches formed from straight stitch will work much better.

Try them out. Different size stitches may look very different. I’ve prepped some pieces of plain muslin with a backing of Decor Bond to stabilize them. I’m working from the back.

This works for most machines. I wrap the end of the thread around my bobbin, twist the thread around the winding pin and hold the thread in my hand. That way I can wind bobbins from threads in odd put-ups and reels. And I don’t need to rethread my top thread.

Stitching

Turn your piece on to the back.

Take your first stitch holding on to both top and bobbin thread so it doesn’t jam.

Go slowly until you know how your stitch will work.

If it jams, cut the bobbin thread at the end of the stitching and then you can pull the piece away from the machine safely

I recommend making a little booklet of your practice sheets. You can do that by sewing them together and binding the edge with bias binding.

Hope this helps!

Yesterday I got my 770 Bernina back from the shop. It had been gone for two months.

That sounds like forever, and it kind of was. Blessedly I have backup machines. I welcomed it home with a leftover project I found when I was cleaning through storage bins. I thought we’d both work back up to it.

What happened? Several things, some of which might have happened to anyone. Some of which were strictly my fault.

My 770 is a very smart machine. And it’s experienced. We are now up to 16,000,000 stitches together. And when it feels it’s had enough, it requests a trip to the vet.

Did I listen? I was sure it could stretch for another two weeks. Which stretched easily into two months. That did not help. But that was not the biggest problem

The last time I broke a needle, it shattered. One tiny bit ended up in the back of the housing and shaft. The shock from that pulled it from a circle to an oblong shape. When we tried to put a bobbin in, it threw it across the room. I hadn’t seen that before.

I did consider holy water, but didn’t work either. It took the excellent Emily, mechanic miracle worker of Feed Mill Fabrics and Quilts, some while to get the parts and figure it out. Emily is a treasure.

My point is, somebody really ought to learn from my stupidity. First off I could have followed my own rules. New day, new needle. New project new needle. That doesn’t stop needle breakage but it does cut it down. I had cut some corners.

Secondly, I should have been listening. I do listen to books and music while I sew. But I should have been listening.

I can tell even in a full classroom when someone has a dull needle. And any bad noise should precipitate a full stop. Don’t try to keep going. Stop right there. I should have.

We think about sewing with our eyes and our hands. Visually and tactically. But it’s aural too.

So it’s simple. When you hear a bad noise, stop. Don’t push on. Do not collect $200. Stop right there. And give your machine what it needs.

In between, while I was cleaning, I found this very cool unfinished frog. I’m warming up the machine on that, just to become reacquainted.

Emily is the mechanic at Feedmill Fabric and Quilts at Onida, IL, She is indeed a miracle worker and a miracle herself. I trust her with my machine every time. And Beth has an explosion of new fabric in. You should go there.

Y