Learning to Sew (Again)

I am chatty this week, with everything that is going on.

I have not yet sewn on the 1541—you would think I’d be itching to get started, but I want to get my ducks in a row, first. I can quote chapter and verse on needles and thread for domestic machines—I am teaching a three-hour class in August on nothing but needles—but industrials are a whole ‘nother field of study. Thread weights are labeled differently. Needles are much larger (the 160/23 needle in the machine looks like a spear) and come with specialty points for leather and vinyl. I reached out to my friend Cristina, who owns Bumbleroot Design, and she provided helpful guidance on her favorite thread and needles. I do have some thread on hand already, but it’s thinner than what I am probably going to need for some projects. I’m doing my research, first, and putting together a shopping list at Wawak.com.

The 1541’s big selling feature is its triple-feed system—this foot is what allows it to sew through the heaviest materials like butter:

Like a domestic machine, it has feed dogs that grip and move material. It also has a walking foot that feeds both pieces of fabric at the same rate. Many domestic machines have an integrated walking foot or can be fitted with one. A walking foot is what allows sewists to match stripes and plaids more easily without fabric shifting.

But wait, there’s more! The 1541 also has a “needle-feed” system. Vintage sewing machine enthusiasts know needle-feed from machines like the Singer 78, which is the machine I’ve borrowed occasionally from my friend, Tommy. Needle-feed works just like its name—the needle advances with each stitch and helps to feed the material through the machine.

If you’re curious about what this machine can sew through, watch this video and prepare to have your head explode.

****************

I am also trying to stay ahead of weeds in the garden. The black plastic helps a lot, but the weeds still manage to get a foothold. The potato patch needs some work. And with all the rain we’ve gotten, the grass keeps growing and needs to be cut. We should have strawberries soon.

The billboard tarps are down in the herb garden:

They will stay here until next spring. In the meantime, I will dream of the possibilities of a kitchen/medicinal herb garden that doesn’t look like barely-controlled chaos.

****************

Susan’s daughter came over yesterday afternoon with her husband and two little boys, who will be 4 and 2 this summer. The boys wanted to see the piggies, and the older one is especially fascinated with construction equipment. (Do not tell me that little boys and little girls are not inherently different, because I have eyes as well as common sense.) Susan’s daughter and SIL are building a house and they would like the husband to do the foundation. While the adults talked, the little boys played with the set of wooden trucks my father made when I was pregnant with DD#1. (He was hoping for a grandson, obviously.) The set includes a loader, a grader, a bulldozer, a tractor-trailer, a scooper, a lowboy, and a few other pieces. I keep them in a box in the living room. They have provided hours of entertainment for Ali and Elysian’s boys. When the adults were finished talking, we went out and let the kids climb up and sit in the forklift, the backhoe, the track loader, my tractor, and the golf cart. Their mom said to me, “Your place is a paradise for little boys,” and I laughed and said, “It’s a paradise for big boys, too.”