A rubbish picture of a momentous occasion - a little while ago I used the Willcox and Gibbs Automatic for the first time, to do a line of decorative stitching on a pair of pillow cases. I still have some bits and pieces of material from the stash left by my brother's mother in law. So far the stash has yielded one big quilt, several little baby quilts and a tea cosy. It has been fairly easy deciding what to do with the cottons, but I had no idea what to do with this green duckies polyester until I realised that there was enough for two pillow cases. The machine uses a single thread to make a chain stitch, with the chain appearing on the underneath of the work. I used a variegated green quilting cotton, and it gave a really nice finish on the right side. Shame I didn't take a picture of the stitching. The machine made was made in 1888 and stitches perfectly. I should use it more often
It's always a thrill when you find that an old machine has the manual with it. If I haven't got the manual I just oil every obvious place. I let the machine soak up the oil for a couple of days, turning the wheel now and again to check progress.
With this machine the real fun came with the threading, because it is so unlike all my other machines. Luckily I found this video, which brought the instructions to life. It shows the same model of machine in a treadle. I just sat there wondering why other manufacturers didn't incorporate a brake on the treadle. Ingenious stuff.
Today we had the moment of truth. It was great fun, because my brother in law, who found the machine in a charity shop some months ago, arrived last night and is staying with us at the moment.
The stitches are really even. I have the gauge set at 12 stitches per inch.
This is the back of the work. It is a single thread chain stitch, with the loops on the back. I'm looking forward to trying it out with different threads and using it for decorative stitching.
The cloth plate is so big that there is plenty of room for all sorts of information to be stamped on it, including this handy table showing recommended needle sizes and stitch lengths for different threads. This photograph was taken before I cleaned the machine because it is easier to see what is stamped on it when there are not too many reflections.
It was no surprise when the ancient leather belt, all cracked and stretched, came apart at the join. It was a bit frustrating because I had drowned the works with oil and needed to turn the machine. I have heard that the emergency repair for a broken fan belt in a car is a pair of tights. The same principle applied here. The temporary belt is a strip cut from across the leg of an old pair of tights. The great bonus was that I had a circular strip, so there was no need to make a join. It looks rather smart in black. It matches the machine.
When I was cleaning the foot I realised that it has a bar and groove so you can use it as a braiding foot. Where I would find tiny narrow braid today I can't begin to think. Six stranded embroidery thread just fits through.
I took a few pictures of the Willcox and Gibbs Automatic this morning so I have a record of how it looks before the clean up. For the true authentic touch, I haven't even wiped off the dust. Here is a close up of the decals on the base, which are just so pretty and in such good condition.
Hidden below the needleplate is the serial number. I submitted a photo of this machine to the Needlebar website a while ago, and was delighted to be told that this serial number dates the machine back to 1888. I am being very strict with myself and not touching it until I have finished The Quilt, which I hope will be next week...
This lovely little machine is a Willcox and Gibbs Automatic which my brother in law found in a charity shop earlier this year. He bought it and brought it straight round here, knowing that one day I would clean it up and try and get it sewing. It also needs a minor repair job. Once the quilt is finished I am going to get my fingernails nice and grimy working on this machine. I'm looking forward to it - a nice tinker over Christmas.
