Crafternoon: Janome Sewing Machine

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

This Thanksgiving while Carolyn is enjoying wine country in Kewlona with her family and touring vineyards such as Quail's Gate Winery and Mission Hill, I am at home being a homebody and loving it.  Take a look on Twitter for tweets from Carolyn's BC Wine Tour.  

So my biggest decision and purchase this weekend has been the new sewing machine debate.  We had an antique sewing machine which was beautiful in its own ways with all metal components that still works for decades.  This made the machine very heavy and since it was likely from the 60s, there was no manual.  Most sewing machines you can figure out and after I took my Spool of Thread sewing class, you can imagine that all I wanted to do was sew reversible tote bags with ease.  After sewing a few bags, the antique machine started to test my patience since it was difficult to thread the bobbin.  

I know, you're thinking, that's the easiest part.  Well not for an antique machine where you press on the bobbin wheel that is against another wheel and the friction of the two wheels turning are supposed to thread a bobbin smoothly.  With its age, this one simple task, I could not do easily.  Imagine spending twenty minutes trying to thread a bobbin.  Well, that was the last straw for me.

I decided that I needed a new sewing machine and I was worth it (of course, my work bonus helped along the way)!  The first step is I asked my friends on Facebook to see what suggestions they had.  I had two sewing friends and they both had Janome machines that they bought over 5 years ago.  That was a winning feature!  After all if I am going to buy only one machine, I wanted to make sure that it lasted.  Nowadays you have the option of mechanical versus computerized machines.  I found a comparison chart here:  http://janome-sah.com/compare-products

Did I tell you that I'm a beginner?  Well, some of the language in the comparison chart is Greek to me.  What most people told me is that mechanical machines will last longer than computerized ones.  Is this true?  Who knows, but at least I knew that mechanical would be similar to the antique one I was using from the 60s.  After this research I knew what I wanted.  

So on this Thanksgiving weekend, I went to the family owned Pfaff Sewing Store on Granville and 8th and I have to say that they have impressive customer service.  I was politely greeted and my questions answered.  I knew that they sewing machines would be on sale as it said on the website so I paid $299 for my machine which is a high end mechanical Janome machine.  That included everything that I would need with the machine; bobbin, case cover, different feet, 1 step button hole, 12 different stitches.... well what I really wanted was a top of the line mechanical machine that will last me for years to come.

Success!  Best thing about Pfaff on Granville, other than the fact that they are family owned, is that they offer free classes anytime if you have questions about the machine.  Now after bringing the machine home, I can see why they would offer that.  Sewing machines in general are pretty simple and with a manual in hand, I can continue to sew my reversible tote bags.  

I tell you it's night and day with this lightweight sewing machine, the bobbin took me minutes to thread and everything else fell into place.  I had to resew my tote bag whose threads were falling loose too.  I'm a happy camper with my new Janome sewing machine.  

I'll let you know my next crafternoon sewing project adventures.  

Thanks for reading!

Janome Sewing Machine

Threading the Bobbin

12 Stitches

Crafternoon: Spool of Thread Sewing Lounge - Reversible Tote Bag

Hello Vancity Girlfriends,

I love learning new crafts, perhaps it is old fashioned, but I feel crafting is artistic, creative, and can be a lost art.  Now a year ago or maybe more, a colleague told me about the Spool of Thread Sewing Lounge in Vancouver.  Of course I do what I normally do, which is ponder, and wonder and not take any action even though the idea of learning how to sew sparked my interest.  A year later and a new colleague has finished taking the tote bag class there.  WOW!  

Did I really procrastinate for over a year?  I had looked at their class schedule on their website hundreds of time.  Finally, I bit the bullet and decided to take the Spool of Thread Tote Bag class in August.  It is a beginner class that reviews the basics of how to thread a sewing machine and make a very cool and chic reversible cotton tote bag. 

Spool of Thread made sewing seem easy and fun!   And best of all you come out of the class with a finished product, pattern and instructions so you can make it again.  Now that is worth the class fee of $40 for a three hour class.  There are seven spaces in a class so you there is individualized attention no matter what your sewing level is.

Spool of Thread Tote Bag #1

Spool of Thread Class Schedule

Taking this tote bag class did not spark, but ignited my interest in sewing.  I dug out our antique sewing machine to make more reversible tote bags.  The last time I took a sewing class, I forget how to make what I made in class because I did not try it at home.  I did not want this to happen to me again especially since I paid around $70 for the class including around $30 for my supplies of fabric and thread.  Of course, you can be more organized and bring your own to keep your cost down.  After a year of procrastinating, I did not want to lose my new skill.

This is my first reversible tote bag from the class which I will keep and cherish.  But I did not stop with just one.  

Tote Bag #2 - Pears Please

Tote Bag #2
Here's the second tote bag that I made using fabric that I bought in the states from Joanne's Fabrics.  Pears for my friend, Vicky's, September birthday.

Tote Bag #3 - Pears and Apples

Tote Bag #3

Another birthday tote bag was for my friend Christen's September birthday. 

The Pears and Apples fabric is from Joanne's Fabrics.  

I made the tote bag challenge for myself to see how many I will make.  There are so many fun cotton fabrics to play with.  The idea began because when I was stocking up on fabric at Joann's Fabrics when I was asked me, "How many are you going to make?  100".  I replied "Yes!".  What was a fun question has turned into a tote bag challenge for myself.   Follow me here for the #Totebagchallenge.  

Thanks for reading and come back again to see how I am doing with my tote bag challenge!