Newbie: I still need help, please!

A treadle! :D Wow! I have one a friend gave me when she moved to a smaller house: it belonged to her granny. Mine is a Singer 15-88, made in Canada in about 1936. My granny had one in the corner of her kitchen that had belonged to her mother. It was the first sewing machine I ever used, and I've wanted a treadle ever since. My granny's was the sort that didn't pop down into the desk: it had what is known as a 'coffin top' that popped over it.

I have several older machines: a 1909 Jones hand crank, a 1923 Singer 66 with Lotus decals, and my treadle 15088. Then there's the 1953 Feather weight, and the 1960's Elna Lotus, followed by the 1981 Frister & Rossman Cub 8 (in the loft and not working), and the later '80's Viscount 2000... If you pop over to my web site and look in the sewing machine gallery, you can see some my little collection! The old black cast iron ones all work and all get used now and again. The treadle is so much fun!

I miss mine too. I have very clear memories of standing pumping that treadle foot plate with one foot as Granny stitched dolls clothes for me! I will always be glad that she lived long enough to see all three of her great grand children.

Now, in memory of your grandmother, take that lace doily off the sewing machine, set it up (you'll probably find the manual in one of the drawers!), and give it a twirl! After all these years, it will need a dust and a drip or so of oil (oiling points will be in the book), and it may need a new belt (readily available from a sewing machine store), but I betcha it turns sweet as a nut and stitches as beautifully as the day it was bought.

Enjoy!

I have Sewing for Dummies: use it for teaching! It's good fun, though I don't agreees with everything it says (for example, I always sew right over the pins!).

CypSew wrote: > Should you get a chance, I

's a contact on the site for the email group. You'll see me post occasionally. They do meets all over the place, with lessons on how to sew, how to fix machines, whatever. Lots of fun! I'm trying to get to one here in the UK this September.

That's a treadle machine. Betcha if you oiled it up, it'd still sew just fine. If you'd like to know more about it, you might want to join the treadleonions at

If you prefer a motor driven machine, why not look for one of the same vintage. They don't make them like that anymore. I have a collection of vintage sewing machines, most of when are 50 years old. My favorites are my Singer 301s, 201s and Singer 401s. The 401s in particular, with their built in stitches and direct-drive motor (no belt), are real work horses. =20

You can see some of my machines here:

were all purchased locally at garage sales, thrift stores,estate sales, auctions and through classified ads. A goodcleaning/lubbing/oiling is all most needed to run like new.

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

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Irene, I looked at your web site and I'm fascinated that you have so many beautiful machines. I just acquired my third Singer 301 and it needs cleaning before I can use it. What do you use to clean off the gunk and polish the metal?

Valerie

Yes...and I am now embarrassed!

:) Mark Click here eveyday to feed a rescued animal:

Aw, Mark, don't be. We are a friendly bunch here and many of us make silly mistakes now and then. We understood what you meant, which is the main point.

Jean M.

Michelle Giordano

p.s what country are you in? that might help us to find you a source for a good machine.

Hi Valerie,

Actually, for most of them I just use sewing machine oil on a cloth! It actually works quite well to remove gunk for many of them and it doesn't harm the paint or decals, plus the machines seem to 'soak' it in and it leaves a nice sheen behind.=20

=46or more gunked up ones, I use the method described by Graham Forsdyke, who has been selling Singer Featherweights out of the UK for many, many years and is considered by many to be a Singer expert. He uses "Tuff Stuff" foaming cleaner and follows that with a application of high quality boot polish.

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

--------------

Friends, I stopped by our library, yesterday, and got the Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing. Looks like an interesting book, which I will begin to check out tonight. Now, if it helps me figure out this bobbin thing...

Mark Click here eveyday to feed a rescued animal:

Exactly how the bobbin goes in depends on the machine, which is probably why no-one has addressed this issue directly...

If you have/can find a manual for the machine, it will tell you how to load it for your machine. In general, make sure that the bobbin is inserted in the bobbin case so that the thread comes off it in a clockwise direction, and when you pull the thread the bobbin turns anti-clockwise... Make sure you pull the thread into the spring that gives it tension. If the machine has a bobbin case that comes out and fits in so the bobbin is vertical like a wheel, make sure that you insert it with the finger bit up and push it all the way in - some will click into place. If it lies flat and there is no removable bobbin case, just ensure that the bobbin goes in so it turns anti-clockwise when you pull on the thread.

There should be a mechanism for winding the bobbin: make sure that the bobbin thread is wound evenly and smoothly and neither too loose nor too tight. You also need to make sure that you use the correct bobbins for the machine: take one along to the local dealer to help with this when you go to get more, if you don't have the manual to tell you. One of the most common types for older machines is the 'universal' bobbin, or Singer type 15:

(look at no. 16 on this page).

Enjoy the read!

-Irene

-------------- You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.=20

--Mae West=20

--------------

Irene, That's what I needed to know, Thank you. Valerie

All you *really* need is a good straight stitch, and any black-with-gold-trim machine that hasn't been left out in the rain or thrown out of a second-story window will give you that. In books written when black paint was in style, a man who wanted to praise a car extravagantly would say "It runs like a sewing machine."

Zig-zag is really, really handy -- I use mine so often that I leave the zig-zag needle plate in the machine, and put in the straight-stitch needle plate almost as seldom as the double-needle plate. But my mother sewed all the clothing for a family of six and never in her life owned a zig-zag sewing machine. In the last fifty years, I can think of only one project where zig-zag was indispensable: butt seams in leather when I was making a chamois[1] for my bike shorts.

Zig-zag is handy, but the difference between having a zig-zag machine and having a straight stitch machine isn't half a percent of the difference between having a sewing machine and doing everything with a needle.

I don't have a three-step zig-zag, and when I was butt-seaming agricultural burlap to make a leaf carrier, I wished I had it -- but the carrier is ten years old and still going strong, so three-step can't be essential. For some sorts of sewing, the three-step would be more important than it is for me -- but I don't recall wishing I had it when I wasn't making butt seams.

As for the blind hem, I've got one and never use it because I prefer the appearance of a hand-sewn hem, and when I'm not fussy about appearance, I top-stitch hems as one does when making jeans -- my skirts are all long, and I figure that anyone who grovels at my feet isn't going to criticise my hems.

I can't see a blind hem being any use at all on the heavy fabrics mentioned in this thread, unless it can be set

*very* wide. In my opinion, top-stitched hems are better-looking and more appropriate than blind hems on heavy fabrics.

People were, by the way, making blind hems with a zig-zag machine long before the blind-hemming stitch was invented. The blind-hemming stitch is a way to make the stitches that show on the outside of the garment farther apart. It also allows a steeper angle on the stitch that nips into the fold.

Joy Beeson

Valid points all and totally agree with you, forgot about all those vintage Bernina, Pfaff, Singer et all straight stitch only machines that were used to make all and sundry.

However, do like three step zig-zag (isn't this also called "rick-rack"?) for mending work.

Joy, your post reminds me of the often quoted advice given to sewing machine shoppers about not needing the newest computer machine with a zillion stitches, as one invariably only uses about one or maybe three.

Candide

Joy, while I agree that a good straight stitch will get you a loooong way, there are some processes for which a swing needle machine with multiple needle positions and a selection of good household stitches is an advantage not to be discounted lightly.

Zips: having the ability to position the zip (particularly the concealed type) under the foot and then place the needle EXACTLY where you need it makes a BIG difference to the look of the finished zip. While this

*can* be done by hand, customers are not willing to pay me for the time to do this unless they want something like a hand-pricked zip with a bead on every stitch up the back of a wedding dress! And it just isn't as strong or as washable as a machine sewn zip.

Blind hem: OK, a hand sewn blind hem can look better, but if you practice, a machined blind hem can be almost as good, and is soooooo much quicker! I also find it stronger, especially on trouser hems. I can get a decent one on anything from poly bridal satin to coat weight tweed. I never do anything else on curtains. There are some places where a hand stitched hem is a must (bias cut slinky dresses for example!), but everywhere else a blind hem stitch can be a real boon.

Buttonholes: This sold me my machine! It has 10 different styles, and they are all excellent. For anything other than the fussiest of re-enactors prepared to pay about £5 a buttonhole for hand worked ones, this selection allows me to whiz through them and turn out professional looking garments in an affordable time. The 'heirloom' one (a mock hand stitched one) is particularly useful for historic stuff.

Eyelets: the eyelet plate and the lovely eyelets I can make in as little time as a buttonhole have sold this process to several customers! They also look better and tend to be more even than hand stitched ones. Like buttonholes, I often do them with embroidery thread rather than standard seam thread. They are also stronger and more durable than metal grommets or eyelets. Unfortunately at present the only folk to offer an eyelet plate are Pfaff and Husqvarna, but I know Elna and Necchi used to do them... I'm starting a nag campaign to get them available for other machines! The embroidered sort of eyelets are really for decoration only, and not up to Elizabethan Corset use!

Zigzag! I NEED a good zigzag as much as I need a good straight stitch. There's just nothing like a tiny zigzag for sewing bias cut fabrics where you need to preserve the stretch. See my Bias Cut Disaster project for reasons...

Other things I really like are things like the facility to make some of the fancier stitches imitate hand stitching (like bigger buttonhole stitch for sewing down raw edges on 19thC soldier jackets! Doing THAT by hand would have upped the price way too much!). The rows of flowers and stuff I can live without, but they come in handy when the kids want to play with them! I 'reward' them for good work on the mundain seams and the like by letting them use these stitches and the fancy threads for embellishment.

It comes down to what you need, in the end. If you do low volume, couture finished items, then a straight stitch only machine will probably be all you ever need. If you need to work faster to do a greater volume (family sewing, or sewing for others as I do), then you need to be able to get through the work more quickly and having the machine option is necessary.

Today's sewing includes playing with my blind hem attachment for the Featherweight, to see if I can get that working properly... ;D

I think I missed some of this post.

Kate - what machine do you sew with?

Ah, now that depends... ;)

I have a Husqvarna Lily 550 with 240 stitch patterns, something like 26 needle positions and a memory so that I can program stitch combinations and do things like write labels (great for quilts). I do most of my custom sewing on this one, for speed and ease of use. I also have a Viscount 2000 as a back-up machine: nice old faithful 80's all metal job with a dozen or so household stitches, including an excellent blind hem and a decent buttonholes (standard square end 4 step). In addition, I have a Featherweight (straight stitch only, but it does reverse), and Elna Lotus (straight and zigzag: no fancy stuff, but works a treat), a Singer 66 handcrank, a Singer 99 straight stitch (no reverse) electric machine, A Singer 15-88 (treadle), and a Jones Family CS long bobbin hand crank. In the loft is my Frister & Rossman Cub 8, awaiting fixing, and then there are the two sergers...

The best all round one is Lily. Has the best stitch quality and selection on most fabrics, but it is big, and I prefer not to cart it about to classes if I can avoid it. For kid's classes, I like it and the Viscount (almost indestructible) for stitch selection and ease of use, especially speed. The kids love the Featherweight and the Lotus as they are small and light. I also love them for the cute factor! They are both eminently portable, and depending on what I plan to do while away, I frequently take them on holiday or away for the weekend to play with! :) They are small enough that I can take both if James also want to sew!

For really tough fabrics I like the Singer 15-88: I've yet to find something I cannot get it through (though Lily is good for that too - both James and I have stitched right through the heads of quilt basting safety pins on it without harming it!). For sheer magical straight stitch quality it is very hard to beat the old 1909 Jones CS machine! It has such a smooth action, and is so precise!

For abasing gadgetry, I love the old Singers! Not only do you have the Heath-Robinson like rufflers and the insane buttonhole gadgets (they pick the fabric up and worry it back and forth to make the zigzags!), but you also get such magical items as the pinking machine! Mind you, Lily has a few good ones too: a thing for sewing round in circles, the eyelet plates (they come in two sizes), and a special foot for stretching elastic spring to mind... I have over 30 feet and gadgets for Lily!

The blind hem gadget came with my Featherweight (about the only accessory that did!), so I would like to get it to work... Just because!