tragedy has struck

my beloved elna supermatic is having a bad day. it was working wonderfully - it has worked wonderfully for 50+ years - and then today while i was working on some jim jams for the kiddo, i thought i'd treat it to some oil i had just bought at fabricland.

after trying to sew, i actually checked the bottle to see if i had grabbed glue by mistake.

horrible squeaking, and then a dead halt. i pulled everything apart, scooped out a ton of lint, there is nothing "obviously" wrong.when i remove the thread and bobbin and wind it backwards by hand it's fine, it's just forwards that's the problem.

i can't live without my supermatic! and i was meant to do a favour for my husband's aunt today, too. sigh.



here are the half-finished pyjamas. i didn't see piping in the right colour when i bought the fabric, so i just grabbed a pack of bias binding and some cord. it worked out really nicely - it wasn't any fussier than regular piping to pin together, and it worked out that one package (2.9m i think?) has exactly the right amount to do the trim on a pair of pyjamas and the drawstring for the bottoms as well.



so sad i didn't get these done! i have two more sets cut & pinned & ready to go, too; laid all the fabric out for cutting before i got sick (used the chest freezer, it's a great cutting table). and miracle of miracles - thanks to the wonderfulness of kai scissors i cut out the three sets at once! two broadcloth, one flannelette! that's six layers of fluffy in one easy cut! those scissors are powerful. best present i ever received.



meanwhile the movie fiesta has continued here, with the night of the iguana, synecdoche new york, and a day at the races. oh, and the party! how could i almost forget peter sellers? sadly my planned pyjama-button-sewing-extravaganza-while-watching-movies will have to wait though.

anyone know a great vintage elna repair guy? worst case, i found a source for parts online. but i'd rather put it in the hands of a pro.