Big Change

Remember that big change that might be coming that I wrote about last week?

It happened! 

Yesterday I went over to Kokomo to pick up my embroidery machine and I came home with a new sewing machine!

I decided to go with a different machine than the one I'd looked at last week, and I am happy with that decision. I've tried it out at home already and I am excited with what this one can do!

While very, very different from my previous machine, so many of the controls are already familiar. 

They are similar to those on my Janome embroidery machine and so I was able to sit down and begin sewing right after I got home as a result.  And, my embroidery machine is all lubed and ready for me to begin my holiday embroidery as soon as I finish with the Feast.

It may sound silly, but it was hard to pack up my old sewing machine and put it into the closet. I felt like I was closing the door on a long and very happy chapter in my life.

And while that may be true, a new door has opened. 

I'm excited to see what this stage of my sewing life looks like.

A Big Change May Be Coming

Yesterday began very early for me. Kathy was on assignment from the Indiana Department of Education and heading out to observe two teachers who were finalists for Indiana's 2025 Teacher of the Year. She and another former Indiana Teacher of the Year were meeting at the halfway point between their homes in Kokomo and Kathy asked if I would drive her there to meet the other teacher.

I am always happy to give Kathy a ride. Kokomo is an hour away so that gave us lots of time to catch up as we drove. Icing on the cake? Tate came along, too!

I brought one of my sewing machines along - there is an excellent shop in Kokomo that services sewing machines, and my embroidery machine had not had a tune up for two years.

And... er... um... I may have bought myself a new sewing machine while I was there, too.

I have been using a Janome Memory Craft 3000 since 1999. I bought Hawkeye Sarah the same machine as a gift, fell in love with it myself, and bought me one, too. That was 26 years ago.

Here is a clue as to just how old my Janome is:

It was one of Janome's very first computerized machines! Now they all are and it is no big deal, but in 1999, that was a real selling point for this machine.

I have never regretted that purchase, and in the 26 years I've had it with countless hours of near-daily sewing, I have never, ever had a problem with it. Not. One. Single. Time. 

Until a few weeks ago.

I sat down, powered it up, slipped some fabric under the needle, and stepped on the foot pedal. There was a loud SCREECH and then the machine stitched normally the rest of that day.

The same thing happened the next morning - SCREECH and then sewing normally. And again and again. Now it is an expected part of beginning to sew every day.

I've looked at new sewing machines before, mostly out of curiosity, but I never bought another one because I liked my Janome 3000 so much. It's been a workhorse in every sense of the word.

But, since I was in the shop to drop off my embroidery machine, and because I know and trust the folks who run the shop, I asked about getting a new machine. I explained what I had and how reluctant I was to replace it, and, so they'd know what I might need, I told them about the constant sewing I do, mostly for 18th century events but for other things, too. 

Believe it or not, the Janome 3000 has been so reliable and such a best seller, that there is an updated iteration of it on the market. I looked at it and several others, and then I took the plunge and looked at the professional grade sewing machines. One was $30,000 - not for me! But several were more in my budget, and I sat down at one and discussed it with the owner of the shop.

I really liked it plus it was on sale, and the owner knocked the price down even more for me. I'm thinking about it and when I go back to Kokomo to pick up my embroidery machine, I'm going to take another look and let them know my decision.

In the meantime, I am using my Janome 3000 despite the initial screech when she starts up and it is still stitching things out beautifully.

Ian's shirt for this year's Feast. 

A trade shirt to sell in an unusual all-red block print.

The sleeve buttons in its sleeves.

Another just finished trade shirt

with sleeve buttons. (I am discontinuing the horn and bone buttons, although I will still put those on a shirt upon request.)

It feels a little sad to look at these and realize that they may be some of the last things I make on my Janome. I've created so much on it over the years - prom and bridesmaid gowns, jammies, clothing for the kids, quiet books, pillow cases, haversacks and 18th century clothing, wedding dress jackets and sashes, workshop items for Breyer, mending, alterations... the list goes on and on. (I've even made a Christmas jacket for Nacho, Kathy's previous guide dog, to wear to a holiday appearance!)

The decision is not yet final, but I am leaning towards buying that professional grade Janome machine. The possibilities of what I could do with it are so exciting.

Boy howdy, stay 'tooned on this one for sure!

When Hobbies Combine

 I love it when hobbies combine. I love to read, so reading about horses makes me happy. 

I love to poke around antique and thrift shops (well, I did pre-pandemic!), 

so finding a vintage horsey book is a triple bonus in combining three things I love.

Combining my love of sewing with my love of horses has been a little harder. Making haversacks? Certainly. I have made over 260 of them since last May.

But it was getting my embroidery machine that really ratcheted my sewing of horsey items up. 

I have found so many horsey items to make using embroidery that I ended up putting them all onto their own USB disk instead of keeping them with my other digital patterns.

Embroidering goes way beyond putting names on things.

although that has allowed me to combine horses, sewing, and family time. (And is fun, too!)

It's enabled me to branch out into making other items for Horsiemama's Mercantile. 

Right now I am experimenting with kitchen towels. For any embroidery project, I always make a couple of practice designs on cheap fabric and then cut them out and save them with notes as to what worked, what didn't, and what I wanted to change.

Then I try the real deal and do any tweaking that needs to be done.

Most days I can be found spending time in my horse room surrounded by my collection and with one of these machines going.

I love it when hobbies dovetail so nicely.