A Summer Sewing Project

I apologize for not posting very much this summer. Beekeeping has been keeping me very busy. I started the season with 2 hives. One was sick and I wound up losing that queen. Then my strong hive swarmed. First to a spot high up in my next door neighbor's chestnut tree, then they moved across the street to a lower tree and I was able to capture them. Now I have 3 hives. The hive that threw the swarm also wound up queen-less so I have purchased 2 new queens this year. The hives are back on track but for some reason they are not taking to the new shallow supers or the yellow rite cell foundation.

Now that the bees have settled down I can turn my attention back to sewing. I don't have the concentration for an involved project but I would like to make some easy, cool clothing items for the summer. This prompted me to look through my stash and I found this fun piece of cotton that I had picked up at Jo-Ann's during one of the "50% off the clearance fabric" sales. I took all they had left, which was only 1.75 yards. The colors are teal green and blue. The fabrics is sort of tie dye/batik/camo-ish.

I looked through my patterns and found one for a pullover t-shirt top that only requires 1.75 yards. Perfect. It is Butterick 3383 and I am making view E. Scoop neck, 3/4 sleeves....not even any darts. I was worried about it fitting since there was no zipper or buttons and no shaping to speak of. I made a small muslin, just the front and back, to slightly below the armholes (no sleeves), and tried it on. The only modifications I made to the pattern were to move the shoulder seams back 1/2" at the neck edge, shorten the sleeves 2" and grade the pattern from an 18 at the top, to a 16 at the hem. The pattern just barely fit on the fabric. There was no way to try and manipulate what part of the fabric design would end up where. That is the front piece in the photo, above. I am glad those big light rectangles ended up where they did. It could have been much worse. The machine in that same picture is my Kenmore 1914. Probably the nicest machine Sears ever sold. I found mine for $20. I had to drive all the way to Whidbey Island to fetch it, and it had been badly abused. But it came with every single attachment including the monogrammer, buttonholer, design cams...etc...It needed a bit more help than I could give it, so I paid our local "old sewing machine guy" $50 to give it a thorough going over and a new belt. A $70 total investment for a machine that usually sells for $200 or more. Yes, I am really happy with that purchase.

Back to the tunic project. Since this is a very easy pattern I decided to spice it up a bit and experiment with some techniques I'd been meaning to try. This top calls for a bias tape facing around the neckline. The colors of bias tape available at the fabric store is extremely limited. What a great opportunity to finally learn how to make my own bias tape. I ran over to Jo-Ann fabrics to pick up a 1/2" bias tape maker (which just happened to be on sale for 50% off!). The Clover bias tape makers are supposed to be the best, so I bought the 2 sizes they had in stock. There are a bunch of online tutorials for making bias tape. I opted to use this one which shows how to make a continuous strip of bias tape.

While at Jo-Ann's I noticed they had Gutermann thread on sale for 40% off. I picked up some of their decorative metallic threads. This tunic is going to be rather plain and I want to add some pizzazz with fancy threads and decorative stitching. Here is the neckline. My shirt has its own jewelry!

I applied the decorative stitching using the Kenmore 1914 and one of its design cams. I will add the same design to the cuffs and hem. As you can see in the first picture, this fabric is very thin. I like to leave some things (like my lumpy body) to the imagination. I will be adding a lining to this top, even though the pattern does not call for one. This is how far I have gotten. Now back to work.

Motorectomy & Head Transplant

Bet you didn't know I was a surgeon. Heck, I haven't even been to medical school. Actually this was minor surgery and the patient is alive and well. I have been planning this operation for months. I was just waiting for a suitable head to come my way. My plan was to insert a modern electric sewing machine into a treadle cabinet. Singers are the easiest and most plentiful options. Old Singer treadle cabinets are a dime a dozen. If you are patient you can find one in good condition for a reasonable price. I paid $100 for this 5 drawer Singer cabinet with a coffin case. It held a Singer 127 with Sphinx decals. I also own a Singer 66 red eye and a 28k hand crank. I really didn't need another treadle machine and especially not one with a vibrating shuttle. I determined I would find a Singer 237 to convert over to foot power. Not all electric machines can be converted to a treadle. The best candidates have an external belt driven motor and a short side deck that won't interfere with a drive belt. Yesterday I picked this little lovely up at the Goodwill for $30.

It came in a ratty looking case and needed a cleaning but otherwise looked to be in excellent condition. A perfect candidate for my proposed surgery. Note the short side deck located just under the hand wheel. Plenty of room for a treadle belt. First things first. I needed to clean it, lube it and make sure it worked. The only problem people run into with the 237's is cracked bobbin case covers. It is the only plastic part on the underside of the machine. Mine is not cracked but I think it may have a few rough spots in the opening where the needle enters to access the bobbin. I'll worry about smoothing those out later.

Someone had been a bit overzealous with the oil can on the underside of the machine. Actually I would rather it was over oiled than too dry. If the metal doesn't have a light coat of oil it is more apt to rust when folks store their old, unloved machines in a damp garage or shed. The main problem I've run into with over oiled machines is that the oil can harden into a varnish-like substance and freeze up the machine. This is usually remedied by going over the metal parts with a hot hair dryer. Don't try that on plastic parts, though. I sopped up the excess oil, hit it all with a hair dryer, then re-oiled the moving parts lightly. The bobbin case wasn't very dirty. Just needed a little oil. I scrubbed the feed dogs with a bit of oil on an old toothbrush and reassembled and closed up the machine bottom.

Now on to the upper mechanisms. The top of the machine was clean and rather devoid of oil which was surprising given the state of the underside.

Again I went over it with the hair dryer to loosen up any hardened oil and then oiled the moving bits. The only parts of a sewing machine that require actual grease are any gears (or some potted motors). Upon closer inspection I did spy a gear under the zig zag selector assembly.

It had some old grease already present but I added a touch of my favorite white lithium for good measure. The area under the face plate that houses the presser foot and needle bars was also very clean. Just needed a little oiling.

I closed everything up and threaded the machine in preparation for testing. The motor was strong and the machine did what it was supposed to. I had to file off some burrs from one of the thread guides where the chrome plating was coming off, and loosen the bobbin tension but those were minor things.

Now it was time for the fun part. Removing the motor and light. Each are held on by a separate screw.

That's all there is to it. Once the screws are removed those pieces come right off and you can remove the rubber belt. Easy peasy.

Now the machine is free of those restrictions and ready for a simpler life. Electricity? We don't need no stinkin' electricity.

This is the cabinet donor waiting patiently for the beheading. Sorry Sphinx, but you have to make way for the new(er) kid. You can see by the date etched into the motor from the 237  that it is circa 1969. Not all that new but the Singer 127 is from 1892.

The Sphinx came out of the cabinet easily. It just slid up off the mounting pegs. I then had to remove the drip pan so that the 237 would have enough room depthwise. Otherwise it fit like a glove.

I had to shorten up the leather drive belt. I place clothespins on the ends so they can't slip down through the holes. I then loosened up one end of the large staple, cut the belt shorter, used a safety pin to make a new hole through the end of the leather belt, inserted the opened end of the staple through the new hole and used pliers to clamp it back down. Here is the 237 all cleaned and ready to rumble.

I made a couple of videos to show how nicely it works. The first one is rather shaky because I have a hard time holding a camera and operating a treadle machine. But you get the idea.

This second one shows the superior piercing power of the treadled 237. Here it is sewing through 8 layers of denim. I'm not sure how well it would do that if the electric motor was attached. You'll note I got wise and sat the camera down this time.

And that is how you can convert an electric machine to foot power. It only takes a few minutes.

Meet Kathleen, My Singer 28K

I don't think I have introduced this sweet girl yet. I picked her up about a month ago (along with a German treadle machine). Her owner was only asking $25 for her and once again I could not drive there fast enough. Actually I made my husband drive since I have a phobia of freeways. The seller was an older British lady who's husband had just passed away. She was downsizing and wanting to part with a couple of vintage machines. This particular one had belonged to her mother. She brought it back from England after settling her mom's estate. Over across the pond hand cranks are a dime a dozen but they are rather hard to come by here in the states. Especially in this wonderful condition. I wanted to honor the original owner who kept such nice care of this machine so I named it Kathleen, after her. Kathleen came to me needing a little loving care. Her presser foot bar had slipped down out of the tube and she was quite dirty and full of lint and dust. However her decals are almost pristine and her internal mechanisms all work well. None of her screws were welded shut with hardened oil and even her clutch disengages as it should. Based on her serial number she was built in 1905. That makes her 108 years old. She also came in her coffin case which is in very good condition but I did not photograph that. Sorry. Here are a couple of videos of Kathleen in action to make up for that oversight. First up is a video of her winding one of her long bobbins. She uses these bobbins inside of a bullet shaped shuttle case. This is known as a vibrating shuttle (VS) machine.

And here is a video of her sewing along. Still going after 108 years. Amazing! What a lovely old girl she is. I am so fortunate to have found her.

She will have to share accessories with my Singer 66 Red Eye treadle and my Singer 15-91. They are all side clamping, low shank machines. I spent some time adjusting her thread tensions, both top and bottom and I think I have it set up perfectly. Look at these nice, even, balanced stitches. The swatch is folded over so you can see the stitches top and bottom.

Trip To Bothell For Free Sewing Machine

I am always looking for sewing machines to refurbish. It's almost comical how much I enjoy tinkering with them, especially since I would not describe myself as mechanically inclined. When the Army gave me the aptitude tests they did not place me around tools. But then I also suck at math and Uncle Sam thought it a good idea to place me in stock control & accounting. Go figure? Friday evening I happened upon a lady in Bothell who was offering up a vintage Kenmore, in a cabinet, with a stool...for FREE. She said the hand wheel was stuck. I took that to mean the hand wheel would not turn. That can be something easy (tangled bobbin) or something hard (cracked gear). Even if the machine was beyond hope, the cabinet looked nice and I could sure use the stool. Yesterday I informed the poor husbeast that he was taking me to Bothell on Sunday morning. And that's just where we headed bright and early today. The first thing I did when we arrived was give the hand wheel a turn. It moved easily. That ruled out a cracked gear which meant it was probably something easy to fix. I kept that knowledge to myself. We loaded up the Subaru and headed for home. Later this afternoon I got a chance to play with the machine a bit more. When I plugged it in the belt turned but the needle bar stayed still. Nothing was gummed up so it dawned on my that the clutch was not engaged. The clutch on this particular model is controlled by a button on top of the machine, not by loosening or tightening the hand wheel knob. It seems the levers, under that knob, were stuck. I applied a few drops of oil and we were in business. This is a Kenmore model 158.1603 and it is in mint condition.

See the button on the top front of the machine, just to the left of the bobbin winder. That was the culprit. It's working fine now. This is the beautiful, solid wood cabinet that came with the machine.

And here is the stool which has generous storage under the seat. I'm keeping the stool but will be selling the machine and cabinet.

I almost kept the cabinet but I really don't have enough room. It is lovely, though. Maybe I'll change my mind.

Bobbin Winders & Bees

   I have been enjoying tinkering with my Kenmore model 158.902. I think this is the prettiest Kenmore I've had in my possession, thus far. It reminds me of a classic automobile. All that lovely chrome. It even has a shapely fender that houses the light bulb.

   Her finish isn't perfect but that just shows that she was loved and used. Everything that I have tested, so far, has worked. Her only problem was a broken bobbin winder tension disc. Somewhere along the line it had been snapped off.

   The tension disk on this machine is shaped more like a little round metal button. Without a tension disc it is pretty much impossible to wind a bobbin. Something so small is terribly important. Sure, I could always wind bobbins on a different machine but I would rather not have to get up to go do that. I figured I would have to order a replacement which would run me about $10 with shipping. Meanwhile I had acquired this little Italian machine for $10.

   It is straight stitch, only. I don't really need another straight stitch machine but the price was right. I thought I would fix it up and pass it along. Unfortunately when I got it home and took a closer look I found it would require more effort to restore than it would be worth. The tension assembly was in need of repair and the wiring looked dicey. But guess what it had? A functioning bobbin winder tension disc. Which now resides on the front of my model 90 Kenmore.

   It isn't exactly identical to the Kenmore disc but they all do the same thing. That was $10 well spent on the Visetti, which I turned around and sold today for, you guessed it, $10. Free tension disc! I admit I did keep a few more of the Visetti parts that would work on other machines (bobbin, bobbin case, and spool felts). It was purchased by an OSMG (old sewing machine guy) with a fondness for Italian machines so everyone was happy in the end.

   Now for the bees. You remember the last photo of them bringing in amazing amounts of pollen? I was curious as to where they were getting it. I heard from beekeepers in England and in California that their bees were all over the ivy. IVY??? I didn't even know ivy bloomed. It does, but only when it is mature. Most ivy that you see in landscaping is pruned back and this inhibits it from maturing. It remains in the juvenile form. But ivy left to its own devices will eventually grow so large that it will have a thick woody trunk-like stem and the leaves will take on a different appearance. This mature ivy blooms in late October here in the PacNW, and bees LOVE IT! This morning the husbeast drove me around on a scouting mission for ivy. We both remembered this old abandoned brick building that is located in the Fern Hill district of Tacoma. Sure enough, part of the building is covered in ivy.

Ivy covers the ground next to the building, as well.

 A close-up of the blooms.

   Of course now that I know what to look for I am seeing mature ivy everywhere. There is a lot of it in my area which is a very good thing for the bees. I doubt they will starve this winter. They were still bringing in pollen today, the first day of November.

Kenmore Model 158.902

   There's something I find irresistible about a vintage sewing machine. Especially if it's a novel color, like lavender. Luckily for me, apparently no one else in my area suffers from this affliction. I am able to feed my desire for classic machines quite inexpensively. The things I find alluring about the older machines are not valued by most folks in this day and age. The machines are heavy. The older they are, the heavier they will likely be. The progression was from cast iron, to steel, then aluminum and finally the plastic pieces of junk that are available today. The cabinets are heavy. Again, the older the cabinet, the heavier it will tend to be. Why? They used real wood. Wood is heavy. When your machine head, itself, weighs 40 lbs. you need a sturdy cabinet to house it. Flimsy particle board is not going to do the job. There's a reason those machines, from the 60's and before, are still around. They were quality. Let me introduce the latest addition to my sewing machine family, my new-to-me Kenmore model 158.902.

   This is a lilac & cream 40 lb. beast. We took the machine head out of the cabinet in order to transport it. I think the machine weighs as much as the cabinet does. I was not able to find the date of production but I am guessing early 60's. It came with this solid wood cabinet (maple?) and the sewing chair which has storage under the seat. The cabinet is in amazingly good condition. The chair has a few small rips to the vinyl from normal wear and tear.

   The machine also came with these accessories in their original lilac cases. There is a box with 2 layers of design cams, a buttonhole attachment, the original manual and a zipper foot. Even a lilac needle threader. Oddly it came with no other feet or bobbins but I have plenty of those floating around the sewing room. All of this cost a mere $20 and a trip to Tukwila. If this machine works well I will have to keep it and sell one of the other residents of the sewing room.

A Purple Sewing Machine???

Be still my heart. 

I found this little lovely on Craigslist yesterday. It is missing it's manual, cams, etc....but I made the sellers an offer, not expecting them to accept. They did. Not only that, they wanted to deliver (which saved me a trek to Bonney Lake). But that wasn't all. They threw in another vintage machine. I am almost embarrassed to say that I got both these machines, delivered to my door, for $10. Granted I bought them pretty much sight unseen. I did see photos of the lavender Kenmore but did not fully inspect it or test it. I figure for $10 it is good for a parts machine, if nothing else. This Kenmore is a model 51 (158.512) made in Japan from 1962-65. The original price? $99. This one came in a small cabinet but the finish is ruined and I may just give it away. Also, the tension dial is at an odd angle. It may need to be replaced.

The cam hatch (I'll need to order some cams).

The feed dogs drop, although it is currently stuck.

Here is the freebie sewing machine that tagged along with the purple Kenny. It is a mint green Singer model 338. It is basically the same machine as a 328 but with an updated look. This one came with the case, although the case is in rough shape. It, too, was lacking any manual, cams or accessories.

Those are the latest patients to be admitted to my sewing machine repair clinic. Not bad for a day's work.

The Holy Grail

This is one of the most sought after vintage sewing machines of all time.  

   I am pinching myself and feel like I could cry with joy. I found this Bernina 830 Record, in pristine condition….for $165. And it was located just blocks away from my home. I couldn’t drive over there fast enough. I kept thinking he’d come to his senses. These sell for $500. I am still shaking. It even came with a walking foot. That alone would cost $50.

Stumbled Upon A Singer

Finally! It seems all I have been finding are Kenmores with the occasional Necchi thrown in. I haven't brought home a Singer in ages. I spied this 500 Rocketeer for sale yesterday. They were asking $25 but I was dubious as to its condition. The photos looked pretty bad in spite of their claim to have had it "recently" serviced. Well, maybe, if 1968 is recently. I offered $20 because it might be good for a parts machine. When I picked it up the head was in a cardboard box and the cabinet was buried under a bunch of yard sale crap. From what I could see of the machine, as it lay tucked down in the box, it looked like it might have some rust issues. Still, for $20 I wasn't going to quibble. As the husband helped me load the cabinet into my Subaru he mentioned, "there's $100 worth of attachments in the drawers". I didn't really believe him since he is also claiming the poor machine had been recently serviced. Yeah, right. Wink, wink. Once I got the machine home, and out of the box, I realized that what I was seeing wasn't rust after all. It was just years and years of dirt and cigarette tar. I gave it a quick once over with a rag and it looked much better. If anything, the previous owner was a little heavy handed with the machine oil. I'd rather a sewing machine be too oily than all rusted. I am happy to have a Singer to tinker around with. Here is what my $20 bought me.

The cabinet is similar to the one I gave to my son for his 328K.

It came with lots of cams.

A Singer walking foot.

A tucker.

Something called a gripper.

The manual and some buttonhole templates (but no buttonholer).

Various doo-dads.

Bobbin case and bobbins.

A case with some feet, etc...

Even a Singer darning foot!

That was well worth the trip to Puyallup.