Though I was not as appreciative as I should have been, Sunday was a glorious day. The temperature was almost perfect – in the mid 20s (deg Celcius). I am not a big fan of pigeons but their cooing does have a relaxing regularity to it. The honeyeaters were also in full voice as they took up residence in the bottle brush again.
I did however have another agenda, so did not really have time to enjoy what nature had 
laid out for me. Instead I managed to complete a task I have been trying to finish for several months – tackle my new overlocker. Before my husband purchased it for me (last year), I had never used an overlocker before. It was wonderful the first time I used it but for a long time I did not want to bother with it again!
I used it to make my Hobbitess skirts and blouse for The Hobbit movie opening. It was quick and easy… until the thread broke. For the next few weeks I dutifully took it out, read the instructions, fought with the tension and thread before replacing the overlocker back in its case and continue on sewing with my trusty old sewing machine.
I don’t like change. I don’t think anyone does. But I must admit I was relishing the idea of quick sewing without having to edge each seam separately making the equivalent of three passes on each seam. No such luck for me.
On Sunday that was going to change. As regular readers will know, I have a current mission to upgrade my everyday clothing wardrobe. I have managed a skirt/blouse vaguely vintage combo and now am wanting to make a light, summery A-line skirt in a lovely purple flower patterned material. However my sewing machine really (really!) needs servicing. What do I have left? My overlocker. Can I get the threads and tension to behave? No. (of course not!).
To the rescue – my friend Abi (shameless plug for her business here…. Seams Nostalgic… soon to be in Brisbane!) Abi is the overlocking goddess in my eyes! Patiently, she took me under her wing and tried to teach me the basics in one sitting. A major obstacle to overcome!
For a while it looked dire. Even Abi the Overlocker Goddess could not pinpoint why the threads kept entwining and unthreading. Finally, Mandy (another plug, this time for A Rare Notion) – she of the more mechanical mind – found the culprit. ‘Twas the thread not being pulled into the tension ‘spool'(?). Something simple, yet was causing so much problem.
I think I have more of an understanding of the dreaded machine now and this is a good thing as I am planning on using it for gobs of rolled hemming on chiffon, in the near future. Eep.
1 thought on “Overcoming obstacles.”