Oh...er, um... Yeah...That's right, I have a blog!

So...you may have noticed my lack of posts lately. 

Ok.... for a while.  

Ok... ok... for quite a while. 

Well, the good news is I'm not dead. Or incapacitated. Or institutionalized. 

Just busy. Like, really really busy.

Assistant #2 and I at the Renaissance Festival

You see, dear reader, this is a crazy time for me. I am busy like you wouldn't believe...and broke like no joke!  I work very little at my "day job" - you know, the one that pays the bills - in the summer, so the money isn't exactly flowing freely. On top of that, there is this little show I do - maybe you have heard of it...

That's right - I am not only a character, but also the costume director for the Michigan Renaissance Festival (please hold your applause). Right now I'm getting my budget finalized so I can kick it upstairs. Once my funds come in I can do two magical things: 1) pay my house payment (this is how I get paid for my work) and 2) sew furiously until the week before opening.

Okay - I'm a much bigger fan of #1 than #2, but I suppose I have to earn #1 somehow.

Oh - and on top of that, I have no idea what my costume this year is going to look like.

I have plenty of time - right??? It's not July yet......Right??????? (gulp!)

Anyway, since I have so much time on my hands (cough-cough), I thought I would update you all with what I have been up to.

For, like, a month. 

Or so. 

Well..... let's just touch on the highlights - shall we?

The latest thing keeping me busy is my sewing machine obsess....er....accidental collection. That's right - there is a new addition to the family. 

It's not my fault. 

You see, my grandmother reads my blog (hi Grandma!). Subsequently she has been seeing all of the fun machines I have been showing to all of you. She felt moved to participate, and send me what my father (hi Dad!) described to me as a "half-antique". 

Let me explain. 

It is a "half antique" because it's not 100 years old yet. Yeah - he thinks he's funny. Just play along, and nobody will get hurt.  To be fair, he did shell out enough money to pay off my mortgage in order to safely ship the thing from Oregon to Michigan! (ok - maybe I'm exaggerating a little). 

Although.... the item in question is from the 70's.  So technically it's like a two-fifths antique at best.

Yeah, I think I'm hilarious too.  Hey - I had to do actual math for that joke.

Anyway - I digress. What exactly is this fractional antique, you ask? 

I almost forgot to photograph the unboxing. It came just as I was getting ready to leave for work - so I was impatiently anticipating seeing what was in the box when I got home.  Stupid bills making me work instead of playing with packages that arrive at my home!

By now you have figured out it is a sewing machine. By now I have figured out it is either a 1960's or 70's Kenmore.

Ooooo - and it came with goodies too!!!

The bobbin box has seen better days - too bad as it has a cool mid-century starburst on the lid. The box of parts is intriguing...... Oh, and always nice to have a manual!

Let's pull them all out, shall we?

Overview

The tiniest screwdrivers! The two gray handles in the center say "Kenmore" on them. Only one is a screwdriver - the other is a stiletto.

I haven't looked up what all of these are yet. although most are pretty standard and/or self explanatory.

The teflon foot in the upper left is exciting! It's an invisible zipper foot and I have desperately needed one!

Here she is - barn-fresh. By that I mean I haven't cleaned her up yet. The paint is fairly worn and scratched on the bed, but all of the chrome pieces are bright and clean with no rust.

Here she is all cleaned up - 

Next to her Singer sister. They are roughly contemporaries.

Don't be afraid to open the case on your machine. Here it took just a few screws, and I was able to expose the underside for oiling.

Dry as a bone. The handwheel turns stiffly - I was hoping that oiling profusely would help....but it still moves a little stiff. I may take her in for proper servicing when I have the cash.

Here is where I started. What a tangled mess! A new needle and some serious tension adjustments, and it is much better.

This was the next stage - the puckering was how I knew I needed to lower the tension on the bobbin.

Ugh - look at that terrible back! I didn't have the top tension high enough to balance the stitch and look at all the puckering!

Here is where I am now. Not perfect, but a whole lot better than it started out...

Here's the back. I had to loosen the bobbin quite a bit to make a decent stitch. I may have to tighten it up a bit....but I'm not far off.

 That's all for now! I have some fun vintage finds to show you next - so stay tuned! As always, leave comments below.