Cleaning up Your Art Making Equipment...

This evening I was sewing away, making my sketchbook for the "Sketchbook Challenge"
(yeah, I finally made my mind up on which one to use - a new one!)  when I broke a needle.

Drat!

Put in a new one.

Change to a heavier thread (I'm trying to be breve with thread this year!) (I was trying an embroidery thread) when I broke another needle.

Darn!

Change the needle, try a different type this time.

Noticed that my stitch wasn't "right".

Re thread, try again.

It still didn't look quite right so I thought I'd take a look under my throat plate...

Now, my sweetie keeps my machine clean for me - he does a great job too

but I've been so busy the past few months making books that I've been a little slack in asking him to clean it for me.

I've been sewing paper, upholstery fabric, heavy coated fabric, leather...you get the picture.

So I looked under the plate and

EEEEWWWHHHAAA!

Dust, paper dust, fabric dust, dust bunnies and their extended families!

I called my handy man in to help me.

I told him that I had been sewing paper.

And heavy upholstery fabric.

And coated fabric.

I'm standing there watching him clean my dirty, dirty machine and I saw this whitish ...um, particle stuff around the bobbin case.

I asked "Eww. What is that?"

Sweetie "I don't know baby. It looks like plastic."

Silence for about 10 seconds.

Me "Well, I have been sewing plastic too."

Laughter...

The moral of this story is that if you sew all those things on your sewing machine
you really should clean it REGULARLY.

Frequently.

(Addendum - after the extensive cleaning she is sewing great!)