Why is she playing with a table you ask?
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Because it's not a table!
It's a new/old Sewing machine!
This has been sitting in the upstairs hallway of my parent's house since I was a little kid, piled with junk and most recently my dad's deodorants and other toiletries. (Notice how beat up the top panel is.)
After I made the little sock pouch on m grandmothers old machine I've been itching to sew more.
Then I remembered my mother had an old sewing machine too! She used to make all my Halloween costumes when I was a little kid but hasn't used it since before I was a teenager and I'd forgotten all about it.
This is a Sears-Kenmore model, and I think a bit newer than my grandmother's Singer.* (Which also was a hide away/table combo) besides the plain old straight line I could get on my grandmothers, this one also does Zig Zags! (I am far too easily amused)
It also came with my mothers sewing bench, which had some bobbins, thread, a few rusty hand sewing needles, two packages or replacement needles for the machine, a little tool and parts box, the manual, and several old pieces of clothing from my childhood in the 80's (bright coloured stretch pants... yummy!)
We brought it home Friday (Bill says it was HEAVY!!) and set it up. But after reading the manual I realized it probably hadn't been oiled since before the last time mom used it, and I didn't want to kill it right away. I was able to pick up some sewing machine oil today as well as some pins, and needle threaders. This afternoon I got to work dusting, cleaning and oiling everything up.
Then after dinner I got stitchy!
It's another little sock sack.
I'm still not a very good seamstress. And I'm learning about all the weird little quirks this machine has, but I'm pretty happy overall.
*Random trivia: I live about a two hour boat ride away from Dark Island. The home of Singer Castle. It's quite beautiful there.
My mom's offered me her machine, I'm thinking I'll take her up on it when the weather's better and I have more time to play. Oh, Genie's thinking of trying a teen knitting group this summer! This means that I have to start working on only REALLY COOL projects for displays ;-)
ReplyDeleteI want to stay at the castle!
ReplyDeleteMy mom gave me her old singer ten years ago. Would you believe that the only not-replaceable piece was the only broken piece?
S'okay. I just inherited TP's oma's machine, and it's way better than my mom's was (it's a huge cabinet machine from the 60s. I'm going to have to get it cleaned up pretty good, though. It would ruin fabric at this point.
I love the idea of sock bags.
ReplyDeleteI wish we had room to set up my sewing machine, but at the moment our spare room is full to the brim with boxes and bags of Stuff.
I love the legacy of your machine! That's so cool. I've never managed to sew myself, so I'm really impressed when someone can. The sock sack looks great to me!
ReplyDeleteMomo, sewing machines are fun! Yay knitting groups!
ReplyDeleteOurika –
Yeah, cleaning mine was a big chore, I'm lucky my mom had kept the little tool box that came with it, it mad it much easier to unscrew stuff and get the dust out.
Also, don't forget to oil the engine if it gives you that option.
I almost forgot, since the manual didn't even mention oiling the engine, but I noticed a little plate on it with oiling instructions while I was cleaning.
Sara –
I love having the cute little bags to tote my socks in progress around in. before this I was using plastic shopping bags and they were ugly and crinkly and belch.
I wasn't sure about having room for a machine either, I've wanted one for quite some time, but we don't have a normal table and our only really chairs are the computer chairs. And the usual machines you can buy now a days just won't work. I got lucky that my mom had the little table cabinet kind. It fits perfectly into the corner of the bedroom and it's stool slides right underneath, and we can throw our stereo right on top when we aren't using it, so it's barely taking up any more room than we had before.
Susan –
Just don't look too close! I don't do seams very well, and there are fraying ends everywhere, and lines could be a little straighter. And it's not lined. But it works!
I love my sewing machine. They don't make them like they used to, this thing is a regular horse! It will take a lot to really break it, and I plan on treating it like a baby!
What a fabulous old machine, you lucky girl! Your sock sack looks great. (I'm sure you said somewhere before--but please remind me what the sock sack is used for. Do I need one? LOL.)
ReplyDeleteEnjoy sewing. :-)
The sock sack is for socks silly! :p
ReplyDeleteHehe, it's for socks in progress, and you can just snap it to a belt loop, and walk and knit or stand and knit at the same time. Great for KIPing
Congrats on the shawl and on getting the old Kenmore working. I have a Kenmore sewing machine in a cabinet very similar to yours, although I think yours is older (mine's from the 70s--it was my mom's). I got it out last summer and after applying oil here and there, got it working, although I couldn't get a nice even tension. The foot doesn't stay all the way down on the fabric bed--I think it's stuck in a setting for thick fabric. But I got it working well enough to make curtains for my boyfriend.
ReplyDeleteEver since, I've meant to get back to getting it in working order, but haven't. Darn knitting gets in the way!
Your shawl is quite an achievement.
Bonnie,
ReplyDeleteDid you have the manual for your machine? If not perhaps our two machines are similar enough that I can figure it out.
My machine had two bits that control the foot pressure.
The button at the top above the needle (you pus the outside ring down to release pressure, and push the inside bar down to increase the pressure). And a little dial at the base near where you put the spool of thread to wind bobbins "u" is the default pressure setting. Blank releases the pressure.
Thank you on the shawl.
I'm very proud of it, and can't wait to have it fully blocked.
I think I may be crazy, because I'm preparing to start another piece of epic lace that needs to be done by may!
Oh . . . duh . . . a sack for socks in progress. I guess I was thinking it was for laundering or storage or something uber-knitter-ish that I hadn't heard of yet. LOL.
ReplyDelete