Tea? (Part 2)

[Speicher]

And I thought wolly was the old fashioned one in here

You did not want any apple pie and ice cream by any chance? No, I thought not! After all it would probably be too old-fashioned for you.

Yes, I have cassette tapes and long playing records, and a machine to play them on. Also I have video tapes, and still have the video recorder/player. I have a dvd recorder as well! But no eight track tapes.

 

[Night Train]

I still have a VHS video cassette player and most of my films on that format. I also have cassettes of music and a cassette player. I did modernise once and got a minidisc player, I think I am ahead of the game as I guess not many shops have started stocking minidiscs yet.

 

[Arch]

I've just picked some strings of diamanté off a posh umbrella we found in York. We'll turn the fabric into a shopping bag with diamanté top edges, and the bits I've picked off with go to decorate other stuff.

Later, I'll put together an inner-tube handbag for NT's niece.

 

[Speicher]

We have been out to buy an Overlocker from Dunelm Mill.

After a couple of hours we took it back and got a refund as it was inconsistent and very difficult to get to work at all. We managed no more then 4" of good stitching between areas of missed stitches and broken threads.

Might have to look for a used industrial machine instead.

I am guessing here that any overlocker sold at Dunelm Mill is designed for people who just want to do the occasional bit of fancy stitching on lightweight fabric. I also venture to guess that you are trying to overlock two or three layers of leather or thick fleece fabric. There seem to be lots of overlockers on BayE. If you stick to the well-known brands of Janome (aka New Home), Brother and Husqvarna, and search locally, you might strike lucky.

 

[Night Train]

I am guessing here that any overlocker sold at Dunelm Mill is designed for people who just want to do the occasional bit of fancy stitching on lightweight fabric. I also venture to guess that you are trying to overlock two or three layers of leather or thick fleece fabric. There seem to be lots of overlockers on BayE. If you stick to the well-known brands of Janome (aka New Home), Brother and Husqvarna, and search locally, you might strike lucky.

I think the overlocker was just lightweight but we were only looking to use it on umbrella fabric.
It came with a sample piece but it couldn't sew that, nor a bit of trouser fabric I had spare.

I will find a proper one sometime.

 

[Arch]

I am guessing here that any overlocker sold at Dunelm Mill is designed for people who just want to do the occasional bit of fancy stitching on lightweight fabric. I also venture to guess that you are trying to overlock two or three layers of leather or thick fleece fabric. There seem to be lots of overlockers on BayE. If you stick to the well-known brands of Janome (aka New Home), Brother and Husqvarna, and search locally, you might strike lucky.

The trouble wasn't that it was too lightweight, just that it wouldn't work for more than a couple of inches at a time before the threads stopped interlocking. NT only ran a couple of layers of cotton through it....

Nah, it was just duff. It was reduced to half price, so perhaps they were trying to clear them. We'll revert to the old industrial Singer straight sewing machine, and look again.

 

[Speicher]

Oh dear, yes, it sounds like it was duff, as you say. With slippy slidey* fabrics, you may need a different sort of foot.

I have been thinking of buying a new sewing machine. The one I have got is only about thirty years old, and they do not build things to last do they? It has a overlocking stitch, but as I understand it, overlocking machines will cut the fabric as it stitches over the edges.

* Not technical terminology, but an appropriate description all the same.

 

[Arch]

Yes, this one had a trimmer, which, ironically, worked fine!

 

[Night Train]

Oh dear, yes, it sounds like it was duff, as you say. With slippy slidey* fabrics, you may need a different sort of foot.

I have been thinking of buying a new sewing machine. The one I have got is only about thirty years old, and they do not build things to last do they? It has a overlocking stitch, but as I understand it, overlocking machines will cut the fabric as it stitches over the edges.

* Not technical terminology, but an appropriate description all the same.

We didn't even get to trying it with slippy slidey fabrics.

An overlocker should cut and close the edge as it goes, which is why I was thinking it would be good for our bag making.

I have a big old industrial Singer machine that happily sews leather and thick fabrics. I have also got a Teflon foot for it to sew rubber inner tubes.

 

[Speicher]

Could have been the tension then, at a guess. But even so, if it is wonky on the first go, I am sure you were right to take it back.

Teflon foot? I could not think of the name of the right sort of foot.

 

[Night Train]

Could have been the tension then, at a guess. But even so, if it is wonky on the first go, I am sure you were right to take it back.

The upper curved needle, that swung up from underneath, was a bit hit and miss. We were winding it forward slowly and the needle would jam down and miss a few stitches.

The underside curved needles were not direct action, they were pulled down with a cam and lifted by a spring so if there was any misalignment with the mechanism, or a bit of fluff, the needle couldn't return on spring tension alone.

Cheap design and quality really. On Ebay the industrial ones are £400-£1500 and the quality branded home use ones are about £200-£300. The one we tried was £89 reduced to £44.50. Says it all really!

 

[Speicher]

It does rather doesn't it!

 

[Speicher]

It seems like it has been a very long day, with the roofers making a noise from 8am to 4pm. Peace and quiet tomorrow!
More noise on Monday and Tuesday.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

I still have a VHS video cassette player and most of my films on that format. I also have cassettes of music and a cassette player. I did modernise once and got a minidisc player, I think I am ahead of the game as I guess not many shops have started stocking minidiscs yet.

I regret to inform you but... (Link)

 

[TheDoctor]

I had a minidisc player in the dim and distant.
I now have a Shuffle instead