What I Learned Today

In three hours spent sewing:

1) If you set the stitch length at 0 for a satin stitch, the feed dogs won't advance the cloth, you'll have to pull on it, and the thread will snap.

2) If you use a regular foot while trying to satin stitch, the channel will be too narrow, the cloth won't advance, and the thread will snap.

3) If you use the wrong needle with denim, the thread will snap.

4) If you use a thread that is too heavy for the needle, the needle will snap.

5) When the manual says bobbin tension doesn't need adjusting, the authors are using what is known as boundless optimism. See also groundless optimism.

6) If the bobbin tension is too high, the thread will snarl up, and the needle will snap.

7) If the top tension is too high, the thread will snarl up, and the needle will snap; if the needle doesn't snap, the thread will.

Also, there are some very nice, patient people willing to spend a lot of time explaining these things and helping one fish needle and thread ends out of odd crevices in the machine.

And, yes, I actually did make some progress on my project.