My daughter-in-law gave me an old pair of jeans - at my request - so I'd have some authentic looking denim for the doll clothes. It had great back pockets with lots of "bling,"
I picked it off the jeans, cut it right down the middle, and used it for the front of the vest. It didn't quite fit the pattern piece, so I laid a plain piece of denim underneath to cut it out, then I satin stitched it into place with a decorative thread. That is the line of gold stitching at the bottom left.
And WOW, this made the cutest vest! I still need a skirt to go with this outfit, maybe out of the same denim.
I did break down and buy fabric for this little dress because at this point I'm kind of getting carried away by the whole project. Besides, I needed a knit for this dress and I didn't have anything suitable.
I'm not done yet! I have knitted little crop sweater from a glittery red yarn which I will pair with a skirt from the red/white striped fabric so each girl will have one Christmasy dress-up outfit.
So every time I bring home another vintage Singer, I have a routine. I clean it, oil it, and make any minor repairs. Then I sew with it for a while until I feel comfortable with it (and can work out any bugs), then nine times out of ten I end up reselling it. I'm not sure about this one yet, it may be a keeper.
Like many vintage Singers, this 404 is Perfection in Straight Stitch. As seen in the following pictures, I've sewn satin, lace, tulle, fake fur, corduroy, and denim - and I've made buttonholes. There is something very peaceful about sewing on a no frills machine that never talks back - in all the hours I've used it so far, I haven't had a single hiccup, just perfect stitching with perfect tension every time.
On to the projects...
I was blessed with four sons, and loved raising boys. There was only one thing I kind of missed when they were growing up and that was sewing girly things. Happily, my boys have provided me with granddaughters so now I get to make up for lost time and indulge myself. The girls are getting new dolls for Christmas, so I've been doing a little stash-busting to make them clothes.
Oh, and I scoured the local thrift stores for an 18" doll to use for a model (only $6.99!) and although her hair is kind of whacked up, she'll do.
The faux fur was stashed from a Christmas stocking I made last year. The satin and tulle were from the half-price remnant bin. Only the striped fabric was bought off the bolt.
I'm not done yet, I'll be making as many outfits as I can until Christmas and I have lots more remnants to use. I think I can say that I've now officially bonded with the 404. I really can't find any fault with it, and other than needing to zigzag on my 503 occasionally, I could use this for everything I sew.
This is one of the best attachments for your 401! It does work on other machines as well - it comes in a slant shank version for the 401, 403, 500, 503, 600 and also a low shank version for your 319, 328 or other low shank zigzag machines. (It only works with zigzag machines.)
You start out by installing the feed cover plate and then the attachment. The feed cover plate will vary by machine, and it might be a trick to find the right one. But the one that fits Slant-O-Matics like the 401 usually comes with the slant shank version of the monogrammer.
You insert the plastic letter template (flat piece sticking out on the left) and crank it in, then you use the plastic letter guide to show you where to begin stitching.
Then off you go!
This is a fantastic attachment that makes spectacular monograms. Here are a few samples:
Now...about the letter cams. When the monogrammers were originally sold, they came with a flower cam and THREE letters of your choice. So when you see these for sale on ebay, they come with only a few - if any - cams. It is VERY rare to find an entire set of them and if you do it will run you close to $200. However, you can sometimes find individual cams for sale here and there. What all this means is that collecting the cams can be costly and time consuming. It takes some persistence - I've been collecting several years and finally have the complete set of cams!
I don't need any more sewing machines, since I have what I consider the perfect line up for my needs:
301 for straight stitch and majority of my sewing
503 for zigzag and decorative stitches
221 for sewing on the go, and occasional backup topstitcher (the Featherweight has very precise control, making it easier to do fiddly topstitching sometimes)
BL3-408 for serging
(There's a 15-91 lurking around in there too, but its so big and heavy I rarely bring it out to play.)
That's really all I need for the sewing I do. But I have a soft spot for Slant-o-Matics and I've heard raves about the 400 machines. So when I saw this one on CL I snapped it up. It came in the nice table with its matching chair (in a godawful ugly upholstery, but hey - I can sew, can't I?) and the accessories.
(I'm selling the table, which I don't have room for, so its not pictured here.)
So what this machine is, basically, is the 301 with a drop-in bobbin and the spool spindle on top. Otherwise they're not much different.
The bobbin is identical to the 503, so I'm familiar with it.
The bobbin winder, though, is identical to the 301, and folds down flush with the machine. Oh, and it has the elevated throat plate like the Rocketeer rather than a feed-dog drop like the 301 - one other significant difference.
What matters most, of course, is how it sews. And it sews beautifully. Very fast, very smooth, and a perfect stitch just like the 301.
BOTTOM LINE: This is a very sturdy, basic machine. I've heard they were used in Home Ec classes because they are durable and easy to use, and I can see why. The threading and operation is all very simple and there is hardly anything a hapless student could do to wreck it (other than throwing it out a window.) It would give great results with little fuss - exactly what a basic machine should do.
If someone wanted a good beginner's machine, especially for teaching purposes, this would be at the top my list of recommendations. Forget the cheap plastic machines at Wal Mart for a beginner, they are (pardon my French) crap. Why not get a fuss-free, reliable, fast, and strong-stitching machine that will make learning to sew fun and easy? And I only paid $30 for this machine - anyone can afford that!
Not much going on with the historical sewing at the moment - not since the mock up of the Regency gown I made. More on that later, I hope.
But now that I have graduated - and have yet to find a job - I have time go get back to my vintage treasure hunting hobby for a while. One thing I have noticed is that good vintage Singer sewing machines at dirt cheap prices are getting harder and harder to find. (Or maybe I've already cleaned out my immediate area!) But I'm still always on the lookout for interesting old notions, attachments, or other sewing supplies. The pickings have been slim this summer but today I did find this great cache of vintage Coats & Clark silk buttonhole twist:
With the original boxes, too!
Seriously, aren't these threads gorgeous?
I didn't buy them to resell, but I looked on Etsy and eBay and found that these spools sell for $3-$4 EACH, and I got three dozen of them for $2 TOTAL!
For another $1, I got the Tidee Maid vintage thread box and a cool scallop ruler/template.
I have several of these thread boxes, and they are great for hand sewing. It works as a dispenser, where the thread comes out a little slot on the side and is cut along a metal edge, kind of like a dental floss container.
I got all this for less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks, so I'm happy :)
I haven't posted much lately because I've been so busy finishing up my degree in American History and my Public History Certificate. This involves heavy reading and writing - including a 34-page Senior Thesis - so sewing is an indulgence I've had to forego until now.
Everyone asks me, "what are you going to do with a history degree?" My answer: "I dunno..."
But this summer I found an internship that might set me on an interesting free-lance career path. Working at the local history center, I am making costumes for historical interpretation sketches and reproduction garments for living history exhibits. These are made from patterns that are drafted from extant garments for authenticity.
For example, here is one of the patterns I will be making for the 1820's era:
I have started out this project by making a mock-up just to see how it all goes together and how it fits. This was clearance fabric, not the color or style I would choose for the real dress, but it gives an idea of the fit which is even better than I expected (although I came up a little short on fabric so it isn't as long as the real dress will be.) In this mock-up, I just ran it up on the machine but the actual working garment will be at least partly hand sewn - maybe entirely, I'm not sure yet.
