#hachi learns to sew

[leatherandtea]

Today I will learn all about threading my machine and take a crash course in tension, including what it is and how to fix it with no understanding, context, or experience

We are already off to a great start, where I am quickly realizing that when I someday learn to thread this thing quickly and without looking at the book, I might qualify for some sort of high tier educational certificate in an undecided field

[leatherandtea]

WE FINALLY DID IT

Partner and I tried making our own f o r g s for my birthday. Neither of us have ever sewn anything before at all, not so much as fixed a button

I love them so much this is the funnest thing ever and now I want to go make 50 of them

And maybe some cotton fabric ones stuffed with catnip

i dont think i posted these but here i made a little frog pattern to make tiny frog toys with my grandma

this is the first lil guy I made while still learning how i should sew it

[justsomerandomfanfic]

hi hi!! i could get romantic and platonic matchups from marauders era and stranger things?

my pronouns are she/they and i would say i personally don’t have any gender preference ^^

I’m 5’0” and have Dark Brown hair on the longish side that’s curly with bangs. My eyes are also a super dark brown.

My favorite genres of music are rnb, hip hop and pop. I have a soft spot for one kpop group loona. I love to go out and explore the area i’m in no matter what. I’m a let’s keep these good vibes going person but also i’m chill with rest. As i do have arthritis so when i flares up i need to stay at home which isn’t fun but i try not to live my life the best i can. My favorite color is pink! I am currently a Fashion Design major and I love to sew and design! I love to read, make my own clothes, tea and sailor moon!

I’m a pretty friendly person! I start shy but warm up pretty quickly being a vulnerable with people scares me but I am working on it. My personal style is kinda like hachi from the anime Nana!

Sorry this was kinda all over the place! thank uuu again so much for this :D

Thank you for requesting a matchup! I love Loona too! On of my favs :) I hope you enjoy it! <333

---

Harry Potter (Marauders Era);

(Platonic) -

Sirius Black:

🐺 You met Sirius in your fourth year when you were in the library, yes, it's hard to believe the Sirius Black went into the library, but he did; Being forced to enter by Remus Lupin as they were both teamed up for a project

🐺 You, being a book fiend, you spent most of your time in the school's library, and if you weren't in the library or in class, you'd be exploring the castle-like school; meeting Sirius was a blessing in disguise though, at first he did try and flirt with you, trying to get out of learning anything, but Sirius sort of gave up that act after a while

🐺 Turns out, Sirius liked you, but not as a special someone in his life, but as a friend, after you came out of your shell a bit, Sirius realized that you were quite fun to hang out with; him being a pureblood, he never got to listen to muggle music before, which he realized later that he really liked rnb music like you

🐺 You cared a lot for Sirius, especially since his home life is not the greatest, you're always there for him when he needs someone and the boys are busy; together you'd explore the school, using the map most of the time, and other times you'd just relax and read together, (even if Sirius hates reading most of the time)

🐺 You guys are super close, and even though people mess with Sirius about your friendship, he is always there to stand up for you and himself; just because he likes to prank people doesn't mean he was going to prank you or anything, you're his best friend, and that's all he could ever ask for

---

(Romantic) -

Remus Lupin:

🐾 You met Remus when he walked into the Hogwarts Library with Sirius, and it was only a matter of time until the two of you got together; as said before, you are a book fiend, and Remus was as well, sooner or later the two of you were going to meet and realize you both love books

🐾 And you did, in becoming friends with Sirius, you had also grown pretty close to Peter, James, Lily, and Remus, really, if you're friends with one, you're friends with them all; and whoopie doo, Remus was already in love with you, believe it or not

🐾 He had liked you ever since his second year, which means he's been pining for a good two years, and yes, James, Sirius, Peter, and Lily new about his fascination for you; it was actually Lily who had helped him figure out a way to confess to you, and what better than buying you a book?

🐾 It all happened so fast, one minute he was gifting you a book, and the next you were both dancing at the Yule Ball, a kiss was shared, and really the rest was history; though, both you and Remus loved to look back upon those times, slow dancing in the common room, reading by the fire, drinking tea before finals...

🐾 Remus is head over heels in love with you, your charm, kindness, and understanding, he never thought he'd find someone who'd love him so unconditionally, (even with his furry little problem); and you on the other hand were feeling pretty much the same, like two love birds, you and Remus were soulmates for life, and you wouldn't have it any other way

---

Stranger Things;

(Platonic) -

Robin Buckley:

🌈 You met Robin back when she was working at Scoops, so yeah a good while ago, her sarcasm and wit were what drew you to her and what led to you and her being the bestest of friends, believe it or not; with just one order of ice cream and complimenting her shoes, boom, best friends

🌈 You'd visit her whenever you could, and she'd give you free ice cream when she was feeling particularly generous, but you always gave hr a good tip afterwards, and during her breaks, you and her would talk about the newest books you were reading; going into the future, after the mall and Vecna, you'd visit her at Family Video when you weren't busy at college working on your Fashion Designer major

🌈 With Robin, she'd help come up with clothing and fashion ideas, having a real eye for it, and on her birthday, you always gifted her something you made, whether that be a new shirt or even cool pants; Robin would always come back with something super cool for your birthday, a new music tape or something pink always brightened your day

🌈 Sliding around to emotional support, you'd always be there for Robin, making sure she's alright and well, you knew how hard life can be for her, family and Upside Down nightmares can be a real pain; and Robin did the same for you, luckily you were away at college during most of the Vecna drama, but Robin would always call and check up on you if your arthritis is acting up

🌈 You both were like two peas in a pod, always there for one another when times get tough and always there to make each other laugh; you both are so grateful to have each other in your lifes

---

(Romantic) -

Steve Harrington:

😎 You met Steve, guess where? At Scoops! Wow, time flies when you think about it, anyway, you met him and he was actually the one who tried to get your order before Robin; you did your best to answer without exploding and crumbling into pieces, but it was a bit hard since Steve was just so fine, Robin swooped in a saved the day, but that didn't stop Steve from wanting to get to know you

😎 From then on, whenever you came in to see your new bff, Robin, Steve would try and talk to you little by little; he could see that you were a bit shy and he didn't want to spook you, so he did his best to try not scare you away with his very awkward and cringy sentences; "hey, what can I get for you today? Oh, yeah, it's on the house! Is that a new shirt? Oh, you made that? That's so cool! Yeah, you should teach me, yeah, I love sewing!" As you can see, he was failing miserably

😎 But, that didn't scare you off, not in the slightest really, you thought he was adorably weird and wacky, and incredibly funny and protective of those kids he watched sometimes; and it was only after the whole Vecna thing that Steve got the guts and courage to ask you out on a date after you came back from college

😎 It was perfect, going to a super cute diner where you both talked and talked until they staff had to kick you out since they were closing, and a sweet walk around town, getting ice cream from an ice cream truck before staying over at his house and watching a movie; it was nice and peaceful, even getting to the point that you asked Steve to braid your hair, (he had been looking at it for a long while), and even though he told you he was terrible, he braided your hair anyway, (he was pretty happy in the end, he loves your hair)... (and you love his)

😎 The two of you are so close, perfectly understanding each other and always there for one another when the roads get rough and the nightmares never seem to stop, (on Steve's end); you love the time you get to spend with him, Steve watching Sailor Moon with you even though he's not that into it, he loves to see you smile, just like the time he brought you a huge bouquet of pink flowers; you both are the sweetest and most wonderful couple in all of Hawkins

---

[lunartearrose]

What your fave Coroika character says about you - Team leader addition!

This will mostly involve recurring team leaders, but if it's popular i will make a post for the one off team leads! Anyways, here we go in order!

1. Goggles

-you really thought he was Team Blue's leader and still consider him the actual leader

-you are actually super sweet and gentle!!!!

-currently ignoring the goggles crimes of public indecency <3

-you want him to habe more character arcs and make them with your bare hands! You're super creative with what you make and should share it more!!!!

-quite gay, likely neurodivergent!

2. Specs/Glasses/Megane(????)

-really mad when people don't remember that he's blue team's leader!!

-you have anxiety

-pls b gentle on urself you're trying your best

-you have a firm belief that glasses should be smooched on the cheek

-you buy every single gear and weapon in game impulsively! Must have all!

3. Rider

-you feel strongly about this boy's characteristics

-i betcha you have/crave black leather jackets and awesome punky platform boots

-you either love gorai or hate it with a passion

-Rider did nothing Wrong (except for the scene with metry we dont talk about that/make rider apologize for real in fanon)

-u would like to be held gently sometimes

-often the most mature of a friend group! The least chaotic

4. Army

-you! Food lover!

-to-do lists and schedules actually work pretty nice for you

-you just thought he was really cute

-You draw/like it when people draw him with freckles on his lil squiddy face

-very mad about the bees

5. Aloha

-YOU ARE SO BI AND HAVING A TIME(??)

-chaos flows through your veins and nothing can stop you

-one day you will show up at your friend's doorsteps and whisk them away on a lil urban adventure like gravity falls but with a little less danger and more running around roads/woods with sticks and fishing out pond gunk with said sticks

-with all that being said! Your brain has a good time till it mistakes your intense feelings for panic and makes it full on terror. You do not want it to stop you, but friends are more there to bring u down to speed

-funney little jokester

-you either make aloha as much of a party boi as he seems or take one look at the panels where he maked *those* faces and run with what bubbles beneath

6. Mask

-you have a few mood disorders and i hope you're doing ok with them. But you did see mask and vibed!

-this is a character you vibe especially hard with

-fond of the "weird" pets such as rats, ferrets, snakes etc.

-salmon run arc was fun for you!

-gaymer big gay

-often a fan of the sad x ray of sunshine stuff!

7. Skull

-you expected him to be super evil but fell in love instead

-likely on the ace side

-Sewing is either an aesthetic or a hobby of yours

-you just think skull is a neat sweet boy and you're so fucking valid for this

8. Gloves

-him green!

-ok honestly Gloves lovers are the sweetest people ive ever met u rock I'm certain ive never met someone who faved gloves and was mean

-no bad vibes!

-you firmly believe this boy deserves the world

-you draw with the stitches and hc watermelon eyes

9. Emperor

-you saw this smug bastard and knew. You love this fucker

-ya find yourself amidst debates a lot but there are hills you will die on for He

-you're so pissed off that they dont let you have emperor gear like COME ONNN

-Your feelings are rather intense! A lot of the times it gets tough but dont forget the support you have and like. Try to take it gently

-dont forget ur water! Or your meds!

-nb vibes

10. Vintage

-you really like actiony anime! Not shounen per sey but as long as it has you saying "holy fuck shit's happening" you're watching it

-this bastard boy you feel might get the goggles friending treatment you know but you love him still the way he is and plan to love him after that

-ur not cis

-eye aesthetics are fun for you

-actually terrible at vintage's main but god dangit if you aren't learning it to cosplay in game...!

-you get into discourse like Emp does but you could honestly care less for the love of god you want these ppl to stop talking

-firm believer in the skull and vin were exes/are complicated hcs

-u want to have more fandom friends! But. You are nervous.

Welp, that's it! Definitely doing a part two since i couldn't fit prince or hachi or quite a few actually

[lunar-wandering]

...Genshin Impact and Kaitou Joker crossover time.

(Part One, Mondstadt Edition)

- okay. okay. so like. lets say that our KJ gang (Joker, Hachi, Queen, Roko, Spade, Ai, Shadow, Rose, Akai, Hosshi) were like. trying to steal a treasure. same shit as always. except something goes wrong and then snap! they’re in Windrise.

- because i think it makes it more fun, everyone gets a Vision.

Joker - Anemo

Hachi - Dendro

Queen - Geo

Roko - Anemo

Spade - Cyro

Ai - Hydro

Shadow - Electro (i know the electro god stopped handing out visions like a year ago in canon but this is a crossover let me have this)

Rose - Pyro

Akai - Hydro (because its funny)

Hosshi doesnt get one because Hosshi is a cat. i know by this logic that Roko shouldn’t have one either but Roko can speak so. wind dog.

- they send Akai out to look around and get a general idea of the area because hes the only one that can fly. when he gets back he tells them about what he saw in the city of Mondstadt.

- KJ cast has the realization that um. some of them should probably change their outfits. Hachi, Rose, Queen, and Ai’s outfits are probably passable as normal in Teyvat, but I doubt that Joker, Shadow, Spade, and Akai’s would be, so they get new outfits. you may be wondering how they get new outfits and personally. i think Joker just carries a sewing kit with him so he just remodels his, Spade, and Shadow’s outfits. Akai changes his with magic.

- its like shortly after they get their outfits situated that Venti and the Traveler show up. Venti sensed their arrival as soon as it happened but he was in the middle of a performance and couldn’t just leave. The Traveler also sensed that something was up because like. they’re a dimensional traveler. I think they’ve learned to sense this kind of thing.

- at least one joke about Venti and Joker sounding similar happens.

- Akai and Venti take one look at each other and just both go “what the heck is that” because they can both sense that there’s something....off about each other

- same thing happens when they meet Zhongli later on except by that point Akai has learned that the general “weird” sense probably means they’re a god so.

- does Akai tell the others these facts?? absolutely not. they get to figure it out on their own.

- only the knights of favonius (+ Diluc, Venti, and Barbara) (you’ll see why Barbara knows later) end up knowing about the KJ gang being from another world. (....at the start at least)

- each member of the KJ gang gets someone to help them learn how to control their vision.

- Venti is training Joker (which is hysterical, considering.). this is mostly fine except Venti keeps sending Joker up in the air without warning. also Joker is like 3 inches shorter than Venti and Venti is definitely not going to let that go. Roko is there too, but Venti is significantly nicer to the dog.

- (the one thing Joker and Venti bond over is not wanting to be anywhere near cats. they have different reasons for it but this is one thing they can agree on)

- there... isnt really another dendro character to help teach Hachi yet so he’s mostly just tagging along with Joker’s training and Venti helps where he can

- Queen is being taught by Noelle. the two of them get along together surprisingly well.

- Spade is being taught by Kaeya. they..... well i wouldnt say they “get along” but they’re civil at least.

- Shadow is being taught by Lisa. im pretty sure we all know how thats going. (Razor shows up to one of the practices and he and Shadow almost get into a fight because of just general misunderstandings)

- Rose is being taught by Amber. .....They keep taking breaks to go and eat.

- Ai and Akai are being taught by Barbara. Ai and Barbara get along perfectly fine. Meanwhile Akai is terrified, why on Earth would the archons give someone who dissolves in water a hydro vision. his flailing and panicking eventually gives him away as having abilities he Should Not Have, which is how Barbara finds out about them being from another dimension.

- due to being more active at night in general the KJ crew tends to stay up late and this is how they accidentally find out about the Darknight Hero. Diluc has to bribe them not to tell. (well. Joker at least has to be bribed.)

- personally i think it’d be fun if, due to some circumstance, Akai had to cover for Diluc as the Darknight Hero. he has the right abilities for it so it wouldn’t be that hard.

- somehow??? they end up getting hired by the adventurers guild???? and everyone is running around doing random tasks for everyone. (or at least trying to)

- Hachi gets a part time job has a chef at Good Hunter.

- KJ gang finds out rather quickly about Venti being Barbatos. they aren’t really all that surprised by it tbh, anything can happen at this point. at least one of them says something like “the twink is a god??” though

- the KJ gang was doing a surprisingly good job at keeping the fact that they were Phantom Thieves on the downlow, right up until Joker hears about some random treasure or something being temporairly held in the Knights of Favonius headquarters and just immediately sends a heist notice without thinking things through.

- Jean: .....we should arrest him

  Kaeya: no no no, i want to see where he goes with this

- Joker does end up getting caught (while the others shake their heads in “i should’ve expected this but im still disappointed). they let him go under the promise that he won’t try to steal within the city again.

- they really should’ve thought that through better.

- key words: within the city.

- Joker hears about Liyue and just goes “loophole!” and that is really the only reason they go to Liyue to be honest. they wanna do some phantom thievery again.

- or well. they’ll try to do some phantom thievery again at least.

(Part 2, Liyue addition, probably coming within like. either the next two hours or the next day idk depends on how long this creativity burst lasts)

[avaloniaofficial]

avalon/avi ✨ frankie [he/they/it] ⭐️ queer ⭐️ worlds first nia worn kinnie /hj ⭐️ resident robobitch

[not a kin or rp acc!!! sorry y’all :///]

more under the cut✌️

⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️

general/rambling/shitposting tag: #az says all OR #avi says all [POST 9/9/23]

personal tag: #avi moment

irl photos: #avi life

partner posts: #written in the stars

⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~⭐️

[ WE MAKE SEX JOKES AND THIRSTPOST ABOUT BEARS. i use the term ‘faggot’ liberally, especially referring to myself. 18+ content is basically guaranteed to come up at some point. use your best judgement. browse at own risk!!!]

⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~⭐️

✨ABOUT ME!!!✨

🪐 im autistic as fuck and relate to aliens too much :]]] i dont really see myself as human

🪐 im queer and love my bf and partner in crime so much aug [I LOVE YOU INK!!! 💖💖💖 follow inkwell13 now bc hes hot and funny and wonderful.]

🪐 my interests include [game of the week], theme parks, sewing/costume design, rhythm games, and birds!!! B]

🪐i love you amory wars. I LOVE YOU VAXIS. i am so normal about them. this user kins nia worn /hj

🪐im a big diy cosplay/fashion dude!!! AGAIN I LOVE SEWING/COSTUME DESIGN!!!

🪐the littlebigplanet series is one of my all time favs !!! im also hella into destiny [vanilla d1 vet!!! since the very beginning]. any game with interesting visuals [i.e. bugsnax, smile for me, psychonauts] gets me. also PROSEKAI 🎀!!!

🪐learning guilty gear strive!!! 🩺faust main

🪐 epcot, [and more specifically the og epcot center] is one of my longest running special interests!!! i love learning about the technology, statistics, psychology, etc behind themed entertainment!!! [i love u ball :]] I DO NOT CONDONE OR ENDORSE DISNEY AS A COMPANY… >:[[[

🪐my fav movies are space sweepers, repo! the genetic opera, hitchhikers ‘05, and tron [both ‘82 and legacy]!!! hitchikers guide 81’ tv series also.

🪐 i really like twrp, the protomen, daft punk, röyksopp, starcadian, the aquabats! and ofc, coheed and cambria!!!

🪐 i follow the vocaloid scene heavily and have for a long time!!! nayutalien, hachi, and pinocchio-p are my favs!!!

🪐not so secretly a kinnie… but i wont tell you who for :]]]

⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~ ⭐️~⭐️~⭐️

🛰if you demonize personality disorders love armchair diagnosing real people or uwu-ify my or others problems i am fucking blowing you up with my mind. in case no one reminded you, you suck balls dick and ass.

🛰i have no time for any shit so i just block who i dont vibe with and move on. that being said, this blog is pro kink, pro sex worker, anti-zionist, thinks policing labels is bs, and that all lives dont matter until black lives do. this blog is also transmed-hostile! die. dont tell me what to do with my body you stupid fuckers.

🛰if you come into my inbox to debate me Dont. im busy enjoying the sky and the grass and the trees

ALSO vivziepop fans are a hard block 💙

🛰just dont be a piece of shit and we should get along fine!!! :]]]

[shrimpcrisp]

week hachi 

last week was another super productive week !

we’re learning how to make tote bags in sewing, and we’re starting our second wood block print too. 

I got hinges put on my boards and started collaging onto them.

Yokoyama sensei took us out for dinner !!!

me and Felix cyled to Yoro park in Gifu, to visit the park of reversible destiny ! it was a very long cycle on the hottest day yet but so much fun, we stopped for ice cream and snacks and the park was loads of fun.

we also booked buses to go to Naoshima and Osaka in June!! woo !!

[leatherandtea]

230 am, I can't sleep, I'm sifting through the drawers on grandpa's sewing table before I get up the guts to try and check over and maintain one of these on my own, and I have two questions.

One, why did no one hold an intervention for this man and his collection of buttons? There's so many. Just. So many. I'm starting to wonder if he stole them off of strangers outfits as they passed. More than half of the drawer space is just.. Buttons.

And two.. Why are there cotter pins in so many of these buttons?

[leatherandtea]

this treadle machine is grody, and that's just wiping away easy-access dust and grime, without taking much apart (mostly because i cant, lot of screws locked up for now)

tomorrow i oil it i guess and i can't imagine the gunk that will work itself out after that

at least it doesnt seem like many parts are going to need replacing? so far it's just the leather belt that's uh.. i'm guessing 46 - 50 years old and snapped when i tugged on it wrong, and probably one part of the bobbin winder that seems super corroded

she's got a bit of surface pitting and corrosion, but not in spots that will interfere with working, i hope?

i haven't even looked at the 70s electric machine yet but it was in active use up until 10 years ago, so i can't imagine anything is busted busted

[leatherandtea]

me, learning to sew plushies and working on my third thing ever: why is my stitch, which i just learned 30 seconds ago for this project and did no practice with beforehand, so awful and uneven??

me, unable to grip gently and without tension: why my hands hurt??

me, using a patterned dark fabric and black thread: why is it so hard to see what im doing??

[leatherandtea]

i really need a tablet if i want to make this machine repair thing a hobby

the videos i am having to watch to try and figure out what to do and adjust and mess with have so many tiny little details that watching them on my phone is killing my eyeballs and making things harder

[leatherandtea]

okay ive searched high and low and i dont have a spare notebook of comfortable size to set aside for machine repair stuff so my organization notes are going here to edit as i do things, since google docs has been giving me grief about editing on my phone lately, sorry

1) stitch tension not quite correct, using zigzag to test per the manual- the balance looks fine overall, but if i look very closely, there is a small amount of thread from the opposite side showing at the edges of the stitch, inconsistently, on both sides of the fabric. this may just NOT be a problem anymore and i am being too literal/inflexible due to inexperience. im going to call the overall tension fixed and im just being finicky, but i AM still concerned over the tension being.. inconsistent? there are randomly stitches that have thread pulled through to either side for just a handful of stitches. that seems strange. bobbin related?

for anyone who's nosing around strange blogs in the boopfest (me too) this is all just me talking to myself and taking notes while i try to fix up my grandpa's sewing machine from the 70s. I have no experience whatsoever with sewing or with mechanics, so it is not going well, but it is big fun :> and after this one gets sorted there's a manual machine from 1934 to tackle

Problems:

2) stitch skipping. sewing slowly, using zigzag, the machine will miss 1 - 3 stitches per row. sewing quickly can make it up to 6-7 missed stitches. when checking straight stitch, skips exist but very infrequently, 1 - 3 skipped stitches total within every few rows. zigzag skips are about 80% on the left side (thread makes a straight line down the right), with only a handful being right side or multiple-in-a-row skips I HAVE MADE THIS SO MUCH WORSE :3

3) clutch issues? while winding a bobbin there was a small clunk noise, after which problems started. sometimes the clutch spins freely (i think i fixed this?), sometimes turning the hand wheel does not move the needle (but turning the clutch always does), sometimes pressing the foot pedal is clearly providing power/moving things internally but the needle does not move (nor does the handwheel)- this is temporarily solved by manually fiddling with the wheel until i can put the needle in a different position, after which everything is fine for awhile again. if i re-engage the clutch but DO NOT move the needle with the hand wheel, it continues to not work? Calling this fixed, internal winged thing needs to be pointing at 12 and the grippers need to be facing outwards

4) palest purple thread is on a bobbin that may need to be replaced? weird resistance issues when pulling on it, smooth for a bit then very resistant, has broken thread twice- other bobbins fine? i think it was the one that gave me the most trouble when winding too

5) i may have over-corrected the tensioning unit? grandpa had the internal screw too tight, i may have set it slightly too loose. tension 6 was fine for palpably coarser 50wt cotton thread, but switching to a smooth silky 50wt cotton has me setting it on 9? that seems like a lot? not that i'd really know but.. multiple videos explaining the process called for 0 base tension on the spring, and i was very careful to set the screw at the maximum possible height. maybe it should have been a little further down? fixed the tension.. again

6) the internal bobbin hook thingy (official scientific name) wants to fall out very easily when i remove the cover. when i set it in place, whether the machine is upright or laying down, there's quite a bit of wiggle and play in the position of the piece no matter where or how i insert it, until i lock it in with the cover. it still clearly has Its Own Place that it slips into satisfyingly, but until it's locked up, it can shift around a bit. is that normal, or is something wrong with it? yeah i think im just being paranoid, other things say that it just rests there loosely until locked in

7) mystery oil collecting in bottom of case + seeping around bottom case screws. Brown and low low viscosity, can't find what it's from. Oiled parts above it wipe off clean and don't seem saturated. Keeps reappearing after being cleaned out. i think this might be old wd40 or oil in the screw holes themselves? maybe from grandpa trying to loosen them up long ago? but why does it also collect along the lip of the bottom cover?

8) a couple occasions of "motor going but no movement" sounds, where i also couldnt turn the hand wheel- it just felt blocked. i couldn't move it forward at all, COULD move it backwards, but only a very short distance before feeling blocked again. these all occurred with the needle well above the plate. i.. think?? that it's the bobbin case somehow occasionally touching or blocking the hook/hook driver?? despite being locked into place securely?

Things to try (unrelated to the order of problems):

1) REMOVE NEEDLE AND ALL THREADING, open top of machine, check belt for damage, examine internal clutch parts- find video for disassembling clutch

2) open bottom of machine, search for something that might have broken or fallen out of place? maybe gravity will help me figure it out, clunk doesn't just happen (clunk likely from something about the clutch assembly slipping out of place during use and probably fixed now, but i should still open it up and look)

3) if 1 row then skipping, skipping may be from something damaging the needle? examine bobbin area more closely and try to figure out if the needle is going too far? i've tried this a little and found nothing, but maybe there's a proper way to verify. remove bobbin casing cover from the bottom, examine needle position and hook timing from front and back- use zoomed in camera and hand wheel to check ON BOTH SIDES OF THE ZIG ZAG (left side stitches are what's being skipped most) (idea taken from "sewing machine tips and tricks" youtuber's video on skipping) yeah this is the problem, timing is clearly off- repair shop necessary

4) check for burrs along thread path

5) just buy new bobbins, these are all old ones from grandpas stash- most are in okay condition, but some tarnished, some slightly wobbly looking. i think i mostly picked okay ones to use, but the only way to be certain is comparing with new- also buy (manual not the crazy digital ones) bobbin tension measurement tool, grandpa must have made some wild adjustments to this machine when he worked with leather, and i probably will too

6) play with the gear timing myself? if a tech is gonna have to adjust it anyway, it may as well be fucked up real good from me trying to learn, shouldnt make much difference to them mistakes were made

7)??? repair shop?

Have attempted:

1) new needle (no benefit), smaller needle (1 perfect row, then skipping), bigger needle (1 perfect row, then skipping), rethreading many times.

2) removing clutch knob, pulling hand wheel partially out, cleaning shaft (with bluecreeper, tons of black gunk came out), re-oiling. replaced clutch (prongs pointing at at 2 and 10, tabs outwards). still had random issues with engagement (though this time the handwheel was spinning, even if the needle wasnt). removed clutch again, rotated the inner prong'y piece (pointing at at 12, tabs outwards), and put it back on. haven't tested enough to find if the engagement issues continue yet. -- 6ish rows later, no engagement problems yet? -- THIS IS FIXED

3) examining belt- no damage on the big upper belt, nothing different from when i started

4) took closeup photos and video of hook/needle timing, which is clearly off

5) have checked for burrs with fingers and qtip, along threading path, needle area, and bobbin area- found nothing, but don't have pantyhose material to be fully sure. found a burr on the needle and replaced it, to absolutely no change whatsoever.

6) finally got throat plate off, all hail penetrating oil. feed dogs were mostly clean in active/moving spots, scrubbed everything with alcohol anyway. how did grandpa get everything so STICKY all the time? no benefit, but at least gunk has been washed

7) opened up gearbox under shuttle. I don't know what used to be in there, but it transmuted to disgusting ass earwax in the intervening years. I don't know if the grease i use for my fountain pens pistons (finish line ceramic grease) is actually the right grease for the job, but I do know it's better than a lump of earwax and I can clean it off later if I need to. He's already SO MUCH QUIETER my poor darling, even if it hasn't done anything to change the skipping. The sound of this machine up til now has been the exact same chugging sound I remember from my childhood, so those poor gears must have been grinding for longer than I've been alive

8) also checked through bottom of machine. All good, nothing out of place, everything pretty clean besides weird mystery oil on the bottom.

9) re-re-re-re corrected the upper tension internals

10) adjusting needle bar height. on one hand, i regret EVERYTHING, and on the other, i regret nothing that lets me learn more about how to work on this thing. made everything SO MUCH WORSE, then corrected it to being.. roughly as bad as it was before. if it's possible to fix the overall problem with just this adjustment, i physically lack the ultrafine microscopic visual acuity and dexterity to see and adjust the fractions of millimeters it would take without some sort of purpose-made tool -- continuing to fuck up the needle bar height. this is fun and also going nowhere

11) tried to adjust hook timing- this is weird and difficult. how do i make it MOVE to the position i want it to be in? i think i got it to where it should be, ish. everything i can find says that the hook should be passing the needle when the needle has risen by 2 - 2.5mm from its lowest point.. mine wasnt passing until the needle had lifted around 4.5-5mm. skipping is slightly-but-not-much worse after my adjustments, but the stitches do feel more.. responsive? decisive? something about the actual stitching action feels more nebulously Right. i think part of the reason i had so much trouble figuring out how/where to start adjusting is because most of them show the adjustments being made on the main drive shaft outside the gearbox. i had to loosen screws inside the gearbox to change the hook position. not confident that was CORRECT or the way it SHOULD be done, but it tracks with how i've seen most gearboxes packed with grease and mine only had a minimum amount- being packed would block access to the screws i used. -- i badly want to tinker with this more until i get it right, but i also want a working machine in the near future, and adjusting it was incredibly difficult with the tools i have available :( not to mention dangerous for the machine, as i had to go at odd angles that wanted a slim bent tool when all i have is a bulky straight one

[leatherandtea]

my kingdom for the ability to visualize things and/or predict 3d outcomes and see how to get to them

[leatherandtea]

This little magnet that attaches to what I'm working on is the best thing I've gotten for myself this year*. It holds the needle when I have to set things down, and finger jabbing incidents have been cut in half since it came home.

[leatherandtea]

i told myself trying to sew through 5 layers of denim by hand would be fine and was in fact an excellent idea

i have some very angry words to say at me

[leatherandtea]

i dont know who decided i was allowed to make plans and decisions for myself, but i want them to know they were very, very wrong.