Ever since Quilt Market in November, I've been absolutely pining for a new sewing machine, particularly one that starts with a B and ends with a ernina. I've really been wanting to give free motion stitching a try and I don't have the option to drop the feed dogs on my machine and that new fancy BSR thing-a-majig seemed, well, fancy.... So I did lots and lots of research into multiple kinds of machines, asked MANY people about different brands (including some back and forth with many Janome lovers!), and did some general poking around; by the way, thanks to everyone who gave me suggestions and feedback! In the end, one suggestion helped me make my decision: look into buying a feed dog cover for my current super old but completely trusty and truly loved Singer 6105. And I did just that!
And it fits perfectly, even though my machine is 20+ years old! So, free motion experimenting, here I come! Was it hard to resist shiny and new? Yes, of course. Will I continue to pine? Probably, but investing in a new machine and saving to buy a house - well, the timing is just bad. What did Violet think of my decision? I think she'd give it the thumbs up if she had any...here she is with her cheese-eating-est smile on instead!
LOVE.THAT.DOG.
ReplyDeleteGood on Violet, make sure you let us all know how the free motion quilting goes. I am still trying to work it out, I still feel more comfortable with straight line quilting.
ReplyDeleteWho says animals don't smile!
ReplyDeleteThat plate looks like it fits really well. Glad you found a good solution. I have been pining for a new machine for a while too. They had a Bernina at my LQS marked down about a third! Hard to resist but I did.
ReplyDeleteWe have college staring us in the face :)
omg - my morning began on a very tragic note but that grin just made my heart sing - THANKS for sharing her with us - that is the most fab foto EVAH !
ReplyDeletethanks for all the free motion well wishes and the Violet love! i'll keep you posted on both!
ReplyDeleteHey Amanda! Some years ago, I was hell-bent on getting a new, fancy sewing machine. I looked at many different models, with lots of fancy features, but none of them had all the great features my old (1977?) Kenmore has. I'm surprised the new ones no longer have the drop feed dogs switch or the free arm attachment. I never did get a new one. It looks like you solved your problem with the attachment.
ReplyDeleteGive Violet a scratch on her head for me. Cindy
AHHH! I have the same problem! I've covered the feed dogs with tape, which is not super effective. I had no idea this existed!! Your machine looks exactly like mine, too! Can I ask where you bought the cover from?
ReplyDeleteThank you!!
Most certainly will give Violet a pet for you, Cindy! And that's funny that our sewing machine searches ended similarly...
ReplyDeleteAnd Morgan, I didn't know these existed either! Here's a link to the store where I found the feed dog cover: http://sewingmachine221sale.bizland.com/store/index.html
They have TONS of parts, especially for old singers; they list most parts by machine. Fast service, too!
I went through the same 'shiny machine' lust a while back ... and in the end, stuck by my 30+ year-old Pfaff and, in fact, bought a second one on eBay for $200 for the cabin ... now I have two awesome mechanical machines and am very happy
ReplyDeleteHey Amanda, Glad you solved the feed dog problem.That whole plate over the dogs is more common than you would think. The other thing people can try is to dial the stitch down so low that the dogs don't move at all. Sooo, come on girl, let's see some free motion samples!
ReplyDeleteNice! Have fun experimenting with free-motion stitching, it can be addictive. I do have one friend in my quilt guild who does free-motion stitching with the feed dogs up and the stitch length set at 0, have you tried that as well? And one more thought - you might find some other great tips over at www.WeAllSew.com. Happy stitching!
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