Finally - after much hair pulling, trying new ways to put in a needle and replacement of the belt, James’s Pinnock Sewing machine is working…….and boy is it working. Talk about quiet. Not even my Janome is that quiet and it sews beautifully.

Cost of Sewing machine $10.00

Cost of new belt to run said sewing machine $7.50

Look on small boys face when he finds he can sew all by himself on his very own machine…….

PRICELESS

And just because it’s never a good post about sewing machines unless I throw in a picture of the latest purchase………

This is Nicola’s new (early birthday present) sewing machine - Yamata . Not a brand I had heard of before but a bit of research on the net looked promising and the price (on ebay) was even more so - $90 including postage. Nicola’s birthday isn’t until October but she is experimenting more and more with her sewing so Ashley and I thought it only right to reward such industry with a machine that can do a little more than the basic straight sewing. Might I add Nicola loves it and doesn’t mind that she received it early - I wonder why….vbg. It sews like a dream, is a really good weight so it doesn’t slide around all over the sewing table and has really clear pictures printed on the machine so you can see how to thread it…..always a bonus….vbg. Ashley pulled it apart on the weekend and oiled it thoroughly (it was sounding a little dry in some areas) and it’s perfect. it is very similar in set up to my very first Janome Sewing machine which is nice as I have heaps of bobbins that won’t fit in the one I use now. I should add here that the machine is sitting on newspaper cause Ashley got a bit carried away with the sewing machine oil in some parts and Nicola and I figured that the resultant drips are definitely not good for fabric.

I really must pop in a link to Zigzaggers - a blog I found in the usual way - following link upon link. It is dedicated to researching older style sewing machines - the reviews being written by the owners of those machines. It’s quite fascinating to see what they think of them. There is a review on an Elna Grasshopper sewing machine. I looked seriously at one of these on ebay not that long ago - and despite my hubby’s best efforts (long after I had decided that the price was too high) we didn’t win it. After reading the review I wish we had - not that I need another sewing machine - but what can I say it’s green!!!!