Tuesday 3 May 2011

Don't Try This at Home!



Grrrr!
Broken threads...
Needles pulled from their sockets...

Tightly woven and rusted Egyptian cotton 
brings sewing machine to a grinding halt
over and over again.


Attempts at resolving the problem grew weirder by the hour.
tried 
slowing down,
...changing threads
... and needles,
...changing the stitch from 3step to simple zigzag,
...wetting the rusty areas hoping to reduce abrasion,
...rubbing oil onto the needle





Hope you had a nice day!
Posted by Picasa

11 comments:

  1. Oh Dear!

    ...I'm glad I haven't had THAT kind of problem....

    Hope you sort it before it gets too expensive :-o

    Love the cloth though.....

    ReplyDelete
  2. i hate to say it but rust is a metal, and the process has probably shrunk and tightened the Egyptian cotton as well.
    and thankyou, i had a lovely day - chasing mice out of my roof!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Rusted fabric is notoriously hard to stick which is really too bad because it looks so gorgeous and is definitely crying out to be stitched. Good luck!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Not something to hand quilt then.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Your cloth looks wonderful - hopefully the pain will diminish as time goes on and what may be a 'once in a lifetime cloth' for you will bring much joy. It is beautiful array of pieces that you have brought together with rhythm.Gilly

    ReplyDelete
  6. Have you tried that silicone stuff (Sewer's Aid) on the needle and thread? It's too bad, because I really like what you've been doing so far. Do you know anyone with an industrial machine ( one that has a zigzag). Are you still using the older Bernina? If so, it's hard to believe that it won't cooperate. Have you tried reasoning with it?

    ReplyDelete
  7. Might be worth trying a linen yarn and a heavier duty needle - something intended for denim or leather maybe? Your cloth looks amazing, I hope you persevere with it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It all sounds awful ! (I send you my sympathy ... I know how I feel when things like that happen, and you cann't find the cause ór the solution .....)
    Keep up hope !

    ReplyDelete
  9. sorry you had so much trouble but the results are beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  10. ...asking a lot of my precious machine I suppose.

    ReplyDelete
  11. It's that time of year for you Kaite when those little critters try to take up residence in the roof!

    Magpie and Delores: No more stitching on this!

    Gilly - making me think of 'no pain no gain'!

    AM - my poor Bernina! Think I'll be couching the rest down or coiling it or using it in a weaving.

    Carrie - the denim needle worked best.

    Els and Deanna - you know I could have stopped at any time...just stubborn!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment, your thoughts are most welcome.