Re: Thank you, Kate.

Olwyn Mary wrote:

Remember I appealed a while ago for transatlantic help to find a machine for my DGD? Kate did it!!! On her birthday, yet, when she should have been celebrating! She has found what looks to be an ideal machine for a beginner, at a very reasonable price. What's more, she is going to deliver it!!

I'll let her tell you all about it, as I have only seen pix, but I am eternally grateful.

Olwyn Mary in New Orleans

My dear, it was my very great pleasure!

These are the details as I sent them to Olwyn Mary:

It's a Brother XL5021, with 17 stitches and a one-step automatic buttonhole. It's neat, quiet, modern (they only stopped selling this one earlier this year!), and looks new. :) So new that whoever had it didn't even open the oil...

It's light enough for her to lift up and down off the table by herself, but built on a metal chassis, so not so light that a skirt will drag it off onto the floor! It's got quite a powerful motor for the size of machine, and comes with all its bits. It declutches automatically for bobbin winding. :) Not built for making a house's complete set of curtains, but it should cope with clothes, small quilts, a few bags and things... :)

I did a complete stitch out of all the patterns and it didn't miss a step. They look good and it felt smooth and quiet as it sewed. James had a go in the shop and said he thought it was fine and would do nicely! Remember that this is a 12 YO that has been spoiled by learning to sew on my Lily 550 and the Elna Lotus machines, with the odd bit of Featherweight flung in for variety!

I think for quality and solidity it's on a par with the Singer 117 Featherweight II I bought last year for my mum, and I;m very pleased wiuth the price. :)

This is a fairly new model of machine: my OSMG that I bought it from onoly stopped selling them earlier this year. I packed it in the box with some fabric remnants from my stash for th lass to play with (bits big enough to make garments out of!), thread, extra bobbins, and a few bits like pins, needles, buttons and zips and fun stuff from my stash. :) Well, it didn't have its proper cardboard box and packing, and while Wilf found me a box there was no packing to fit the machine, so it needed padding round with *something* for the trip! We are going up to see Alan's step sister and family, and deliver the Christmas goodies for their trip north to Grandad for Christmas, and as they live less than 20 miles from Olwyne Mary's DD and family, it makes sense to combine the trips. :) It'll be FUN! It's going up on Sunday. I'll report back on how the prezzy is recieved... ;) The nice thing is that this is a real sewing machine, not a toy, and not a tacky light weight thing! For the same money we could have got a brand new one, but this should easily last the 4 years needed, rather than barely 4 months... :)

As for spending my birthday doing this... Well, I got to do one of my favourite things! I bought a sewing machine! :D And Alan is happy because it isn't staying here! When the flock come back from school on Friday, there will be 16 here, and a pal is donating another four to my cause after Christmas when her hubby can get them down out of her loft!



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