Iron Beauty Update

This is a post I've been putting off, but as my post on the box of Stitch Cams that came with Iron Beauty, is one of my most popular posts, people are probably wondering why no follow up...

The reason is, Iron Beauty is currently in a coma from which she may never recover. And it's all my fault.

What happened was, several months ago I was having trouble with her tension (a common problem with vintage sewing machines) and so I wound the tension knob a little bit tighter than I should - okay, A LOT tighter - and something went spoink-clunk, and the fine wire that guides the thread snapped off. But that's not the worst of it.

I thought, all I need to do is take the tension unit apart, remove the broken spring, buy a replacement, put it all back together.

Firstly when you take a broken tension spring of a vintage Empisal/Brother sewing machine of indeterminate age into a modern sewing shop where they sell only brand new *cough, plastic* machines, asking for a replacement, they look at you as if you're cr-a-zee.

I returned home - the sales ladies laughter ringing in my ears - and it occurred to me: My mum has an old, old black Singer, (you know the type) rusting in her garage. I figured I'd take the spring from that. No worries. Problem solved.

I took the tension spring from mum's Singer, and went back to the pile of parts that was iron Beauty disassembled tension unit and *pop* the way it used to look vanished from my mind. Not a problem I thought. I'd have taken photos when I took it apart, after all I always take photos. I'm not an idiot.

Wrong.

I am an idiot. I didn't take any photos. I couldn't put the unit back together. In the end my long-suffering hubby managed to put most of it together, however, one tiny, tiny screw left over, and it's all over red rover.

I oiled her, packed her into her case, were she remains. In a coma.

Lesson Learned: Always, always take photos when you take anything apart from your Sewing machine.



UPDATE - after nearly a year Iron Beauty has awoken from her coma! Iron Beauty lives!!!