Scrappy Saturday - Spools

While I had the large portable design wall up from last Friday, I thought I would take the opportunity to put all my spool blocks on the wall and see where the project is at. 

I have been making spool blocks since July 2013, and definitely have enough blocks to make a good size quilt. How many are there? 580 spools are in this layout so far! That's a lot of scraps!
I had planned on a totally scrappy layout, but then was drawn to try a rainbow layout, especially since this is a long time rainbow scrap challenge project!

"Charity"

I made the last four purple spool blocks for this quilt on my new/old Singer Featherweight. I got her working, and am so relieved she is not a boat anchor! She sews a very pretty stitch with good tension, and is a delight to sew on! I had to put a piece of tape down to mark the 1/4" seam. 
I am taking Swooze's suggestion made on a previous post and will call her "Charity". It seems like the perfect name for this machine considering how she came to join my herd.
To see what bloggers are sewing with their purple scraps today, hop over to SoScrappy.

Getting Started With Vintage Machines

I have been tinkering with my new/old Singer Featherweight. Since my "herd" has expanded over the years, I have needed to learn more about how to maintain and repair sewing machines. 


It always starts with cleaning the machine. I take apart everything, clean with rags and Qtips, and oil liberally. 
Click here for a great article on how to oil a sewing machine.



I am very careful about keeping track of tiny parts like this bitty screw. I look for possible issues, like threads caught in places like the bobbin casing and fix them up. Do you see the thread caught in this one at the 12 o'clock position?

I make notes about threading and bobbins that are particular to the machine. Each vintage machine takes different kinds of bobbins and I try hard to keep all of these bobbins with their own machines. They also have varying positions for needles (flat to the back, flat to the side, etc) and different methods of threading the needle (front threading, side threading, etc.)
This is how my new baby was looking. I had to take apart the whole thread tension assembly. I discovered it needed a new spring... see the weird shaped coil on the left of all the pieces? It shouldn't look like that!
My trusty mechanic ordered me a new one, so stay tuned to see if I can get this baby going again!