When using a hand machine I always pad the handle with a bit of pipe lagging for comfort, but when I pulled one of my machines out of its hidey hole today and took off the cover, I wondered whether there was enough fur on the handle for me to forget the padding. Oh the joys of living in a damp country.
It was quite interesting from a (not quite micro)biological point of view. Once the cover had been off for a short while all the pretty downy fluff fell flat.
Moral of the story - check your machines at least once a year to check they aren't quietly festering. If you live in New Mexico and/or a centrally heated house, you might be able to ignore this advice.
This is the machine I am using at the moment to assemble the quilted blocks shown in yesterday's post. It is the Singer 15K that I cleaned up a little while ago.
The metal parts on the outside of the machine are in wonderful condition, but the inside was pretty mucky.
The rear inspection plate gave a nice self-portrait photo opportunity.
The machine is a lovely smooth runner. We had a very brief contretemps at the beginning, but that's all behind us now.
Welcome to Ginger B, the latest follower. Thank you for joining!
... and bring the dining room table back into normal service before this quilt grows big enough to bury everything in sight...
That is the 1927 Singer 99K hand machine just getting in on the picture. It has been doing sterling work.
I am looking forward to no mega-projects next year. Quick and easy will be the theme for 2013. Can't wait.
This is my 1934 Singer 128K with the Indian Star decal in the centre of the bed of the machine.
The Needlebar website gives information about the different decals found on Singer machines, and it was there that I found out that in each point of the star is written the word Singer in a different Indian language.
This machine was bought from a couple in Shropshire - it had belonged to the wife's mother. They had no family connections with India and had no idea how they came to have a machine that had been manufactured for export there. My guess is that it was originally sold in India and was brought back to this country many years ago.
It can be awkward getting machines in or out of a cupboard - they are heavy and difficult to slide into place when their little rubber feet start resisting. You will find the answer at the greengrocer's. The flat boxes used for vegetables are the ideal size. Cut down one end and make it into a flap at the front, and slide the whole box with the machine on top. Now you can get the machine in and out of its cubby hole without pulling a muscle.
This close up shows the detail of Barbara's work of art. Isn't it amazing!
Barbara worked from a photograph of my 1934 Singer 128K that I had posted on Quilting Board. She looked hard at every detail and reproduced it in appliqué, with machine embroidery for the decals, hand stitching for the spool of thread, with the thread then following through the hooks and tension discs to the needle and a bobbin thread popping up from underneath. For detail on the metal she used fabric marker pen, and even put the serial number at the base of the pillar.
As you can guess, I was thrilled and excited to receive such a wonderful quilt. It soon went on the wall, and I took some photos with the machine in front of it. We happened to have two bunches of roses in the house at the time, and they matched the border fabric perfectly. I posted photographs on Quilting Board as a special thank you to Barbara, and as you can imagine her quilt caused quite a stir!
Thank you again , Barbara, it is an absolute treasure!
A little while ago I strolled into a wonderful tea shop. Tea and cake are always a draw, but when they come with a sewing room attached the pull is irresistible. Especially if there is an interesting machine to look at.
Look at this beauty! A Jones Family CS, which sits in the sewing parlour watching all the modern machines get on with the work. It belongs to Maria, who tells me that it used to be her grandmother's. Maria has never used a hand machine because she learnt to sew on an electric machine.
On my next trip the Cordial and Grace I will have my machine cleaning kit with me. I am looking forward to seeing Maria trying out her grandmother's machine - let's hope all goes according to plan.
If you live too far away to visit Cordial and Grace in real life, at the very least visit the website at www.cordial-and-grace.co.uk
Welcome to Kailacat! It is nice having a follower who goes on walks and comes back with photos of insects. Your dragonfly is fantastic!
Have you ever been busy sewing with a hand machine and realised that your thumb is aching from the pressure against the wood of the handle?
Here is the answer. A short length of foam pipe lagging held in place with an elastic band.
Every serious sewing session includes a tea break. Five minutes in the kitchen for a breather, dreaming up marvellous projects and scoffing biscuits, back to the sewing machine with the second mug of tea, put it on the table, start stitching again from where you left off... aagh... oh horrors...
The moral of this story applies mainly to right handers using a hand machine.
Don't put your tea on the table too close to the sewing machine. As soon as you start sewing again the tea goes flying.
How do I know? Bitter experience, many years ago when I was young and foolish. Such an awful waste of tea. I just want to spare you all the same agony.
