Frolic

Friday, December 6, 2019

Singer Stocking Darner - yes, it is really useful!


So this is one of those odd vintage Singer gadgets you come across which seem rather outdated - I mean who darns socks anymore?  Socks are cheap, you just buy new ones.

Well since I collect Singer doo-dads for fun, I happened to have one of these in my collection.  I didn't ever plan to darn a sock with it, but hey - you never know!  My daughter-in-law gave me these really cute socks that I took with me on a recent trip to France.  I wore these day in and day out for two months (yes, I washed them out in the sink each night!) until I wore a hole in the toe.  Normally, I'd just throw away socks with a hole, but I really liked these and wanted to mend them.

Oh yeah - I have a Singer Stocking Darner!  


I forgot to take a picture before I mended them, but you can see with the "French" theme why like these socks. 

Here is the hole, with the sock on the darner.  It is a little convoluted to get it on there, but you stretch it over the frame, hold it in place with a spring, and roll the rest of the sock down and hold it out of the way with the clips.


Then you darn the sock on the machine with a free-motion stitch.  With my Singer 401, it is easy to just lift the throat plate to by-pass the feed dogs (other machines use a feed dog drop or a cover plate for darning.)  Set the stitch length to 0.


You have to remove the presser foot for this to work because even with a free motion foot it will hit the edges of the frame and impede your movement.  But remember you still have to "lower" the presser foot lever for it to work.


Then you start darning, by moving the work back and forth under the needle several times, then turning 90 degrees and going back and forth across it the other way.



I know it's hard to see black on black, but the hole is darned and this was so easy and so worth it to save my favorite pair of socks.



Right at the top of the big toe is where the darn is, you can hardly see it.  The lost art of Sock Darning.  Cool, huh?

Sunday, February 24, 2019

Singer Genie 354 - It's a Powerful little Portable!



Here is a machine with a funky 1970s vibe that makes you smile just to look at it.  The Singer Genie (this is the 354 with the added stretch stitch.)

So besides the cool retro orange and yellow flower design, what does this machine have going for it?  








Well, for one thing, it has one of the most cleverly designed carrying cases I've ever seen.  








It has an antennae-like spool pin that retracts when you put it in the case.


And look how cleverly the controller and power cord are stored underneath


Skipping to the relevant part, though, here is how it sews.  It is quieter and smoother and even a little faster than I would have expected since it actually has a timing belt - or drive belt, I guess - rather than gears.  


Here it is sewing buttonholes with a Singer Professional Buttonholer 


It makes acceptable stitches with only four built in stitch patterns including zigzag, blind stitch, multiple zigzag, and stretch stitch.  That's all she does!

 Acceptable straight stitch 

The machine does a surprisingly good satin stitch!  (I used a satin stitch foot - not included with the machine - for best results.)  Since it has three needle positions, you can make pretty nice four-step buttonholes if you don't have the buttonholer




It has four built-in stitch patterns, but no cam system for additional stitches



It works passably well with the flower stitch foot.  So what can be more fun than making flowers with this Flower Power sewing machine!



Specs:
  • Low shank 
  • Comes with ankle adaptor presser foot which takes snap-on feet
  • Four stitch patterns
  • Three needle positions
  • Enclosed bobbin winding mechanism (you have to remove the housing - which involves quite a number of screws - to get inside to change the bobbin winder tire or to oil the machine.)
  • Class 66 plastic drop-in bobbins
  • Raising plate system to bypass feed dogs 
  • push and release button for reverse stitching 
This is actual an awesome little travel machine.  For a solid, full-sized sewing machine, it is compact and surprisingly light.  I have taken this machine on an airplane twice - one as a carry on and once I just chucked it in my checked suitcase.  The hard shell self-carrying case protected it perfectly and the built-in handle made it easy to transport.