@LeilaMay I'm really hoping it will topstitch the edges of bags I make, that free arm would be sooo much easier than turning bags inside out and fiddling then round.  It does seem to stitch beautifully by just turning the handwheel.

Maybe it just needs a capacitor change? Good luck with it - they are lovely if they go well aren't they?
Leila
 

@realale my first alteration on any trousers is to take a lump out of the centre back seam to prevent a gap ( I have a very curved lower back).  I find it helps greatly to do a curved waistband too - it makes for a much better fit ( on me).

Not for silky fabrics though, although it doesn't sound as if those are your thing!

I have owned a couple of silk shirts in the past, but I think I'd be too wary of wrecking one these days. It's possible I might want something silky as a lining material for something perhaps, but probably not as a stand alone fabric. I need something more klutz proof, day to day.

I decided to go for water soluble. It takes away a lot of uncertainty. Everything I make will get washed at home, so even if any marks escape the first wash, they'll be going through another wash again anyway.

On lighter coloured fabrics I use Frixion pens - I think a hair dryer might well be hot enough to remove the marks. You need to try it on a spare bit of fabric first though because it sometimes leaves a "shadow" of itself which doesn't disappear.
On darker colours I use a sliver of soap which will sponge off. Not for silky fabrics though, although it doesn't sound as if those are your thing!