An $80 investment?

I am more likely to buy a $5 used sewing machine and then spend $75 on repairs and a tune up. What can I say? I mistrust plastic.

You have to be careful of that mending business. One time I cut out a star shaped patch and stuck it on over a hole in a pair of DD2's jeans. Then I found a worn spot that was threatening to become another hole, and smacked another star on that. Then I found loose thread in the weave near the inner seam and so another star. Before I was done I had stars wrapping around one thigh, going across the backside and running down the other leg. I had started with brightly colored denim and canvas, and then decided to accent that with a scatter of lame' stars. Mending a hole had become an art project.

Reminds me, I have to piece together some "decorator weight" scraps for curtains in one room. Cats and curtains and big wide windows, it happens.

NightMist

Den 21-02-2013 16:44, Polly Esther skrev:

Well, not $80, but my US machine cost $199 (12 years ago), and I did use that for mending, making stuff and quilting (until I moved to a different continent).

Now I have a pfaff, and the last 6 months it has not been used for quilting, but rather for altering clothes, sewing stuff for other peoples homes and stuff like that. Getting even basic alterations done here is stupidly expensive, so I can take up my own jeans. Altought possibly an $80 machine would die trying.

I also totally butchered the crotch area of my men's size boy scout pants a couple of years back. Mind you, if I hadn't they would have looked much worse. Nobody notices, which I'm sure they would have had I not taken them apart and resown them. Considering that there were 8 (eight!!!) seam in one spot, I don't want to think about what it would have cost to get them professionally altered. No way could I have worn them as they were from the shop, but now they are pretty good.

Hanne in DK

I could not get past the notion that an $80 new sewing machine would be any good. Polly

When once of the gals in the family mentioned she took a pair of shorts to the cleaners to have a button sewn back on it I was pretty astounded. That would never occur to me. DS used to bring a batch of odd kinds of mending sometimes when he visited but I have to say since I gave his bride a sewing machine and an assortment of threads in all colors he hasn't done that. I should have asked him for $80! I rarely see one of those articles that has ideas sensible folks haven't already done. Taria

During our day-long trip to civilization, I bought a magazine to enjoy while DH was getting his haircut. Long story short - the magazine had a section on saving money. One of the suggestions (really ! ) was to buy a sewing machine for $80 and save big bucks doing alterations, mending and decorating. Who amongst us is going to be the first to try that? Polly

Den 22-02-2013 03:58, Polly Esther skrev:

Yeah, no kidding. However, if I had had any smarts I would have sold mine for $80 when leaving :-)

Hanne in DK

I've run into several people recently mourning their favorite shirt/pants/ blouse that they "had to throw away because the button fell off".

The one I ran into in real life got a lesson on sewing on buttons then and there. Acted like I'd just taught him the secrets of the universe.

Kay

Stop that! People still pay me to sew on buttons and hem things. You keep on like that and you'll spoil the market! (G)

NightMist

Impoverished grad student. Don't worry, he stuck himself with the needle several times, so I suspect he'll either get very good or now that he's been enlightened that it's possible, pay someone to do it!

Kay

Den 23-02-2013 11:42, Kay Lancaster skrev:

My first year at Boy Scout Summer Camp, I got asked by one of the youth staffers if I could please hem his uniform trousers (just in from the US). The deal we made was: you hem one leg, I do the other one. I was not pretty, but had the same length - pretty sure him Mom went at it with a sewing machine once at home after camp. But there was a great sense of accomplishment in the mean time.

A young woman on staff caught on and hemmed for a couple of the adult guys, for money (she was at college at the time).

Later turned out that the camp director had a stash of iron-on hemming tape, the only problem with that is that it traditionally didn't last through the tumble dryer.

Hanne in DK

The trouble I've run into, and I'm sure you've all seen it, is that once people know I sew they all have projects they want done and never is there a mention of compensation. Just, "you're good at this so could you......". It ranged from sew on a button to alter a wedding gown to make me a quilt.

Some people are so grateful and others are so "entitled" about the way they ask. Often it is a good cop/bad cop kind of statement with something about "you like to do this stuff" followed with "you've got more time than I do". Grrrrr! I just mention the stack of projects I've got started and the rest I have planned.

On a happier note, I've used these opportunities to teach people to do it themselves including mending, crocheting and crossstitch. One lady just couldn't get it so I finished her project and she surprised me with a huge Hobby Lobby gift card. She made the attempt and recognized the labor involved. Moni