More Vintage Linen

 Picking up on the last post about using tablecloths, I seem to be on a roll and can't stop sewing up those vintage linens. I went into a huge storage container at the bottom of the pile to see all of the linen I've collected. Some got washed, pressed, photographed, and made ready for my Etsy shop. Others had stains or even holes so I have earmarked them for porch pillows. I then worked on making summer tops out of two of them in better shape. Here's a very fancy top sheet that was probably never even used it was so pristine:

Bed sheet?

The embroidery was only along one edge so that was my conclusion. I went with a sleeveless shirt pattern and put the fancy work at the bottom

Decorative edge extends on the back also

I like it but it seemed like it was a long way from the top of the decoration to the neckline so I added a row of stitches

Embroidery stitches using light gray embroidery thread

What machine did I use for this nearly perfect stitch? My Bernina Record 730, of course. Now I'm happy with it. Next up was a cross stitch tablecloth that reminded me of a little shirt my daughter Kelly wore when she was only five years old. I didn't trust myself to make up a peasant blouse pattern although there are free ones online. Here's what I came up with using a commercial pattern:

I couldn't fit the long sleeves onto the tablecloth so I tried elbow length sleeves with the scalloped edge of the tablecloth at the bottom. It worked great so I went with that rolled hem edge for the hem of the shirt, too. As it turns out, not every serger can make a decent rolled hem (I tried three) and I finally had to pull out a Simplicity tiny three thread serger to get the best rolled hem. I leave that one set up for rolled hem only!

While looking for the sergers, I had to check out a shelf that had some old White treadle heads. I know I'm not going to be using them so I bit the bullet and listed all three for sale: I got two calls for buying all three! Dwayne came down yesterday and picked them up, telling me he refurbishes and sells them to the local Amish community. We then had a bit of discussion if I would have others without motors and I just might have to take him up on that. I would love to see some of these machines go to good homes and sometimes a motor is the only thing that holds them back. Dwayne might be my next best friend.

Everyone is sewing and buying sewing machines with cold weather and indoor activities at an all-time high. Some sell as soon as they get posted, other linger but are just as worthy. They are all my friends, but some just a little lower on the list. 

Keep calm and sew on.

Education and Great Finds

Last post I extolled upon the features of using various sewing machines for free motion quilting. At the end of the day I have to admit, a bit shame faced, that I had the most success with a plastic Singer sewing machine. I can be harsh on those newer models but when you can set the machine to sew at a steady speed without any effort on your part, then you are free to move the fabric around and not have to pace your foot to your hands. That's right, I also play no musical instruments for probably that same reason but I digress. Here's the banner I made with First Quilters last year, now finally finished:

Sew Blessed banner/table runner size

and with free motion half heart pattern, shown from the back to see it easier:

Half hearts free motion quilting

Which machine? Singer Futura XL400, the same one I've been using for machine embroidery! It's possible I won't be able to sell this one since I've had so much fun with it and it is so easy to use. Now that I have discovered this free motion feature, well, I'll have to think real hard about it.

Another nice find this week was a New Home MyExcel 15S, a model I've bought and sold, loving their ease of use, nice quality, good for beginners and more experienced sewers. This one is also nice but had sat unused for a long time and I have to get everything limbered up again. No problem! Until I found out I couldn't get the stretch stitches to consistently stay limbered up. They keep going back to their stuck state and that means they only sew in reverse. I've done all of the usual cleaning, oiling, repeat, heat from a hair blower, repeat daily, getting better but not there yet. In the meantime I've felt the need to confine the many sergers that I've gotten ready for sale by making zippered bags for them. The first bag turned out way too big so I had to use it for a sewing machine instead:

X-Large size is extra large!

Next up, I made the large size with the same blue fabric and print lining since I have a bolt of the solid blue fabric. It needed firmer fabric so I used iron-on interfacing to give it more body plus the lining adds firmness to the bag. Once I figured out a good size I started a production line of bags for sergers:

Zippered bags with sergers and supplies inside

That's right, four bags in all with gray vinyl bases, nylon webbing for handles, and a storage pocket on each side. Zipped up they contain the accessories, manual, and power cords. It also cleaned up my space and helps to keep the machines dust free, too. While I was sewing these up, I used my Bernina serger but also needed a regular sewing machine so I used what was handy: the New Home MyExcel 15S. I handled the vinyl just fine, was easy to use, and the proof is in the product, don't you think? It still stitches backwards when using the stretch stitches but a little heat from the hair dryer does the trick.

While up north on Saturday, my dear husband and I were stretching our legs by stopping at the Goodwill in Alexandria, MN. I say "dear" because while I found a Singer Tiny Serger, he found a table. Table? Yes, a clear acrylic table like the Sew Steady type. Here it is, cleaned up and sitting with:

New Home MyExcel 15S with acrylic extension table

the New Home MyExcel 15S. The table is imprinted Janome but they bought out New Home so are one in the same now. It's not a perfect fit but not too bad either. The price? $7. What about that Tiny Serger? It actually does work:

Singer Tiny Serger TS380+

for overcast edges but the biggest downfall is the inability to cut as it sews: no blades. It's only meant as an edger. It actually works but there just are no adjustments for stitch length or width. Here's a funny feature: there is a light but only for threading because once you plug in the foot control the light goes out! This has limited usefulness but it was fun for awhile.

There you have it, my recent adventures in buying, restoring, and reselling vintage sewing machines and what to sew with them. New up: chenille cutter and what I made with one.

Scrunchies!

What is old is new again pertains to sewing machines and also the current hair fashion craze called scrunchies. For those who do not have long hair that needs taming, let me explain: scrunchies are a piece of elastic you can wear to hold your hair back but it is covered in a cloth sleeve. This now makes it fashion with a wide variety of fabrics and even sizes. I made up a bunch of these with my grandkids because even the boys wear them on their wrists, partly as a token from a girl to show her interest in a special boy. So now it's fashion and pre-teen hormones! We had such a good time sewing them up on a Singer 99 hand crank:

Emma making scrunchies at home with the Singer 99 hand crank

I thought it might be fun to make up a bunch to sell at our church craft and bake sale. Maybe we could have a scrunchie making party where we sewed up a bunch to sell but just didn't get around to setting it all up. I mentioned this to one of the moms after the sale and she said "I would come and bring my daughter!" so, with her help, we posted a scrunchie making party on Facebook and I got ready.

Fabric was pressed and cut, supplies organized and loaded, and off we went. My granddaughter, Emma, was getting to be a pro at this so I picked her up and put her to work. I ended up cutting out about sixty pieces of fabric in a variety of prints, including Christmas, in cotton and flannel with even a red velvet.

Selection of fabric, all pressed and ready to sew up

I set up a Kenmore electric for those who already could use a sewing machine, a Singer 99 hand crank for younger sewers, and even a serger for experienced or at least adult sewers.  As it turned out, our high school student had taken a sewing class so she sat down to the Kenmore, the younger girls used the hand crank Singer, and the adults, experienced or not, gravitated to the serger.

Kenmore electric and White Speedylock serger

Although I had the four steps all on samples it still took supervision to get everyone on track and sewing. I also had to keep those machines threaded as well as brief teaching along the way. 

Emma learning to thread the Singer 99

Over the two hours we were set up, there were four adults and four kids working on three machines to make up 25-30 scrunchies!

A busy bunch, waiting for their turn, in a basement classroom

All pitched in and helped with the clean up and bringing everything back to the cars, remaining snacks were divided up, and we called it a success:

Emma showing off her earlier success in sewing

An abundance of scrunchies!

This might be a repeat performance at a Girl Scout meeting so we shall see. Even with all of the planning and prep, it was well worth it to get more people sewing and having fun while doing it.

Next up, I promise, is the fixed Singer embroidery sewing machine. Stay tuned!

Christmas Vacation

As always, I have big plans for days off and rarely get even half of it done but this time I have very good reason: grandchildren! Finding out parents had to work and kids were going to stay with others we piped up and said "Can we have them for a few days?" It turned out to be only one but we sure had a good time. Sarina, who has been working on her sewing with a new-to-her sewing machine, wanted to make up a few Barbie doll clothes and I wanted to make her some more leggings. Here's what we came up with:

Barbies with new dress, top, and skirt

I think the Barbie clothes were her sister's request but she made the beach bag on Barbies arm in the photo and had fun with serging the edges on the skirts. They were free patterns found online and were so wonderfully easy. Next up was using the minky fabric to make something and here's what we came up with:

New soft throw showing off all three fabrics

I had a big square of red bubble minky fabric and suggested we back it with flannel for stability. There were two pieces of heart printed fabric that just fit onto the back when sewn together so we could use up the largest portion of the soft fleece. She loved it and posed for the above photo with her newest teddy bear, also made of minky.

From our last sewing date we had picked out fabric for leggings and now I had the chance to get them all sewn up, especially since she hadn't brought enough clothes for a whole week away from home. I made up a pair several sizes smaller for another granddaughter but here's Sarina in her new pair:

Sarina in her new citrus print leggings

I had some pink solid for a shirt and she suggested I make the front or sleeves in the print so I made it up but she doesn't have it on in the photo (maybe under the hoodie?). We were using my Bernina 1100 serger and a Kenmore 385-1665510 serger but she really needs a speed control lever on a serger so it doesn't get away from her or one that just doesn't go too fast.

In the meantime I had a couple drive over from Wisconsin to pick up a treadle, the New Home in a compact cabinet:

New Home treadle, possibly before cleaning?

I also answered an ad for a Bernina 830 that was wanted by a nice old lady. I can say that because I'm an old lady: we are both old ladies at this point. She was frustrated by her very complex Pfaff and just wanted a good reliable sewing machine to make clothing, not quilting, and wanted it to work every time. As I've heard before "I want to be in charge, not the machine." A classic Bernina was her goal so I checked mine out, sent photos, and now she is ready to go!

Bernina Record 830

I'll leave you with a photo of my Snowman Pizza made for one part of the family Christmas gathering:

Snowman pizza: satisfying three different tastes

New Tricks

There is always something new to learn and I'm going to share a new technique with you in this post. I learned how to make nifty handles with cording. This idea was given freely in Sewing For Free which directs you to the link for Reversible Rope Handled Canvas Bag. Using their idea, I made up a few bags but just made them lined, not reversible. You make the handles by stitching the cording down in rounds, super simple, and the results were quick and very satisfying:

Cotton cording stitched in rounds for handle

Making up the handle first and then fitting up the fabric to sew up the bag was much easier than the other way around. For the first bag I picked out two large dot fabrics that were coordinating:

Stitched on serger first

I sewed up the seams with a serger and then attached the handle with a regular sewing machine:

Finished dot bag

 For the dot fabric bag I used cotton cording, a roll I found out in the garage in a plastic tote with other cords and rope. I like the look and feel of the cotton cord but know it will get dirty quickly: doesn't cotton wash up easily? For the next tote I used some acrylic cording that was marked for macrame. I thought this was going to be easy but it wasn't due to the stretch nature of the acrylic versus the firms cotton cording. I made up two sets of handles that didn't fit and one that was so distorted I threw it away! I finally made up a handle that fit the tapestry bag already made up (much harder than making bag to fit). Next up was a yellow burlap with a fun summer print:

Handle made and fabric ready to sew for a good fit

This bag was much shorter so I think it turned out better:

Finished yellow burlap bag with lining of a flip flop print

Of course, practice did help and this was my third bag and about the fifth set of handles I practiced on. Here are the final two bags:

Tapestry bag and burlap bag

I like to stitch the bottom of the bag to secure the lining to the outside fabric. I think these bags could use a little embellishment but not sure what I could do at this point so they might have to just look pretty on their own with the fabric choices I made.
Which sewing machine did I use to make up these tote bags?  I picked out the Bernina Nova 900 and it just purred along, never pulling at the cord or getting stitches caught in the thick cord.Since I worked on this over several days I did use my Viking Designer 1 but it did not sew as nicely as the Bernina Nova yet I was too lazy to pull out the Bernina again. Sigh. As for the serging, I used one of the last acquired Huskylocks, the three thread 430 and it did a very nice job. Because burlap is a somewhat difficult fabric I serged the seams and also using bias binding on the edges to seal and reinforce all seams. Using a lining with the burlap will also help to distribute the stress of those seams but time will tell how it holds up.

Next up: I got a mangle! It was so much fun to get it working again plus I used it on the above fabrics and the quilted wall hanging I'm finishing up. Wait until you see what this old fashioned iron can do!

Triple Stitch

This past week I scored a triple: three sergers in two days (I think that's a record for me). It was never a plan but more of a happening so here's the story, with photos.

Watching an ad for several weeks, I finally broke down and asked to see one of the sergers listed in a local ad. A week later Larry got back to me and we set up a time for me to see the Huskylock 535 he had for sale. I knew he had a sewing machine and another serger also listed but the 535 interested me the most.

Huskylock 535 serger (after cleaning)

Larry had the sergers and a Singer set up on a workbench in the garage and he ran a cord so I could see if they worked. The Huskylock 535 very, very dirty but came with the original manual and a box of accessories. A decent four thread model that I thought I could clean up and get it to sew properly, I like it so it was now marked "sold." Right next to it was a Huskylock 430, only a three thread model, but it also had the original manual plus four large cones of white thread. In the past these Huskylock's had caused me some trouble so I wasn't sure I wanted even one let alone two but they both seemed to be okay so I took them off Larry's hands. They were his sisters' machines and he had fond memories of her coming over and making pajamas for the kids.

Huskylock 430 and 535 sergers

The Huskylock 535 was on the table first and I spent most of the time just cleaning the exterior. What a mess but it was fine under the particles of grit, probably from sitting out in the garage uncovered. The real surprise came when I checked the needles before stitching to find they were both in backwards. This machine wasn't going to stitch that way! The tensions were all messed up so it took some work to get it all to rights but it's now working great.

Next up was the Huskylock 430 yet it was much cleaner and stitched right away with no problems. The inside was clean so either it had not been used much or it had been lovingly cared for. I like the latter reason. Checking out the box of accessories that came with the machines, I took note of two needle plates but they were not the correct shape for either of the sergers I bought. Online I see they are plate B and C for an Elna L4 serger and the rest of the box is most likely also not for the Huskylock's. I'll hang onto them in hopes of an Elna L4 some day in need of plates. Although they are not newer models of sergers by any stretch of the imagination, the Huskylocks are still very usable and in good condition with much life left in them.

Huskylock 430 serger

I had already arranged to pick up a Kenmore serger the next day so was thinking I would cancel that appointment since I just picked up two but my husband convinced me it would be a good outing for us. He would stop by after work to pick me up and we could check on his mobile home out that way and even offered to take me to dinner. How could I say no to that? So I met the owner at a local supermarket's coffee shop where she confessed she never even used the Kenmore serger. It still had the cones of thread from the manufacturer, the foot control was in the original plastic bag, and all of the accessories in the box placed in the front catch bin were untouched. Yes, it was new! It came home with me and sewed like a champ.

Kenmore 385-166551 serger

Because it had sat unused for some time it did have problems with stiffness and moving dials, etc. When I tried to make a rolled hem I could not get the position finger to move out of the way because  the stitch width plate could not move over far enough. It just needed to be screwed in and out a few times before it was moving smoothly so I could slide the finger down and out of the way for a rolled hem.

Stitch width plate needed to move right for the position finger to slide toward the front of the machine

All three need to be in totes or bags so I better get planning and sewing. These triplets remind me a little bit of the series "This Is Us" about a family with triplets. Like them, my triplets were not all born together and one of them is very different than the rest but still valued. Let's hope they don't crash and burn the way each one of the Pearson's do in the series but rise above their problems to be productive and stable!

Life as a Cat

My cat, Meg

My cat is the ultimate free-loader, taking up space, making demands, and giving almost nothing in return. That's not entirely true since she does sit on our laps and purrs quite loudly but despite those few things she gives in return for food and shelter, we love her anyway. We appreciate her so much that we bought her a cozy shelter last winter to give her a space to call her own and to help keep her warmer. It was such a big hit that I decided to try my hand at making one for her myself. Since I already had a prototype, I read up on how others were made and assembled the materials for mine. I had some of the very soft minky-type of fleece so I looked for some fabric I could pair with it and settled on a pink I wasn't going to use anywhere else. What could I use to give it enough firmness and structural support? A foam mattress topper, the egg crate type, was purchased at a garage sale (a used mattress topped? Ewe, but I don't have to sleep on it!), and we were ready to go.

I made up 14" panels that were similar to pillow cases, making it easy with a serger. I had the Huskylock 905 out with a substitute power cord/foot control. This was a dandy serger I wrote about in Surprise Packages, noting it didn't work because the door might not have been closed completely. That wasn't exactly true since it also misbehaved for me and I finally found a substitute cord/foot control and it worked just fine. I ordered a new one, confident that was the problem but sewed up this project with the borrowed cord set. All six of the sides were made and I was sewing them together when I realized I hadn't made the one with a hole for the cat to climb into!

Panels with foam inside

I still had fabric left so I made up that one, too, and proceeded to sew them together. To make it even easier, next time I'll make them up without the foam, just inserting it when I need to.

Cat bed "door" opening

Panels sewn together on sides

Which sewing machine did I use for this fun project? A new Pfaff 1221 came my way at a great price, ready to sew with only a little cleaning needed. The IDT on the Pfaff models was great at keeping the fabrics together so there was less creeping forward of the fabric.

Pfaff 1221

 I put the raw edges together at the top where the cat wasn't going to sleeping but it really turned out very smooth and finished inside:

Raw edges at the top or roof

Cat bed all sewn together, inside

This is just wheat this princess needs: another house to hide away in. Maybe it will be her summer house since it is so brightly colored, a bit Caribbean, no?

Finished cat bed exterior

Surprise Packages

I'm not much of a surprise person, preferring to know what's coming up rather than having it sprung on me but once in awhile it can be nice. This busy weekend I had two or three nice surprises so read on.

Goodwill online is always a bit of a crap shoot since they do not stand behind what they offer and it is always "as is." My husband and I agreed we could take a chance on a Huskylock 905 serger  since it was only one cent for shipping. The only problem was it didn't work and only the light turned on but we figured maybe it could be fixed. What would be the worst? Electrical connection? Bad motor? Let's just see what we get. It shipped fast and I got it before the weekend, well packed, and seemingly with no damage:

Huskylock 905 serger

It even came with four cones of thread, all ready to sew. When plugged in, the light did turn on and what-did-you-know  it worked! I got to thinking about it and figured out that it was a somewhat newer model that had the safety feature of not running when the door was open. It also doesn't run when there is even a tiny hitch in the door that makes it look like it is closed but it needs an extra push or slide to seal that connection. They just didn't have the door shut all the way. Sweet surprise, and it stitches very nicely, too.

Natalie and I spent a morning together with a private lesson with her new-to-her Elna 9000, known as the Diva. It was fully loaded but no manual, just a workbook, and a notebook type of holder with zippered compartments of snap-on feet. Most were not Elna but there were photos and labels so we could figure out how they worked. It was a nice machine but computerized and a bit confusing if you have never had that type of sewing machine. We worked on the basic functions and then learned how to use the blind hem foot, narrow hemmer foot, and a blanket stitch. It was fun for me and helped Natalie put this machine to use instead of sitting in a box.

My next stop was to pick up a Bernina 1010, a very nice sewing machine that came with all of its bells and whistles and is in fine shape. Barb is a fine sewer with many machines so we had to have a bit of show-and-tell and, wouldn't you know it, I came home with a Bernette 334D serger. It does have its problems that I was hoping I could figure out but after much disassembly and reassembly it still hesitates on the startup. I hope I don't have to spring for a new power cord/foot control because they are a bit pricey for this model:

Bernette 334D serger

My daughter, Kelly, came over with fabric today that I picked out from photos she sent last week. We are all getting ready for the Textile Center Garage Sale on April 14 and she really purged this year but asked me first what I would like from her stash. Here's what arrived today:

Cotton fabric donation

That's 15 pieces of cotton prints I can make up into hot mitts, my best selling item at the craft fairs. Aren't they cute? I'm always energized by new fabric and these are nice quality and kitchen-y for your oven, stove, and microwave hot dishes. It's my hope I'll be able to resist buy too much at the sale when I already have new fabric at home. I can only hope.

A Pig in a Poke

I try to tell people they need to do their own research before buying a sewing machine to make sure they know the pros and cons of the model they are eyeing. Sometimes I need to take my own advice but I got carried away with the offer of forty spools of serger thread and a thread rack with a serger. It all seemed so easy, maybe too easy?, and I was the owner of a modern Singer serger. Singer? Really? They are not my favorite but I do have a Singer embroidery and sewing machine that is wonderful so maybe this would be an exception, too:

Singer 14CG754 serger

I bring it home in a large tub that holds all of those spools of thread and rack and can't wait to sew with it. First off, the plug end into the machine is wobbly and keeps it from working some of the time so I might have to replace that. It runs but it's fairly loud but then I see it needs a good cleaning and probably has never been oiled. That all helps and it does run much better but it's still loud. I manage to perform a three and four thread stitch without any incident, tension is fair, but not as consistent as I might like. Rolled hem? There are several different types but all are just so-so, not the quality I would want on a napkin or hem. Flatlock? I cannot get it to flatten out no matter how much I adjust the tensions. So we are back to the three and four thread stitches but that's all I ever do with my other sergers so I think it will make a fine beginners serger. Threading the lower looper is a real chore but that can be true with any serger and you do get used to the idiosyncrasies when it is your own.

It needed a dust cover or carrying case like I've picked up for free and have used with other sergers. This time I wanted to make my own and put the serger to use. Measuring out another one as my pattern I gave this one an upholstery type striped fabric cover with a print lining, serging the seams and encasing in bias tape. Adding the zipper was easy but figuring out the straps after it was assembled wasn't quite the right order but I got it done anyway:

Singer serger bag

Serger bag inside

Really, it was so easy I now want to make more! As far as using a sewing machine, the Viking Designer 1 did a nice job on the bias tape but would not sew over the heavier fabric when it came to the zipper ends. With so many machines to choose from, which one did I use for the heavier work? The Singer 66 red eye in the parlor cabinet, of course:

Singer 66 in bird's eye maple treadle cabinet

It was a joy to sew with the treadle again and it put me in a good mood. An ice storm is coming in so we might have to stay home for a bit but that's okay when there is much sewing to be done!

As a bit of a P.S. I forgot to tell you about another serger cover I made out of those free bag that are sent with every charitiable donation these days. You know those bags?

My aunt had a garage full of them with recycling so we brought them home, recycled the paper, and kept the bags in hopes of putting them to a better use. On a Saturday morning I looked at a bag with a Monet print on the front and knew that was the one I would use to make a cover for my own serger, a Bernina 1100DA. There wasn't enough for the sides but I used another bag made out of a mesh type of fabric, sewed it all together for this end product:

My Bernina 1100 serger under its new cover

I left the zipper compartment in the front so now I have the manual right with it. I thought I was pretty clever until I went to move it: no opening for the handle! That was an oversight but I reassure myself that it will stay cleaner this way. Apparently, I'm on a roll with covers and bags these days but it does keep the machines free of dust.

Two more sewing machines left the house this weekend with a Bernina 1006 with a full set of accessories going to Marilyn's sister and the Automatic Deluxe 107 going to a repeat customer who fell in love with it's old car look:

It was sold in a plastic case but was sturdy and with a new motor block and foot control. It was love at first sight!