I being the artistic one as apposed to Russ being the anal retentive machinist type, have been trying out a few new things. I was doing some research on YouTube about sewing and upholstery and ran across something that caught my eye. Thread painting, some call it freehand or free motion embroidering. I also spotted free motion quilting but that will be for another day.

If you want to see what it should look like check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvuHHXyNuFk

Now let me start off my saying “Free” does not mean you can sit down and just create something. First it take hours of YouTube, there is  a lot out there. Then you need tools and equipment, more hours of YouTube research. Now let’s see if I have anything that will work.  I do, a 1956 White sewing machine that has not been used in 30 years and a 1826 Standard Treadle machine that is buried in the basement under a sand blaster, that is another story later. Maybe I should buy a new machine, but a quick trip to the Quilting shop sent me back home to the not so modern stuff.

Let’s start with the White Rotary sewing machine. This has been in the family since it was purchased. The receipt in the draw says it was purchased from Yonkers in 1956. This would have probably been my wife’s grandmothers if I had to guess. I could tell by the small drive wheel that was flat on one side it had not been used for a very long time. It was really clean so I purchased a new drive wheel and oiled everything really well. Since I had the original book it did not take too long to learn how to thread it and give it a try. To my surprise it works very well.

Ok, according to YouTube you can do thread painting or free motion quilting on a treadle sewing machine. Check this video out, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEZZj92Gmks . As I mention I just happen to have a treadle machine. So after un-burying it from all the other hobby supplies and tools, I managed to pulled it out to see if it was even an option. Let’s say it was not in the same shape as the White I just fixed up. I managed to clean off the 100 years plus of dirt and grim and made sure it would even move. After some hefty oiling I was ready to put some thread on it and give it try, so I thought.

How difficult could it be, I had bobbins in the drawers that someone maybe a 100 years ago put thread on and there was already a needle in it I just need some thread which was also in the drawer. So you put the spool of thread on the post thing and then under the pin, around the little spiny disk, down through the tension gizmo, through the wire thing then up to the thing that goes up and down and down to another wire loop and then through the unusually small hole in the needle. I grabbed some fabric folded in half and put it under the foot and began to move my feet. At this point I don’t know if it was the thread, the tension, the fact I have no idea what I am doing or what but the thread waded up and broke and the fabric moved back and forth and the machine would not stay moving in any direction. This means more YouTube time. I’ll be back.