Sorry I can get the exact model # when I get home tonight. This is a recent problem, it ran well all last year, it ONLY spits up oil when the blades are engaged, If you disengage the blades it stops spitting oil. It is definately not over filled, now it's super low since it had spit up so much and no it has not been tipped over. It just started happening one day when I went to cut the grass. It's a Simplicity Regent but i'll get the exact model # later.

Thanks for the tips... Speaking of sandpaper, I have seen people who have stuck velcro circles to the bottoms for their rulers to prevent slippage.... My rotary cutters are pretty good.... I have a Fiskars, a Dritz, and an OLFA that I can't find, not to mention a Fiskars one that is attached on a rail to an acrylic ruler and I do buy and change the blades when necessary. I still only cut one layer at a time so that if I mess up, I won't ruin too much. Nana, it is really nice to hear from someone who has also had experience with this thing. I bought a few extra 99 cent fat quarters because I wanted to play with this machine so I didn't ruin anything terribly expensive, but from now on, I'm only going to play with ugly scrap material! I did get a glimmer of hope... I found that when I starch the fabric (spray starch, then iron), it works MUCH better, so I'm going to play with that for a while before I decide whether or not to return it....

This is my first post on the Decorating forum -- usually I hang out in Kitchens and Appliances. I just painted most of our small living room -- it will be 12'5" x 14'2"/14'10" after we move a wall. We need a small sofa to fit the scale of the room. Most of the sofas I've found either are 7' wide or loveseats, but the space calls for something in between. I did a websearch and found "Simplicity Sofas" which makes an "apartment sofa" that's 76" wide, looks very nice in the picture, is American made, and fits our budget. I can't find any reviews of the company and am reluctant to order a sofa sight unseen. Has anyone ordered from them? They seem shallower front to back than most sofas; are they comfortable? Or does anyone have any other recommendations for a 6' sofa in the $1,000 price range?

Hello there.....I actually have the instructions in front of me for my pattern....Simplicity 7481 which is not your pattern....but is the exact pattern I swear, reissued with a new cover and new number.....the models on mine are gardening....your models are painting. LOL. Anyway, to answer your questions. The purpose of step 3....the stitching along the seam line and trimming it, helps you to fold and press along that line to give your curve a nice flow to it. It is a good idea to always clip the curves so you don't have that bunching up of fabic along the curve, it will give it a place to bend if you want to think of it that way. The raw edge is visable inside the pocket but really I wouldn't worry about it, this is where the theory of using pinking shears when you trim things closer comes in...the pinked edge will fray less.....hum, sometimes yes, sometimes no in my experience. You can finish your seams by doing a zig zag or another line of straight stitching on each of the raw edges about 1/4" either from your seam stitching or from the raw edge.....what it sounds like you did would also finish a seam but you don't have to sew the turned under parts to the apron top....Once the seam binding is on, the flaps of the fabric will be caught with the seam binding ....and you wouldn't have that double row of stitching on the shoulders or along the sides showing on the right side of the fabric. You can also clean finish them by doing the folding under and only stitching the flap of fabric to itself...not to the top of the apron - which is why you have 2 columns of stitching showing. You can always do what you did to finish the pocket but it is bunchy...all that fabric...the seam binding gives you a nice highlighted edge...that little fold in the center of each pocket also adds a bit of the bunch and the pockets are meant to "pooch" out a little. What you can do to get rid of the two stiching lines is to sew overtop of your "hem stitch" when attaching to the apron itself. It would make a larger pocket but a thought is that a double row of stitching is often called on to be an decorative detail to many patterns. You are doing fine.....look how far you came already! No bias tape, found a solution, "finish seams" - you did it but added another step (sewing the raw edges to the apron). You put on rick rack, didn't like it, fine, that's what seam rippers are for.....take it off, save it for your son to attach to some "critter" he's making...or use it yourself somewhere else. Take the fabric you didn't use and make yourself one of the triangle little head bandanas and trim it with the rick rack, you only need to get a bit more of that bias binding. So is this as clear as mud??? I hope you understand what I mean.....if not there are other sewers here who can help and make it a bit clearer. Give yourself a pat on the back, girl....you are doing great! P.S. Make sure you get enough bias binding this trip...it's hell to have to drive back and pick up more yardage and it will mean having to attach the old binding to the new. Budster