It is the simple things

    The light that came on the 15-90  I bought in the fall only worked by plugging and unplugging the machine. The switch was no good. Elizabeth graciously sent me the right light for this machine and I had to wire it in. I finally dove into it and crimped some ends on the wires and put them in the right location. I made a couple of false starts and one real dumb mistake. Finally, the two wires went where they were supposed to be and everything screwed back in. And the light switch works! I just love the glass shades these have and the reflectors on the inside. Now, if I could figure out how to keep a bobbin engaged on the bobbin winder on the 15-91....

Quilt cards

    Just love to make quilt cards with my batik scraps. I had some birthdays around recently, including my grandson (forgot to take the picture of the trucks fabric card) and granddaughter (one day, two years apart although neither fell on my birthday, March 3rd). I like to make multiple cards at the same time because I get more warmed up as I go and it is a lot of scraps to take out and make a mess. I start with cut heavy weight interfacing and layer scraps on. I iron them and quilt them on, in this case my Singer 15 with belted motor. Then I used ribbon yarn to edge the cards. I did this on the 401 with zig zag and invisible thread. I just have to fasten the quilts onto the cardstock, stamp the inside, and address the envelopes.

Inside of Jolene's accordion card

Outside of card looking in

Before edging

Before edging

After edging

After Edging

Batik scrap scarf

   I love scraps, tiny batik ones too. I have made some small wall quilts with them and I decided to try a scarf. I used 60" x 6" of sticky water soluble interfacing on my table and added background scraps, light blues. I overlapped and layered them. Then I added greens for leaves in separate areas. Last, I added colors for flowers. I was thinking roses, but I am not sure that is how they will turn out. Before I layered another water soluble interfacing piece on top (ran out of sticky water soluble), I drizzled a little washable Elmer's glue. Where the drops were too big, it ate through the top layer of interfacing. Hmm, better think that out better next time.
  Then I free motioned densely over all the scarf with YLI invisible thread on top and Bottom Line in the bobbin. Then, using blue Glide thread, I FMQ the blue background, the green thread over the leaves. I am debating about dissolving the interfacing now, and then FMQ the flowers so I can see them better. I tried to photo the steps so you could see the process.

Laying out the background

Continuing to add pieces

Lengthwise

 

Layering leaves and flowers

Flowers down the length

Free motion with Singer 15, works like a charm

Blue thread being added

Green thread on leaves

Machines, machines, oh my!

     For Christmas, I got a "new" Singer 15. Elizabeth convinced me to get one with a belt, so it could be used in a treadle. I got in on ebay, and it was packed very well. It looked great until I started to clean it. The wiring of the new power cord is not great, and a split in the wire to the light needs repair. Now, wiring is just not my area. I am begging my busy husband to connect these properly so I can sew with this. There is a little more rust than I like on the tension knob. It came with a button holer, so I need to learn how to use it. It is an older 15 with the fancy designs on the metal plates which I like. I cleaned, polished, and oiled it. Now, it is just sitting there.

Pristine box, one of the best delivered

Removed top styrofoam panel to see machine

Before cleaning or polishing, an after photo will come when the wiring is fixed.

OMIGOSH, what a poor job!

    My lovely 201, refurbished, is my piecing machine. It had been running flawlessly. In the last couple of days, the motor is slow, it will not go fast. The more I sew, the slower it gets. There is no laboring sound. The machine moves freely. I don't know how hot the motor is supposed to get, but when I touch the backcover, it is hot to the touch. I assume all the wires are connected because it runs. I tried another foot controller and it was exactly the same. I do not know what to do next. Again, electricity and me have no symbiotic relationship. Last night when sewing on a binding, it got so slow, I sewed the binding on the treadle which was able to sew much faster. Even if I took the motor off, I have no idea what to look for.
   The 301s are behaving and so is the 401. I still have to somehow fit the wires in the foot controller for my friend's White. I can't find one of those stoppers that fit in the hole to stop the wire from pulling out and there is not room enough to tie a knot. The Kenmore needs the tension finessed and it can go home. It never got warm enough here to strip the treadle cabinet as it did just south of here, so it waits. It is snowing and very cold, so I just want to sew, sew, sew. I need to do one more post to list my goals and I will be caught up.

15 is clean!

   My friend's 15 is ready to go home.  The pre-cleaning photos are on Oct. 28. The new motor, foot controller, power cord, belt, bobbin case, throat plate, and felts came in from Sew-Classic. I installed everything and tried out the stitches, fiddling with the tension. I made the foot controller a bag like Elizabeth does using the machine. I sewed about 15 blocks with a side strip on the Attic Windows crumb quilt to try it out. I think it is good. The hardest part was printing out the manual. My printer refused to print out all the pages. It just would not print out page 15. Why is it always the computer stuff is the hardest for me?
   Enjoy the beautiful 15.

New bag for foot controller

Sweet machines

  Over the past couple of days, I have been doing tandem cleaning. The 201 is mine, with the dead wires, but is now all cleaned. I took everything apart- hook (thanks to Rain's tutorial), stitch regulator housing, tension dial, cleaned and oiled every piece of metal. I could just gaze at the 201. I don't know what it is about its shape that is just so appealing. It is not dated looking and sits ready to do business. Now, just to get the motor rewired which I am going to leave to capable hands not my own. I just dream of what the straight stitches will look like.

Minus the handwheel and motor

All clean, just the picture is fuzzy, not the hook area now, isn't that scroll plate just gorgeous?

Back view

   The 15 belongs to a friend who just had it shipped from her mother's house by her dad. It is just lovely with its decals. The sun decal under the throat is spectacular. However, it looks like in the rays are some non-English writing. I wonder what that is all about, since the writing is not symmetrical in the rays. Inside, very dirty, especially the lint rug petrified in the hook area. Thanks to Andrea's advice, I bought some dental type picks at Harbor Freight and was able to remove it successfully. Getting the hook cover back on the hook was very hard, I don't know why, but it took a lot of muttering and prayer over a couple of days and I have no idea why it finally clicked together. The bobbin case has a broken latch, so that was interesting getting it off. The motor wires, toast. I have a motor from a Spartan that I may use as this motor is not an original but looks a little too light weight for me. 
   Sorry folks, this is my idea of a GREAT time.

Lint rug, not any more!

Pre-cleaning, just that one rubbed off spot of decals

Elegant spoked wheel

Uh, oh, motor wire alert!

Hook, pre-cleaning, hard to get back together, broken bobbin latch