Convertables

 Trying my best to balance crafting with sewing machine repair, crafting has won these past weeks because of Christmas. Back in the early fall, I decided I could knit each grandkid a pair of slippers. Knowing I could have up to eleven pairs to knit, you would think I would have started right away but that's not how this project launched. It wasn't until mid-November that I got serious and even then had several false starts. At first I wanted to make slippers that looked like animals but only one pair was made, green frogs, when I decided I really wanted to make a bootie type of slipper. I also wanted to add a leather sole but with the a non-slip feature so I used the backside of leather since it is a bit rough. At the last minute I got a request to add a name to an apron for a friends granddaughter and it was so easy on the Singer Futura XL-400 I decided to make a bag for each pair of slippers with the intended child's name embroidered on the bag:

Bags matched up with slippers (pink slippers in the middle are for a 14 month old so no bag)

Instant gift wrap! Not exactly instant but with just hooping the fabric, typing in their name on a laptop connected with the embroidery machine, it was only 10 minutes of stitching. I lined each bag, added buttonholes for the drawstring, and they were done. Here's a closeup of three of the bags to the oldest girls:

Bags that can hold something else after Christmas

I'll do this again since it was fairly easy and gives a bit of a thrill to have a bag with your name on it. I continue to find ways to use the embroidery machines and find I'm happily embroidering on that Singer Futura XL400!

As I continue to work on selling sewing machines, I finally bought a unit that will convert a motor using European 220V to our US 110. Over a year ago, at the last in-person River Rats TOGA, I bought a Husqvarna CB-N, one of the many sewing machines from Cindy Peter's estate. It's a handsome model in an interesting base.

Husqvarna CB-N

Take a look a how the knee lever engages the motor:

As the knee lever is inserted into the machine, it engages the lever you see above on the floor of the wood base. As you push the lever with your knee it in turn connects with the lever you see circled  in the above photo. Here is a closeup of that area:

The wire on the right side feeds up to a switch box that causes the motor to engage and run:

Small wire comes up from the base to connect to a switch

With a system like this I didn't want to take the original motor off and just add a modern motor. In comes a step up/step down transformer. On one side we chose the intended target voltage

Moveable pin circled in yellow, set for 110V

With the European plug that came with the Husqvarna CB-N

It was plugged into the opposite side of the transformer:

into output 220V. This all seems backwards to me but my husband and I read over the instructions several times and recalled our electrician son-in-law explaining the process as backwards. The transformer was plugged into a power strip with surge protection, recommended, the unit was turned on, and the light didn't even turn on. What happened? I inserted the knee lever and with a fair amount of push it engaged the motor and she ran! As it turns out, the light bulb is broken so I'm going to take it to a battery and bulb supply shop and see if they have 220V bulbs of this size. 

I did some practice sewing and it works just fine. The presser foot is really high up from the base of the machine but it does come right down on the feed dogs. It should take a whole lot of layers of fabric but I've only tried it with a size 16 needle and four layers of medium weight upholstery. It would sew but wasn't very happy so I'm going to try other samples and needles to test out its strength. It uses standard needles and low shank feet plus a free manual in English was found. Now I can see what was included with the original machine and I can search in my stash of presser feet for the right ones.

Why did this take so long for me to get this sewing machine up and running? The voltage transformer box just scared me! Did I need a step up or a step down transformer? What about watts? Can I just use a simple plug converter? This is where being a librarian comes into play: I love to research so I read up on why I would need a transformer unit and not just a plug end, what size I needed, and if I needed step up or down. Because I'm not an electrician, I consulted with the family expert first so I would be safe and not burn the motor out. It seems to be overkill but better safe than sorry. I will sell this machine with the transformer and it can easily sit on the floor next to the power strip so you do not have to make room for it on the table top with the sewing machine. It was a worthwhile adventure and I'm hoping there is someone in the Twin Cities who would like this somewhat different sewing machine. Let's hope so/sew!

A Prize Inside

 Remember the boxes of Cracker Jacks, a peanut and caramel corn mix in a box "with a prize inside"? Despite the trivial nature of the prize, I always got sucked into their advertising in the hope of finding something special. Nowadays I prefer a better quality caramel corn than Cracker Jacks but I continue to be thrilled when there is some kind of a hidden prize. Today I have to share with you a New Home sewing machine with a hidden prize inside.

The New Home Travel Mate was up for auction but didn't come with a foot control. Sometimes that is no problem, just an added expense, but if the parts are unique you can get into trouble. If you can't find it you end up with a real boat anchor! I stuck my neck out and hoped I could get one but while checking out parts I was skeptical the right one was being advertised to fit this model. But I got the bid, picked it up, and dashed home:

What's inside? How does this come off?

I couldn't figure out how to get the plexiglass cover off! It sorta pries off with small slots in the front and back. It needed a bit of cleaning but first I wanted to see what all was in the storage compartment in front. It had a nice set of snap on presser feet and extra needles, always welcome, but when you take the compartment off so you can sew free arm, there was a surprise:

Storage compartment pulls off to reveal more storage

Oh, be still my beating heart: there was the foot control, all snug in the compartment!

Foot control hidden away (is this a secret?)

I pulled it out and checked the plug end to find it was very unique

Three pin plug foot control

I did suspect, since it was promoted as a portable travel sewing machine, it might have attachments or foot controls built into a sliding out drawer under the machine or somewhere else and this time I was right. How cool was that?

A sewing machine is nothing if it cannot sew but it does sew very nicely. On the front of the machine it boasts "Micro Computer" and it does sound and run like an electronic sewing machine. It has the typical variety of stitches and even a needle threader. All it is missing is a needle up/down feature but does have a speed control lever as a little extra feature. Zigzag stitches are given in three levels so no dial for incremental increase in width but I can live with that, too.

Selection of stitches, speed control, and what's under the top lid

It is a really nice portable sewing machine! My risk paid off this time but I know it could have easily gone the other way and I would have to buy that 3-pin foot control for $40. Still not a bad deal but one I now don't have to deal with. 

As the fall decorations are getting boxed up and we head into Christmas, I better get hustling here or we will not get anything ready beyond the outside lights. A Christmas newsletter needs to be written, presents are only about a third purchased, and here I am writing to you about my latest sewing machine. Yes, this is the land of the sewing machine obsessed but I know I'm in good company!

New Home Travel Mate CE2200

Free Motion Quilting...on a treadle

 At the last in-person River Rats TOGA, September 2019, I picked up a variety of quilting projects that were UFO's. That's right, they were UnFinished Objects and I love to take something someone else gave up on the bring it to completion. That might mean a different ending than the original maker planned on but, hey, they gave up on it so now it's my turn. 

Original pattern: Thimbleberries Countyside Wreaths

I had a wonderful time finishing up a red and brown quilt that had fade marks due to exposure to the sun. It meant I needed to remake a few of the blocks and then finish a few more for a grand total of 16 blocks plus sashing and borders.

Assembled blocks with sashing

Top of quilt complete with borders

Since this quilt was started with either a treadle or hand crank sewing machine, I felt obligated to continue it with a similar machine so I finished this up with my treadle, a Singer 66 Red Eye in a parlor cabinet. Now that it was read to quilt it together with batting and a backing, I realised I wasn't ready to use my treadle for free motion quilting. Maybe I could use a walking foot but, no, that wasn't going to work either because my machine was a back clamping model. Helen Howes has a nice explanation of this phenomenon and a whole page of back clamping feet. There is no darning or free motion foot nor a walking foot as an attachment for my Singer 66. I tried bare needle but that was a disaster so I had to set it aside until I either gained the skills I needed or found a different way to do this.

Several quilts later, I have more skill with free motion but it was a session at the Virtual River Rats TOGA in September where we could watch and learn how to quilt better with a treadle. It gave me the confidence to try again but this time I came prepared. I traded out my Red Eye for a much plainer Singer 66 that had a side clamp for a standard darning foot plus I now use gripper gloves and a super slider. Here's how I set this all up:

First, I needed to cover the feed dogs since they didn't drop. I already had a plate for this model so I slid it into place:

Feed dogs "cap" and clear plastic free motion presser foot

Next, I added a smoother surface so the fabric can glide better. I bought an oven mat that is a somewhat thin sheet that I could tape into place:

Mat taped in place plus additional light

Now I was ready to try this out. It worked! I decided to fill in the stars with straight lines so tried it with a walking foot as well as free motion and FM won hands down. Why? With FM you move the quilt but you can go backwards and on an angle, too. Using a walking foot you need to stop and turn the quilt for each line since you can only move forward and that's just too difficult. After I finished the stars I didn't know what to do with the other parts so I set it aside again but only for a couple weeks. By then I had finished Michelle's quilt and had more ideas of what pattern or design to quilt where. The first border had a version of triangles, sashing has X's that could look like diamonds, and the outer border got a diamond treatment using tape.

Detail of quilting pattern

The tape idea came from the book One Line at a Time Encore by Charlotte Warr Andersen. Using her concept but modifying it so I could use the same four pieces of tape on each side, here's how it looked:

Step 1: set up tape for 4 rows of stitches

I laid down four pieces of inch wide painters blue tape side by side. Starting in the corner, even with the red border, I marked the tape in two inch increments, drawing a line across all four pieces of tape. Then I removed the second one from the right

Step 2: first row of stitches in the second lane

and stitched from one side to the next in a long zigzag pattern at the two inch marks. Next, I removed the strip between where I just stitched and the red border. I made the same direction stitches to "ghost" this pattern:

Step 3: second row of stitches in the first lane

I tried to move the tape over to cover the row of stitches just made but then I couldn't see the exact point where I had stitched. Remember, this is on a treadle and I'm still working on getting it to stop exactly where I want! For the last two rows I reversed the design by removing the third piece of tape

Step 4: third row of stitches in mirror image mode

and stitching the opposite points. Where I had moved left to right I now went right to left for a diamond shape. The above photo shows the fourth piece of tape removed but I left it in place while stitching. The final row was identical to the third row for a finished look:

Step 5: last row of stitches just like third row

I liked this concept, although they stitched right through the tape and then even managed to reuse it. This worked for me and gave me much needed practice in slow treadling and free motion control.

The binding was added and now it is DONE. I cannot say I made this whole quilt on a treadle sewing machine because someone else constructed most of the blocks, but I did finish it on a treadle and even learned to free motion quilt on a treadle. Important take aways: use grippy gloves (can use gardening gloves that are sometimes dipped in a silicone-like substance), lay down a surface that helps your quilt to slide better, try different machines to find one that can use a darning/free motion foot.  It also helped to use books to get ideas on how you can make the process work better and for ideas on designs to use.

I have ideas for about four more quilts but I think I should put them on hold while I sew some other items in my pile of projects, including getting machines ready for sale. The Phoenix 283 is almost ready! Here's a view of the red/brown star quilt finished:

One version of Countryside Wreaths by Thimbleberries

Girlfriends

 I enjoy a wide variety of friends: neighbors, work, church, sewing, quilting, crafting, friends of friends. This week it was my turn to reach out to a friend who needed a hug (but we can't do that right now). 

Michelle had a great idea a year ago: why not have quilts on the back of the pews at church? It would give a warm and welcoming look to the sanctuary as well as a colorful and cozy touch. It sounded nice but was something we were not going to be able to do. Where would the quilts come from? Who was going to wash them every week? It was just too impractical but was still a great idea. Thank you, Michelle, and now you can sit down. This plea made me think about what was behind it and I could understand what Michelle was after, a feeling of warmth and welcoming that goes beyond words. So in the weeks after we rejected her idea, I asked Michelle if I could make a quilt for her and showed her some patterns and a few samples of fabric. She looked at all of the pretty colors and patterns and got real quiet, pointing to one pattern but had a deer-in-the-headlights look. Sometimes offers like this seem overwhelming so I figured I would ask later when she had a chance to think about it.

Along comes a pandemic where we are all stuck at home and unable to get out and do the things we normally do, at least in the usual ways. Michelle and her quilt kept calling to me so I got out a stash of colorful fat quarters and the pattern she liked and got some blocks made up:

Blocks light to dark

Each block was made up of a pair of fat quarters, making one the opposite of the other.  The pattern said to label the lighter colored block A and the reverse darker block in the sets B then arrange them by laying them out ABABAB. I tried it but it was too random so I tried lighter blocks at the top and working down to darker blocks as you can see in the photo above. That didn't seems to resonate with me either so I put them in sets by color:

Blocks in color sets of four

This was a better idea but now I needed more blocks, from 42 to 48, yet I could now balance out colors with the final six blocks. Without sashing, how should I quilt this together? Oh, did I have fun.  On the verticals I used variegated purple thread making loops and long curves. On the horizontals I used white thread and wrote Bible verses about hope and faith: you have to look really hard to see them! Finally, in the center of each block is a great big space where I made a large eight petaled flower

Free motion quilting of center flower, purple curves, and words

When first starting you have to keep from telling yourself  "that's 48 flowers!" but just to dive in and keep sewing. When it was all done I remembered to make up a label and had one downloaded in my machine embroidery files. It wasn't exactly a label but  a design I could use for one:

"To Michelle In the quilt of life friends are the stitches that hold it together. Karen November 2020"

Once I had the Singer Futura XL 400 out to play I made up a sewing machine cover out of some fabric I ordered from Spoonflower, using solid colored fabric for the embroidered side panels:

And I want one of those, and this one, and where's the pink model?

End panel

End panel using downloaded embroidery file

Didn't that turn out way too cute? I've had the fabric for several years and finally put the ideas together for something I will find joy in using and just looking at.

Quilt finished and ready for Michelle, I arranged to meet her at church where she was working in a children's program. It definitely took her by surprise but she loved it. We agreed the idea of quilts on pews sounded nice but was never going to fly with a pandemic! Although this was one of the quickest quilts I have made, it was about the most rewarding. Here's one final photo of the finished quilt:

Finished quilt for Michelle

Even during a pandemic we can find ways to hug each other. Feel the love!

The Girl Next Door

 Winter is here in the frozen north, even if they think we might have a few 50 degree days ahead. The snow pack is very real and now we hunker down and get sewing! I need to get a few more sewing machines listed for sale so everyone has a greater choice of models but I've been sewing and quilting and even with retirement there are only 24 hours in a day.

Back when I had 3-4 cabinet sewing machines in the garage, I sold a Singer 15-125 and received a Singer 66 as part of the deal. Why was it going out the door? It just wasn't used anymore and the table had a few dings in it. I finally got around to checking it out when we had a whole week of warm weather

Singer 66 table top

only to find a large chip on the front and a nifty piece missing on the top surface.  Above you can see the general flaking of the finish so it was going to need a complete stripping of the finish. I rarely deal with veneer problems but this one begged to be fixed:

Chip

 

A close up shows the degree of damage. Using a piece of the veneer from the front I cut and pieced it in:

Veneer glued down

It doesn't look too great at this point but when wood filler and stain were added it ended up looking pretty normal

Finished top

With a chunk of the veneer missing from the front, I chipped it all off, sanded it down and left it lighter than the original finish for a completely new look:

Two tone finish

What about the machine inside? It's a beauty, a classic Singer 66 in excellent shape:

Classic Singer 66 in her refinished table

I love a Singer 66, so basic yet so reliable. I think of it as "the boy or girl next door" who is always there and smiling, underappreciated, until someone realizes the beauty within:

Singer 66: where's that chipped piece?

Quilting has been taking up my time as I've been working on a quilt for a friend. It was an easy pattern and quick to put together:

Pieced blocks in one arrangement

Above is one version of the arrangement of blocks but I found I needed to even things out so instead of 42 blocks I ended up with 48 blocks. Right now I'm quilting it with various free motion patterns and writing. When it is all done I'll show you some of the features of this one but, for now, it needs to remain a bit hidden. A nifty surprise was finding 109" wide fabric for backing at Hobby Lobby. I only needed around 2 yards, it wasn't on sale so I could use my 40% off coupon for a real deal of only $15 for the backing. Saving my judgement until after washing, it came through the laundry just fine but did shrink. I'll need to buy a little extra next time. 

I better get those machines ready for sale because the weather calls for sewing, sewing, sewing!

Let's Makea Deal: trade offs

 Here we are in the third week of October and are in the midst of our third snowfall. Seriously. Like inches of snow, on the ground, not melting. I say it's the perfect time of the year to get quilting! I just finished up a quilt that took way to long to finish but here it is:

Quilt top

This was a conglomeration of partially finished blocks of my aunt's and ones I made up so  now all those little hexagon scraps of fabric are gone and done with. I love the blues and greens but it turned out a bit too green for my taste but isn't that part of the learning process? Not having enough fabric for the backing, I managed to piece fabrics together to make it look like it was in my design plan:

Quilt back

I liked the pieced border on the back so much I decided to use the same idea for the binding. Actually, I wanted to make the binding in navy pindot but I didn't have enough fabric so this was my next best idea. Here's a closeup of the free motion quilting:

Close up of the free motion work

Which sewing machine did I use? The Singer 1200 was so much fun to use that I just kept stitching until it sold. Yup, even the favorites get sold over here but it was quite the deal.

Gary really wanted the 1200 but was having trouble with the cost so he proposed a deal: part cash, part sewing machines. At first I said no but then I got to thinking and running the numbers in my head and decided I would be ahead if I took his deal. Here's what I got:

Necchi Nora

Singer 503A

Singer CG590

Pretty awesome, right? The Necchi Nora is the cream of the crop, in excellent condition, runs well, but came with no accessories. I thought I might have a set of cams but I only have cams for the Necchi Supernova. I hope I can be patient until I find some. 

Next up is a Singer 503 complete with accessories and print manual. Great condition, sews well, only missing the carrying case, but will still sell. Right now I also have the Singer 500A, the fully loaded version called the Rocketeer.  With both models I can list one and probably sell both. I'm not a huge fan of the Rocketeer, preferring the Singer 401 as the real classic.

The final part of the deal is a Singer CG590, their answer to home heavy duty sewing machines. I had a similar one a few years ago and had to admit it did sew heavy stuff as well as two layers of cotton. Dropping the feed dogs, I used it to finish up the free motion part on the above quilt and it worked well  but seemed loud and created an unpleasant sewing experience. It also came with accessories and is ready to go out the door. All told, when these three sell it will add up to more than the cash value of the Singer 1200 plus they are all ready to sell. I hope Gary is as happy with his machine as I am with the deal we made.

I've been practicing free motion quilting with my treadle and decided I needed to trade out machines. My back clamping Singer 66 Red Eye just would not work unless I used a spring type presser foot but they don't seem to come in any back clamping feet style. Instead, I put a more modern side clamping foot Singer 66 head into the cabinet and used a free motion foot. I did get the hang of it but now need to keep practicing. There's another quilt all put together that needs to be quilted and I'm determined to use my new skills on this quilt.

Snow or no snow, what are you thinking about sewing?

Getting Ready and Making Do

It's been a great week of warm weather but we know it won't last so I've been getting the last of the cabinets finished up and posted for sale. The garage needs to be cleared out to get both cars in before snow arrives and in Minnesota that means November. Here's my latest adventure with cabinets and their machines. 

A few weeks ago I had refinished one of my favorite cabinets that I wrote about in Singer Restored Plus a Garage Sale and I no more than sold it and I bought another one. It's all refinished now but there is a problem with the cabinet when I switched sewing machines. It came with a Singer 500 that is very nice but not really the right machine for a cabinet of this era. Doesn't this table look like a treadle but without the treadle mechanism?

School Desk table

When refinished I wanted to put a Singer 15-91 into it but there was a problem: a gap between the machine and the edge of the cabinet. Usually there is a metal plate and spring mechanism installed but this one did not have that nifty addition. I even have one in my stash of parts but it didn't fit the opening correctly. What's a body to do about that? First we went to Walmart and, using measurements, combed the aisles looking for a storage compartment that would fit. You have to give my husband credit for helping me in the search but we didn't find a good container. Back home I search my own collection of boxes without finding anything. Then I thought about how I have made up paper boxes so I looked at my stash of mailing supplies and found a box that was close in size. I could cut it down and reshape it to fit

Box in the making

I covered it with wood grain Duck Tape and set it into place

Box to fill in the gap

It is held in place by the front lip which only holds it in place until the machine is folded down but there are 4 drawers for holding supplies and one can be for this box. This is not a perfect solution but seems like a viable alternative to a gaping hole. The new owner can either use it or toss it away.

Singer 15-91 with box in place

The Singer 15-91 in the table is in nearly mint condition with excellent decals and finish. Someone is going to get a real showpiece.

Singer 15-91 in school desk table

I love the classic look of the post-treadle cabinet/table with a traditional black Singer sewing machine. Who wouldn't want to sit down and sew with this beauty?

I've been busy sewing up clothes for my 8 year old granddaughter, Emma, who requested a jumpsuit. Using a vintage pattern from the '60's

Butterick 4919

I made up a short version in a nice knit that she loved but she requested one longer so I made up an orange version that she picked out!

Butterick 4919 in longer length

It was way too plain for me so we dressed it up with leaf buttons

 Jumpsuit with button trim and leaf zipper pull

and a zipper pull with one more red leaf. She loved the zipper pull on the last one, just a circle of the fabric stitched down, so this one also gets a cool zipper pull. Another shirt was finished up and now grandma is finished making clothes for Emma for a little while. It's fun that she still likes this effort of mine but she's a bit fussy so it might not last long. I'll take what I can get besides there are plenty of other grandchildren to sew and knit for; the joys of a big family!