Ruffles

I've been on a mission this week. You see, I decided that I would like a ruffler foot for my sewing machine. With a specific gathering project in mind - and the conviction that no work could start without said foot - a frantic search ensued. (We all know how important having the right gadget is, yes?)

Of course, this was more easily said than done.

Rounds of telephone calls to the bigger sewing machine dealers proved disappointing. No one seemed to have a ruffler in stock. Some stockists weren't particularly sure what a ruffler was. Those that did, said ordering it in would take weeks and weeks. In at least one case, my query was met with such indifference that I felt sure I must have interrupted something very important.

The further this presser foot slipped from my reach, the more I wanted it. (Though the proverbial arm-and-a-leg price range of $55 to $100, did seem just a tad off-putting.)

Then I remember the little sewing machine shop not far from home. A store like a reverse Tardis. A wide exterior frontage belying a tiny crammed interior: floor to ceiling sewing machines; old and new; every shape and size. I popped in.

Sorry no new ruffler feet said the owner but if you'd like to wait I'll see if I have a secondhand one. After rifling through cupboards and draws for some time, he produced a splendid specimen - sturdy and shiny - without so much as a speck of dust on it. It appeared to have never been used. I was very excited. Then he sat down and gave me a lesson in how to use this marvellous contraption. I was most appreciative.

Finally he handed me the foot and said here its yours; no charge. I was astonished. And delighted. And grateful. What a lovely thing to do.

And because no Hoppo Bumpo post is complete without a little buffoonery, can you tell me what I am doing in the photo above? Yes, that's right ... ruffling a few feathers.