How to Sew Bulky Seams With a Hump Jumper

I have a quick tip post today, featuring a little tool you may already own and, if you're like I was, you have no idea what it is or what it's for! Allow me to introduce you to the hump jumper, also known as a seam jumper.

Did one come with your sewing machine? One was included with the various notions with my Janome 6700, but I had no idea what it was, so it sat in the box untouched for years. I can't remember where I finally discovered its use, but now it is one of my favourite things and I hope you'll find it useful, too. If you don't have one, you can buy one or just fold a piece of cardboard to achieve the same effect.

A hump jumper is designed to help your sewing machine deal with thick seams by raising the back of the presser foot so the foot is level. I've been using it this week while sewing the blocks for a Burst quilt top, and I snapped a couple of pictures to show you how it works. First, here's the thick seam at the corner where I need to start sewing.

As you can see, there are quite a few layers there, and my sewing machine struggles to start pulling it through without a bit of help. To give it that help, I place the hump jumper behind the needle and lower the presser foot onto it, with my blocks right in front of the needle, ready to be sewn. The hump jumper has two ends, one thick and one thin, so choose whichever one matches the thickness of your seam best. I'm using the thinner end for these blocks.

Then I just start sewing. The feed dogs move the hump jumper back as they pull the fabric through; you don't have to move it out of the way. The front of the presser foot isn't pressing onto the blocks quite as hard as usual, so you'll want to pay extra attention to keeping the block straight, but other than that, just sew as normal.

After a few seconds, the hump jumper will be pushed out from under the presser foot and will likely fall off the back of your sewing machine. Try not to jump when that happens 😂 I definitely jumped the first few times, startled by the sound of it hitting the table behind the machine.

The hump jumper works just as well if the bulky part is in the middle of the seam. Just stop before you get to it, raise the presser foot to put the hump jumper behind the needle, and keep sewing the seam.

That's all there is to it! The hump jumper is a nifty little notion, and I'm glad I learned how to use it 😊Is the hump jumper new to you?

Not That Important

Devotion for the week...

Today is Thanksgiving here in Canada, and I'm giving thanks for the wonderful turkey dinner we ate yesterday at my sister-in-law's house, a turkey dinner that I didn't have to cook! 

Leading up to Thanksgiving, both our school and our church have had food drives for our local food bank, like many other places do. It's always beautiful to see the accumulated donations, but also sobering to know there are families who wouldn't eat without those donations.

Our food bank runs a used clothing store that funds the food bank (in addition to donations), and Aiden and Zach have both spent summers working there. I remember asking Aiden once what actually goes into the food hamper a family receives. Though he did list out the various categories of things they try to cover in each hamper, his initial response was, "Not enough to last until they get the next one." Doesn't that make your heart hurt?

In Galatians, Paul tell us to "Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ. If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important" (Galatians 6:2-3). I have to admit I love this passage for the real-talk style 'You are not that important.' It feels like that line should be delivered by a sassy friend who might laugh as she says it, but you both know she's speaking truth at the same time. 

Sharing each other's burdens can be applied in so many ways. Sometimes it might mean picking up some extra peanut butter or cereal to give to the food bank. Other times it might mean sitting with someone who is grieving. Right now it might look like sending quilts to those who are distributing them to people who lost everything in the recent hurricanes.

No matter what it looks like on the outside, though, it always starts with an acknowledgement that we are not so important that we are above helping others. 

PS. I've written about this verse in Galatians before.

The Plan

Devotion for the week...

I've mentioned in a devotion before that we're fans of the show The West Wing. There's one episode where the press secretary, CJ, had to have an emergency root canal, so she can't do the press briefing. Josh takes her place, but Josh doesn't have nearly the same understanding of how to deal with the press, so when they ask if the president has a plan to fight inflation, Josh quips, "24 PHDs on the council of economic advisors, Katie, they have a plan to fight inflation." Of course, that prompts another reporter to ask if the reason he won't tell them about this plan is because it's a secret. Josh, bumbling along sarcastically, says, "Yeah, Danny, we have a secret inflation plan," and the room goes crazy because now all the reporters want to know about this (non-existent) secret plan to fight inflation!

Two weeks ago, that scene was what popped into my head when my pastor shared a message about God's plan, probably because it's what comes to mind whenever anyone talks about a plan 😂 My pastor went in a totally different direction, but I thought about the fact that God did have a plan and it wasn't a secret. In fact, He laid His plan for salvation out clearly for anyone to read about and encourages His people to share it with anyone and everyone.

"For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him" (John 3:16-17). That's the plan. God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins so that anyone who believes can have eternal life. There's nothing secret about it, and no hidden agenda or hurdles we have to clear to be included.

Who shared God's plan for salvation with you? Have you shared it with anyone lately?