Cheaper By The Dozen

Editiors note: sorry for the long delay in finishing up this post. I always want to include more photos but while I'm thinking about it I'm cleaning up and putting them away. I'll try harder "next time" 

When it rains it pours and sewing machines have started to pile up here in Minnesota. It started with an offer to buy six sewing machines from a young woman who wanted to start a business in sewing high end clothing. She traveled the world buying fabric, renting a space to work and store supplies but then things took a turn and she decided to go back to school instead. Not only was she selling off all of the fabric, she had six very nice sewing machines for sale: two Bernina's, two Elna's, a Brother and a Signature dedicated to buttonholes.

Brother CS 100

Signature ZigZag

We made arrangements and I picked them up a couple weeks ago. While there I could see how much fabric she had and it was overwhelming and a bit reassuring: I don't have that much fabric! I should have brought my husband along so he could see how fortunate he is that my fabric collection is much smaller! My sewing daughter and I went to her "bundle" sale last weekend, vowing we were just going to look but we each managed to spend $42 for some pretty nice fabric.

How about those machines: they seemed to be very complete with cases and accessories so I got own to cleaning and checking them out. The Elna 8000 was very complete and in good shape but the Elna 9000/Diva is missing the spool pin and doesn't have the extra vertical pin either. That got ordered and in the meantime I tried out all of the cassettes for more stitches, something only the Diva has, not the 8000. Don't let anyone tell you the 8000 and the 9000 are the same because they are clearly not.

The Berninas were also great with accessories and cases. Just a little loving care was needed and I think one might already be going out the door. The Brother CS-100 did sell right away to a grandmother who is teaching her granddaughter to sew, something I heartily approve of! The only one left is the Signature that came with a Singer buttonhole attachment, use solely for making buttonholes. They do work up very nice buttonholes! Here's my bundle of fabrics I brought back from my second visit that includes the stretch velvet, leather like fabric, a nice dress fabric, and some scraps that I couldn't resist for only $1.

From knits to leather, I can't wait to sew them up!

While I was busy with this group of machines I answered an ad for a set of four machines up in Lindstrom so off we went. This was a much more rugged group that I suspect came from an auction. It included a Pfaff 77, Bernina 700, another Signature, and a Kenmore 158-19412. Unfortunately, the Pfaff 77 bit the dust early and I had to strip down for parts, the Bernina 700 has stitch width problems, and the Signature has a bad case of smelly case. The real winner here is the Kenmore: very dirty but working just fine. I spent some quality time with it and she's looking good, just needs a Kenmore case that I think might be in the garage attic. 

Whew! But I wasn't finished. There's also a Singer 301 in a lovely table that included a full set of accessories and the cradle for easy lifting out of the machine from the table for transport. I'll have to tell you about the fabulous Elna Quilting Queen I picked up and even a New Home/Janome MyExcel 15S that works perfectly (and was free). Now I have to stop buying and need to get these sewing machines in shape so someone else can revel in their "new" machine as I have. Sew on!

Jelly Roll Rugs without the Jelly

 It has been another busy week with sewing machines and sewing projects. You never know which sewing machines are going to be sought after until you run an ad and the phone rings off the hook. Actually, the phone never rang at all but I did have six people who got in touch with me via text and email who wanted a pink and dark gray Brother Select-O-Matic I advertised for sale. I've had eight of this model over the years and even kept one for myself but never have they been this popular. Due to the poor condition of the paint on the bed of the machine, I repainted it in November but then let it "cure" so there would be a nice hard finish when I was ready to sell it. First contact was from Susan, a repeat customer, so I was willing to hold it for her. Then came the other inquiries and I even managed to sell the same model in teal that was in even better condition but there was just something about the pink and gray finish that is irresistible. Here's hoping Susan is loving her Brother Select-O-Matic as much as I love mine.

Brother Select-O-Matic in recovered case

I have been intrigued by the jelly roll rugs, those easy to make rugs that use a set of strips 2.5" wide and 44" long that are rolled up and sold in a bundle called a jelly roll. As if that wasn't easy enough, they also have a roll of batting that is 2.5" wide, sold in rolls of 25 or 50 yards. I had been sitting on a 50 yard roll but didn't want to use one of the jelly rolls I had in my stash so I cut my own using the Simplicity cutter. Here it is with the strips I cut for my own rug:

Simplicity Rotary Cutting Machine

The dandy little machine was purchased last fall at one of the Textile Center's sales for less than $10. I found out that the widest setting is exactly 2.5", perfect for the jelly roll rugs. It takes practice to hold the fabric steady so my strips weren't as precise as when using a hand held rotary cutter on a mat, but it was fast and good enough. I sewed all of the strips together and sat down to sew then up on an industrial Singer 31-15. That didn't go very well with much puckering and struggling to keep it straight. I needed a walking foot but that doesn't really exist for industrials since they would simply use a walking foot machine, not a different presser foot. Here I was, all ready to sew, without a walking foot machine.

Strips sewing together but need to add the strip of batting

Then it dawned on me: use a Pfaff with the IDT, their version of a built in walking foot. I pull out my Pfaff 1222, set it up on the kitchen table, and get to sewing:

Here's 50 yards of tubing for a rug

Would the Pfaff 1222 also be able to sew the strips together with a zigzag? Let's hope so. I added a plexiglass table for a larger work surface and found that to be very helpful.

Pfaff 1222 with extension table

Other suggestions were to press after a few rows and that was good advice, too. In the end, it turned out to my satisfaction and now resides at the porch exterior door:

My version of a jelly roll rug

This worked out so well I found/dug out a braided rug I was working on but could no longer use the Bernina 217 industrial due to a cracked needle plate. The Pfaff 1222 can sew up those braids, too!

Waiting in the laundry room with 2 more rows to sew

I'm not sure if this is going to end up in the camper or in the garage, but it has been an experiment.

With all of the interest in the Brother sewing machine these past two weeks keeping me busy, I had one machine returned. That's not quite right: it wasn't returned but given back when it was no longer needed. I wrote about it in Maintaining Good Will back in 2018, this interesting Singer Quantum CXL. The alphabet stitches were used to write the name of a nursing home resident right on his clothes, not a tag, so they would not get mixed up with others in the laundry. Sadly, the resident died and the machine was just sitting around so it was given back to me. It's a fine machine with much life left in it but no long can stitch in a multi-directional mode: I think the step motor is dying. I hope I can find a buyer who doesn't care about those stitches since it is still working fine for all of the other stitches. It even has a cut thread feature and a needle threader. There is a sewing machine for everyone!

Next up: ready for winter mittens? I can sew up a pair for you!

Friends

Many times I have enjoyed the generosity of friends and this post is about one of them. Deb and I met when she came to a sewing machine class I taught at a community center. Full of enthusiasm and patience, she brought her teenage daughter along, too, so they could sew together. Sometimes teenage daughters aren't as loving as they should be but Deb was wonderful, not saying too much and stepping back when needed. By the end of class her daughter was laughing and enjoying her new skills: maybe mom wasn't so dumb after all! Deb and I kept in touch a bit but when I got an email from her this spring I was blown away: she had several sewing machines she wanted to give away and would I like them? Of course I would so we arranged a time, put on masks and gloves, and unloaded her trunk:

Portable Models

Fleetwood Deluxe in table

I've been working on them and by now they all in working order and ready for sale. First up is the Brother with red trim:

Brother VX-1010

I've had a few like this before so all it needed was a cleaning and adjustment. It came without the storage compartment but I had one that almost fit. I could finagle it into place but it needed a rubber band to hold it there; not ideal but it worked. It's a good starter sewing machine.

Next up is a Singer 538. I kept her hidden because I knew there was going to be a bit of trouble with this one and I was right: upon turning the handwheel I could hear a crunch. That's never a good sign so I opened it up to find out two of four gears just fell apart. I ordered a new set, replaced another one, and now just need to settle in and get that job done. Another nice beginner's sewing machine.

The Riccar was another good machine that only needed some cleaning up:

Riccar RZ-208B

Another good strong sewing machine with straight and zigzag stitches. I have a couple men in mind for this one.

Then there is a blue Universal, another good machine that needs to be babied a bit: even after many adjustments you still need to give the beginning stitches an encouragement by moving the handwheel to get going:

Universal

This one went out as a loner while their machine was in the shop and we were all frantically sewing masks. It was returned, never needing to be used after all. All in all, a clean machine with a good variety of stitches.

I'm saving my joy for the Kenmore 385-1950280, a machine I was familiar with since I had one years ago. The first one needed a foot control and it was a very different type so was expensive. I got it anyway only to discover there was another bigger problem with the machine so it went to parts. When Deb brought this one and apologized for the missing foot control I told her I was pretty sure I already had one. Isn't it amazing how we recall our failures with such clarity? Sure enough, same model, still had that foot control set and she was up and humming:

Kenmore 385-1950280

And finally, the Fleetwood Deluxe, a table model that was just too swanky to resist. After a cleaning and adjustment, the table needed refreshing and that's when I noticed the cord set was full of exposed wires.  After several attempts to install a safer knee control, it's finally done:

Fleetwood

Stradivario cabinet

One of the knobs on the front of the Stradivario cabinet was missing so I had to replace all three with wood knobs but they look okay in the end. She runs quiet and smooth and will be a great addition to someone's home. I love the "fins" on this one!

Ready for cruisin' with these fins

Now I have them all up to speed and ready to sell; while I was still working outside the home (although with COVID19 we were working from home) this just took too long to do. It's my hope to speed up this repair process and get more done but not until I have cataracts removed in the coming week. At that time I will be officially retired, vision restored, rested up from a week of sitting around, and ready to, at least, sew again. A big thanks to Deb for her contribution of projects that will be sold reasonably to deserving souls. Then I can say "let the quilting begin!" as I get back to what I love to do (besides repairing sewing machines).

Baby Baby

We are all wrapped up in babies these days with my new granddaughter only two months old and a step-daughter getting ready for her third in October. There is a baby shower in August for the October baby and I already bought a backpack diaper bag that was requested so I considered my job done. Not so: our granddaughter, Sarina, who has been sewing with me, came over on Saturday and brought her sewing machine along. She showed me the photos taken on her iPad last winter of the fabric she wanted to use in her next project. Of course, I had forgotten all about it so we dug out the Minky and flannel trying to think up a project. It didn't take her long to decide it would be nice to make a baby blanket for her newest cousin. This is something I really like about Sarina: she always wants to make something for someone else. One of her first projects were pillowcases for her cousins and now a baby quilt. What a sweetie.

Here was our plan: aqua Minky fabric in the center with a cream print border in flannel, another border in aqua print flannel, and then a final border in blue floral Minky. We picked a blue print flannel for the back and got cutting. Of course, the fuzzy and stretchy fleece was going to be difficult to sew on but after consulting Tips on quilting with minky fabric from Superior Threads I remembered I had a Brother walking foot we could use. This was a new idea to Sarina but she took to it like a duck to water and most of the sewing went off without a hitch:

Minky fabric center with first border

By the time we added the second border we could see it was getting too big so we stopped right there.

Two borders was just right for size

 Adding the blue flannel backing just didn't settle right with we so we took it to a higher authority: Grandpa. Sarina argued we had an animal theme going on so the white sheep on the blue flannel was great but I argued the blue looked too much like a boy and this was a baby girl so she needed some pink, not blue. Grandpa encouraged us to make a trip to JoAnn's to see what they would have in a better color match. Off we went to the fabric store only to find there were too many matches! We took our top three to the counter so see in better light and decided the baby's mom would like the print with baby onesies on a clothesline the best. We bought what was left on the bolt and rushed home to wash and dry it. While it was fluffing up Sarina played Battleship with Grandpa and then Cribbage and I made up pizza fondue for supper. When the table was all cleared off we got things set up again and Sarina did the final sewing.  One final pressing job and she asked me to do the top stitching all around since it was going to show. I thought it also needed more stitching so I added stitches around the Minky section for added stability. Here it is, all done and Sarina is so proud of her work:

Sarina with her new baby quilt

It amazed me how well that little Brother sewing machine worked. The walking foot was a real help but I think Sarina just needs to keep sewing straight lines to gain more confidence. It was her plan and design with only a little assistance from Grandma, especially when planning on how wide and long to cut the borders. That's right , you even use math in everyday life!

Final quilt with backing showing

Super Select-O-Matic Twins

I have written ad nauseam about the Brother Select-O-Matics (just keep clicking if you are bored with me) but I have now come across two Super Select-O-Matics. As you can guess, they are super, too. What makes them super? My hunch is when they made the newer models they had to call them something so they add words or numbers onto them to indicate new features. The Supers' are a bit more intuitive, but not much, and I think they still need a manual A scanned copy was found as well as a nice article about this model (even the same color scheme) in The herd is growing again! by Stitchified. Once you have used the first iteration of the Select-O-Matics, the newer ones do not seem to be a great improvement and I think I like the looks of the original one better anyway. But like all things, the newer models are usually bigger and with more features:

Cream and blue Super Select-O-Matic

Okay, just a bit bigger but the functions are exactly the same. They still have the fun two tone look of an older car, in cream and blue or pink and teal. They are so smooth, quiet, and  understated. Everyone should have a sewing machine this nice.

Stitch selection: I got crazy with thread while making this one up!

My first one was given to me and I kept it quite awhile. It was pretty beaten up but that was part of its charm, a history I could only imagine! It also came with about fifty bobbins, most with a dot of pink on the outside: nail polish? Someone wanted to keep theirs identified from all of the rest, I guess.  It lived in a portable case, not a great idea for a machine this heavy, so when I found another one in pristine condition, I found a way to add another cabinet into my sewing room. The first one now lives in South Dakota, I'm proud to say, as I wrote about in  Letting Go. Hope Linda continues to enjoy sewing on that little girl.

So now I have several of this model, some in two-tone pink and teal, some in aqua, some are Super and one has no model number at all. Portable, in tables or cabinets, they are all a sweet sewing experience and I'm all about the experience! The cream and blue model came in a table that I was ready to get rid of  but once I got it home and looked at it carefully I could see it was decent and maybe could be fixed up a bit. I got out the electric sander and went to work on it, taking it down to the wood surface on the open top, closed top, drawer fronts, and the rest of the front.

Table sanded

I could leave the sides and back so only had to use Howards Restore-a-Finish on those parts. I stained it with walnut and then red mahogany with a final 2 coats of water based polyurethane in satin and semigloss. I'm pleased with the way it turned out:

Nice edition of the mid-century modern look

Rather than returning the same Brother Super Select-O-Matic, I think I'm going to put the teal and pink model in this table. It seems to make a better statement? Well, I'm going to have to see if the cords all fit first. I'm also working on getting the right belt and working out the vibration and extra noise.

Super Select-O-Matic in pink and teal

Sorry for the long delay between posts but I've been sewing up a storm with the deadline coming for the three craft shows I've signed up for. So far I have about 80 new hot mitts with about 40 left to sew but they are all cut and sandwiched, stacked and ready for the industrial. Yesterday I took them out to the garage and sewed on the Singer 78, a great walking foot model. It was nice for a change and it seemed the process went faster than the Reliable Barracuda but I just can't keep something that large in my house and the Singer 78 has to leave the garage this year. Sigh.If only I lived in a warmer climate? No, this is keeping me from hording and someone else will love this industrial. Could it be you?

Singer 78 industrial walking foot

Eight in Spades

It's been another grand weekend with rain and raining sewing machines. We planning a day at the Minnesota State Fair on Friday but rain and thunderstorms helped us change our minds. Instead, we traveled over the border to Wisconsin to visit friends who are moving to Tennessee and she had sewing machines she was not going to take. I was lured by the offer of some-are-free so we took the Jeep and headed over.

Despite the rain we had a great time together, the men deep into discussions about hunting and fishing while we discussed their new home and new adventures. Between the basement workshop and the "barn" I took home eight sewing machines and no tables or desks.

Loaded up!

Although I have a million other things to do, I couldn't resist seeing what I had and what still needed to be done. There was a Singer 237 with parts in a bag so it was put at the back of the workbench. The Singer 327K kept slipping so it was next to the back. A Davis vertical feed was frozen up with parts in a bag and it is now on the floor of the garage, a place of shame but also in the garage, at the top of the list is a Brother Super Select-O-Matic, favorite of mine, in two tone:

Brother Super Select-O-Matic (HZ3B3 Model 100)

This was the big find of the day but it wasn't free and that was just fine. Isn't she a beauty? She will get a future post with comparisons to other Brother models of this Select-O-Matic fame. Next up are the four that need some work and clean up but all are doing quite well.

The Elgin is actually a Japanese model JA-38, a great machine I have seen with other names. It was dry inside and very dirty but that's not hard to rectify. It got a new motor and a used motor block set for the power cords and foot control with only one trip to the hardware store for a new long screw. Don't ask, it works.

Elgin (JA-38)

Stitches fine, sounds good, a nice smooth operation and is cosmetically perfect. Good find for someone who wants straight and zigzag and doesn't mind a heavy machine!

The next cutie is a New Home that is not heavy and includes just the basics of straight, zigzag, 4 step buttonhole, blind hem, elastic zigzag, and two stretch stitches. Nothing wrong with this one except a big clean up and a new motor block/foot control. Because of the cute factor and lack of heft, I put it in one of the Brother mod carrying cases so it looks cute in storage, too.

New Home 1300

New Home 1300 in carrying case

Then there is a 3/4 sized National S-40, a vibrating shuttle model that has oh so many differences. Note that large round plate?

National S-40 3/4 sized sewing machine

No real purpose, just for design intrigue! Then there are the double tires on the rotary wheel, both replaced, and the bobbin winding spring. I couldn't figure out how the bobbin winder worked since it didn't line up with the hand wheel  but it did line up with the wheel in the back. Then I remembered finding a large spring formed into a circle and put two and two together to see how it worked:

National S-40 bobbin winding mechanism

I still don't have it stitching but that's due to the wrong needle, misthreading, and/or tension but I will work that out yet. The case is in excellent shape and the original cords are soft, strong, and pliable. Now, if I could only find a manual.

And, finally, there is a Signature URR-56X271, a nice machine that is turning over but I haven't tested out the stitching capability just yet. It is extremely heavy so think it will go out to a table in the garage since this is clearly not a portable sewing machine. It came with a box of attachments, cams, and a print manual so that one hit the jackpot. UPDATE: It got a new motor and a re-tread on the motor block, using one that was missing the foot control that was among the mix of items in this haul. It does stitch nicely and the cams work just fine, too.

Signature URR-56X271

As you can tell, I'm super excited to be working on these machines, it was so nice to get to pick the ones I want instead of having them appear on my doorstep. My friend was more than generous and she still had more that I wouldn't take but we agreed that she would strip them down and bring over the bases for me to send to my metal recycler. By this time next week I should have a bunch more that I can now move along. Sorry, folks, but not all of them get saved but at least they are not ending up in a landfill. Most of them were on my parts shelf for several years and didn't have much to save left so to let them go was the humane thing to do. Yes, they are a bit like my pets: beloved and with us just for awhile.

Staycation

Even though I am home all week I have no time for all of the activities I had hoped for. Here it is, half over, and the cabinets are idle in the garage due to heat and other more pressing issues. One opportunity was to spend a day sewing with my granddaughter, Sarina. I don't know quite how it happened but I not only got to spend the whole day with her but she even stayed for supper as we had her great grandmother over. Was that ever a treat! Here's what happened with her sewing (and sewing machines).

When I first offered a sewing machine to Sarina, I picked out an Elna 1500, a nice solid machine that has a dial for stitches,and levers for stitch width and length. This looked pretty easy to me but she struggled with some of the basics: holding threads behind before stitching, lowering the presser foot before stitching, adjusting stitch length for zigzag so it doesn't bunch up, needle unthreading every time. Some of those things are just new habits she needed to learn but I suspected a different sewing machine might help. This time we got out a little Brother XR-7700 that is computerized but has some nice features: speed control, needle up/down, wide variety of stitches, presets for stitch length and width, plus it won't stitch until the presser foot is down. Of course, it was lighter weight, too, and looks more modern so we gave that one a try.

Brother XR-7700

She picked out fabric for a pair of sleep shorts and I found a pattern and here's what she ended up making:

Sarina, 10, modeling her sleep shorts

It was her idea to add the eyelet cotton lace with ribbon even though it took another couple hours to accomplish that embellishment. We even washed them up in hopes of softening up the fabric but it didn't help too much. She said they were so cute she might just wear them around as regular shorts so we both called this a big success.

Lace and ribbon details on Sarina's shorts (love those socks!)

We had so much fun but it literally took all day to make that one pair of shorts. Lessons are slow and sometimes hard (on the teachers and the student). She is making good progress, even did some of the ironing this time although I had to move my hands out of the way quickly a few times. I like this approach to learning: quickly produce something to show for all of your effort so not much time spend on learning how to use the machine but to learn along the way. Remember sewing lines on paper when you learned to sew in Home Ec? I certainly didn't learn like that at home from my mom so didn't think we needed that kind of instruction for Sarina either.  Yet it would have helped with those sewing habits she needed to develop but she is learning them anyway.

What's up next? She said she would like to make a shirt next time to go with the shorts. I better start hunting through my stash to find something that would compliment those butterflies!

Cabinets, Again

What a fun sewing weekend I had, full of machines, sewing, interesting conversations, and even a freebee at the end. It all started with the outdoor furniture that needed to come down from the garage attic but, as usual, there were sewing machines in the way. Correction: there was a snow thrower in the wrong part of the garage so first it needed to be moved. There is space for it way at the back, at least during the off season, so that gives me hope for storage if not actual convenience when it needs to be used.

With that big baby out of the way I could see what was left: a whole lot of cabinets and all with machines in or on them. Before they got too tightly packed I took some photos so they are now ready to list for sale, at lease two of the treadles are now ready to go. The Davis in the stunning cabinet is going to be difficult to let go of since it has the vertical feed foot, very cool machine in a fantastic cabinet:

Parlor cabinet for Davis Vertical Feed

Davis vertical feed in treadle cabinet

Then comes the New Home treadle, with near perfect decals and a joy to treadle. I will be sorry to see it go, too:

New Home Vibrating Shuttle

New Home cabinet, a plain model but in excellent condition

Taking a look at the black metal box with accessories, it could use a little cleaning up so I took metal polish to them and the results were worth the effort:

Classic accessories for vibrating shuttle machine but now so shiny!

Some of this movement was made possible by the sale of a Necchi Mira in a compact cabinet. It held a near permanent spot in my kitchen:

Compact cabinet for Necchi Mira

Necchi Mira with Wonder Wheel

but it sold and not-to-let-a-spot-grow-cold a Brother in a similar cabinet moved from the garage into the kitchen:

Compact cabinet for Brother Sewing Machine

Brother (no model number)

There is a downfall to the Brother cabinet: it's missing the chair cushion. It is not just a matter of buying foam (already did that) but to construct a whole base for the seat and that's going to take getting out the saw and....well, my Power Tool for Women class last fall didn't prepare me enough to use my own power tools, just those in class. I have hopes of getting it out soon and finishing up this project but I'm so fond of that Brother model that I don't mind having it around a bit anyway. Cool cabinet, isn't it?

While I was home on Saturday I found an ad for a free sewing machine. No model number, no photo, but nearby. Turns out, even though I was second in line, the first person said it wasn't heavy duty enough for her sewing and took a pass on it. I buzzed on over but didn't have the Jeep so I knew I was going to have to take the head out of the small table. Without the proper tools, only have two screwdrivers with me, I ended up taking out eight screws in order to remove the hinges. But I got it all home, cleaned up and oiled, found a set of power cords and foot control that was missing, and away she went:

Elna 65C

She was very dirty but sound inside. The owner said he was actually going to toss the machine and burn the cabinet up in his backyard but just took the chance someone would want it. I sent him a text when it was all cleaned up with a stitch sample and he was amazed and glad it went to a good home. I'm happy, too, because it would be a shame to put something as fine as an Elna into a landfill. Another win-win for sewing machine nuts; if you are reading this, maybe you should join us, too? You would be in good company, very good company!