You Never Know Until You Try!

This sewing machine was given to me when I graduated from high school (many years ago!).  It is a super machine, cast iron and quite a work horse. 

It stopped winding bobbins several years ago.  I got a new machine, made mostly of plastic, so I wound my bobbins on that.   I checked around for prices to fix my "old faithful' and it was going to cost between $30-50.  Yikes!  So finally, I decided to be brave and try to fix it myself.  Taking off the cover with a screwdriver, I saw that the little rubber wheel was so old that it has started to disintegrate.  I found one online and ordered it.  You can see the inside of the cover with the rubber off. 

I snapped on the wheel and tried it out.  It barely moved the bobbin around.  Then I noticed that the post moved very stiffly. 

I added a drop of oil and spun it around for a few minutes.  It spun smoothly.  Now it works!!

You can see the bobbin really going, now.  The part plus shipping was only $8 instead of at least $30! 

I am seriously going to "hang out my shingle" to service and repair machines.  Hopefully, I can teach my boys so they will learn more about machines and maybe do it as a home business. 

If you are interested in fixing your own machine, give it a try.  Open it up and see if there is any obvious problem.  If nothing jumps out at you, you may want to buy this book, "Sewing Machine Repair as a Home Business" by Reuben O. Doyle.  I bought it to learn more about repairing machines.  It is very detailed, including lots of illustrations.  It even discusses how to adjust tension and timing.  Click HERE to order. 

So be brave.  You never know until you try!  You might save yourself a lot of money and be back in business sewing. 

Blessings,

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Freebie of the Day: Free Books!

One of the best kept secrets is Project Gutenberg.   This site offers over 30,000 books that are in e-book form.  They carry high quality items: Their books were previously published on paper by bona fide publishers and digitized with the help of thousands of volunteers.


All their ebooks can be easily downloaded: Choose between ePub, Mobipocket, HTML and simple text formats.   Their books are free in the United States because their copyright has expired. They may not be free in other countries. Readers outside of the United States must check the copyright laws of their countries before downloading or redistributing the ebooks.

There is no fee or registration required to use the site.  You have the option to donate if you wish. 

My son loves to read the G. A. Henty books.  They can be difficult to find or expensive to purchase.  We have found most if not all of Henty's books here.  We download the book and then burned it to CD so my son can read it on his laptop.  You could also read it from the computer to which you downloaded it. 

To Save: Click on the title of the book.  On that page, right click on the "main site" on the HTML line and then click "save target as"  Choose a file to save it in and click save.  That's it!

I have also used this site to preview a book I was planning to buy.  Easy and quick.  Search by author.

Hopefully, you enjoyed this freebie tip.  Any questions?  Just drop me a line.  Let me know if you also like Project Gutenberg.

Blessings,

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What Does "So Dutch" Mean?

Often my family says, " I am so Dutch that I won't pay for that."  Or, " I am so Dutch that I'll make that myself." 

So what does "so Dutch" mean?  Being Dutch means many things to me.  I am 100% Dutch.  But, no, I don't speak Dutch.  I am very proud of the good things from my heritage.  My family has always been hardworking, instilling a strong work ethic in the next generation.  For many generations back, my ancestors have been God-fearing and Bible reading.  The family played an important part of their lives.  My mother always cooked us a hot breakfast every day.  We always ate dinner together.  We worked and played together.  My ancestors were so concerned with teaching their children about God that Christian Education was promoted.  Even now, my family homeschools to pass on our values to our children.

My dad often said, "Necessity is the mother of invention."  Creativity flourished in our home.  He was always making some gadget or jig because he needed something.  My grandmother, who taught me to crochet, made an afghan for each of her children and all of her grandchildren among many other things.  My mom taught me to sew and made our clothes when we were young. 

Frugality and resourcefulness are prominent qualities.  I was taught to appreciate the value of the dollar and take very good care of my things.  My family bought quality whenever possible so it would last and made things when possible to save money.  My dad always repaired things so as not to pay a repairman.

For generations, Dutch people have been known for their cleanliness.  The same was true for my family.  My grandmother's kitchen floor was so clean you could skate on it in your socks!  Even the family car was spotless. 

As all heritages have their special qualities, these are a few of what I believe are Dutch qualities.  So I am dedicating this blog to exploring and expressing these and other facets of my heritage.  Come join me on my journey, won't you? 

Blessings,

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