Bernina, Bernina, Where Have You Been So Long?

The title of today's post comes from the old song Corrina, Corrina:

Corrina, Corrina,
Gal, where you been so long?
Corrina, Corrina,
Gal, where you been so long?
I been worryin' 'bout you, baby,Baby, please come home.

I had a Bernina Record 730 given to me by a co-worker back in the summer of 2014 but it was a bit of a mixed blessing. The push button on the light didn't work and there was white smoke coming out of the motor! At the time I had Rick Engle, bless his heart, look at it and even though he changed one of the belts he had to admit the motor was on its way out. It came with all of its accessories, extension table, carrying case, all of the cords, but I had to put it away. Two years later I bought another one but it had a broken gear and I relegated it to a parts machine. Since I've been selling Bernina's lately I looked at what I had left and found the two parts machines, a Record 730 and a Minimatic 807. Could I use any of those parts now?

Bernina Record 730 with new light

Out came the 730 and the push button light situation. It was an easy replacement with only a few screws to remove the plate and two screws to remove the light. It worked perfectly so I was feeling a little bold and decided to test out the motor again only to find the white smoke. Could I just switch motors? Maybe. I took a look to see how they were being attached only to find four screws once they were released from the base plate. Let's give it a try!

Screws in only 4 places to attach the motor

First I removed the good motor from the parts machine and cleaned off the housing. It wasn't really bad, just grimy. I checked the brushes to find them in good shape, too. 

Brushes saved from the bad motor

Next I removed the bad motor, noting it was attached nearly the same but there are always little differences. I couldn't help but see how discolored the shield was over the wiring as noted below:

Amber colored shield circled

That's what it looked like inside of the motor, too: sticky and amber in color. All put back together with the housing cleaned up, it worked great. It's not a new motor but certainly functional and no more white smoke!

Motor in place

It might not be Corrina, Corrina, I've been worryin' about you baby but more like Bernina, Bernia, where have you been so long. Now she's back and working just fine.

Waste Not Want Not

I continue to use the pieced quilt blocks my sister made as it seems they are just too good to throw away. It also seems I keep getting better ideas for how to use them, too, but that just practice, practice, practice. At first I simply sewed the blocks together, added a layer of cotton batting and backing, a bit of free motion quilting, and it was fashioned into a sewing machine cover:

Cover for a Bernina

 Then I figured out how to sew them together with sashing between the blocks and free motion quilting on the sashing:

Free motion on the sashing

Not bad but I really stink at free motion: how much practice does it take? Maybe I'm impatient (just ask DH) but after hours of practice I"m still very much a beginner. For my next project, I got out fabric for sashing but decided since I wanted a cover for my Viking Designer 1, maybe I should use some of the features available to highlight what it could do. On the horizontal bands I added decorative stitching but on the vertical bands I wanted to make the stitching fill the space. This entailed downloading designs, copying to a 3.5" floppy via Sew-What-Pro software, setting up the embroidery arm, and trying to remember how this all works. It was so much fun!

Here's the front panel (that became the back when it wasn't centered):

Oops, a little to the right

Back panel that is now the front (live and learn):

A little low but much better with different colors

Now I needed to make the side panels and here was a blank slate to fill and two of them to boot. Looking at the free to download patterns wasn't quite what I wanted but $5 downloads didn't seem right either. I found a site where there were many $1-2 downloads and hundreds of sewing themed designs, too. Here's the first side:

Scissors, tomoato pincushion, thread: it's all there!

It was fun to pick colors (glad I bought spools of embroidery thread from several ads and offerings) and watch the machine put it all together. The fabric is fairly stiff but in my naivete I put it in the hoop with batting and backing, too. That could have been a disaster but it actually turned out fine. I had something similar for the other side but it seemed like overkill and would take several hours to complete so I opted for a simpler design:

Pink letters with green leaves

Reminding myself to check the bobbin, I promptly put the hoop in the machine and started stitching away but forgetting to reload the bobbin. The pink words were all finished and halfway through the green leaves I get a broken upper thread symbol and a stoppage.  I rethread the top thread but the message doesn't go away. I'm pretty sure this has to be an empty bobbin but it's not the bobbin symbol so what do I do now? To get to the bobbin I need to pull off the embroidery unit...and it turns out that's not a good idea. Although I get the bobbin changed when I put it all back together it starts all over again. That's right, from the very beginning. No, no, no... I reread the manual (not covered), check the files and conversations on the D1 Yahoo group, but can't seem to find out how to advance to the spot I left off. I took my own advice and walked away, hoping for inspiration.

Help came from another Viking D1 owner who has given me help before: Virginia came to my rescue! I sent off a tearful email about what I was trying to do, what happened, and pleaded for guidance. After shoveling snow and checking on dinner Virginia sent back detailed steps on how to get back to where I needed to be. It was right in front of me but I just didn't understand and her instructions made it so clear. I was back in business, finished up the panel, and got it all together with the help of a serger for the seams. Overall it's pretty good, fits perfectly, used up more of the blocks, and will keep my sewing machine clean when it is idle. It's never idle? Of course it has to sit and wait while I work on other sewing machines or tend to projects that do not use such a fine sewing machine, such as the hot mitts and jean repair.

So many sewing machines, so little time...

Surprises

Lately I've been repairing more sewing machines even though I'm still selling. Last week I got a call from Lois who was looking for one of my Singer sewing machines she saw on Craigslist. The white Featherweight? No, she didn't think so as it was black but I didn't have a black Singer listed. After calling her husband into the game it was decided they would come over to see if I could repair her Singer and would look at one of mine if I couldn't fix hers. Even though I asked which model she had I didn't get a definitive answer but that was okay: I would deal with it when they came.

Saturday morning Lois arrived and her husband came in with a cardboard box that was put on the kitchen table. I opened it up to find:

Humble cardboard box

Singer 221

a Singer 221, aka the Featherweight. What? Lois had never heard this nickname for her old sewing machine and looked at her husband when I told her it was a valuable model. They quietly related their story of buying it in the early '60's over at the little Singer store in Apache Plaza, an early enclosed shopping center near Minneapolis. Apache Plaza suffered a memorable tornado in 1984 and closed in 2004, before I moved to Minnesota but I have heard many stories about it. To them it was just the sewing machine she always used for mending and hemming his pants and he noted he was "vertically challenged."

Although it looked okay, the handwheel was not moving a full rotation and was sticking somewhere. I took the needle out and the bobbin case but it was still not moving yet the bobbin case looked odd. It had black crusty marks on it and I asked what had happened but neither of them knew. I figured I could puzzle it out and said I would get it in working order in a week and they could come back to pick it up. No problem since Lois said he still had other pants to wear. As they were walking out the door they mentioned it had a case but it wasn't much and got destroyed in "the flood." Lois looked at him quizzically and he explained about the leak in the plumbing and the the resulting water in the basement. That was clue one.

Damaged bobbin case

As I took it apart, I could see that it had been cared for and was in good shape as far as the gears and motor were concerned, just a bit dull on the finish of the exterior. What caused it to seize up? Rust from long ago that had built up on the shaft of the hook and the hook itself but had turned black over time. Scraping it away reveled the familiar red rust underneath that I could remove by soaking in Evaporust, sanding with emory cloth, and just sheer persistence. Cleaning the exterior of the machine revealed some mottling that was under the dirt on the top, probably more exposure to the moisture than the other parts.The decals were quite good and the bed cleaned up nicely but had really been used with many dings on its surface but it was meant to be used!

Singer 221 ready to sew again

 This just goes to show you one man's utility is another man's treasure. For Lois, this was her trusty little sewing machine that was handy but old and maybe she should think about an upgrade. At that point I could have easily talked her into another sewing machine and taken her's in as a trade. That would be dishonest as this was very repairable and resale would be excellent. If you are a regular reader of Sewing Machine Mavin I hope you know I wouldn't do that! It's going back home with Lois and will enjoy many more years of repairs but she might not drop it off at Goodwill when they downsize but consider selling it or giving it to a beloved grandchild. She does have my business card, just in case.

Knitting and Sewing

Sometimes my interest in crafts spills over into other areas and it all seems to work out for a benefit. I've taken an interest in cleaning up my knitting needle collection and decided it was time to have a nice set of needles and to get this mess of a collection tuned up. Turning to Ebay, I bought an Aero set of needles in a red vinyl case with hints of the 1960's:

Aero case open and back and front of the case

It came in pretty good shape but was missing size 2 and 9 but I already had a size 2 and ordered a size 9 in Susan Bates Quicksilver via Walmart and will pick up later this week. That left my old case with only a few needles worth keeping:

My 1970's knitting needle case with vinyl inside and tapestry exterior

except for my double pointed and circular needle sets. Of course, I could buy a new case but they never seemed to be the right size and configuration so I decided to make my own. Here's the planning process:

Here are the contents I'm trying to store

I picked out a fabric I liked and laid them all out, taking ideas from Pinterest. Trying to get everything in and then some type of closure, I ended up with this:

Final knitting needle case with fold-down flap to hold needles in place

Although I prefer to have a zippered case, keeping them secure and the logistics of sewing in that zipper...I went with a roll:

Snug as a bug in a rug!

There is a decorative fabric, stiff interfacing, cotton batting, and a lining fabric to make up a nice padded, yet firm, surface. I couldn't just sew it together but had to add a touch of decorative sewing:

Flower stitch on pocket edge and trim that hides seam on circular needles pockets

I did most of the sewing on my Viking Designer 1 with a bit of serging with my Bernina 1100 serger. I'm happy with the end result and it got me to sort and weed out needles I had simply collected and didn't use or need. Many of the needles are going to the upcoming Textile Center garage sale but I also made up a nice set with something I picked up at the Goodwill Outlet:

Knitting needle case full of needles and supplies

Although it was a nice zipper case, it was made out of a quilted fabric that was not heavy enough to support all of its contents. I do admire the zipper, though but decided I would let this one go.

I'm still trying to work on my felting skills and have a new knitted slipper pattern I'm trying out. New needles and old yarn, I'm all organized and having fun. With all of the snow we got yesterday that needs to be shoveled, I can rest between stints of shoveling with my knitting.

Next up: a couple who didn't know they had a valuable sewing machine.

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!

Going Out On Their Own

The set of Bernina 1006-1008's that I acquired in November and wrote about in Triplets and Speed Demons and Slow Pokes have finally been put together enough to list for sale. At least two of them have good cords and foot controls and one has an accessory box and extra feet. That will make one a very nice machine and the other one a good buy! The third one is going to have to wait on the shelf until more parts come along to be set-to-rights. Here's what happened to the Bernina 1008 that is oh so complete.

As written about earlier, these machines came to me a cast-offs from a school and needed some TLC and did they get it. All cleaned up, tuned up, and ready to run, they still were missing the accessory box, extension table, and a nice set of feet. There are not many accessory boxes out there for sale and I needed to be sure they would fit the models I had. Over the past six weeks there have been three or four on Ebay and included fairly large sets of feet but they also came with large price tags, out of my reach. I finally did find one and managed to outbid everyone and it came in the mail in great shape:

Bernina 1000-1008 accessory box

Bernina accessory box on back of the machine extends the work space

and it fit! Quite impressed, I now needed to add some of the Bernina presser feet but that proved to be a bit of a challenge, too. There is a whole evolution of presser feet from Bernina and this style was considered the "old style" in contrast to the "new style" but are not the "old, old style" that I had so many extras lying around. Here's the difference:

Old version on left with small prongs, old-old version on right with thicker prongs

The newer feet had narrow prongs/fittings; that means they can be used on the older sewing machines but the old, old style cannot be used on this newer model because they are too thick. Pretty tricky on their part, huh? As with so many of these items for sale, there are more of the old, old style and not so many of the old style so they seem to sell at a higher cost. I even found some large sets but they had mixed up the different types and had old, old with old. Yes, I could buy them all and save those I didn't need yet but it's still fairly expensive! A small set finally did come my way:

Three came together and I found a fourth in my stash

and they will go to the 1008. Feeling a bit successful yet still knowing these sewing machines were incomplete, I decided to pursue the larger, more expensive sets. I wrote to the seller asking if I could get a deal if I bought two of them. Yes, not a huge deal but $20 less for each one so I took the offer. They were delivered in record time and, boy, was I excited: they were not only perfect but complete:

Wow: does it get any more complete than a rack of feet AND accessories?

Top of box opens for easy access

Although they cost more I ended up getting so much more. I feel confident when selling these lovely Bernina sewing machines that the new owner will have everything they need. In fact, I'm even going to purchase a new foot control and power cord so they are all working perfectly because they are worth it. What's the big deal about this particular sewing machine? It is not only excellent quality, they are easy to use, have a better quality of stitches, portable, and good for a beginner as well as someone wanting/needing to upgrade their beginner sewing machine.

While waiting for all of these different parts to arrive and Super Bowl LII to start (and in Minnesota it was a pretty big deal, even if we weren't playing) I made up another sewing machine cover with those quilt blocks from my sister. This time I tried out my own designs for the free motion work on the front and sides:

Pin cushion motif

Scissor outline

discovering you do have to pad the work with batting so it will have the dimension necessary to show it off.  The sewing machine outline had to be done twice so not that great but I was very happy with the pincushion, something I simply drew put and stitched. Sometimes simple is better.

Sewing machine outline before stitching (no padding)

All sewn together, I like how it turned out. I would try the free motion again but I'm not into the quilt piecing as much as I would like and it just isn't necessary when making a sewing machine cover. But who ever said it was about necessity?

Quilt block sewing machine cover with free motion embellishment

Lots of Blocks

When my sister Mindy came to visit in November we finished her quilt tops, sorted through bins of fabric and clothes, and just had fun together. In the end I took several of her "extra" sewing machines, quilt blocks, and cut squares of fabric from one of the quilt tops. I fully planned on donating them to the Textile Center Garage Sale in April but when I needed something to sew on to test out the Singer 66 with lotus decals, I thought about the extra blocks and what I could do with them. It seems I always need sewing machine covers and tote bags so I laid out some of the blocks to see what I could come up with:

Block arrangement: what's up, Meg?

Okay, something was wrong with this and even my cat, Meg, knew it, but my husband got into the act and here's a better arrangement:

This looks better and ready for quilting

Just like a tote bag, the wasn't going to be seen as a whole like you would see it as a quilt, so I wasn't too concerned with the lights and darks of the fabrics. After basting the top, batting, and bottom layers together, I only stitched it in a few places over the plaids so it would hold it in place but not show. Then I had the dilemma of what to do with those large beige centers. I kept coming back to free motion embroidery so I found a pattern and traced it in one of the centers with old fashioned dressmakers tracing paper. Boy, this was harder than I thought but the results are okay if you don't look too close:

Next up, I tried a wash out pen that I could see better but it still was a lot of tiny stitches:

For the final one I used a pen that would fade over time and it still was not as smooth stitching or longer length.: this is going to take much more practice!

As I said, don't look too close but over all a nice first try:

Now I had to figure out how to actually get this to fit over the machine but that turned out to be easy by making a large box as I have done with tote bags except the opening faces down, not up. All of the inside seams were bound in bias tape, boxed at the top and bound, with the same binding around the bottom edge. Since this was to fit over a Bernina 730, I used one of their decorative stitches along the bottom edge, too:

Back

Front (or is that the back? I can't tell!)

Top: this I'm sure of!

When I put it all back together I decided it needed a bag for the accessories so I got out some of the cut squares and made up a lined bag and put a zipper in the top so nothing is going to go sailing out:

Zippered bag for the accessories

It was a nice way to use up those really nice blocks, practice a new skill of free motion embroidery, and get another very nice sewing machine ready to be sold:

Bernina Record 730 ready for its new cover

A classic cover for a classic Bernina Record 730 sewing machine, complete with knee control, Bernina bobbins, and a nice set of feet. Thank you, Mindy, for your donation of the quilt squares now put to use. There's that old saying "Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without" and I think this project hit on almost all of those, don't you?