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Topics - BrendaP

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61
I saw this & I thought you may be interested! / 201k Aluminium
« on: August 19, 2017, 20:04:11 PM »
I collected my 'new' machine this afternoon and have been playing familiarising myself with her since.

One of 15,000 released in May 1957 it's in pretty good shape.  A bit of fluff around the bobbin and feed dog area and feels a bit dry and so has had a good dose of oil.  It doesn't run quite as smoothly as my 1949 model - which is maybe too easy it tends to run-on a bit after the pedal is released.  I don't think this one has had anything near as much use as the older one.

It came with a pretty standard box of accessories:
Ruffler, hemmer, edge stitcher, gathering/shirring foot, hemmer foot, binder foot, under-braider and 3 metal screwdrivers and a stiletto.  Also a separate zipper/piping foot, 10 bobbins, 2 guides for attaching to small scissors guide for cutting binding strips (methinks a rotary cutter and acrylic ruler is better!) assorted needles and a spool of shirring elastic - but no 201 instruction book!  And no 1/8" markings on the needle plate :S

Also included was a Stoppax hemstitch fork and a Stoppax darner attachment - I've never seen one of those before but it makes any foot bounce up and down for free motion or can be twisted round and out of use.  Fiddly to attach but can be left in place for regular sewing.  An expensive little bit of coiled metal - in 1955 when purchase tax increased it went up to 5 shillings and 6 pence in UK and currently https://singer-featherweight.com have sold out and they were charging nearly 35 US dollars!

There is also something which I think is a zig-zagger, but it doesn't have a Simanco number, it just says 'Made in Japan'.

All in all not bad for £30.  Worth that for the attachments alone.  0_0

62
Vintage Machines / Vintage Husqvarna
« on: August 11, 2017, 20:37:46 PM »
I have a leaflet/brochure, inherited from a dressmaking tutor in the Adult Ed college where I used to work, outlining the history of Husqvarna sewing machines.  It dates from the 1970s, possibly to celebrate the centenary of their first sewing machine although that's not stated anywhere.  Could be useful if you want to date a Husqvarna/Viking machine.

63
Overlockers & Coverstitchers / Overlocker - best buy.
« on: July 13, 2017, 15:25:59 PM »
Another snippet of info from the machine repair man - some of the best domestic overlockers around are those sold in Aldi or Liddle for about £100.  Apparently they are copies of something or other made under licence and have a Singer badge on them, but they work well.

He was of course suitably scathing of modern plasticy Singers and Husqvarna sewing machines.

64
Vintage Machines / Balance Wheel Jammed
« on: July 09, 2017, 12:26:48 PM »
I've started sewing with my new Featherweight - patchwork piecing and all was going well with good stitches and tension.  The belt sliped occasionally but not really a problem, but  then  I stopped to adjust the fabric, and suddenly the mottor whirred and nothing happened; the bbalce wheel is jammed and doesnt turn!  If the inner clutch wheel is released it does turn.

Any suggestions as to what is going on please.

65
Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside / Wedding Present
« on: July 05, 2017, 21:35:00 PM »
I had a surprise phone call this afternoon; Terry's cousin and his partner of many years are getting married at the beginning of September 0_0

I'd like to make them a quilt for a wedding present but how ambitious can I be sizewise given that there's barely eight weeks to get it done in.  In other words how small can a quilt be and still be a proper quilt? -<

Initially I'm thinking of maybe one of Judy Martin's log cabin designs - all straight strips so no diagonals to cope with, but also they lend themselves to scrappy, using lots of fabrics so I could get stuck in straight away using stash.

66
Vintage Machines / Featherweight 221-K-1
« on: July 04, 2017, 23:14:24 PM »
I'm now the proud new owner of a Singer Featherweight  0_0  Bought from a friend who's 'decluttering' as she's thinking of downsizing.  I've named her Thirza after my friend's late mother who was her previous owner.

She was born May 1949 and has been well looked after.  There are a couple of marks on the extension plate (not where it hits the faceplate thumbscrew) but the decals are all in good condition.  Jean told me that she had had it serviced but then only used it a couple of times and I think that shows as there was no muck, grime or fluff to clean away.

The only problem seems to be that the belt is a bit slack.  It sews OK but sometimes it's necessary to flick the hand wheel to get it started.  Are they difficult to change, or difficult to get hold of?

It came with the instruction book, just two bobbins (plus another 2 which might be class 66 bobbins but they don't look quite the same as those I have for  the 201) and only the standard foot, but that's no problem, I think the attachments for the 201, apart from bobbins, will fit?

67
160 page paperback book with CD of templates.

See it on Amazon

I have two of them so offering one for £12 including postage

68
Very similar to the red one which I already have.

Tried and tested it's in working order.  Complete with feed coverplate, long thumb screw for attaching and instruction booklet.

£20 including postage.

69
Access All Accessories / Sewing machine cover
« on: May 21, 2017, 23:28:45 PM »
I've spent most of the day working on a cover for Caroline my  :vintage: 201  Just three pieces based on the awkward to use bentwood case she came with.

Yesterday I received the bits and bobs for the bag I plan to make for the Japanese Sewalong and this included Vilene Decovil and Vilene Style-Vil.

Decovil is a very stiff iron-on interfacing similar weight to pelmet buckram.
Style-Vil is a layer of foam rubber (about 1/4 inch thick) sandwiched between scrim, similar but thicker than the foam used for bra cups.

I used the cranes fabric I'd been pondering about over in the Japanese Sewalong thread.  Interfaced all three pieces with medium weight interfacing and then added the Decovil to the two end pieces.  Lovely and stiff.  That used up all the spare Decovil.  For the main piece there was just enough Style-Vil, only mms left over, but it's not iron on so a bit of quilting, a few straight lines  should do it....Oh no! :S

I tried several times with Caroline to run a straight line down the middle to start.  It was all basted very firmly and I reduced the foot pressure but no matter what, the bottom layer moved through much faster than the top layer.  So I tried with Vera  :sew: and the walking foot.  Exactly the same :angry:  I think it must be something to do with the squashiness of the foam.  :devil:  Note to self - don't use that stuff again for anything which is to be quilted.

Last resort - hand quilt it :thread:  It's only got the minimum amount of of big-stitch quilting to hold the layers together but it wasn't easy and I've got sore fingers :(

I've now got the three pieces joined together - WS to WS - so all that's left to do is cut some binding and stitch it over the seams and the bottom edge.

70
A bit of a 'do' / Dress to Impress
« on: April 21, 2017, 14:01:14 PM »
My babies will be 40 in June and they are planning on a big party.  From the invitation list and venue I think it will be akin to an evening wedding reception.   The invitations say "dress to impress" and the venue, local golf club, has a fairly strict dress code anyway, (no jeans or shirts without collars for men). 

I have no idea what I might wear, other than knee length and full skirt.  Suggestions please.

71
Vintage Machines / Foot pedal problem?
« on: April 21, 2017, 13:55:09 PM »
My 'new' Singer 201K-3 is sewing well but a couple of times it hasn't stopped when I've taken the pressure off the foot pedal and once it just started on it's own :o

Is this a problem with the foot pedal?  It's probably the original and looks like this.


72
Vintage Machines / My new toy
« on: April 06, 2017, 19:26:47 PM »
It's a Singer 201K-3 and according to the ISMACS website she was born in September 1940.

:vintage:
I got her home and oiled her well, then we went out for a couple of hours and now I've spent all afternoon cleaning her  - I think she has lived with a smoker :'( and I probably haven't got all the grime off yet.

She's well used, the decals are worn but not scraped, but stitches perfectly without adjusting anything!  Came with a bentwood case and key, a dozen bobbins, a zipper foot, and an instruction booklet for a Singer 66!  She has the lovely scroll face plate, I was expecting it to be the stripy version.

Maybe not a bargain but £120 seems to have been a reasonable price judging from the few adverts I could find and what's more she was local.

The quality of the stitching has made me realise just how poor the Husqvarna straight stitch is :|

73
Vintage Machines / Singer BRK 12S
« on: April 04, 2017, 01:07:52 AM »
As a newbie to vintage machines I don't really know what I should be looking at, or even what a good price is!  But you lot have got me thinking for some time that I would like to get on the slippery slope of vintage but would prefer an electric model.

I've just seen a Singer BRK 12S advertised.  The photos look OK and the asking price is £120.

Any advice gratefully received.

74
In the wardrobe / Three dresses finished
« on: March 12, 2017, 13:10:39 PM »
Some of the fabric which I ordered whilst we were between forums is now made up, I've done the finishing touches, hems etc, this morning.

The black dress is a lovely piece of poly viscose Jaquard. 
Simplicity 1485  https://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/simplicity/1458/1458.jpg
Not very clear from the photo but I put in a very narrow red piping, pleased with it except that it's slightly shorter than I would have chosen - I should have paid more attention to the pattern.

The pink and grey is Vogue 9145 
https://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/vogue/2015/9145/9145.jpg
It's OK but I'm not really hapy with it.  Pattern instructions said plain seams and then finish raw edges by hand!  I overlocked all the edges first, then did plain seams but in hindsight it would have been neater if I'd just overlocked seams.
I omitted the ugly shoulder opening from the beginning.  I did put in a side zip but took it out again when I had to make lots of adjustments to the armholes; the dress will go over my head without any openings.
Those panels are all cut on the bias and as with a lot of bias cut things they don't hang straight (it's the difference between the way the warps and wefts of the fabric torque.)  It won't hang straight on a hanger and it was very difficult to get both arms the same.

The purple/green/blue is a hack between NewLook 6370
https://images.patternreview.com/sewing/patterns/newlook/2015/6370/6370.jpg
and the overskirt of Butterick 4790
https://butterick.mccall.com/sites/default/files/styles/p_l/public/products/b4790/B4790_02.jpg?itok=SFTFdIfd
I had to take it in a bit because I didn't allow for the very stretchy fabric, which meant taking out the zip which went in perfectly, but again it's not needed so it's another pull over the head dress which I am wearing now and will wear it for the rest of the day (going for a pub Sunday lunch shortly).  It's the best of the three and the least expensive. :D

75
Patchwork & Quilting ... Welcome to the Darkside / Quilt sizes
« on: March 04, 2017, 20:44:28 PM »
Imi has asked me to post a few suggestions as to how big a quilt should be, so here goes:

Quilts intended to go on a bed usually have an overhang of 8-12 inches on each side and at the foot of the bed and reach to the headboard.  Thus the size of a quilt is dependent on the size of the mattress.  The table embedded below shows suggested sizes for the various sizes of mattress commonly available in UK and doesn't always match standard duvet sizes. 

I have used imperial measurements rather than metric because most patchworkers use imperial measurements.

Newborn babies usually sleep in a pram/moses basket size crib and are best covered with light blankets rather than a quilt, but a quilt may be used as a playmat placed on the floor.  The size to fit a standard cot, 36" x 45" is a suitable size for a playmat.

Lap quilts can vary a lot in size.  To cover legs and feet whilst sitting in a chair, 36" x 48" is big enough, but to snuggle right underneath 54" x 72" is a popular size.  Remember these are only suggestions, a few inches either way is OK, especially with the bigger quilts.

Wall hangings vary tremendously in size; it depends on the available wall space.  Just make sure there is a small amount of wall left all around the quilt when it is displayed.

Cushion covers are commonly 15" x 15", 16" x 16", 18" x 18" and 20" x 20", and remember that the pad inside should be 1-2" bigger so that the cushion is nice and plump.

Standard UK pillow cases are 20" x 30".


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