Getting Fancy

I haven't been too excited about embroidery sewing machines because the end product usually doesn't impress me. Either it's too amateurish or looks too much like mass production. Then a classic Viking Husqvarna #1+ came to me (as if it dropped out of the sky?) and I found out it would embroider with an attachment. I love its predecessor, the Viking 1100 with its interchangeable cassettes, then came the #1 with interchangeable cassettes, but an improved version of the 1100. Hey, if you are named #1 there are high hopes for performance but the #1+ is just that: numero uno with extras. Of course, I had to find the embroidery unit. Here's the one I found, complete with extra cassettes:

Carry case with unit on right, cassettes on left (so many!)

Putting all of it together, I had cassettes A (on machine), B, C, D, E, F, L, M, N and 1. In order to use the unit, I needed a computer card that matched the number card so I was on the hunt for a #1 card. This is not to be confused with a cassette:

Cassette on top and the card on the bottom

After looking for a few weeks I found not only one but two at reasonable prices so I waited with baited breath for the one I ordered from Etsy. It came on a busy day but I found time at 10:30 pm to get things all set up and here's what I tried:

No. 20 and 24 from cassette #1

That is a simple outline design, suggested use for quilt motifs, with a floral spray overlaid. It worked! There were a few lessons along the way (need to slide the hoop onto the arm) and much practice but now I need that shiny embroidery thread. That lead me to a site where I WON $100! That's right, I got an email in December telling me my name was put in a drawing for a free gift  at Sewing Machines Plus because I reviewed one of their products. I did? For $100 you bet I did! Here's what I ordered:

• Gingher spring loaded scissors
• three different kinds of serger needles
• Kai left handed shears
• set of 18 spools of Madeira Aerofil embroidery thread

I'm waiting for the thread (back ordered) but I'm very pleased with new scissors. I wanted to get something that I normally wouldn't buy for myself but would be great to have so the thread and scissors fit the bill but my practical side came out with the serger needles. Will I shop at SewingMachinesPlus now that I've spent my gift? I will check there and shop their sales but I don't buy new sewing machines online. I don't buy new sewing machines at all but there are always foot controls and presser feet needed for the vintage sewing machines.

Here's one last look at the Viking Husqvarna #1+ with the embroidery unit installed with hoop, ready to go:

What's next? I think I'm going to read the instructions over and over again and get stitching something fancy!

Stitches

A sewing machine blog should only be about sewing, right? I'm going to break my own rule and write about knitting for this one blog post. Although I've been sewing longer than knitting, I did learn to knit when I was ten, getting help from a friends' aunt. A long time ago I knit a sweater for a boyfriend that was by far my biggest project to date that has somewhat stood the test of time:

Green cable-knit sweater 1971

Pattern from McCalls Needlework & Crafts Winter 1971-72

 It was hidden away in a drawer until I saw the exact same sweater on a teenage girl when I was at the checkout counter at JoAnn's Fabrics in DeKalb, Illinois. I remarked that her sweater looked very familiar and she said it was her dad's and her mom let her wear it: she was just loving it! I went home and brought mine out of a bottom drawer and showed it to my own teenage daughter who said she would love to wear it so it went into her drawer. It traveled over the years with her through many jobs and moves and at one point I even re-sewed the seams. Finally it was just too delicate to be worn anymore as it was wool that probably wasn't the best of quality but all I could afford at the time. Fast forward a few decades and I get the itch to knit for my daughter again and we both agree a new sweater from that old pattern would be great. We pick out the yarn online together and find a color that closely matched the original but with less yellow in the green.

Old Sweater on left, new on right

  I've been knitting on that sweater since June 2013, taking the front completely apart since it was turning out too small. Sewing machines and their demand on my spare time pushed this project to the back burner but cold weather and a new-to-us series on PBS, A Place to Call Home, finally got me to sit down and knit. Even when the knitting was done I needed to block each piece:

Sleeve pinned to ironing board for wet cloth steaming

and then the final sewing together of the entire sweater, weaving in the loose ends. But it is done:

2016 edition (sorry about the color: it's really green!)

I sent my daughter a text telling her I had a package for her: when could we meet up? Today she came over to my work and we had lunch together but only after she got a look at the sweater and modeled it for me:

Kelly in her new 1971/2016 sweater

It was everything she wanted it to be and this time it was knit with a better yarn with Cascade 220 Superwash in color 1919 (Turtle). It really was a joy to work with this yarn and nice to have a project that was going to give a loved one so much joy. So this blog post might not be about sewing machines but it is about stitching and a love of the process as well as the product. And, yeah, a love for the girl who will wear it!

Super Supernovas

A few of you have chuckled about my "wall of shame" where I referred to a whole collection of Vikings that might not ever get fixed (but I do have a goal of fixing them). Now I fear I have a shelf of Necchi's that might have to be labeled a "shelf of shame" due to their various failures and mine.

Tuesday dawned and I was finally going to get my international shipping accomplished. There was a hold-up at the post office at my work and they finally said we-don't-know-what-to-do and I ended up taking the Domestic sewing machine to my local USPS. Only five minutes of looking at my forms and the paid receipt I received six hours after payment, they slapped the labels on and said GO! I headed on over to one of my favorite resale stores because it's senior day on Tuesday = 40% off. And there it was, a Necchi Supernova. Very dirty, in a cabinet, crumbling wires, but it was a Necchi! All of the moving parts moved but I knew this was dangerous ground so I walked away. Please note: I walked away. Once home I told my husband and he said "So where is it?" and I had to brag about my severe restraint: I didn't buy it...until I asked. We headed back and looked it over, figuring it wasn't a bad deal at $6. That's right, $6.

One very dirty Supernova

We got it home and I took it out of the cabinet immediately and started to put new wires on it. I used the same foot control but all new wire and their plug for the machine and my new plug for the wall outlet. We plugged it in and the foot control crackled. STOP! After much discussion I used a different foot control: SMOKE. So again it was STOP but now the multi-meter came out and all of the connections were tested. It was decided since both of the foot controls were older and untested maybe we just had two bad ones? I retried with a know good foot control and got the same result: crackling. Upon closer inspection of the plug into the machine, it looked like it I might have pushed the points into the wrong "lanes" on the cord, causing it to feed back into itself. That sounds very confusing so here's a photo:

Wire lays down into the channel (top) and covered with plate (bottom)

Not sure what's going to happen now but I'll clean her up and set aside until I can get more information about this model. In the meantime, I have another one that is working but has been languishing. I get it out and try to remember what was not working right and it comes down to the cams not turning.

Center spindle for the cam sorta turns but since there are no cams to fit maybe it does work right?

 Even more important, I do not have a cam that fits this model and I have two sets, just not for this one. Sigh. I put it back with notes on the label and hope I can find the right cams. Always hopeful.

One final look at that very dirty Supernova:

Yea, she needs a good cleaning and that's going to have to be enough for now. Shelf of shame? She joins two others that are for parts. Always hopeful.

New Leaf

The Big Room Switch continues as I sort and arrange the supply of sewing machines and all of the paraphernalia that goes along with repairing and selling them. Now that I'm past the shock of it and getting some of the less glamorous parts taken care of (boxes of foot controls, motors, and electrical parts) I've been able to examine some of the machines that have sat idle too long without any solution or even a label. I decided I needed something that could take the place of the large table that held so many of the repair supplies and found this rolling set of mesh baskets on Craigslist:

IKEA cart

It's really pretty big but I love how much it holds and with wheels I can pull it out to get to the shelves behind it, when necessary. There is a small cabinet next to this, holding a Singer 15-91, that I can put a machine on as a small workbench. It's not ideal but it does fit and works for most of the jobs I do. Bigger jobs will still require me to use the dining room table but it's not a bad compromise.

As I was checking up on various sewing machines that were a bit of a mystery, I found this one way in the back:

White 674

The case was marked "White - stitches" so I expected it to not stitch quite right. Nope, not a thing wrong with her. She is just lovely with a good stitch and she sounds so quiet. Accessories still need to be gathered but I think I'm going to pass on finding the right set of cams for decorative stitches. I've had this model before and know that the designs on the cams are a bit weird and they are difficult to remove. It still stitches zig zag and straight stitches with reverse and can even drop its feed dogs so it's a great basic machine. The case is in poor shape so I want to recover it and then find someone who will love it!

There were some machines that I found I don't have the skills to repair so I set them aside to work on over the summer because I'm going to get those skills real soon: I registered for Ray Whites Sewing Machine Repair Class April 21-23! I'm so excited! My husband has agreed to drive down to Missouri with me even though he's not taking the class, we have reservations at a local motel, and I got the class reservation confirmation this morning. Yea! There are rave reviews for his class and I think this is what I need to fill in the gaps of what I've learned ...but not enough or the right way. I'll keep you informed of my progress!

My wall of shame is turning into more of a storage unit but here's how it looked after a weekend of organizing:

This will motivate me to sell, sell, sell so I can walk around in there and keep me from buying that next "bargain" when I already have one of those models. Whew! The sewing takes place on the other side of the room and I hope to be getting back to that very soon. It does feel good to have all of this in one place and I'm not too mad at my husband about it now - but don't tell him that.

Going International

Although I write about vintage sewing machines and all kinds of sewing topics in this blog, I have a business of buying, refurbishing, and selling these sewing machines, too. The average sales are about one per week over the course of the year, possibly on the uptick this year, but it's all done locally. Until now.

In a prior post about a cool cabinet I refinished the top on and supplied it with a different sewing machine, I showed the original sewing machine, a Domestic 725:

Domestic 725

It's rather cool looking, a bit like art deco, no?

1939 home called Monte Vista in San Antonio

Imagine my surprise when I got an email from John who also admired this sewing machine and said he more than admired it, he wanted to buy it. I have yet to ship any sewing machine although I've received a few in shipments so I know how it's done. Here's the kicker: John lives in Scotland. I not only get to ship my first sewing machine out but it's international to boot!

Many emails go back and forth while try to figure out how to do this as painlessly as possible. Fortunately, USPS has you do all of it online, only having to get the correct weight from the post office which I can easily do from the post office at work. John will pay, I will ship, all will be happy but not yet. Here's how the packing up goes:

• Wrap accessories up in bubble wrap, tape package together (was in two parts).
• Wrap knee controller and power cord in bubble wrap, tape package together.
• Wrap entire upper arm and bed of the machine in bubble wrap, nesting accessory packages on the bed and filling in space with bubble wrap. 
• Pack bubble wrap into base, continuing to wrap and tape.
• Wrap sharp corners with firm Styrofoam packing material and overwrap and tape.
• Wrap more bubble wrap around entire head, taping firmly.

Sewing machine head wrapped with controller in front

• Place in box and fit more bubble wrap into sides and bottom. Add wrapped controller/cord and paper manual. Include address of sender and destination on piece of paper.
• Tape box shut and firmly tape.

Box 1

• Place box inside of a larger box.
•  Place firm foam rubber around sides, filling in any space with firm fiberfill.

Box 1 with foam padding inside Box 2

• Tape box securely.

Now it's finally ready to get weighed but it is still under 30 pounds on our home scale. Whew! It's ready to set sail going to a country I've never been to. Sail away, Domestic 725: John awaits your arrival!

Moving Day

Long weekends can be wonderful and also challenging. We are in a deep freeze with two weekends in a row having below zero temps and wicked windchill so it's a good time to stay inside and sew. Taking a look at my UFO's (unfinished objects), I made up a black gingham apron with a corner of a vintage tablecloth for accent:

Gingham was almost cream so went nice

 

 with tablecloth corner

Loved how easy it was and practical, too. Next up was a girls dress from "Girls Style Book" by Tsukiori in chambray with red gingham bias trim. These patterns are easy with simple lines that just beg for interesting fabrics or embellishment.

Pretend it's pressed and pins out of the hem!

Next up was the Kenmore 158-1980 where I had two models, sold one to a nice young couple, but the second one seemed to be doomed. Carolyn was interested but she wanted one with the bobbin case that would come out easily with just a small screw driver (or pin) to pull out the yellow "wings"that releases the case. This is especially good when you use fabric that is linty and you need to clean out the bobbin area frequently, a feature on my original Kenmore and I also grew to love it. When I sat down to make sure the machine was going to show its good side, it did not have the easy-release bobbin case. What? I was sure it did but maybe that was the machine that went to the young couple. Oh no, Carolyn was not going to like this but it was too late to get a hold of her. Besides, now that I was stitching that wasn't going well either. It was somewhat of a perfect storm of mistakes but Carolyn was gracious, tried sewing with it and explained her job as a professional seamstress. This was only going to be a back-up sewing machine but she did have to have the removable bobbin case. I was mad at myself for this big goof but we parted amicably. Now I had the time to take a look at my bobbin cases and try out two of the type she wanted.

Like this one (but cleaner!)

 It fit! I was ready to call her to relay the big news but then I sewed with it. Tension was very wrong (oh yeah, it was a different bobbin case) and the swing of the needle in zig zag left many skipped stitches. Sigh.

With an extra day at home, I had two wonderful ladies coming from a Friends of the Library group to buy sewing machines. Evidently, they had way too many young teens asking for books on how to sew and they wanted to give sewing lessons on sewing machines, ones that would work well and not be too expensive. They knew they hit the mother load when they saw my "Learn to Sew Sewing Machines" ad on Craigslist. With six sewing machines set up on the kitchen/dining table, they tried all six and said "Let's take them all!" so I was one happy business woman. They announced they would be back to buy machines for themselves so now we are friends!

After they left I had the task of moving my sewing room from one side of the basement to the other. It was decided it might be better to have all of my sewing stuff together and all of the "other" storage stuff in the spare room. Now, these are small rooms at best but it was going to be a big task. At the end of the day, all of it got moved but it's not a pretty sight:

Somewhat a "wall of shame" huh?

By count, there are 75 sewing machines either in portable cases or just as heads, and then about eight sergers, too. Something is going to have to be done. Next I prioritized my inventory with good machines on shelves with model numbers, machines that need help in the floor or listed for $10, and hopeless were broken down for parts. This is a big project but I hope it makes for less chaos in the end. Maybe this is what is due for having way too many sewing machines and not enough time or skill to fix them. Another sigh.

But hope does seem to spring eternal: I sat down with the Kenmore in hopes of getting it straightened out and last night it finally worked! There were some adjustments to the needlebar I had only done a few times before but it seemed I needed to finesse the width and position of the zig zag and move the needle bar down. Since I could not seem to get it to move down, upon closer inspection I did find out I could move it forward and backward. A small adjustment forward seemed to help the thread to catch in the hook on the left and right side of the zig zag. Much practice and "settling in" produced a fine stitch, even at the widest width.  This was indeed a silver lining.

Kenmore 158-1980

Industrial Strength

Since the sewing machine garage sale I've been in touch with Tess who has been trying her best to fill orders for her hand made dog collars. Business is booming but her sewing machines have been giving her problems. The lovely little Kenmore 148-273 in a compact desk went home with her but, even though she loves it, there were problems with the heavy materials she was working with:

Kenmore 148-273

The belt kept slipping, stitches weren't quite what she had hoped for, and there were many emails back and forth while we tried to make this work. Finally I loaned her my Singer 201-2 since she needed something more heavy duty. I did advise her to seek out an industrial sewing machine since she needed piercing power for the nylon webbing and even sent a few links to local models for sale. I was trying to take a look at one, the Consew CP-206R but couldn't get the seller to answer back. Now I know why: Tess got there before me and bought it. Way to go Tess! There were still problems and I didn't know anything about this machine so I wasn't much help until I saw another ad for the same model. What? Was Tess trying to sell hers? Nope, another one came up for sale and I got it:

Consew CP 206R

It came in a portable case, something of a rarity for an industrial sewing machine, just perfect for the occasional user. I shied away from industrial's since they usually came with big, heavy tables with large motors than are mounted underneath. But I keep getting inquiries from people who would like to buy one so now I'm ready to start exploring at least this portable model.

Walking foot mechanism on back of the presser foot

The Consew CP 206R is a straight stitch with reverse walking foot sewing machine that does only one thing but does it so well. I downloaded a free manual but was scared to start stitching. There were warnings about throwing off the timing if you don't start the stitches right so I was very careful...but still got knots and loops of thread underneath. I stopped and got back in touch with Tess. She already had her's serviced and the man showed her how to use it. Well, I wasn't going to do that since I had the receipt for recent service on mine, I just needed to know how to get it started. Online videos were suggested so I watched portions of a very long one that gave me some good tips:

1. Start with threads pulled out the back and hold them there.
2. Put needle into fabric then lower presser foot.
3. Move handwheel to make the first couple of stitches.
4. With take up lever high up but in the decending position (going down) put foot on the foot control and give it some gas.
5. Let the machine start and sew without me moving the handwheel: do not touch it!

That's what worked for me; apparently, if you get your hand in there to assist the handwheel you can mess it up. Now it stitched! It's pretty loud and feels stiff but I got it to stitch with the very heavy thread that came with it. Now I just needed a project to work on.

Back of Consew with black bars of the walking foot mechanism

I remembered a set of heavy fabric placemats that I had started on so I got them out of my UFO (UnFinished Objects) storage and gave them a try. I didn't like the look of the heavy black thread so I tried some khaki colored thread that matched the thread I used on the one I had already quilted. It worked! On the first one I had used a quilting bar that measured the correct distance but there was no place to insert the bar with the walking foot on the Consew.  I ended up drawing stitch lines with marking chalk/soap and it went much faster. I couldn't tell the first one made on a regular sewing machine and those made with the industrial sewing machine. I added the bias binding and then hand-stitched it on the reverse side:

Yup, even camouflage on the table

Did they turn out better? Nope: they all look exactly the same. Was it easier? Maybe just a touch but what I noticed was when I came to the intersection of stitches it sailed right over them, no puckering or hesitation. Maybe this wasn't that heavy of a project but the camouflage fabric is canvas-like so with the batting and heavy backing fabric it was heavy enough to cause my regular sewing machines to labor. I'm very happy to put these placemats in my Etsy shop and I notified the person who requested them (sorry it took me ten months to get them done!) and now maybe I won't have to shy away from using heavy fabrics and projects like this. I'll keep it for awhile and when someone wants to buy one of my sewing machines for their heavy projects I can ask "Would you like to see the portable industrial sewing machine I have for sale?" I can speak more knowledgeably than just you-need-an-industrial-sewing-machine response. Honestly, I had about six people in the past year who might have bought this machine...but maybe I'll keep it.