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Show EhoppeH CORNER By DOROTHY BARCLAY , SO YOU'RE SEWING SO YOU'RE ready to start on your spring sewing. Good tor you! But are you really ready? Are your shears in good shape? Have you the best needles and thread your money can buy at your store? How s the old sewing machine working? Is it as ready to go to work as you are Better look it over before you start cutting. If you've been f7 using your machine regularly, you've 'RftAiN keot u oiled and rrmf cleaned periodical-STU&fcl periodical-STU&fcl ly, as you should FEATURE every two or three I - I weeks. But if you haven't touched it in months, you'd better try it out on a sample, and find out what ails it. Once you know what the trouble is, you can often -apply the remedy yourself. Upper thread breaking? That simply means that the tension is uneven, and the top tension needs loosening. The same thing goes in reverse if the lower thread is stretched to the breaking point. If both threads break, or neither, the tension is perfectly balanced, and the stitch a success. Puckers in the material? In that case, one or both threads are too tight, and .need careful adjustment. Make this test: Thread the bobbin and needle, double a piece of sample sam-ple material, and stitch across on the bias. Get a good grip on the S M iU i ; 4- V. I Untnraan eiius uj. uie autumns, mcv.. thumb and forefinger of each hand, and pull evenly, and strongly enough to break both threads. If it's working properly, the threads lock in the center midway between the two layers of cloth. Then, if your upper thread still breaks, look over the needle to see if it's bent, set wrong side out, or too high or too low. This same thing can be the cause of skipped stitches, too. So look over the needle situation, be sure it's properly proper-ly threaded, and sharp enough for the purpose. . You'll find, however, that most of your difficulties stem from the need of a thorough cleaning. Dirt, thread or plain lint in the shuttle cavity is the cause of most of your sewing machine ills, so take it apart, bit by bit, arranging the parts in the order of their return to the mechanism, clean what needs cleaning, and oil according to the directions your salesman gave you when he sold you the machine. NEW FOR OLD If, after all this, you decide your machine has had its day, consider carefully before you buy a new one. If you exchange one kind for another, an-other, be sure that the uses of the old one are more limited than the one you're looking at, at the store. Try out all the attachments, and compare them with the prospective ones. With so many sewing machines now on the market, you want to be absolutely sure you're getting the best there is for all your purposes. So, why not rent or borrow a machine ma-chine of the make you've set your heart on, and try "it out at home a few times before signing on the dotted line. Or that favorite clerk at your store will welcome a try-out try-out on location, and an opportunity to give you guidance and advice at each step. Make sure, not only that you can have that new machine serviced where you buy it, but that there will be replacement parts for years to come. For your sewing-machine, like your mother's before you, is likely to be a long-time treasure. |
