Her Name Is Helga

She is my new sewing machine!

Thursday of last week saw my much loved, 25 year old Singer in need of repairs. Living in a country area can have its drawbacks, and sewing machine repair is one of them! The two local repairers don't work on Singer machines, and the closest Singer dealer is 3 hours north. So after much thought and a night's sleep I decided to buy a new machine. I have put my Singer away in the hope that I might be able to get her fixed (the gears that drive the feed dogs is the problem).

We have one specialist sewing shop in town, and that is where I purchased my machine. The ladies there are wonderful, and after told them about the kind of machine I was looking for, they took the time to show me all of the machines which fit the bill. I bought a Husqvarna Viking Tribute 140M, she's Swedish, hence the name  Helga :)

An action shot!

I spent my spare time during the past week getting used to the many features, and sewing a couple of knitting project box bags.

I have also sewn two items which are a must for the sewing room...a tailor's ham and sleeve roll. I had thought of purchasing them, but it goes against the grain to buy something I can make, and while catching up on blog reading Wednesday night, I found a post on Tilly and the Buttons about making your own, and free downloadable patterns included  :)

The pattern calls for canvas, but I was determined to use what I had on hand. So I used natural coloured home spun and a pretty 1930's repro quilting fabric. For the underside, I used two pieces of home spun, and for the top, one piece of home spun, and one of the quilting fabric.

I'm really pleased with how they turned out...and they're super cute too!