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.

Projects done and in progress

   I was able to finally lay out the fleece and cut the quillow for my granddaughter. I used two pieces, one larger so I could cut two 18 x 18 squares for the pillow sleeve. I used a plate to trace curves for the corners, looks so much better with curves. I had a little piece left over, so I made her baby a blanket. She is so into baby dolls. My daughter never looked at them. Sewed on the 201 without a skip or miss.

Side with pocket

Side without pocket

Folded quillow in pillow sleeve, baby doll blanket

     The binding for the Comfort Quilt child quilt was finished and hopefully the quilt has reached the little girl.

Back of quilt, fabric donated by Esta

Quilt with Binding

    I bought some parts to fix machines given to me for tuning and with that I bought a marked plate for the 201. I also bought a seam guide from Nova Montgomery to get perfect seams on long pieces and when chain piecing. I used it for adding borders and chain piecing some strips and it works great. I can loosen and move it if I don't want to use it. I like it much better than a 1/4" foot with the blade.

Attached to the 201 with the new marked plate, not silvertone, but shiny

Guide in use doing a long strip

    My daughter's girlfriend had a baby over the weekend. I bought this panel and fabric way back, but forgot or put off making this. I sewed it together today, but don't know if I will have time to back and quilt this before Christmas.

With borders, it is about 40 X 50

It is done and running strong!

   I need a drumroll. Finally, the 201 I bought in tattered wiring condition and filthy, is actually sewing. I could clean and polish, but it took a friend to do the wiring in the motor. It even took an entire day for me to finally hook it up and run. My husband said electrical stuff it like that. Sometimes it just has be the right time to fire. Today, I sewed with it. At first it was great gobs of loopy thread underneath. I took off the the tension knob and re-cleaned and re-oiled, re-assembled. I found some vintage bobbins, the new ones don't work. I had to hold down the bobbin winder, but it did the job. The bottom case is all finished also, looks terrific with the machine.

Ensconced in the sewing room

  Since this machine took a long time to find, to clean, to get wires right, I thought the first thing to sew were some blocks that Missy Shay requested for a prayer quilt she is making a friend. I had the right color scraps and was able to sew 8 of them, the stitching close to flawless, still need some tweaking. I had to oil a few moving parts again, but soon it was just humming. The 201 is such a stately machine. I still love the 301s, I feel I know them. Love the slant needle, metal gears, no belts.

Red and white Rail Fence Blocks courtesy of the 201

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

The end of the search- a 201

   Ever since I saw how the straight stitch looks on a 201 courtesy of Elizabeth, I longed for such a stitch to piece and sew. I tried a lot of leads, but today, courtesy of Terri, an estate sale looking queen, I was able to lug home this 201 for small change. It has the manual and all attachments, but no spool pin and is very dirty, but not rusty. You cannot believe the cord. I did not dare plug it in. My husband did and blew the circuit breaker in the garage. Next, to open her up to see the wiring on the inside. Elizabeth has said she can rescue the motor if the wiring is scary. I cannot wait to get it running. I will ditch the cabinet. So very exciting!

The ultra scary cord