greeting from the land of dragons

[Ploshkin]

Ive spent ages carefully tacking in sleeves before machining, then removed the tacking only to have one of the sleeves land on the floor at my feet 

[BriarRose]

Hmm. How many times, I wonder, have I hand-basted something to my skirt or pants- or to another part of itself?

Welcome, if someone as new as myself is not being presumptuous in welcoming you. My son is a leather worker whose projects were made easier and more profitable by the purchase of an ancient leather-sewing machine. I'll bet the thing is almost as old as I am- looks like hell, works just fine. The machine and I have a lot in common. 

[dafyddcoch]

....... Welcome, if someone as new as myself is not being presumptuous in welcoming you My son is a leather worker whose projects were made easier and more profitable by the purchase of an ancient leather-sewing machine. I'll bet the thing is almost as old as I am- looks like hell, works just fine. The machine and I have a lot in common. 

Not at all, thank you. Your son's machine sounds wonderful from your description of it. I want to learn how to work with leather at some point but at the thinner end, so small car seats etc and only for myself so I'll avoid trying to justify to my wife why I NEED a specialist machine for leather. What I have just purchased, is a Rubylock 4 strand overlocker that attaches to a straight seam machine and actually does proper overlocking using the straight stitch of the sewing machine in conjunction with the cotton and action of the overlocker at the same time. Lots of tension buttons and knobs to play with and whirring noises; it'll be like being in my car/motorbike workshop! It is quite likely that I'm nowhere near ready for such a complicated machine, but the Rubylock 4 strand overlocker is such a rare bit of kit that I purchased it anyway and am happy to store it until such time as I have the skill to use it.