Courtney
Courtney tells us about an interesting machine that he got, as well as a workshop for Featherweights he is putting on in northern Colorado:
This month has been busy in a number of areas. I obtained a new (for me) machine. It is an Elna Elnita ZZ. It is from about 1980. It is much like an Elna Lotus but does not have the fold out (?)petals. I did have to give it a good oiling as it ran nicely but did not zigzag. A bit of time spent on lubricating the zigzag area got it back to sewing nicely. It also needed a bit of tension adjustment both upper and lower. It only sews a straight stitch and a zigzag but is smooth and a very nifty machine. The Elnita did not have a cover so when I was at a garage sale a couple of weeks ago I picked up some very pretty pillow covers (2 for a dollar) and made a couple of attractive dust covers, one for the Elnita and one for my Lotus. (see picture). At only 11 pounds it still has a reasonable harp space of 6.25 inches so it would be the ideal machine to take to Thanh's summer camp!
Our downtown library has just reopened in a new building. It is very large and nice. It also has maker spaces where you can weave, sew, do woodworking, and use a 3D printer and a Laser cutter. I spent some time working on my Drunkards Path template. Fortunately an ex-student of mine was working at the library to help me get my design from CAD to Adobe Illustrator so the Laser would take it. It will cut a number of materials. I chose wood because it was easy and available, although I may return and have some cut out of plastic. I originally designed the 4" template to cut 5" charm squares with a minimum of waste. From a 42 piece charm pack I can get 42 drunkards path squares which are 4.5 inches pieced or 4 inches finished. The picture shows some 5" charm squares and one cut from my templates. It also shows the amount of waste after the cutting.(see picture) Of course the templates can be used with fabric squares larger that 5 inches as long as you want a 4 inch radius. While I was at it I also designed 6 inch radius templates and 8 inch radius templates and had them all laser cut at the same time.
Finally, I have been spending a lot of time trying to get ready for the Featherweight Maintenance class (now two classes) at A Quilter's Corner in Erie. On Saturday the 29th I had a full class of 10. Attendees lived from Ft. Collins to Erie with a majority from the Longmont area. The Class was supposed to run from 10 to 12:30 but we went about a half hour over (I tend to talk too much.) I had taught a couple of similar classes about 7 or 8 years ago before the pandemic. The machines everyone brought to this class seemed to be in much better condition. The gears were not packed with some strange red grease, all of the screws were reasonably easy undo, none of the belts needed replacing, and the electrical cords were not dried and scary. It was a great group and lots of fun. My biggest concern was motor lubricant. I am not convinced that the white Singer lubricant now available is good for the motor. My informal poll of you guys came back evenly distributed between Sew Retro grease from the Featherweight Shop and Nova Montgomery's motor lubricant. I ordered both but the Sew Retro grease has not arrived yet so we used Nova's motor lubricant. I don't know if one is that much better than the other but I am sure either is much better than the white stuff from Singer. I plan on doing a couple of experiments myself. All in all, I think things went well and I am looking forward to the next class in a couple of weeks on the 13th.
Have a great month,
Courtney
Thanh
Thanh sent us the following note about his activities over the last month:
A short report this month.
In the middle of July, we went to the Dairy Arts Center in Boulder to participate in Anna Maria's art exhibit. During our session there were four of us plus the artist sewing long strands of ruffle onto nylon straps. After one of us finished a strand, we all cheered as the sewist threw the strand into the pile in the middle. The final exhibit is the mountain of sewn material piled up in the gallery over the two week sessions plus a timelapse video of all the participants is available on the Dairy Arts website. You can see me on the Elna Grasshopper and my wife on her Featherweight. Overall, it was a fun experience to meet new people and to help with the exhibit.
Other than that, I did pick up a Bernette Funlock 09DCC coverstitch machine to start experimenting with knits and other stretchy fabrics.
Oh, and I started reading The Road to Roswell. Maybe a book review will be in next month's report.
Dorothy
Dorothy says she has been away from sewing recently. In her words:
Hello!
I have looked at my sewing machine. Other than that? Nothing.
Tuesday starts the International Bra Sewing Bee and I am in a sew along with fit emphasis. Should be able to see a variety of fits and corrections!
Have a Great August!
Dorothy
In Closing
It is always a pleasure to post the activities of our multi-talented members. We want to thank the people who read what we post, as well.