Good as new again

There are times when I have to admit my Mum is right about things.

Like giving my old sewing machine a bit of TLC.

It has been stuck up in the loft, ever since I bought four shiny new machines for teaching my courses with. Until then, my old sewing machine was the machine. A true work horse, that saw me through tons of projects. And then, it started getting a bit clunky to use. A bit slow. A bit neglected. And, well, when the new ones came along, it got pushed aside.

I admit it - when it came to looking after my first sewing machine, a combination of laziness (why spend time regularly cleaning and oiling a sewing machine when I could be sewing?) and fear (not actually sure I knew what I was doing and whether I'd be able to put all the bits of the machine back together again once I'd unscrewed everything) meant I hadn't really given it the TLC it deserved.

Partly prompted by a conversation over a sewing lesson the other night, I decided today would be the day to rescue my old work horse from the loft, and let it join in with the cleaning and oiling treatments the other four were in for.

A 50p coin is just right for unscrewing the plate.

A shameful amount crap had built up inside.

The cat always knows how to get right in the way of things.

I don't own any super duper expensive machines. Maybe one day I will. But for now, the ones I've got work just fine for me - a decent machine that sews straight stitches and a couple more besides will see you through plenty of projects.

After some thorough cleaning and oiling, the machine went back together nicely and was ready for a test run. Results?

She sews like a dream.