#ooc

hi rae!

Mmm pardon me guys. I need to look away from the screen for at least an hour

((hug)) Take care.

Cat, do you have time for a sewing machine question?

Hugs zoom

k

I got the thread on the bobbin, got the needle and bobbin threaded, plugged in, turned on, fabric pinned to stay where I need it. Fabric under the foot, start to sew, get a few stitches and back-stitch.... start to sew forward to seal a wee rip in a shirt and the needle stops moving, machine strains. I use the hand wheel and move the needle, get it loose, adjust as needed to start sewing again... jams again. Freezes up, won't move needle, machine strains. Raise the needle with the handwheel, raise the foot, remove fabric and there's a GIANT tangle and knot of thread on the bottom side of the fabric. I can pick it out and clean it all up but.... what am I doing wrong?

did you hold both threads when you started?

if the tails get sucked into the bobbin hole when back-stitching, it can make a bird's nest

this is all presuming bobbin was threaded correctly into the case

Ok, so the latter presumption is probably innaccurate.

Is it a drop-in bobbin or a pull-out case?

Pull-out.

Both threads were, I believe, trailing behind the machine.

So, when bobbin goes into the case, thread needs to go into the little notch & be pulled up/out the top, yes?

Yes. It is.

Is there a right/wrong side of the bobbin to go in first?

depends on the machine, unfortunately

Ok. I'll see what I can do... Thanks, thought, gives me a starting point.

still think tails getting sucked into the vortex is most likely culprit

I will try again.

Ok, that's a nope.

I tried everyway that bobbin could be threaded and fit into the machine. Birdsnests every time. Sewing small rip by hand but the Scout uniforms are going to have to wait.

And the TOP is threaded correctly?

usually birdsnest is a misthread

or the presser foot was up

I know the foot was down. Unless I've got the spool in wrong some how (feeding front-to-back or back-to-front) from the top of the machine where it spins, then I know I hit all 6 points on the threading path. I checked.

That said, I -know- I'm doing something wrong; just not sure what. This is what got me the last time I tried to learn this machine and I quit.

But THIS time I have you. And the Downtown library sewing lab.

I wish I knew what was being funky

Well. ME. But Lord, if you could figure out how to fix that....

I fear I shall need reading glasses. Or something else to magnify WITHOUT using hands. I've had to get creative about threading a needle.

oy

i needed bifocals

D, are you back?

yes. But how long I don't know.

Crazy day, but at least I got laundry done for the first time in a week

That's always a NICE feeling.

We have about 2/3 of the laundry done; the rest is doable although not by me tomorrow.

I cleaned, and made progress on a few projects. Although not a LOT of headway planning a fam dinner Monday. My brother and nephew are coming down and we're trying to plan with my uncle and..... Ooof.

Ooo my. Family swelling

Well, Uncle is in cognitive decline and doesn't make decisions well. Mind you, that side of the family (my mom's) dithers as a ground state so he NEVER made decisions without a lot of back and forth. And also, that whole side is congenitally late to everything. So my brother and I have been asked by my Aunt to just decide, and tell Uncle. Cool. Brother and I talked, I set a reservation for dinner. Cool.

Now BROTHER is rethinking everything and going back and forth on it. AND he's driving here in a bus full of Boy Scouts and a few more drivers from PA so he's not exactly in a position to do a lot of research. Having done the research, and talked it out with him, and offered options and made suggestions and finally set a reservation..... I'm waiting for him to rethink things.

Ugh. So frustrating

I mean... we'll live. I'm thinking that if they are encamped by 3:30 tomorrow I might swing by if he's available.

I wish you and your uncle the best

I'm wondering if, at this point, visits with Uncle shouldn't be reserved for going to HIS house and sitting with him for a few hours... but.

/roll 6