Poodle Shirt

Here is my last post of the year.  Thank you to everyone who took time to read or comment on any of my posts this year.  This is still a very new-to-me adventure, but I am looking forward to growing my sewing and blogging skill sets in 2017.  Happy New Year to all!

It may be a bit too chilly to wear this shirt for the next couple of months, but I'll be pleased to have it hanging in my closet come spring. It's my second attempt at the McCall's 7247 top after I added a couple inches length in the torso.

Front view on dress form--this one is going to need a camisole

Side view

Back view

I know that the pattern calls for some sort of stretchy knit, but I didn't have any on hand.  Instead, I decided to use my poodle fabric that was waiting for the perfect project.  The poodles on this fabric are a bit stiff and seem to be painted or glued on the fabric, but are also fuzzy to the touch.

I don't know exactly what the fabric content is here, but it was basically trying to cut water with scissors.  I laid everything out on the kitchen floor and then spent a good while trying to pin my homemade paper patterns to basically air that kept slipping through my fingers.  It was so challenging, in fact, that I avoided sewing with it on a sewing machine and I decided to try sewing my first garment by hand.  There are no zippers or buttons, so this seemed like a good way to get my feet wet. I started by going back to one of the lovely resource books that I had picked up this fall when I purchased a serger.

 The book is Couture Sewing Techniques by Claire B. Shaeffer.  I know next-to-nothing about couture and I spent a couple hours reading through this book and studying pictures.  The descriptions for a wide range of couture techniques are given and there are diagrams illustrating the process as well as pictures of beautiful completed garments incorporating the techniques.  As a beginner, I chose to tryout the running stitch (to set in sleeves and as part of the hem), a french seam (for the side and shoulder seams) and a self-bound seam (for the neckline).  

I used gray silk thread that slid through the fabric effortlessly.  The poodles were a bit tricky to sew through at times, but it was nice to have something to anchor stitches to every few inches.

Shoulder seam with neckline on one side, sleeve seam on the other, and front flat in the middle

My seams need a lot of finessing for style, but I think they will sufficiently hold the material together. Let's pretend I was going for function over form.  Next time, I will try to finish the sleeve and neckline seam differently.  I do not like frayed edges as an end result.  

Neckline from the front.  

I do think the side seams turned out well.  The stitches are relatively small and regular and there are no frayed edges sticking out.

Side seam

From the side, I like the added length

From the back

Just watching the first snowfall of the year

Necchi BU Mira Update and First Project

I'm posting this update fast on the heels of my introduction for this machine.  I may have forgotten to actually post the intro a few months ago and just came across it when I started writing this update. Ah well, this will minimize any feelings of suspense you had about how this machine would turn out.

I started by cleaning the machine inside and out. I really wanted to get as much of the oil residue off as I could, and the chrome polished up nicely.  Next, I tackled the crumbling wires that attached to the motor.

Old wires

I took the motor bracket off the machine and then took the motor out of the bracket.

Wires coming up through bed of machine

White caulk extends around side of machine

The wires coming up through the bed of the machine had no insulation left on them.  There was a white putty substance that crumbled easily and then a line of white 'caulk' that went around the side of the machine.  All of the connections inside the box looked good, so I just planned to swap out the wires with crumbling insulation.

Take that gray wire out

A trip to the Goodwill for a power cord and to the hardware store for eyelets and then I was ready to go.  Once I got started, the process didn't take very long and I had a working motor upon completion.

From then on it was attention to detail that got this girl looking her absolute best. Here she is ready to take on her first quilting project.  I do not have a cabinet for her right now, but I will keep looking for one because she wandered a bit while sewing on this table.

She is beautiful!

There are a few marks on her paint, but she has aged well. 

Oil residue spots are minimized

After tension discs were cleaned, she threaded up easily

There is no crumbling insulation on that power cord

The needle plate has some rust that I couldn't get off, but it sanded to a pretty smooth surface

I took the wonder wheel off the machine for now.  I will need to replace the tire and find one missing part before I try it out.

The light works

 The first project I worked on with Mira was piecing a baby quilt.  This one was made from a jelly roll of Moda fabrics.

Assembly line piecing

Here is the finished top waiting for a backing

I loved sewing with this machine.  There was not one time that the thread or needle jammed up.  I was able to figure out the bobbin winder without the manual, and I like the sound the machine makes when it's working.  The machine feels like it has more power than was needed for this project and I'll have to figure out another way to put her through her paces.

Necchi BU Mira

This machine was a gift that I bought for myself while on a girls' weekend in Wisconsin.  My college roommate and I met in Milwaukee this summer for a couple days of fun.  We checked out the Schlitz Audubon Society, Havenwoods State Forest, and great restaurants.  J, what do you say, shall we do it again next summer?  On the first day I got to the hotel a bit early so I made a quick side trip down the street to the Goodwill.  There was only one machine in the whole place, but I was completely taken with it.  The machine was hidden in a broken cabinet in the back of the store surrounded by furniture and buried under some boxes.  I almost walked right by it, but the type of legs on the cabinet spurred me to take a closer look.  Inside the cabinet I found the discolored and somewhat worn BU Mira. The hand wheel would barely turn, but the wiring was crumbling and I didn't want to plug it in to try it out. Near the hand wheel was an attachment that I did not recognize and I guessed it was a wonder wheel. There was a small box of accessories and three discs for the wonder wheel in the door of the cabinet, and I practically ran up to the counter to purchase all of it.  I spent the next few days hauling a sewing machine and cabinet in the back of my car everywhere we went.  I was tempted to carry it into the hotel one night so I could look at it, but my friend gave me the 'you might be a bit too crazy' look, so the machine stayed in my car until I got back to Chicago.
When I finally got home, I took the machine out of the crumbling cabinet and threw the cabinet away.

The lighting is a bit dark in the garage

Top view: Lots of oil residue discoloring the paint

The bed looks to be in pretty good condition

  The tire for the wonder wheel and the bobbin winder need to be replaced

The belt looks to be in good shape

There a good collection of lint and such behind the faceplate

Handy panel for access to innards

You can see some wear on the side of the bed--maybe from the cabinet

Oil ports keep out dust, but have accumulated a residue around them over time

Some paint worn off on the bed and body

I did not get a manual with this machine, so I had to go online and do a bit of reading before I started cleaning her up.  This machine is from the early 1950's.  The Mira is a top-of-the-line Necchi and it will sew straight stitch, zig-zag, and reverse.  The wonder wheel allows the machine to do a few decorative stitches, but I don't think that I have all the pieces for this wheel right now.  The motor has two speeds, high and low, with a switch on the back.  There is also a built-in light. Since the wiring is crumbling, I did not try to see if the light works. The box of accessories came with a few class 15 bobbins, two needle plates, several different feet, an automatic threader, and what I am hoping are the wonder wheel rods. 

The plan was to have this machine working by Christmas.

Crushed Red Velvet Shirt

Just in time for the holiday, I finished my red velvet shirt.  I started with the pattern from my 70's vibe dress and just shortened it about 4 inches.  Now I'm thinking I should have added a couple more inches to the arm length and lowered the neckline a bit, but overall I'm pleased with how it turned out.  The fabric was another Salvation Army scrap.  The shoulder and side seams were done on my Necchi Supernova Ultra Mark II and the hem, neckline, and sleeve finishes were done by hand. Cutting the fabric was very messy, but the pieces then went together very quickly.  The fabric is a bit stretchy, so it was forgiving with some of my errant hem stitches.
I wore the shirt to work yesterday and then out to dinner afterwards.  These pictures were snapped quickly near our table while we waited for our food.  The lighting is terrible and I put very little forethought into picture composition, but here are a couple pics to show the finished shirt.

Festive red

Front neckline is a bit high

Contemplating the next project

Singer Genie 353

This was a present from a coworker during parent-teacher conferences before Thanksgiving break.  I walked in to find this on one of the tables in my classroom and it was all I could do not to play with it instead of doing conferences.  Instead of throwing it away, my coworker offered it to me when it stopped sewing. I'm so glad she thought of me and sent the machine my way.  I welcome any machine in any condition--I can learn something from each one of them.
This was my first Singer Genie 353 and it came with the foot controller, but was missing a bobbin, manual, and accessories.  The handwheel turned very hard and it sounded like it was going to need some good lubrication.  My coworker indicated that there was a problem with the needle function and it wasn't forming stitches, but that's all the info I got.  No problem, I'll put on my detective hat.
The machine is much lighter than many I work on, and it tucked away neatly into a compact carrying case.  The machine, foot controller, and accessories (if I had any) are all contained in this box.  When you push on button above the Singer logo on the left, the front panel folds down and then the front, left, and side panels slide off.  Contained within the portion that slides off are spaces for the foot controller and accessories.  There is also a threading diagram inside the back panel.

You don't rub a lamp to free this Genie

Threading diagram

After taking off the case, I removed back and side panel of the machine.  After cleaning those areas out, I took the four screws off the bottom and accessed the bottom of the machine through the removable tray.

Inside of machine before I cleaned it out

There was a lot of lint built up and the grease had all dried up and discolored.  It took a lot of q-tips and patience to clean off the old lubricant.  There didn't appear to be any damage though after putting in some Tri-Flow, things started moving smoothly.  Both belts needed lint cleaned out of them, but then the handwheel turned easier and quieter.

When I got it all put back together I checked the hook, feed dog, and needle bar timing.  None needed adjustment.  I put in a new needle and found a class 66 bobbin.  The bobbin winder is on top of the machine and when I initiated the bobbin-winder setting on the handwheel it wound without any problem.

Handwheel with bobbin-winder setting

New bobbin fits well

I didn't know what to expect with my test stitches.  Last I heard this machine didn't sew, but everything was looking so good now.  When I started her up, she didn't even hesitate.  I had to adjust tension a bit, but straight stitch, zig-zag, blind hem and reverse all worked.  I'll have to figure out a project that will really put this machine through its paces, but I'm thrilled to have it working.  Not every machine can be saved from the garbage, but I do love having the chance to try.