My New Home Janome Sewing Machine: A garage Sale Score

One day I will look back and say, "My little Brother sewing machine on my 25th birthday was the start of all this..."

Adjusting the tension

I couldn't have known then that I would develop a love of sewing and begin to re-examine all my clothing and how I could make them better. Not only clothing but blankets, curtains, quilts, children's toys, totes and maybe even dog toys... At least Matt thinks I should start making dog toys. I just know that after I spend a few hours cutting, pressing, and sewing the little critter our dogs will have it in pieces in a matter of minutes. All that hard work scattered among my floor like a crime scene. Such a disheartening thought. Of course, paying 20 bucks for a toy and it only lasting 10 minutes is equally disturbing. Maybe one day I will develop a line of critter toys for the dogs.

In the meantime I have slowly been acquiring the necessary tools to have my own little seamstress shop... It's amazing what you can find at the garage sales when you have your eye on sewing notions... The last couple I have been to I have walked away with sewing machines, yards and yards of fabrics, and enough thread to have every color under the sun...

New Home 921 Sewing Machine

One of my favorite finds has been a vintage New Home sewing machine manufactured by Janome... The older sewing machines are built like tanks... All metal, none of this flimsy, plastic business and it will last a few lifetimes. This particular model is a New Home 921.... I love the flat sewing surface and now that I have it joined with my other desk I have plenty of room for my larger sewing projects. I use the metal tank for all my straight stitches and it works like a dream. Nice, steady even stitches. You  do have to play with the tension a little more and it took 30 min or so to get the bobbin wound, needle threaded, tension adjusted, and settings figured out for the first time. I can sew through thick layers of material without a hiccup unlike my Brother sewing machine... I thought the poor thing was going to have a seizure when I tried sewing through multiple layers.  I also love the bright lamp that is hidden in this machine. A good light source is very helpful when your sewing. It cracks me up every time I see Matt sit down at my first sewing machine with his head lamp on... Not anymore:)

I spent hours looking for a free manual for this machine before I finally broke down and purchased a digital copy over the internet. Absolutely ridiculous to have to pay for a digital copy that you have to print out on your own. So to anyone that needs the owner's manual to the New Home 921 sewing Machine please click here-> Sewing Machine Manual
 Information should be free on the internet!

My latest addition  was a dress form from Joanne's. I did break down and purchase this new but it was a $100 bucks off plus an additional 30%. I am in love with this thing. It took some serious time and the help of a dear girlfriend to get my measurements and apply them to the dress form.

We thought it would take an hour or so to get it all figured out but we were up half the night working on this challenge. As I began sewing my dress and adjusting the measurements to my body I discovered that I couldn't even zip it up on the dress form. The feeling of dread filled my heart as I looked at my wedding dress a few sizes too small hanging on the dress form. But I was so careful with the measurements, how on Earth did I get so off track? So I snatched it off and tried the sucker on before I went any further. I let out a huge sigh of relief when it zipped up without a hitch and fit like a glove. Even though I spent all that time gathering my measurements and adjusting the dress form to my body size, it still wasn't perfect. So the dress form is nice to have around for styling and seeing your clothing take shape. I couldn't imagine sewing a dress without it and will definitely use it from here on out. However, I would still suggest trying on your garments at various stages through the sewing process and fitting them to your body not the dress form.