Singer 201

Here's what the machine looked like on the first day she came to me. All the way from Dixon, Illinois, this machine came from the childhood home of a friend. No one had sewn on this machine in quite awhile, and it been in storage where it was exposed to water or humidity.  The decals are in good condition, but there is some worn paint and quite a bit of rust. The plug is missing from the power cord, the spool pin is bent, and the hand wheel is frozen in position. There is no foot controller or accessories. I looked up the identification number and it fits a 201 from 1941.  I had not seen a 201 before, and I was looking forward to seeing if I could get this one working.  The first step was using the air compressor to blow out years worth of lint, cobwebs, and rust.

Happy to be cobweb free

Water damage on the hand wheel and bobbin-winder?

Needle plate has two kinds of tape on it

Back view with the potted motor

Potted motor has water damage and spool pin is bent

Hand wheel does not turn

Decals look great

Needle bar does not move up and down

Now I will start taking things apart to clean and lubricate.  There is no way to plug this machine in  yet and the hand wheel is still frozen, but I have high hopes for this project.

Trying Out the New Dress Form

It doesn't look like me, yet. 

Finished form 

Yesterday I finished padding my new dress form. It started out as a bare, very small, dress form a week ago. T helped me measure for size, mom helped me fit the 'skin', and I spent a fair amount time 'filling' out the form to my size. I had wanted to make a dress form for some time now and finally purchased Judy Jackson's Customize Your Dress Form class from Craftsy. This seemed easier than wrapping myself in duct tape or essentially coating myself in paper-mache. I had read about both of these methods online, but they sounded a bit too claustrophobic for me. I found Judy's class to be very well done and easy to follow. Her method started out with a sturdy dress form in a smaller size that could be built out to my size. When I finally finished my dress from yesterday, I needed a project that would let me try out my fitting skills on the form.  I chose a refashioning project.

Too long and loose, but great neckline

This size 14 Jones New York dress came from the Salvation Army.  It was originally priced $6.99, but it came home with me when it went on sale for 70 cents.  The original garment had black velvet fabric, 16 buttons up the front, and a high collar that appealed to me.  I knew that I would not wear this as a dress, but I could shorten the length, take in the sides and possibly lengthen the sleeves in order to make a great jacket.

Can you see the pattern on the black velvet fabric?

The first thing to go was the shoulder pads.  Then I took in the sides between the armholes and waist.

Will there ever be a time when I add shoulder pads instead of taking them out?

I shortened the dress to just below the last front button and ended up cutting 16 inches off the length. I toyed with the idea of adding the excess fabric to the sleeves, but decided that I didn't want a horizontal seam in the middle of my sleeve.  I will just plan to wear something with long black sleeves underneath the finished shirt.

 The inside of this dress was finished nicely and I wanted to keep that look.  I ended up sewing on black seam tape with a machine zig-zag stitch to the bottom and then hand-stitching in the hem.  The fabric is see-through in the floral design and needs the black lining to show off the pattern.  I shortened the lining and basted in a hem by hand.  The lining is attached to the jacket at the sides and hangs freely everywhere else.

Black seam tape for the shirt hem and hand-basted hem for the lining 

The finished jacket looks good on the dress form and I'm pleased with the length.

Better shape and length

View from the back

Closeup of fabric, buttons, and neckline

Two thumbs up for how my dress form and its first refashion project worked out.  The form will probably need some minor tweaking to improve overall fit, but it really is nice to have a body double that that can stand for hours and doesn't mind the occasional pin prick.  

A New Fall Bag

Blue flowers on the back

The bag colors fit right into the garden

This bag was inspired by fabric that a coworker gifted me earlier this year.  Thank you, M.  She gave me a bag of fabric scraps and I used three different pieces from that collection for this project. The upholstery fabric I chose for the outside of the bag had fall colors and a great floral motif. There was enough fabric for me to do a bit of fussy cutting and get the blue flowers centered on the back and the front.  The front pocket focuses on the red flowers. For the lining of the pocket, I used part of a gray curtain from my coworker's scrap bag.  The last fabric scrap I incorporated was a dark rose/rust color that became the lining of the bag.  The pattern was Butterick 5659 tote D.  I opted to leave off the front detail, but kept the pocket because you can never have too many pockets.

Bag lining color compliments the outer fabric

After making the bag, I looked around for strap options.  There was enough upholstery fabric left to make a short strap for a shoulder bag, but I decided to use that scrap with the reverse side facing out as the trim around the rim of the bag.  Mom heard me lamenting the strap options and offered to weave one on her loom.  She picked the colors and the pattern and I love how it turned out.  Thank you, Mom.  Most of the bag construction was done on my Pfaff 230, but I attached the strap by hand using Coats and Clarke extra strong button and carpet thread.

Close up on the strap detail

Mom made an extra long strap and I decided to make the bag over-the-shoulder.  Now it's the perfect length for me.  The only thing I may still add is some sort of fastener to keep the top closed.  This bag turned out great and I'm already using it to carry around my current knitting project.

Hanging out in the garden

Ray White's Sewing Machine Repair Class

Monday through Wednesday this week I took my second advanced sewing machine repair class with Ray White. I had taken the beginner class and my first advanced class this summer and was very excited about returning to Missouri for round two. This session was just as rewarding for me as the one this summer had been. I consider Ray to be such a passionate, patient, and knowledgeable teacher. He knows nearly everything about mechanical and electric sewing machines and he graciously shares all he has learned over the years with anyone who is eager to learn.

I am always excited to see who else has signed up for the class and what their motivation is for learning about sewing machines. Everyone comes with a different background and even though we’re seeking the same set of skills and understanding about sewing machine repair, there is variety in what people intend to do with their new expertise. In the three classes I have taken, I have met people who have a background in sewing (quilters, pattern graders, bloggers, tailors, hobbyists, upholsterers, garment makers ) and others who may have never sewn a stitch (tinkerers, shop owners, engineers, husbands whose “wives sent them”,  collectors). And whether we’re intending to go into the repair business or just want to service the growing number of machines in our personal collection, each one of us is exudes enthusiasm for the content of the class.

This year, I brought five sewing machines and one serger with me to work on over the course of the three days. The first machine was my Bernina 1120. This is one of my primary sewing machines, but it had developed a squeak and I knew it needed a good cleaning and tune-up. I was hesitant to open up this machine myself and was looking forward to having Ray there for support. 

Bernina 1120 circuit board

We opened up the machine completely and Ray shared some great information on Bernina care and maintenance. These are well-designed and well-built machines.  I was able to confidently clean, lubricate, and fix the squeak on this machine. When it turned out to be a squeaky belt, Ray suggested ‘lubricating’ it with a bar of soap. That was definitely a new approach for me, but it worked like a charm. Before this class working on Berninas was a bit intimidating for me, but now I feel confident and ready to take on my next Bernina.

Singer 401A

The second machine I worked on in class was a Singer 401A that I had picked up at the Goodwill. The 401A is a slant needle machine and this particular one needed a hook timing adjustment and a good cleaning. 

The third machine was a Husqvarna/Viking 21E in a charming teal color. This machine was from Sweden, had the instruction manual written in Swedish, and was wired with a 220 volt plug.  

The color on this machine is a treat.

Ray had a step up/down transformer that we used to safely convert 110-220 volts and after I got the machine cleaned up it sewed so quietly. This may be a new favorite machine for me. I intend to play around with this one quite a bit in the coming months.

On the second and third days of class I had two Necchis and a Brother serger to work on. One Necchi was a BU that was unbelievably filthy and I wasn’t sure it would even sew. One of my classmates took on the daunting task of cleaning up the machine and she did a beautiful job.  

The BU all cleaned up and wearing a crocheted spool pin cover.  Thank you, Barbara!

Then she and I worked together to get the tension correct and to get the machine sewing beautifully. Another classmate was instrumental in helping me to rewire and fix the foot controller. We had the foot controller completely apart and he came up with the creative solution of substituting a spring for a missing brass connector piece. I love seeing how different brains analyze a problem and devise a solution. The last task with this machine was to rewire the light and put in a new bulb. Thank you to another classmate who had brought a collection of LED bulbs that worked with most machines. This BU turned out to be a true group project and I thoroughly enjoyed working with my talented classmates. 

The second Necchi was a green Supernova that was already working when I brought it to class. It just needed a good cleaning and lubrication.

The last project was a HomeLock 634D differential feed serger. I had not used this particular machine, but I was hoping for a refresher course on servicing a serger and Ray was happy to accommodate. I got the machine all cleaned up early on the third day, but then we had a few setbacks. First, I realized I had left the power cord and foot control at home in Illinois Then, without the help of a manual, we figured out what type replacement needles it needed, but I didn’t have any with me and Ray didn’t have any in the shop. Finally, there were two tension knobs that were loose, but we could not figure out how to adjust them. Each knob was attached to a shaft that had a nut on the end, but those nuts were set into molded plastic and could not be turned to adjust the tension disks or spring on the shaft. Ray and I worked for quite awhile to figure out how to adjust the tension and even resorted to trying superglue at one point.  We could not figure out how the tension unit was originally installed at the factory and thus couldn’t see a way to make adjustments. So, this serger project came home with me to be continued at a later date.

At the end of class, we part ways and headed back to our various states spread across the country. I always find myself driving home a bit sad to be done with class and missing my new friends, but also reenergized and excited to see what new machines are waiting for me in the coming weeks and months. I truly appreciate the time this class gives me to learn about, implement, and reflect on my new and deeper understanding of sewing machines and sewing machine repair. Thank you, Ray White.  Now, let’s see, when I can sign up for my next class?