Month: November 2023

Sewing machine update

On By CarynIn Craft

I continue to periodically spray PB Blaster on the 1907 Singer 27 sewing machine I want to rebuild. I recently had a major breakthrough and was able to remove the rod for the pressure foot and the needle bar! These rods, on a clean machine, just slide out. I needed to pick away the crust around the holders, rotate them, pick away more build-up, then I was able to get them to slide upward! Very exciting day.

Photo description: Pressure foot rod covered with dried oil, the Singer 27 in the background.

I have one more internal part with a rusted screw that I want to free up so I can clean it. The main drive through the machine looks OK, so I don’t plan on removing that. Then all the parts that have been soaking in PB Blaster get cleaned. I have decided that the decals are too far gone, and it would be better to not have flaking paint, so I need to decide how to proceed with refinishing the body of the machine as well.

He’s fine

On By CarynIn Cats

Like most kittens, Thor like to lay in awkward places. Half over his bed, half on the arm of the chair, half on my pillow. He really likes that I moved my computer into the closet with a nice fuzzy rug on the floor. I took this picture because it looks like he has been skewered by three posts, when really one leg is between two.

Photo description: Gray tabby laying on a teal rug under a folding chair, next to a microphone stand, tail touching my heel, sleeping.

New card

On By CarynIn art, Craft

I had fun making a new holiday card design. My intention was to imitate a linocut technique, but in Adobe Illustrator, so instead of building shapes, I erased bits from the shapes. Then I applied a gradient color to the left over parts to imitate hand painting a stamp, and printed on recycled card stock. To finish off the cards, I used a rounded corner punch, and hand-stamped the greeting inside.

Photo description: Linocut-like design showing a quartet casually dressed singing around the tailgate of an old truck, corner punch shown in foreground.
Photo description: Two cards, one showing the front, the other open to show “Happy Holidays“ stamped inside, stamp and ink pad on the right.

Sandy claws

On By CarynIn Cats

Izzy is not happy with the new kitten and does not appreciate having to share litter boxes. Thor loves his litter boxes and is very good at digging and burying. Izzy has been marking and ruining rugs. To help Izzy out, I put down sand in the catio. The long summer heat killed all the plants in there and left hard packed clay, so I cleaned up the debris and spread bags of all-purpose sand in the main area.

Photo description: Looking down at raked sand on the floor of the catio, rake and sand bag visible in the foreground, and an XL covered litter box with clumping litter in the background.

I’ve read that owners should have the same number of litter boxes as cats, plus one. We have that, except at night when Izzy and Sophie are separated. So I added a nice large corner litter box to Izzy’s nighttime area (our bedroom).

Photo description: Large corner litter box in the master closet.

I also picked up all the bathmats that were being used inappropriately, and replaced the most critical mat, right outside the shower, with a bamboo wood mat.

Slow ideas

On By CarynIn chickens, Coop, Life Hack

Each summer I put up a sunscreen in the coop runs to keep the afternoon sun off the feeder and the side of the coop. Each winter I take it down so the sun can warm the coop. Both operations are a pain, wrestling with the large triangle of fabric. Until this year, when one of those slow ideas finally bubbled to the surface and I thought to just roll up the sunscreen. It took a few moments to secure the roll, but should only take a few moments again in the summer to deploy the screen.

Photo description: View inside the chicken runs, under an awning, with a roll of fabric stretched across the upright posts.

I do believe that there are many ways to accomplish any task, and find it interesting how often the thought “why didn’t I think of that earlier” happens.