Messages

Hi Everyone,

I just moved to Pennsylvania from California a few months ago. I put an ad in the classifieds for a couple of weeks, hand out business cards everywhere I go, have an ad on craigslist services section, and post my flyer on any bulleting board I see. I have gotten a few jobs, but not enough to make a living.

I know that word of mouth is the best way to get business, but I want to expedite the process. Any suggestions? I have experience in upholstery, auto, marine and commercial.  How can I get business quickly? I tried working for someone else for $10 an hour, and it was awful; it killed me to do big jobs by myself and only get $10 an hour! Plus, the guy was a giant a**hole.

The demand is here; just having trouble finding it. Thanks in advance for any advice.

Jo

Update: He called today, and wants me to do the rest of the booths! Coincidence? Or maybe the staff saw me eyeballing their package wrapped seats when I ate there a few days ago and told him? Anyway, I'll take it. A job's a job.

Yeah, I guess it would work to just live with it. Have you ever had a sweat jacket with a wavy zipper? It kind of bugs you, but it's just the way it is. And on a cushion, most people will never see the zipper anyway.

June is right on the money. The problem is that the velour has stretch, but the zipper tape does not. the only way around this is to interface the fabric to eliminate the stretch. Alternatively, you can hand sew it on, but that sounds like it would take forever. Good luck!

Thanks guys, I feel better now.
I once belonged to a gym that package-wrapped their gym equipment seats! It was awful...the pokey corners would dig into the back of your bare thighs. I gave them my card and offered to recover their stuff in a barter deal, but the guy said, "We have a guy who does it for us." Wow. They didn't even package wrap it themselves. They paid someone to do it!!

A few months ago, I recovered 3 booth seats for a local Indian restaurant. They are very nice people, by the  way. The guy who recovered them before me went out of business and so did the local fabric store that supplied the vinyl. I had a heck of a time finding a match; poured over tons of sample books. I ended up telling the guy that I couldn't find an exact match, but something very close. Close enough that no one would ever notice, especially in the dim lighting of the restaurant.
Anyway, they ended up looking great, and if there was a problem, I was never told about it. Almost all the other seats need recovering as well, but they never contacted me about finishing.
We ate there the other day, and actually sat in the booth that I recovered. Then I noticed that some other booths had the ugly no-sew package wrapped job.
I mean, it is really unsightly.
So, I can't figure out what went wrong....did the guy think I charged too much? I actually barely made a profit because the vinyl was more expensive than I had anticipated. Was he unhappy with the color match? Should I send the guy a sales letter reminding him I'm here?
I've never had a problem like this before. I know it's not that the sewing job is unsatisfactory - it's a simple  booth seat, and it's nice and tight.
Any insight? thanks in advance!

What kind of thread should be used? Will my Singer 111w155 eat the nylon fabric, or should I used a home sewing machine for this? The edge of the flag is really tattered and deteriorated...should I use a narrow hem? Thanks in advance,
Jo

I worked in a canvas shop where both of the owners smoked in the shop. A customer came in to pick up $4000 worth of canvas, took a sniff, and refused to take it.  They quit smoking the very next day.

Have you considered the presser foot pressure setting? on my singer 111w155 it's a thumbscrew on top of the machine. I was having similar problems with my machine (after moving across the country) when i realized the movers had screwed that all the way in! Backed it off a few turns and now it works fine.

ok, my brother-in-law, who knows absolutely nothing about sewing machines, fixed it. I don't know what he did, and it's not totally back to normal, but it's good enough to finish my project.

The feet are a mated set; it did work fine a couple of weeks ago. the trouble started when I fiddled with the screws on the feed eccentric (per the service manual) to try and get the presser foot to achieve the total lift of 1/2". I will post a pic of the screw(s) after work. The inner presser foot screw is pretty straightforward; as soon as you loosen the screw, the foot drops down and you can move it. It's a big screw at the top of the machine in the back, but i think the real trouble is that feed eccentric thing.

Thanks, Ed...I have this manual also, and it is even more vague.
When I turn the screw that they say to turn, nothing happens...I think they left something out?
The total lift is ok...it's not the full 1/2" that is supposed to be the maximum for this machine, but it will suit my needs. It's just the way the feet interact with each other that I can't figure out. And I don't see a correlation between the foot height and the machine binding, but there definitely is a link there. If I set the inner foot too high, I can't turn the handwheel at all, but if it's low, I can turn the handwheel, but it still binds. But if it's too low, again I can't turn the handwheel all the way. It's driving me nuts!

Hi everyone, I am in desperate need of mechanical help. My alternating presser feet are out of alignment, and as a result the machine binds. When I loosen the screw to adjust the inner foot, it drops down, and you can move it to whatever height you want to and then tighten the screw. Trouble is, I don't know where to move it. I've tried several different positions and some are better than others, but it still binds. Should I be adjusting the outer foot also? And how do you do that? I have the military manual from the tpub website, but am having trouble understanding the procedure.
I'm fairly certain that the machine is timed properly because despite the binding it does make a nice stitch.
Thanks in advance for any help!

ok, so the new assembly is installed (thanks, btw), but still can't get 1/2"!! I can't tell where it's hanging up...any ideas, gregg?

The knee lift is broken, so I was using the lever. Thanks for the advice; was going crazy trying to figure out how to get 1/2". Now I have to try to undo all the crazy stuff I did trying to figure it out and focus on getting the knee lift to work.
Thank you!