Doesn't Everyone Name Their Sewing Machine?

So now that we've all had a chance to breathe and relax after weeks of holiday preparation, aren't we all just itching to dive headlong into our next craft project?

I thought I was until last night when I attempted to design and craft a ribbon-y sun tag toy.  Things were coming along quite swimmingly until I realised I'd forgotten two key elements in the creation process - 'make sure you have the correct supplies on hand before you start' (I didn't have any fibrefill and had to resort to using fleece scraps, resulting in a toy with more cellulite than I have) and 'try those forgotten decorative stitches on scrap fabric first'.  Yup.  I botched it.  Not one to waste what was otherwise a relatively decent first attempt for 2011, I limped the project across the finish line and passed it off as a 'special project' for my 9yo daughter.  That's the great thing about daughters - they'll conveniently overlook catastrophic stitching failures in favour of being on the receiving end of something fun from The Magic Making Machine!

So no, not the most auspicious start, but not a total loss.

It also reminded me how pitifully low I am on basic supplies.  I have a small collection of fabric but I'm definitely drawn more toward quirky printed cottons and flannels than sensible, useful calico.  I am not, however, all that keen on giving up my addiction to colour just yet.  Tomorrow, I'm going shopping - but with a difference - stay tuned!

In the meantime, I thought an introduction might be in order.

Meet Hank.

Now, I have no reasonable explanation for why I named my sewing machine Hank.  Especially considering a sewing machine is a rather feminine household addition.  Perhaps it has something to do with that time the blasted machine jammed up in the middle of a special project and in my frustration I thumped the tabletop (hard enough to scatter my pearl-headed pins to the four winds) and barked out the first name - male of course - that sprung to mind.  Nevermind the more likely cause of the disaster was probably user error.  Heh.

Hank has been my faithful companion for the past eighteen months and a pure delight to use after several years of a second hand 18-stitches model of no particular brand.  That machine - with its manual everything - scarred me so badly it took until two months ago before I used Hank's buttonhole foot for the first time.  Hank is smooth, automatic, quiet and he was on sale!

Okay, I'm off to tweak my tag toy designs.  I really wish I'd paid attention in art class...