Spiffy design. Playing with mine I remembered how annoying the lid was to use while riding and how often I'd end up dumping the contents by accident, so went back to the zip. More likely to fail but better to fill with french fries 🤣

I hadn't but I looked it up. Looks like we're all trying to reinvent the same wheel 🤣
My previous pattern had velcro on both sides so I was looking to reduce the faff and went back to zippers 🤷

Sounds like a good time to start a local sewing circle so you can go in orders together, share goods & supplies knowledge and favourite sweets and tea... There may already be one at your local library 🤞

Try northern spy or Spartans if you haven't, Spartans are a bit more zingy but both are lovely crisp, sweet with firm flesh. Cortlands, Ida red and russets are my other favs that you'll rarely see in big box grocers. Cosmic crisp is a cross between empire and Honeycrisp so those are options too! 🍎♥️

Try estate sales &auctions, anything built before 80s will be great, before 50s will be a tank. You're not going to find good used modern domestics worth buying because they're basically built to be replaced not repaired. Assuming photographer=mechanically inclined. DM if you have Q :)

A1 sewing machines(Tucker) is authorized seller&repairer
Tbh, Janome doesn't rly do sales, just make good machines. Other option would be a sailright($1200) or barracuda($800) if u're really looking for beefy, but only do straight/zigzag so are sledgehammers. What u want to make & w/ what fabric?

SingerHD is just their basic model with a boxy grey cover, but lots of people use them and are happy. After repairing a few (or not being able to because a plastic part you can't get), I'm really happy with my janome HD that can handle 6 layers X-Pac+2 layers webbing smoothly as well as 1.0 silpoly

Followed you over here after trying to send one of your posts to someone. Guess you really upset the con snowflakes....

The presser feet? Most sewing machines have a way to turn them off by dropping them down, it will be a switch at the back below the feet themselves, see if you can find that to make sure they're not turned off (should be in your manual as "drop feed lever)

Nice!! Such a satisfying project too, only took a few hours but they get so much use and to such cool places; it's so satisfying!