Birthday sewing surprises
27 March 2009, 14:20
You may remember that last Fall I helped a friend test a bunch of budget sewing machines for a major newspaper, and one of the machines was a tiny, red John Lewis Mini sewing machine. John Lewis is a chain of high quality department stores in the UK (and the only one which still maintains a haberdashery and fabric department) and this is one of their own branded machines, though it’s actually a Janome under the hood. If you had any doubts – when you order these off the John Lewis website, it comes shipped directly from Janome UK!
Anyway I didn’t have much need for a tiny, portable machine back in October, but happily James’s parents thought I might like to do a bit of sewing in hospital and gave me this for my birthday!
As I knew before, it’s definitely got its limitations, but as a second, portable machine, it should do nicely for me. It is really tiny, and very lightweight – the instruction manual for it is printed on bigger paper than the machine itself, and even I can lift it with one arm! It doesn’t have any accessories, or a light, for that matter, but it sews well, and through denim, too, being a sturdy mechanical Janome.
What it can do:
- Ten basic straight and zigzag stitches
- Triple zigzag (hello hospital lingerie!)
- Two needle positions
- Free-arm sewing
- Use snap-on or high-shank feet (the latter being what my workhorse Joann Sonata uses!)
- Reverse stitching (The sewing machine equivalent of writing “interactive menu” on the back of a dvd!)
- Store a few accessories in its tiny drawer
What it can’t:
- Buttonholes (though if I ever found a buttonhole attachment I suppose it could)
- Finely adjust stitch width or length
- Twin needle stitching
- Sew in the dark (no light, see…)
And it’s red. And cute. And it inspires me to sew, and take it with me. Though now I need to add “Baby machine carrying case” to my To Sew List!
The other bit of sewing fun I received last night was from my friend Pip (she of the silk pyjamas and purple bridesmaid fabric) and her partner. I have no idea where she found this vintage sewing table/hutch/chest/box/whatever, but it is utterly gorgeous and in perfect condition!!
The woodwork itself is just gorgeous, and apparently it was reupholstered and re-French polished at some point in the 80s, using some gorgeous rose moiré fabric in all the drawers and the top compartment, as well as the pincushion area under the top lid! The sides of that top compartment are also lined with it, but they’ve done a really intricate, patterned, bubble effect that frankly, I can’t quite work out how it was achieved.
It’s a breathtakingly beautiful piece of furniture, and it’s almost too nice for my current sewing room with its MDF-Argos desk, Ikea table and plastic tubs of fabric!!
Pip also threw in a big bag of threads that came with it – she said it probably wasn’t anything worthwhile but she tossed it in anyway, and I’m glad she did!
Yup, that’s a ton of my beloved Gutermann Sew-All, plus some Sylko and assorted vintage spools! The previous owner quite liked her pastels, though there’s a fuschia or two in the mix, too. I pretty much only buy thread as and when I need it, so it’s good to have a bit more in the stash for random projects, even though this now doubles my thread spool count and means I need somewhere new to store my thread. Hmm, I know just the place… heehee.
And I was also a happy recipient of a renewal of my Burda subscription from my parents, an iPhone(!!) and a gorgeous engraved green amber necklace from James, chocolates, Lush stuff, and an Audrey Hepburn box set. I don’t quite know what I did to deserve all this, but I’ll happily do it again. Is 60 twice as good as 30 then? :)
tags: machine, shopping
Lucky you!
I am 50 in May but I cant imagine I will be blessed with the sort of treasure you have been given. Iam very envious of your sewing box/cabinet.
When you are in hospital you could practice bound buttonholes with your new red machine then it will do buttonholes!
Best wishes
Kim
— Kim Hood Mar 27, 03:37 PM #
I don ‘t understand why red sewing machines are not sold in the US. happy birthday! those are some fantastic gifts!
— cidell Mar 27, 04:55 PM #
That little red machine is so darn cute!
— Christina Mar 27, 06:06 PM #
Congratulations! I love the little red machine, and your sewing box as well. The machine would be perfect for toting to a class. Enjoy all your new treasures!
— gwen Mar 27, 06:11 PM #
Happy Birthday, Melissa – you totally deserve it!! I can already see you teaching sewing classes in the hospital! :)
— Paulette Mar 27, 06:26 PM #
What lovely, thoughtful gifts. A red machine to brighten up your hospital stay.
— Nancy K Mar 27, 07:38 PM #
Happy Birthday!
— Sharon Mar 27, 10:50 PM #
Oops I accidentally commented about this on your review blog…
— JenL Mar 28, 01:52 AM #
What lovely gifts!!!! That little machine is so cute and the cabinet is gorgeous. I love the cabinet on my treadle machine…
— The Slapdash Sewist Mar 30, 09:29 PM #
What fabulous and thoughtful gifts! Lucky you!
— Tany Apr 3, 02:30 PM #
That bitty sewing machine is GREAT! Even better because it is red! There are so many things that can be made perfectly with such a simple machine- no doubt you’ll keep busy.
— Lauren Apr 7, 10:54 PM #
Melissa
just came over from PR and your post about the JL machine being different to the Janome ones – so I took a better look… you are (of course!!) right… I do like the little drawer and the three step zigzag… (my/our one in Aus. is hidden away… until its sister joins it from the UK… then perhaps they can come to play).
(that wasn’t supposed to sound quite as bad as it does!)
and I do like your presents… (rather partial to an iphone… and gorgeous piece of furniture!!)
— Gillian May 1, 01:34 PM #
Hello, I have this Sewing machine and i’m curious as to how i change the feet…ive been trying to get the original plastic one off, but i dont want to break it! Please help if you can :)
— Lil Yates Dec 12, 10:39 AM #
Lil Yates – Just above the foot on the left of the shank there’s a screw (philip’s head, like a +). Unscrew that, and you can take off the foot that came with the machine and put on any generic low shank foot you like.
— melissa Dec 12, 12:47 PM #
Hi, i also have the JL mini and wonder can i use Janome needles, different feet ect. Many Thanks
— Eunice Feb 27, 12:20 AM #
Hello!
I’m thinking of buying one of these little red machines. Would you recommend?
I do find it strange that you can’t control the speed. Was that a problem for you?
— Ruth May 3, 10:23 PM #
Ruth – I’ve recommended this to quite a few of my neighbours who are just beginning to sew. John Lewis don’t make the red anymore since they change colours every few months, but I’ve seen the bright green as well as the purple and they’re both really nice, too.
I’ve taught two different first ever sewing lessons on these machines, and both girls have been fine with them. They also don’t have any light, or the ability to make buttonholes, but those are the only real downsides. My thoughts are that this is a cheap, fun and funky machine that’s going to really encourage you to sew, and if it turns out that you really do like sewing, then you can always upgrade to a more expensive machine with more features in a year or so, and you’ve still only spent £50. Or if you don’t like sewing, there’s not much wasted! I also think its portability works in its favour since you’ll be able to easily move it back and forth from the kitchen table as you start out!
— melissa May 6, 02:11 PM #