The Nicest Surprise

My window covering project for my photography studio is coming along, though somewhat slowly.  It's amazing how long it takes to blind stitch one hem for drapery.  This was my first attempt at the blind stitch and I made a lot of mistakes on the first round.  I started out placing the guide right smack on the edge of the fold of the fabric, and the needle didn't pick up the fold in several sections.  I corrected that by placing the guide onto the fold.

I managed to break two needles while sewing the blackout liner at the corner where several layers of the fabric were folded.  Once all the blackout liners were sewn and hung, I started on the sheer white fabric curtains.  Normally, you sew the liner into the drapery fabric, but I wanted to have the option of either blocking the light all together with the blackout liner or giving the room a softbox effect by just hanging the sheer white fabric over the windows.  In the picture below, I have both the sheer fabric and the blackout liner hanging together.

The curtains seemed easy enough since they were short, but the draperies for the sliding glass doors were awkward and bulky to handle.

During this project I must have cursed more times than usual, because yesterday I found this big box on my doorstep.  Inside was a gift from my husband:  A Singer Heavy Duty 4411 sewing machine.

He said he wanted me to have a simple mechanical machine with no bells and whistles that is less likely to break down and give me headaches.  I must have oiled, adjusted the tension, and re-threaded my old machine dozens of times during this project because the thread kept getting tangled.  Looking at the new Singer machine, the first thing I noticed was that the spindle for the thread was horizontal instead of vertical.

I instantly knew this would solve the number one problem I have with my old machine, and that is the thread getting wrapped around the spindle underneath the spool, and then breaking.  This horizontal spindle allows for the thread to be pulled off the spool without getting hung up on the spindle.  The next thing I noticed were all the diagram markings directly on the machine showing you how to thread it.  I thought this was brilliant, because with my old machine, I always had to consult the manual when too much time passed between me using it. 

The next thing I noticed was the top loading bobbin case.  No more removing the toolbox to get underneath the machine each time I need to adjust the bobbin.

Sewing machines have come a long way in solving some of their inherent problems.  If you have an old machine that gives you trouble, I suggest looking into getting a new one.  I was worried about the cost, but it turns out that sewing machines are very affordable at the moment.  I even found a portable mini machine for $20 on the Internet.  Many basic sewing machines are around $100.  I also found this new step stool in the market on sale for $6 today.  No more tripping over the bars on the chair I'd been standing on to hang the curtains.  Yippee!