In the desert: Need for Routine

I'm usually really good at multi-tasking. Whether it's working on six different quilts at the same time, or getting ready for a huge event while balancing family functions and quilting time. Since I got home, I'm really struggling to get into a routine. I can't say I've gotten nothing done, just that I could have done so much more.

One distraction I've had is my attempt at buying a travel sewing machine. I bought an Eversewn Celine. When I unboxed the machine it had a factory sample sewn on it. At first glance, the stitching looked great, zigzag, button hole, a few decorative stitches, all looked good...from the top. When I turned over the sample, I could easily see that the tension was all jacked up! Now, I've been sewing almost 40 years, and adjusting tension does not scare me. I understand the mechanics of sewing machine tension and I've sewn on dozens of sewing machines. I've got this, or so I thought.

Aurifil 50 wt is my favorite piecing thread, so I tried it first. I wound a bobbin for the new machine, the bobbin that came with said machine. When the bobbin winder stopped automatically, the bobbin was only half wound, and unevenly at that. Not a good sign. I double checked I had the thread going correctly for winding bobbins. The second was a bit more even, but mostly because I was using my finger on the thread to make it wind evenly. It still stopped at half full. There is no way to adjust the bobbin winder, I checked that too.

I put the bobbin in, making sure I had it threaded correctly. I threaded the top, double checking I had it done correctly with the manual. Since I mostly use a straight stitch, I just tried doing a straight stitch. After several different tension settings, I finally had a nice even straight stitch. I sewed a bit with that thread, and all was fine.

The next day, I tried a cotton/poly thread, something I would use when making a garment. The new bobbin still only wound half full, which I knew was going to bother me. This thread was a bit thicker, so I expected I may have to change the tension again. My first attempt had loops on the bottom and skipped stitches. Hmmm, skipped stitches? I rethreaded the machine and changed the needle, even though the needle had very little use. I adjusted the tension, still loops, still skipped stitches. I used every setting on the tension dial, from 0 to 5, and I could not get a decent stitch from any setting. I rethreaded over and over again, and nothing was working. As I was doing all this testing, I also was learning other things about the machine, like the fact the needle bar was so far to the back of the machine it was hard to see behind the presser foot, and the only seam markings on the machine were behind the presser foot.

Can you tell that the fractional markings are behind the presser foot, and in shadow? The 1/4" foot I had purchased separately for the machine could help me get a decent 1/4" seam for quilting, but what If I was making a garment with 5/8" seams, or a craft project that needed 1/2" seams?

To give a comparison, here's the same shot of my Janome M7, also a drop-in bobbin machine.

The seams are marked behind the presser foot, but also on the door to the bobbin area, and marked closest to you in front of the bobbin area. This is a much better design.

There was no reason for the machine to be so poorly marked. I took a break from fighting with the machine and took the time to think things over. Do I want to travel with a machine where I have to fight with the tension? A machine that is hard to get a reliable seam allowance on? Sure I could buy an aftermarket seam guide, but because of the drop in bobbin, I'd likely have to move it all the time. I decided this machine was not worth the trouble, and I boxed it up for return.

Are all of the Eversewn Celine's as finicky as that one? I don't know. It could have just been a lemon. Someone else may have been willing to work with it a lot longer than the two days I did. My mind kept going back to the wonky factory sample. They had used orange top thread and yellow bobbin thread, it was easy to see on the backside that the tension was all wrong. If it was wrong at the factory, and I couldn't get a decent stitch going through every tension setting, it wasn't worth my time or money. I read a lot of reviews on the machine before buying. They were mixed, but I know a lot of bad reviews are written by new sewists who are struggling to learn how to operate any machine. I have enough experience that the several hours I spent on the machine should have been sufficient to sort out the tension issues. The design of the machine wasn't to my liking either, and no amount of fiddling was going to change that.

I don't have any imminent travel plans, and I think I'll take my vintage Singer 301 in for servicing and just travel with that for now. Sure it's only a straight stitch, but it makes a great stitch, with no fighting. I have two Singer 301's, and both need servicing. They have the exact same problem. The motor keeps slowing down to a crawl after sewing for a bit. I'm not sure if they are overheating or what. If I can get that issue sorted, I could travel with either of those machines. I'll be limited to straight stitch sewing, but that's mostly what I use anyway. Maybe I'll bring them both in at once, since the problem is likely the same on both. The Singer 301 is light enough to be a good travel machine, and I have travelled with both of them. I was looking for a newer machine so I'd have better lighting and a needle threader, but maybe those aren't worth the expense. After I get them serviced, I'll try an LED replacement bulb and see how much of a difference that makes.

So did I get anything done besides deciding to return the new sewing machine? DH has another scooter rally planned for November, and this one will be run by his club. I talked him into a steampunk theme, so I'm making the rally bags with steampunk fabric, and I'm making a steampunk scooter quilt. I haven't started the quilt yet, but I cut out the rally bags.

I ordered the fabric last year, and I couldn't remember how much I ordered. It was 108" wide fabric. Last year I made 50 rally bags, and we used them all. I'm figuring this year we needed more. DH and I decided on 75 bags for this year. I was hoping I had enough fabric to also use it to back the rally quilt, which will be raffled off and proceeds will got to the local food pantry. I cut off a couple yards of fabric and put it aside for backing, and cut the rest up for rally bags. I ended up with enough for 88 bags, and I cut as many as I could. I think we will limit the rally to 75, but DH often sponsors other rallies, and he gives a Scooter 'Zine gift pack in one of my drawstring bags, so the extras will be used for that. Nothing goes to waste around here. I think these will be great bags, and I love how many of the scooter people tell me what they are using their bags for after the rally. It's a lot of work, but it is appreciated, and I prefer making reusable bags rather than using plastic.