Molnecki Thread?
Leon Fisk
;-)
Has anyone heard of a Thread manufacturer that sounds
similar to this? My Sister has been looking for someplace
that sells this for quite some time now (I wrote down the
correct spelling, darn if I can find it right now...). It
seems to be one of the few threads that likes her machine
and holds up well to wear/tear.
I've got a sneaky feeling that they probably went out of
business, or were taken over. If any one knows a little
tale/history on this, that would be nice too.
If they aren't around anymore, does anyone have any
suggestions on another manufacturer of machine threads that
holds up similar to what Molnecki did?
Thanks for any help on this ;-)
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Kate Dicey
It is spelt Molnycke, with an umlaut above the 'o'. It is made
somewhere in the E.U. possibly Germany, tho' I think the company may be
Swedish. It is very good thread, I agree, but not one of the commoner
brands. I used it a lot when I lived in Germany during my student
years. Try a web search for it. They are the standard test thread that
you get with a Husqvarna machine, so I presume they are still in
business.
Also try Guttermann threads: they are almost as good, and far far better
than Drima or cheapo brands. Coates COTTON thread is excellent, but
Drima sucks!
Kate XXXX
PS try http:///www.sawyersewing.bc.ca
Beth Pierce
Moinlycke. I found it at a sewing and vacuum store. I have a very old
singer and I can't use the standard Coats brand thread in it. The
Moinlycke was pretty good, but I can't find much of it, so I buy
Guterman now, and that's found everywhere. It's just as good as the
Moinlycke.
Beth Pierce
Stamford, CT, USA. So maybe you might find it after all!
Kay Lancaster
>Has anyone heard of a Thread manufacturer that sounds
>similar to this? My Sister has been looking for someplace
Molyncke. Swedish, I believe. I've heard that Coats is going to
start importing their polyester again, but I've not seen any. I'm
still hoarding some of their threads I bought when they quit
distributing it here 5-6 years ago.
Mettler Metrosene is a good substitute for Molyncke poly, Gutermann
is easier to find.
Kay Lancaster k...@fern.com
Nancy Dooley
wrote:
>As you can probably tell, I'm sure not a regular poster here
>;-)
>
>Has anyone heard of a Thread manufacturer that sounds
>similar to this? My Sister has been looking for someplace
They sold out to Coats & Clark, I believe. Molynecke (sp?) is no
longer being made.
I don't like C & C, so have been buying Gutterman.
N.
Gayle
the only thread except for Mettler that the head tech would use. Coats
Patons LDT of Canada supplied us. The Perfect Notion used to sell it, but I
don't know now.
The Swedish Molnlycke is a wound dressing company that makes surgical thread
and other medical supplies, I asked the hospital supplier once if they were
related but he said no, the thread company was in Fresno Ca., and Stamford
CT. I have used a lot of Molnlycke cotton embroidery thread and really like
it. Amazing Sewing Machines in Toronto has lots of it.
Gayle
-----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =-----
http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World!
-----== Over 80,000 Newsgroups - 16 Different Servers! =-----
Kate Dicey
Having just looked in my thread stash, I can say positively that MY:
Gutermann cotton thread is made in Greece
Gutermann polyester thread is made in Germany
Guterman silk thread is Swiss made
Molnycke thread is made in the EU: I have some older reels of cotton
that say they were made in Sweden!
Tootal 'Sylco' cotton thread is made in Sweden (This leads me to suppose
they are the people that took over, if anyone did. However, I do have
newer reels of Molnycke thread that have the EU designation.) or
Britain: I have a few which say 'Made in the EU'.
Older Dewhurst 'Sylco' reels all say 'Made in England', or 'Made in
Great Britain'.
All my Coates reels say 'Made in Britain'
Empress Mills thread is made at Hollin Hall, Colne, Lancs! (Yes! I've
been there!)
My cheapo threads come from all over the world! Some of the rayon
embroidery threads come from India: they were dirt cheap but are as good
as some of the branded threads.
Sulky embroidery threads are made in Germany.
Possibly this Molnycke thread thing is like Budweiser: we have the real
thing here in Europe, and a pale imitation in the States! (Kate puts on
hard hat & NBC kit and ducks below parapet... )
The other possibility is that Molnycke are like Singer, and had
factories all over the world, all making to the same high standard. I
did see a large stack of Molnycke threads in a shop in Zurich last
summer, so there's hope for us yet! At present I am well served for
thread, as my local, otherwise very cheap, sewing shop stocks all the
Gutermann threads, including linen, hand and machine quilting, silk and
metallics and tacking thread!
Happy hunting!
Kate XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Leon Fisk
just the kind of information I was looking for ;-) I will be
printing it out, passing it on to my Sister next time I see
her.
I had already hammered the search engines pretty hard (I'm
no slouch at digging stuff up...). I found mention of all
the different Threads you Ladies mentioned, but not a single
shred of info on Molnycke. I'll try again now with the
correct spelling, but I think it will be in vain... I still
have to check out the link from Kate too. My phone/modem
connection yesterday was giving me grief, only got done the
essentials, didn't get a chance to do any digging, or even
get off a thanks to all of you...
I read with great interest about several of your machine
repair woes :-( I've been repairing my sister's machine
(about 15 year old Husqvarna, I'll have to ask if this is
where she picked up on using Molnycke thread - Kate's tip
off) for about 10 years of so now. She had trouble getting
it fixed at the dealer. Had taken it in twice, for a problem
with the tension not being right. It took me two tries to
figure it out (heh! I'm a electronics tech, mechanical
tinkerer too). Problem was there was some sort of sticky
build up in the upper thread path. Cleaned the complete
thread path through to the needle, bingo! problem solved.
She was a really happy camper then ;-) That should have been
a really obvious problem to a repair shop. The repairman was
no green horn either, been working there for many years. So
a tip you maybe able to use if you are having tension
troubles:
With the presser foot up (this should disable the tension
adjustment) make sure you can pull the thread out through
the back of the needle smoothly. If you can't, step by step
remove the thread from each place it passes through (from
the needle towards the spool) until you can. Then clean up
the offending area. A little rubbing alcohol on some cloth
should do the trick (Goo-Gone might work well too, didn't
have such stuff back then). Don't use too much, you don't
want any extra stuck in you machine. Error on too little, to
even a dry cloth if you have to.
Try the above test when your machine is working right. If
you have troubles then, the difference will be obvious.
Her Husqvarna does a nice job, but I like the feel of my old
Phaff 362 better. It is so much smoother running (built like
a tank too ;-). If it could just do a Serpentine stitch...
Someday I'll have to get ambitious and see if I can track
down "Wonder Wheel" for it. I've got the Owners Manual, but
the all important wheel, to show me how to set up the
specialty stitches... No real biggy, I mainly just repair
stuff. Fixed and functional is my aim ;-) Kind of like
shooting a mosquito with a bazooka though ;-)
Sorry to go off rambling, but I didn't just want to post a
question and run away.
Many thanks again for your help!
Kate Dicey
One of the things I was recommended for cleaning between tension disks
was the unwaxed type of dental floss! Personally I use a little bit of
button thread.
I have an attatchment for the vacuum cleaner for sucking out all the
dust and lint from the serger and under the bobbin case. Mostly all I
need to do to my machines is de-fluff them and oil the odd bit! If the
timing goes off, I send them to the repair man! My repair man collects
old sewing machines, and they are all in working order, so I tend not to
worry about what needs fixing!
My sister's 17 year old Husqvarna has always worked a treat. I guess
that with sewing machines as with shoes: what fits one doesn't always
fit the rest of us!
Kate XXXXX
Leon Fisk
I should have mentioned that the Husqvarna works just fine,
but it sure isn't put together like the old Phaff...
My sister used to really give this machine a work out, the
first time I took a look at it (for the tension trouble), I
noticed that something didn't look right on the motors
armature. I found out that one of the brushes had completely
worn out and had eaten into it (this was just after the
repair shop had pronounced it fit as a fiddle too...). I
installed new brushes (this is no fault of the machine, just
a lot of use), but there is nothing that can be done for the
armature. Made a funny noise till the new brushes wore into
the old armature... So a word of warning to your sister, if
she sews a lot, keep an eye out for the brushes wearing out.
The cam used for zig-zagging has broken and the most recent
trouble was simply a lubrication problem internally. The
book/dealer claims that this machine needs no lubrication,
but it sure didn't look any different inside than any other
machine I've worked on. Me-thinks they just use this as
selling gimmick to people that don't want to have to lube
their machines (I'm no engineer, but I didn't see any sealed
bearings, could have hardened surfaces, but I would think
that they should still have some oil on them...). After all
if it wears out, you'll just have to replace it...
I usually use a piece of thin cotton cloth, sometimes folded
over in the tension disks. You do need to be somewhat
careful in this area though, you don't want to get too
carried away and force anything too much in there.
This has been a nice break from my usual haunts ;-)
Thanks again ;-)
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Kate Dicey
I think what they do is teflon coat some of the bearings: eventually,
the oil evaporates so the teflon wears away. After this they will need
a little oil now and again! This is not so much of a problem on the
newer machines, as the technology improves all the time.
What I like about the machine is owning one built by a company that has
been in precision engineering since 1689! They started as a cannon
foundry! They have been making sewing machines since 1872, so they
ought to know what they are doing!
Kate XXXX
PS I just noticed: we've all been missing out an 'l' in the thread
spelling, which is why we might have had trouble finding it! Molnlycke:
note that 'l' after the 'n'!!
Gayle
the Old Pfaff forum on Yahoo. There are some great people there. Might
have your info. I think I saw a Wonder Wheel at my repair guys store. I
will look the next time I am in Toronto. By they way we are sorta
neighbours. I live across the creek from ST Clair Michigan. Glad to see
you here.
Gayle.
Leon Fisk
Thanks for the reply ;-)
I asked/tried at my local Phaff dealer many years ago. They
rummaged around some, but didn't come up with anything...
Haven't been back in a long time, besides I hate to ask for
things like this unless I'm blowing some money on their
stuff...
I've have never actually seen one myself, assume it is just
two pieces of cardboard riveted together in the middle. I
would think a person could disassemble/scan the two pieces,
make as many as you wanted then ;-)
Don't knock yourself out, but I would appreciate your
looking ;-) As I mentioned previously, I don't normally need
any fancy stitches for making repairs. It would be nice to
see what could be done though. Maybe there is something
useful that I could use at times.
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Leon Fisk
Hmmm... Interesting idea/tip. I'll watch for that (teflon)
next time I get that deeply into the machine (hopefully not
for a long time ;-)
I didn't realize that the company was that old either. I may
have to do a little history/reading on that. Must have an
interesting past. Of course, they make some darn good
Chainsaws among other things. Job security maybe, one
product that shreds clothes, another to put them back
together ;-)
I had noticed that spelling variance, but just thought maybe
the one with the "l" was another company. I'll try nosing
around some with that. Pretty much struck out with the
"Molnycke" version so far... The similar types of thread
mentioned are the best hope I think. Hopefully my sister
hasn't already tried these and been unhappy with them...
Thanks for the input ;-)
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Leon Fisk
I came across the following article while searching with the
spelling Molnlycke. It is interesting, you might want to
take a peak. It appears we might be able to get an idea of
how good different threads are simply by looking at them
under high magnification. I'm a gizmo junky, so a little bit
of magnification shouldn't be a problem. I threw a quote
marker in front of the url, so hopefully it won't get
wrapped/chopped up too bad...
> http://sewing.about.com/hobbies/sewing/library/weekly/aa102100a.htm?iam=dpile&terms=%2Bmolnlycke
Gayle
Chain saws are a different company. HV also used to own Eureka but I think
they went with the Chain saw side when the sewing machine part ran into
trouble after the purchase of White and Viking. In Canada they cannot use
the Viking name as one of our dept stores uses Viking as an in house brand
name. If you are interested in the history of you machine check out
http://www.pfaff-industrial.de/com/insidepfaff/history/index.html
They list the start of the company from l862 up till the 90's. It also
gives the history of how closely aligned the industrial and commercial sides
are. Most of the innovations like the dual feed and v rotary hook come from
this association. Many of the features on a Pfaff are industrial in origin.
I like to research all of my collectible machines origins.
NO problem with the wheel. I will just check it out next time I am there.
I could copy for you. It is a neat thing, check out e-bay or the old Pfaff
forum for pictures.
Kate Dicey
seen in the UK have the same logo as the sewing machines (a sort of oval
thingy with three blunt spikes out of the top, and an H in the centre).
This would point to them all now being one big happy family.
Kate XXXX
Leon Fisk
They actually appear to go back 300 years, to making
Muskets/Armor for the King of Sweden. See the following link
for some more info (straight from the horses mouth ;-)
http://international.husqvarna.com/node236.asp
I know here in the US, they have a complete line of
Lawnmowers, Weed Wackers and other power tools too. I guess
they haven't gotten onto the latest US bandwagon. Sell off
the non-core products, concentrate on only one thing. Seems
it was only a few years ago, the cry was to diversify ;-)
There is a line of Husky equipment (I recall seeing their
lawnmowers in the past), but that is completely different
company. I remember it as being inexpensive stuff...
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Gayle
concession they made to be able to keep the Oval and crown with the W. The
sewing machine company got the red and white and the tooling section got the
blue and white. The Sewing Machine Co logo should also say Viking except
in Canada because of the Eaton's dept store thing. And the tooling section
is mostly know as Husky.
I did hear the Kubota was interested in buying the tractor division so that
should improve them a bit. But then they will be more expensive also.
jim barton
Leon Fisk wrote:
just browsing: never done this before. molnecki thread, I think thats
the name can be found at Len's Mill stores in Cambridge, Guelph,
Waterloo, Ontario stores. They might even mail it to you. Hope this
helps.
Alison Ellis
know anything else about it. I have never had any problem with Gutermann
threads.
jim barton <jd...@sympatico.ca> wrote in message
news:3B21A3FF...@sympatico.ca...
Kay Lancaster
I think you mean Molnlycke. I haven't seen it for several years,
but I really liked it. Heard rumors that Coats and Clark was going
to be ?manufacturing or ?importing it again (I hope importing!).
Mettler is a similar high quality thread to Molnlycke, in my experience.
Kay Lancaster k...@fern.com
Leon Fisk
I printed out/passed on all your good suggestions and info
to my sister. I found out that she has already tried
Gutermann and Mettler (amongst others). These do seem to
work fine in her machine. The problem with them is they
don't hold up/wear well in the stuff she makes like
Molnlycke does. She finds it quite disappointing to have
seams coming apart prematurely, in her opinion of course...
So other than some more experimenting, we'll just have to
hope that Molnlycke turns up again here in the USA sometime
soon... (I will try examining some of the different threads
under a microscope when I get the chance. The website I
mentioned in an earlier post with magnified photos gave the
best clues to determining good thread.)
I've still been lurking around in this group since my
original post. Everybody here is really nice. It's been fun
to read about your trials/tribulations ;-) Especially the
"accents" from the overseas posters. Quite enlightening ;-)
Thanks again!
Kate Dicey
What DOES the dear girl do to her seams to wear them out? I agree that
the old Molnlycke thread was one of the best, but I've never had a
Guttermann sewn seam 'wear out'! Usually the fabric is dead long before
the stitching.
The only time I've had stitching give way was when the garment was too
tight, of I'd used a non stretch thread on a bias seam. The answer to
this is to treat a bias cut seam as if it was sewn on a stretch fabric
and use a narrow zigzag or stretch stitch.
Keep on lurking!
Kate XXXXX
Leon Fisk
My Sister is a real perfectionist (I can be too, but only on
things where I feel it is important, like mechanical
stuff... If the clothes are clean, that's good enough ;-). I
remember when I was pretty young yet, she had knitted a
sweater. She ended up tearing it all out and completely
re-doing it 3 times before she was happy with it. Had my
other sister almost sick watching her, she thought it was
good enough the first time ;-)
If would tend to agree with you if it wasn't for the fact
that she has made the exact same items before with Molnlycke
thread and wore them out. Now making replacements for these
using Gutermann, they just don't hold up the same in the
longevity/wear department. I know the biggest offender is my
brother in-laws shirts, but he doesn't treat them any
different than the other ones he has worn out before. Both
of them wear there clothes till it is time to just throw
them away, which many people don't. The latter being why I
suspect many people never notice any problem/difference with
different kinds of thread. I do suspect many of the people
in this group though probably wear their items longer than
the general public does though ;-) Pride, sentimentalism and
the tools/knowledge to keep them going...
She does do really, really nice work. It would probably make
you knod your head in agreement to look them over... There
is no way she could make money at it, spends way too much
time making stuff perfect! I have always felt a person has
to compromise much of the time, between perfection and
getting things done in a reasonable time frame. When you do
things for yourself though, perfection is achievable if you
so desire. Most people aren't willing to pay for it though
:(
Next time I get up to her place, I'll try to remember to
look over her cache of thread. Maybe there is a difference
between the thread we get in the USA and what you do in the
UK. Long shot <shrug>, but worth taking a look at.
Thanks for your opinion/knowledge though. I'll put on my
flame suit maybe (have to have one of those if you post in
news groups ;-), pass your thoughts on to her. I maybe able
to fix her sewing machine, but I'm not that great at
maneuvering them properly ;-)
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Dog Woman
thread. His # is 416 653 7775, and the clerks name is Dorothy. I know I
saw tonnes of Molnlycke there. I purchased a few spools of the cotton
embroidery thread for baby clothes because of the softness and low sheen.
If you knew what colours she needed I am sure they would ship. If not let
me know and I can pick it up for you and ship from Sarnia. I am often in
Port Huron.
Kate Dicey
Some of the things I've sewn with Guttermann thread and are still going
strong are over 20 years old! Others are not as old, (10 - 15 years)
but get washed on the boil was at least once a fortnight! I have thrown
garments to the charity shops after wearing them once a week for several
years because I got bored with them, and the seams were fine. All my
Guttermann threads are European or Scandinavian made, so do check this.
USA made threads may not be the same quality.
I know what you mean about perfectionism, too! I get VERY picky about
seams being straight, hemlines level, and zips being immaculate! These
days I do so much that it isn't really a problem, but I do find that
some jobs go quicker if you sew slowly and avoid the unpicking process!
I tend to do fittings on a tacked seam, to avoid the hours of unpicking
machine stitching. Just now and then it is unavoidable (like when the
serger brakes a thread!), but I do try to get it right first time round!
In my experience, the customer frequently wants perfection, but can't
understand why it costs both arms and three legs! I can get away with
quite a bit at times because the customer doesn't notice what to me is
an obvious flaw!
Give you sister my regards when you see her.
Kate XXXX
Leon Fisk
Thanks for the number/offer ;-)
I'll check with Sis next time I see her (we don't live all
that far apart, but far enough to be a long distance phone
call and we both have tight budgets...). She may just want
it bad enough to pursue this line of tact ;-)
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Leon Fisk
Yup, you sure sound like my sister. Looks good to me, I buy
it, wear it, she points out all the mismatched seams,
stitches...
I've been thinking really hard about archiving a bunch of
the posts from this group. I kind of think she might enjoy
reading through them (she doesn't know anything about
computers, she got out of the office job just as they were
becoming mainstream...) With the news reader I use (Free
Agent) I already archive 9 days worth all the time.
Download/save them on this old klunker computer (486DX40)
and then quite often use sneaker net (floppy) to move them
onto a notebook computer that I can use at the kitchen
table. Then I read through them while having
munchies/brewskis. Don't know though, it can sometimes be
pretty hard to teach an old dog new tricks, especially if
they aren't interested in learning them ;-)
I did save most of the Duck tape sites awhile back, both the
brother in-law/Sis will get a laugh out of those ;-)
Thanks for your input/opinion again, I'll let you know what
I find out when I finally get around seeing/checking this
out.
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
sewingb...@webtv.net
This is an interesting post. You bring up some very good topics.
Most of my work is alterations, and sewing for GDDs, but I definitely
lean towards your sister's way of thinking. I try to do my best work for
my clients; second-rate work won't keep them coming back. I am, because
of that, definitely the shoemaker's daughter. I skimp on my own sewing,
or it just doesn't get sewn, as I usually
(not lately, because of illness) just don't have the time to do the
fine-finishing on my garments, unless it is a special occasion garment.
( My GDDs also get very specially sewn dresses, with attention to
detail.).
I'm thinking of a nice cotton shirt I made, working late, (the curse
of working sew folk everywhere), not paying 100% attention, and I sewed
the collar on wrong. By the time I discovered it, I was too tired, and
totally disgusted, to repair it. I just didn't give a $%&!!****. And, I
might add, no one has noticed.
Now, if this had been a client's garment, you better believe I would
have carefully removed the collar, cut a new one, if necessary, and
re-sewn the shirt.
And I do wear my garments to a rag, but I do not have the thread
problem you describe. For the range of sewing I do, and with the need to
match colors as accurately as possible, I buy Coat's and Clark
cotton/poly thread, and find it sturdy and reliable. I do not send
things to the dry cleaner's, so perhaps the problem might be excessive
dry cleaning, which uses chemicals that shorten the life of garments?
Basically, a man's shirt is boiled, fried, starched, then toasted and
wrapped in plastic.
It surprises me that people do repair and recycle their clothing, and
will pay well for the work. If you do the same type work enough, you
become quick and proficient, and rarely have to re-do your work. Among a
range of alterations I do, I frequently turn men's shirt collars, when
the top collar edges get threadbare. I see the same gent's pants, maybe
for 5 or 6 years, letting the waist in/ out, as he waxes and wanes.
On the other hand, my DH is a contractor, and he is frequently
complaining of torn crotches in his pants. The fault lies not with the
thread or machine stitching, but with the way the man chooses to, shall
I say it indelicately?,
SQUAT. He cannot remember to lift the legs of his pants at the knees,
thereby reducing the strain on the aforementioned part of his drawers'
anatomy. In this case, I would rather stitch again, than sew in so firm
and reinforced a stitch, that the material of the pants itself gives
way. At any rate, he, too, is a perfectionist, and never lacks for work.
If your sister knits well, perhaps she is speedy enough with her
knitting, and so could over-come the problem of time/income. I had a
friend who, being Scottish, emerged from the womb with knitting needles
and a half-finished Aran sweater in her tiny hands. She could knit a
beautiful cable sweater in a day, watching tv as she worked.
How about posting some pictures of your sister's sweaters?
Cea
----
Re: Molnecki Thread?
<lf...@no.spam.iserv.net (Leon Fisk)
Kate Dicey
sewingb...@webtv.net wrote:
>
> (Snip)
> I'm thinking of a nice cotton shirt I made, working late, (the curse
> of working sew folk everywhere), not paying 100% attention, and I sewed
> the collar on wrong. By the time I discovered it, I was too tired, and
> totally disgusted, to repair it. I just didn't give a $%&!!****. And, I
> might add, no one has noticed.
OH, yes! BTDT!
> Now, if this had been a client's garment, you better believe I would
> have carefully removed the collar, cut a new one, if necessary, and
> re-sewn the shirt.
And that!!
> Basically, a man's shirt is boiled, fried, starched, then toasted and
> wrapped in plastic.
Love it, Cea! This one goes in the quote book!
> On the other hand, my DH is a contractor, and he is frequently
> complaining of torn crotches in his pants. The fault lies not with the
> thread or machine stitching, but with the way the man chooses to, shall
> I say it indelicately?,
> SQUAT. He cannot remember to lift the legs of his pants at the knees,
> thereby reducing the strain on the aforementioned part of his drawers'
> anatomy.
Have you tried making him stretch knit or Lycra enhanced britches? The
extra 'give' might help!
> If your sister knits well, perhaps she is speedy enough with her
> knitting, and so could over-come the problem of time/income. I had a
> friend who, being Scottish, emerged from the womb with knitting needles
> and a half-finished Aran sweater in her tiny hands. She could knit a
> beautiful cable sweater in a day, watching tv as she worked.
I have a cousin like this! She can knit that Orkney lace stuff, and did
the most wonderful little shawl for my cherub when he was born. If
there was an Olympic speed knitting event, she'd be a gold medalist for
sure! I am certain she got my share of the knitting genes: despite
wholly Scots ancestry, all I can do with knitting is tie my thumbs
together
> How about posting some pictures of your sister's sweaters?
OOOH, yes! I cannot wear wool next to my skin and knitting is beyond
me, but I do love woolly jumpers!
Kate XXXXX
sewingb...@webtv.net
Re: Molnecki Thread?
<<ka...@diceyhome.free-online.co.uk (Kate Dicey)
<sewingbythecea griped:
<On the other hand, my DH is a contractor, and he is frequently
complaining of torn crotches in his pants. The fault lies not with the
thread or machine stitching, but with the way the man chooses to, shall
I say it indelicately?,
SQUAT. He cannot remember to lift the legs of his pants at the knees,
thereby reducing the strain on the aforementioned part of his drawers'
anatomy.
<<Have you tried making him stretch knit or Lycra enhanced britches? The
extra 'give' might help!
>Now there's a thought, Kate! He is definitely clothing-impaired, poor
man. He insists on wearing these 100% polyester,
never-die-because-they're-too-ugly navy blue Sears flexslack pants. The
only plus for these drawers is that they do give a bit, and they stand
up to a lot of hard construction work.
Your suggestion has me picturing him in male ballet tights.
Whooooo!!! The man will not make it out the front door!<G>
Cea
Leon Fisk
I appreciate your info/opinion ;-)
You know the old sayings "A Plumbers faucets always leak"
and "A Cobblers kids run around bare foot" ;-)
I know I always wondered a little bit about the guys I
worked with that went home and did more of the same after
work. I did't like my job/work that much ;-) It is great if
you do though.
I don't think my Sister has knitted anything in a long time
now... (sweater episode happened while she was still a
teenager, we both wish that wasn't so long ago now ;-) Like
many other people I suspect, she experimented with all sorts
of sewing, crocheting, knitting... when she was
young/learning. Stuck with the things she most enjoyed or
proved to be a necessity ;-)
Both of us are cursed with being near sighted (I'm 10 years
younger, but worse in this area :( I know this has slowed
her down a lot now days with her sewing habits. Her eyes are
slow to adjust/focus from close to far now, with the latter
being the biggest problem. She liked to watch TV while doing
hand work and crocheting. Eyes slow to focus have made this
next to impossible now... This virtually stopped all of her
crochet work. I was always amazed at the crocheting. That
takes a special drive/touch I think...
My Brother in-law is a self employed trucker/whatever, no
dry cleaning going on with his stuff ;-) Probably about the
same sort of conditions as your DH. There is always the
unexpected mishap with torn items, snags and such. For the
most part though, he sees/knows how much time Sis puts into
his clothes, try's to take care of them. I sure she has
taken this into mind, before complaining about the thread
giving out prematurely. It happens with her clothes too,
which she knows for sure how these were handled/worn. As I
mentioned to Kate earlier, this didn't use to happen till
she had to switch to other brands of thread.
You should get your DH to fix/repair his items he blew out a
few times himself. One develops a lot more respect for a
little bit of prevention/better care then. Slowed me down a
lot when I started buying/fixing/washing out my own clothes
;-) Of course you would have to grit your teeth/grimace at
the repair job that was done, that might be even worse than
your current method ;-)
"Never do a job really well, you may find yourself doing it
for the rest of your life..." and "If you do the job badly
enough, you won't be asked to do it again."
Some of us can't help ourselves though, nasty little thing
called pride gets in the way ;-)
What surprises me the most are the items I find/buy in the
second hand stores. Some of them aren't even nicely softened
up/broken in. Gifts don't always fit right, wrong color, but
there is way too much stuff in these places for that to be
the only excuse. Sometimes you might have to make a few
repairs/alterations, but it is still a good deal. I try to
buy all my stuff second hand now. I'll let these other
people/mentality pay the new prices ;-)
I'll have to do some thinking on picts. Right now all I have
is a camcorder/frame grabber. Not much detail with this
method... The nice stuff Sis made for me is buried/put away.
I know there is some other stuff I need to get to in the
same stash, but I don't need it that bad yet ;-) From the
way Kate has described her small place, she probably has the
same affliction. You have to want something pretty bad
before going after it sometimes, knowing where it is stashed
;-)
--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI
Remove no.spam for email
========================
Kate Dicey
I had more of the idea of the stretch leggings in jazzy colours that the
climbers wear!
Actually, I have seen a travera and Lycra knit that looked like old
fashioned cavalry twill from the front. It was navy blue or dark
maroon, and made into 'uniform' trousers for people like bus drivers.
If you could get something like this, it might do the trick! We didn't
buy any of the trousers (factory surplus outlet) because they were manky
colours and DH didn't like them!
Kate XXXXXX
sewingb...@webtv.net
pickiest human being I know--well, wait-- his Dad and DH have the same
affliction, so maybe it is inherited. If it ain't a particular shade of
blue, or an
indiscriminate shade of gray, they will not deign to look at it.
Cea, laughing at the vision of my 260 lb. manly-man
in skin-tight, vivid leggings
Yeah, that would inspire faith if your builder showed up dressed like
that. Hee hee heee.
---
sewingb...@webtv.net
Re: Molnecki Thread?
<lf...@no.spam.iserv.net (Leon Fisk)
<Cea,
<I appreciate your info/opinion ;-)
You know the old sayings "A Plumbers faucets always leak" and "A
Cobblers kids run around bare foot" ;-)
I know I always wondered a little bit about the guys I worked with
that went home and did more of the same after work. I did't like my
job/work that much ;-) It is great if you do
though.
---
<< Yeah, this explains why I haven't had bath in about six years. My
friends laughed at this pronouncement, and I hastened to add, "But I
take showers every day!" I keep threatening to call in the plumber that
DH apprenticed with.
I work at home, and love sewing and fondling fabric, so it's not a
question of me doing the same after work. Work is whatever hours are
dictated by the clients. Fittings are done at a convenient time for
them. I don't make a habit of over-indulging clients, but I once had a
fitting for a MOG dress at 2 am.
I tend to take on house-bound clients, too, so 'have pins, will
travel', but I prefer to do the actual sewing in the cluttered comfort
of my own sewing room.
---
<I don't think my Sister has knitted anything in a long time now...
(sweater episode happened while she was still a teenager, we both wish
that wasn't so long ago now ;-) Like many other people I suspect, she
experimented with all sorts of sewing, crocheting, knitting... when she
was young/learning. Stuck with the things she most enjoyed or proved to
be a necessity ;-)
Both of us are cursed with being near sighted (I'm 10 years younger, but
worse in this area :( I know this has slowed her down a lot now days
with her sewing habits. Her eyes are slow to adjust/focus from close to
far now, with the latter being the biggest problem. She liked to watch
TV while doing hand work and crocheting. Eyes slow to focus have made
this next to impossible now... This virtually stopped all of her crochet
work. I was always amazed at the crocheting. That takes a special
drive/touch I think...
---
<<You have my sympathy for the eye problem. I'm experiencing the same
thing, but I will give up the 'vast wasteland' of tv before I give up
the sewing. I wear contact lenses, and augment with cheap drug-store
glasses and yearly eye-doc. appts. (and magnifying lenses, and bright
lights, and doing handwork outside in the sun...) When everything else
goes, I hope the Good Lord spares my eyes.
---
<My Brother in-law is a self employed trucker/whatever, no dry cleaning
going on with his stuff ;-) Probably about the same sort of conditions
as your DH. There is always the unexpected mishap with torn items, snags
and such. For the most part though, he sees/knows how much time Sis puts
into his clothes, try's to take care of them. I sure she has taken this
into mind, before complaining about the thread giving out prematurely.
It happens with her clothes too, which she knows for sure how these were
handled/worn. As I mentioned to Kate earlier, this didn't use to happen
till she had to switch to other brands of thread.
You should get your DH to fix/repair his items he blew out a few times
himself. One develops a lot more respect for a little bit of
prevention/better care then. Slowed me down a lot when I started
buying/fixing/washing out my own clothes ;-) Of course you would have to
grit your teeth/grimace at the repair job that was done, that might be
even worse than your current method ;-)
---
<< No, I think I'll stick with the division of labor that we've got
going, or I'll end up changing my tires, doing a lube job, and hanging
sheetrock.
The last time I tried to lift heavy items--bags of sand, 8 of them,
weighing 70 lbs. each, I was crippled for about three weeks. I envy the
physical strength you men have. I HATE having to put a project on hold
until there is someone with brute strength available. Gets me in a lot
of trouble, this impatience.
---
<"Never do a job really well, you may find yourself doing it for the
rest of your life..." and "If you do the job badly enough, you won't be
asked to do it again."
---
<< Dang! Now why didn't someone include that as part of my early
education?? Do you mean I could be lolling on the sofa, enjoying
chocolates and watching soaps, instead of sewing, gardening, and
cooking? <G>
---
<Some of us can't help ourselves though, nasty little thing called pride
gets in the way ;-)
What surprises me the most are the items I find/buy in the second hand
stores. Some of them aren't even nicely softened up/broken in. Gifts
don't always fit right, wrong color, but there is way too much stuff in
these places for that to be the only excuse. Sometimes you might have to
make a few repairs/alterations, but it is still a good deal. I try to
buy all my stuff second hand now. I'll let these other people/mentality
pay the new prices ;-)
---
<< I've finally learned the difference between unattainable perfection,
and doing the best possible work that I can,
I love thrift stores and yard sales. You never know what totally
strange, interesting things you'll find. And I have a weakness for jeans
and tailored shirts, which I go through pretty fast when I'm crawling
around on the floor, doing fittings. One of these days, I'm going to get
DH to raise that ceiling in the den/sewing room!
---
<I'll have to do some thinking on picts. Right now all I have is a
camcorder/frame grabber. Not much detail with this method... The nice
stuff Sis made for me is buried/put away. I know there is some other
stuff I need to get to in the same stash, but I don't need it that bad
yet ;-) From the way Kate has described her small place, she probably
has the same affliction. You have to want something pretty bad before
going after it sometimes, knowing where it is stashed
;-)
---
<< OOPs! I recently found it easier to buy new than to go on a
protracted search. Hence the sewing room re-organization. I'm not so
wealthy I can afford this foolishness very often. I found all of my nice
shirt fabric, so plan a sewing spree for me. This time, the shirt
collars are going on properly!
Cea
---
Cat
Kate Dicey <ka...@diceyhome.free-online.co.uk> wrote:
>> On the other hand, my DH is a contractor, and he is frequently
>> complaining of torn crotches in his pants. The fault lies not with the
>> thread or machine stitching, but with the way the man chooses to, shall
>> I say it indelicately?,
>> SQUAT. He cannot remember to lift the legs of his pants at the knees,
>> thereby reducing the strain on the aforementioned part of his drawers'
>> anatomy.
>
>Have you tried making him stretch knit or Lycra enhanced britches? The
>extra 'give' might help!
Something else that might also be worthwhile - adding in a gusset, in the
same way as is done for martial arts gi, and mountain climbing/hiking
pants.
For both varieties, there's enough extra fabric that you can do the splits,
without splitting your pants - and not enough to look unprofessional ;>
The gusset shape that I usually use is a hexagon (about 6" across), with
two long(ish) icosoles triangles.
cheers!
--
==========================================================================
"A cat spends her life conflicted between a deep, passionate and profound
desire for fish and an equally deep, passionate and profound desire to
avoid getting wet. This is the defining metaphor of my life right now."
Kate Dicey
they get too raggedy to patch, or for decency, his wife bins them and
puts a new pair in the drawer! He doesn't even notice, I swear! Mrs
Builder says he only time he notices what he's wearing is if they have
to dress up to go out! Then he winges...
Kate XXXXX