Clever Girl

My Sewing Loft is in the Dutch Barn. 

The dogs love to be with me when I sew.

I want to be able to let them come and go from the loft the way they do from the shop.  So today I finished the "run" between the big yard and the loft.  I was able to scam the gate from a pen I had somewhere else.  The post is secured to the Dutch barn with plumber's strapping and the gate is fixed to the post.  I had to drive a fence post into the ground so that I could latch the gate to something.  I found that hollow pipe back with the fence posts and just slipped it over the post.  Fortunately the ground was not frozen.  Then I just strapped some fencing between that post and the piece of chain link fencing  I had secured to the lilac bush. 

That done, I then had to figure out how to get them into the yard without disrupting the picket fence.
I removed two of the pickets, drove the nails out and re-attached them at the top with lag bolts.  This allows them to swing out to make the perfect sized opening for the dogs to ingress and egress through.

If I don't want them to go into the "run" I close the pickets.

Wrigley is nosey enough to push through those dangling pickets.  Steve came home and had some ideas as to how to secure them.  I told him that if he wanted to do that, fine, but as soon as I find the hooks and eyes, that's my plan.  The dogs learned very quickly how to jump the rail.  All that agility training paid off, I guess.

Of course, if we get three feet of snow, this "pass" will be closed.  Until then,  I have a little more freedom while I am sewing.  Perhaps I could get Steven to install a doggie door for me......  Maybe in the spring.

Look Familiar?

This is one of the Kenmores that I bought last week.  It is just like the 1760 but without cams.  I bought this because I love the 1760.  I have this machine in pristine condition, in a case, with a buttonholer.  I am saving it for my daughter-in law should she ever decide she wants a machine.  I bought this one because it is a really good machine and I know that somewhere I can find someone who will be able to use it.  I consider a free arm, zig zag and stretch stitches to be essential for modern sewing. I would buy another of these in a heart beat.

I need to service it, get a couple of feet (straight stitch and zipper) and make a bag for it.  Then it will be ready to go.

Kenmore 158.19412

When I saw this machine last week, I knew right away that it is a good machine and I did not quibble over the asking price.  I knew it is well worth it.  I don't plan to "flip" this machine in the sense that I will make some money on it.  I will service it and then pass it along for what I have in it.   I feel no real attachment to this machine unlike some of the others I have .  (Think of Irene, Rose, Jezebell, the 301s, the 201s ,  the Brother, Queenie, The Class 15 clone, Herald)  I just really love it.  I want someone who needs a good machine to have the same pleasure.  Or I can use it in class.

TOOLS

January brings more light, just barely, and the sense of a new beginning.  I cleaned the workshop last weekend.  Yesterday I tackled  the sewing loft.  It had become the depository for auction acquisitions and empty sewing machine cabinets.  I moved some empty cabinets out, organized the auction finds and found the sewing tables, ironing board and sewing machine that had been buried under all the STUFF.
 I often say "It's all about the tools."  When I finally cleaned out the loft and could actually function in there, I sat down at this Kenmore 158.1760 to make a draw string bag.  I love this machine. It is smooth,  strong and quiet.  It makes a consistently gorgeous stitch without too much finagling.   I actually did not even have to change the tension despite sewing on different weights of fabric, with different weights of thread and different sized needles.  It has a free arm, as you can sort of tell.  The cabinet allows it to be positioned as you see it or dropped down into the cabinet so that it is a flat bed. 

 
I also love my new DeLonghi steam iron.  It is so professional looking.  I had been a Rowenta fan for many years.  This iron is heavier and the steam is always available (as long as the reservoir has water in it).

My current sewing project is a "Warm Window" roman shade.  This is the last one I must make for the house.  The project is tedious.  Working with large masses of fabric is a challenge and I am determined to finish this last one BEFORE  I start on anything FUN.

I started making these for the house five years ago.  I had five to make and it seems as if I only made one a year.  Each one is different from its predecessor, except this one.    I learned a bit with each shade.

Warm Window shade number 4. Finally figured it out.  (Singer 31-15)

I use Warm Window fabric (http://www.warmcompany.com/wwpage.html) and I bought some drapery fabric on sale a Joann's five years ago.  The idea is to seal the window with magnets secured in the shade that attach to a magnetic strip fastened to the window frame.  We have really nice chestnut woodwork so I did not want to apply a magnetic strip to that.  Instead I finally figured out that I needed to make the shade WIDE enough so that the strip can be attached to the wall.  It requires piecing.  I know how to do that, being a quilter, and all.

Back to the loft to sew.  See that 31-15 in the previous photo?  I want to play with that.  So if I want to play with that I have to finish this project.  Back to my wonderful tools.

Singer 31-15

I drove 200 miles round trip today.  It was seven degrees when I left home but as I drove further west, toward the Finger Lakes, it warmed up to 23 by the time I arrived to fetch the 31-15.    On my way BACK home, the temperature dropped back down , but only to 17.  We don't have any big masses of water out this a way to help moderate that big blast of  cold air coming down on us from our Canadian friends.  By Saturday, though, it will be back up into the 30s.  Good for me because it is easier to heat the shop.

I really, really, really wanted to have this machine in the house and set up before Steven arrived from work.  There is something about doing it myself.   C. told me that it took two men to get it up her stairs (ok I did not take it up a flight of stairs today.  BUT I did help her husband bring it down those stairs.)  So I got out the wagon.....

Wrigley approves:

What, another machine?  says Frannie. Wilson would have nothing to do with it, hence, no photo of him

 I know that I will use this machine.  I love to treadle and I want a machine that is designed to sew  through layers and layers.  None of my domestic machines can handle one of my favorite projects: quilted bags.  This machine definitely can.  Lucky me, too.  C. really outfitted this machine.  There are various  feet and matching feed dogs; a new belt (though the current one is fine) and needles.  Oh and she told me about a great place to buy thread....but I forgot the name of it........ What a nice day I had, meeting her and her husband, seeing her beautiful place (yes I think we are talking Home and Gardens).  Oh and I am so envious... She is so organized and tidy.  I definitely scored with this machine.

AND LOOK!!!  It has the knee activated pressure foot lifter.  HOW COOL IS THAT?  And it works!!!

BYE BYE  I am off to sew on my wonderful 31-15.

Oh but before I go, I should just let you all know that the dry spell is over.  I stayed true to form and went out to fetch one machine and came home with four.  One, a parts machine, has a motor for the third 201.  I can't quit my day job.....yet.

401 tension assembly set screw

Someone asked on WEFIXIT where the tension assembly set screw is on a 401.  I found it and have posted a photo of it here.  This is a good exercise for me.  I am becoming more facile with Photoshp elements, despite my fading synapses and bumbling ways around computers.  (p.s. I thought the red words would show up better than they did.

Open the face plate and locate the tension release pin behind the tension assembly.  The set screw is toward you set into the side of the face plate.

401 tension assembly set screw.

One thing I like about the Photo shop program....you can save a photo for web.  It uploads faster.

We have such slow web access out here in the country.  But I love my place.  I am happy here.

Tomorrow I go to Marcellus to fetch the 30-15 treadle.  I am excited.  The car is all fixed and I have heated seats so the cold won't bother me. 

Tidy Workspace

Originally I was going to trek over to Marcellus to fetch a Singer 30-15 treadle today.  Plans changed.  The Jetta Turbo diesel has been having issues with moisture condensing in the air intake chamber, freezing and causing havoc with starting and accelerating.   The tire pressure warning light also came on (despite 37 psi in all tires) and so I decided to stay home.  Betsy said she would come over to play.  So while I WAITED for her (she made it around 2 )  I cleaned the shop.  It is winter and the shop stays above freezing most of the time.  On sub -zero nights I thought that I should have the option of bringing the liquids into the house.  I packed them all up so that they are easily portable.  That freed up the Round  A Round (Betsy's term for it and I like it better than Lazy Susan) for all those chicken liver containers.  I drilled a hole in the bottom of each one and into the RAR  and screwed them down tight.  All of my tools are easily accessible. The screw drivers are in their own box or on the wall.  I still have stuff in the tool chest, my pliers and vice grips,  my timing tool, some miscellaneous stuff.   But all of my cleaning tools, scissors, Kelly clamp (aka Hemostats), tweezers,  dental picks, mini screw drivers are all our and easy to find and PUT AWAY.  I love self made organizers. 

Yesterday Betsy came over with her 401.  She wanted to work on the motor.  I showed her what I knew and we found that the field core was in good shape but the tape stabilizing the brush connectors   was frayed in one spot.  (Expletive deleted)   Where can we get THAT on a Sunday?  And what kind of tape is it really?   The internet provided some help, but we don't have access to specialty stores around here.  No body had it in C'town today and Oneonta was too far to go.  So, we thought that maybe we could switch out a motor from another machine.

New found skills on Adobe Photoshop Elements 10

Betsy spent the morning taking out a Touch and Throw motor and cleaning it.  Then she brought the motor over so that we could see if it fit. It didn't but we used the field core from it for the 401 motor and that puppy sews beautifully.  I learned how to sew on that model Singer.  Now I am inspired to get mine as clean as she got hers and try some of the stitches.

From that paragraph it sounds as if things went very smoothly.  It didn't but let me just say this, Betsy can take apart a 401 type motor and reassemble it in no time, now.  Practice makes perfect.

It stitches.....Really it does

Once I had the motor running I decided it was time to clean up a machine.  Yesterday I just put the motor on a dirty machine and I did not "stitch it in" as the lingo goes.  I was just thrilled to see the needle go up and down.  I know.... I know.......But you know what I mean.  The motor worked, by golly and I fixed it.

So I spent all day on this machine.   All right, not ALL DAY.  But most of it.   It was pretty dirty and it, too , has really bad wiring.

I could have cleaned up the machine that the refurbished motor was on.  But, I was going to have to take the motor off to work on it so I decided to take the motor off of this machine,  clean it and put the refurb on it.  This machine is cosmetically challenged, as the saying goes.  It is a good practice machine.

This is what the motor wiring from this machine looks like.  EEEEEEUUUUUYYYYYYY   


BUT  I am so not intimidate by this. 

 I can fix that, no problem......

This is what the bottom of the machine looked like.  It had some old dried oil everywhere.  So I cleaned it up with some degreaser and some denatured alcohol.  Purely cosmetic.  I assure you.  I
Tri-flowed everywhere and put new grease on the gears.  It did help to have a copy of the service manual. 

I was working on the gears in the back of the machine and I noticed that there was a catch as I turned the handwheel.  After I greased these gears and turned the handwheel it was so much smoother.  What in the world had I done?  Who knows.... maybe there was some lint up under the bobbin case.  So I took that sucker out.  What an ordeal.  I followed the service manual..  Rain had done a tutorial on this and it is posted on Vintagesingers but I did not have my computer close at hand.  I am sure his way is easier.  Just the same, there was dirt but no lint and the problem did not get better with the bobbin case out.

I don't know how I noticed it, but somehow the thread cutter had gotten repositioned.......

 And it was binding up on the needle clamp......So I figured that out.  GEEZ, what a simple solution.

Well I needed to learn how to take out the bobbin case.  It was pretty dirty in there, yes it was.
I did not take out the hook.  I have done enough advanced stuff on this machine and as I have been told, 9 times out of 10 the machine is not out of time.  What would make it go out of time??????

I oiled and cleaned it and finally was ready to put the refurb on.  OOPs.  No foot pedal.  Oh, yeah, now I remember.....that foot pedal needed new wires.  The poor dogs were getting hungry, it was past dinner time and I showed no signs of letting up.  I got that foot pedal re-wired and new ring connectors soldered and then, dinner.

Add just enough grease to make the gears look wet. Anything more is plain wasteful.

I always wondered how much grease to put on gears.  Now I know.  I still don't understand why some Kenmores have so much grease, but according to the guru, Ray White, just enough to make them look wet.

Once I got it all connected, and I must admit I was pretty pleased with myself, I put the power to the machine.  First, I made sure that everything worked by hand.  The handwheel was a bit tight, but I thought that maybe it was due to the fact that it just hadn't gotten all the grease and oil where it needed to go.  But something was wrong.  I tried running the motor for a bit, but it would not pick up speed.  So, I spent the next hour trying to figure that out.  I sanded the inside of the handwheel,  I sanded the shaft  I ran the  motor without any load, just to be sure (I had done this yesterday but what the heck).  Finally I noticed the problem.....the bobbin winder was engaged.  OK so now I am dumb.  Maybe just tired.  Something is still not quite right.  I cannot get the stop motion knob to release so that the machine doesn't run when I am winding the bobbin...... Probably something simple.  I tried a million different configurations of the washer and stop motion knob.  Who knows.  I gave up.  I needed a drink.

 
I understand the appeal of this machine.  It is quiet and I think it makes a fairly decent stitch.  I want to try it on some thicker layers.  But that is for another day.  I'm beat.  It was a long day with lots of lessons learned.  But how the heck was I to know that the stupid bobbin winder was engaged?  Gee whizz.