Thursday, March 28, 2019

Thursday's Tips




Pfaff Creative Performance: New to Me


Over the past winter, I've had my share of problems with my older Pfaff sewing machines. Two shorted out their motherboards (Read, "More expensive to fix than the value of the machine"), and another had tension or mechanical issues. It was a constant rotation to find or borrow one that was in working order. Maybe a newer machine was what I needed. Thanks to a husband with a keen eye to Craigslist he spotted this one. It was only 6 years old, but a buy for me compared to new. I will admit there was an initial learning curve--and I'm far from a whiz on her, but I'm back to piecing finally. She came with all the embroidery attachment bells and whistles, but I'm not even venturing there yet.


Thursday's Tip


Can you see the florescent pink Post It Note on the machine bed? It bridges the tiny gap between the free arm and throat base. That little piece of paper has saved me many a headache and lost time! I sew a lot of nested seams. Only half on any given quilt will go into the machine with the bottom seam allowance falling the correct way to feed away from the needle plate. In those conditions, it's smooth sailing to feel for the nested seams, and feed them through without pinning. When the bottom seam allowance is headed for the needle plate, it often catches right in the crack before it reaches the presser foot. You need to be on guard each time with a stiletto to keep it in place, or be willing to pick out the folded seam afterward. Neither is fast nor fun. Keep a Post It Note nearby to stick over the crack of the sewing bed, and it's smooth sewing. No more aggravations.



I did whip up a quick present my daughter requested for a co-worker, and started to get used to using a knee bar once again. I believe the knee bar is crucial to this machine as there is no manual foot lever--only an electronic button on the machine face. (sigh...How many times have I reached behind it?) A new machine is always hard to get used to, but I'm committed. I hope it will soon become second nature.




Come on, Doxie girls.
Let's go sew.


9 comments:

Tu-Na Quilts said...

Oh, dear! Not your beloved Pfaff! I have the same old Pfaff in my ND home and if yours is going mine is probably not far behind!! I love that old machine! I've become so used to it that I don't even have to think. I'm reminded of that every time I go to AZ for the winter and use my new Bernina. I'm constantly looking for the presser foot lifter too as the new Bernina raises by button or knee lifter but I can't use it as it wouldn't fit the sewing table. I hope you and your new to you Pfaff enjoy many happy years together.

Angie in SoCal said...

I go ahead and pin those nested seams. It's worth not having the hassle of picking out the intersection. She looks so modern. I'm worrying about my twenty year old Bernina and what eht tech will say when I bring her in for her spa treatment. Happy piecing!

Stitchin At Home said...

I have a Creative 4.5 which is what yours look like. It took some time to get used to.

patty a. said...

What model was your older Pfaff? I have two 1475CD Pfaff. I wouldn't give them up for anything. I like your tip. I have that same issue, but I have gotten programed to think about the bottom seam being pushed the wrong way because of the crack. I usually sew with the needle down so I will stop before I get to the seam, lift up the presser foot, take my finger and flip the seam the right way, drop the presser foot back down and continue sewing. Yes, it is another step, but I have gotten very fast at doing this so it doesn't bother me. I am still going to try your tip though since I have a quilt top I am sewing together and there are lots and lots of seams to sew.

audrey said...

So sad about your old one biting the dust. Always a pain to switch to a different machine and learn the new rhythms.:)

Glen QuiltSwissy said...

Wow great idea. I have that situation as well, with just a tiny bit of gap that catches all the seams. amazing how that happens.

congrats on the new machine!

Cathy said...

Thanks for the Post-it-Note tip! That little bump up has always irritated me but I have never been clever enough to come up with a solution.

Kate said...

Learning a new machine is always a pain. I'm not looking forward to having to replace my Bernina when it finally dies.

Anja @ Anja Quilts said...

Have fun with the new-to-you machine. Glad you figured out a little trick to solve the problem.