Handmade Monday - The recycling centre

This is my post for Handmade Monday, hosted by Wendy at 1st unique gifts.  But this week it is not my work you'll be looking at ...

A most exciting event occurred in our town last weekend.  The Dolgellau recycling centre opened its gates! This may not sound exciting to you, but when your nearest tip is a 40 mile round trip, it really is exciting.

I'm not sure if they are offering a loyalty card, but we will be applying.

So far we have emptied the trailer (where we store bulky rubbish), started on the studio (where we store bulky rubbish), started on the loft (where we store bulky rubbish), started on the children's room (where we store bulky rubbish).

In going through the children's room I came across their car seat blankets (I had a dedicated blanket for the car seat, so that if I couldn't find it in the house, I knew I had left it in the car - do you understand the logic?).  They both had their own blanket.

Now as you may or may not know I have a handcrank Singer Sewing machine which I resurrected from a dusty corner of my neighbours house.  Although I enjoy using it, it is too slow to be my favourite machine.

I was not allowed to use a sewing machine until needlework classes at secondary school.

I was not allowed to touch my mums sewing machine until I was 14.

I found myself shouting at my children for fiddling with tension and pressing buttons on my Pfaff machine.  So I decided that the handcrank machine would be ideal to let them loose on.

So this weekend they both converted their blankets into cushion covers.

I can't claim the design taxed my sewing skills.  I can't claim that they could have done it on their own.  But my 5 year old and 3 year old, turned the handle and watched their very own blanket metamorphose into a cushion cover before their eyes.  And they are very proud of it.

Handmade Monday - Technology

Singer 347 - complete with zig-zag stitch

Handmade Monday is normal the post where we show you what we have created with our own fair, crafty hands, but today I thought I would introduce a bit of repair to group.

I was given this sewing machine through the freecycle system ( you list things you no longer want, and someone collects it for free, or in my case, you ask for a sewing machine and someone realises they have gathering dust that belonged to their mother.).

I was told the machine was in perfect working order when it was put away.  Unfortunately whilst that may have been true, its 10 years or so in a box had slightly stiffened up the joints.  Also, the little toolbox had become seperated from it, and so it arrived with no bobbins.

Singer, I thought, no problem, I'll raid the handcrank machine.  However it turns out that a drop-in bobbin is a different size.

With the wonder of the internet I found a site that sold bobbins for this model.  They arrived in 3 days.  I loaded one up, but boy was the tension miles out! It took some time to persuade the machine it wanted to behave.

However now that I had the machine up and sewing, I felt the motor was a bit sluggish, so I assumed the belt needed replacing.  Once again I began searching the web to find out if it was possible to get a new belt.  Not only did I find somewhere to buy the belt, but I even found a blog that showed me how to adjust it.  I left a comment on the blog and by this morning the blogger had offered to e-mail me a copy of the manual, all the way from Indiana!



My machine was manufactured in 1965 I think, (obviously there is a website to type in your serial number to work out the age of the machine too).

So by the now my 2nd hand rather tired Singer Sewing Machine is like a brand new machine.

As thanks to the wonder of the internet and the generousity of fellow bloggers, I shall be arranging a small giveaway on Thursday if you wish to call by.

Foot note below




Footnote (pun intended), if you were wondering, this is the generic free motion embroidery foot above a piece of cardboard.  I haven't found anyway of dropping the feed-dogs so I have covered them up!

Living with the Domestic Goddess

The instruction manual

When the Domestic Goddess arrived it was siezed up.  The crank handle would turn, but that was it.

So the first job I had to do was consult the instruction manual.  The manual was sitting in the case in prestine condtion.

We all talk about the beauty of a Singer sewing machine, but the instruction manual is a thing of beauty too.  Not for any ornate pictures but for its simplicity.  Ikea clearly took the idea from Singer - there is not a single word in the book yet the instructions are clear.  By contrast my Pfaff instruction manual is 85 pages long and is written in 4 languages.

So my first task was to find the page about oiling the machine.  This time roles were reversed.  My Pfaff machine needs one picture to show me the one place I must oil it. The Singer requires 4 pages and I genuinely cannot tell you how many places I need to oil.

This is how many places under the Singer need oiling.

Last night I got the newly fixed Pfaff out, but somehow it just didn't give me the 'feel' that I wanted with free motion embroidery so I think the the Domestic Goddess is staying (although it might get re-named Big Bertha!).

WOYWW - The Domestic Goddess

Now called the domestic goddess

Well what is on my workbench this Wednesday? (WOYWW), the Domestic Goddess of course (as it has now been named).  If you haven't called by this week, and need to know the full story of how I gained a 50 year old brand new machine then take a look at Monday's post.

It is fair to say after my initial disappointment and should I add horror at being given a handturn sewing machine, I find myself eating humble pie.  The old lady has taught me alot already this week.

By slowing me down, the domestic sewing has helped me remember the basics of machine work.

• How essential rountine maintenance is (the machine arrived siezed, but oiling soon sorted out the problems).
• How fundamental it is to hold the 2 threads when starting
• You can only guide the fabric with one hand, so that hand has to be perfect.
• Your left and right hand really can move in different directions!
• And of course how fun a hand machine is for the children (yes I too remember queuing up to wind a friend's machine).

child labour

The fanastic bit of news, is that by putting a request on freecycle for a new pedal for my Pfaff machine, lots of people suggested sources and one of them has paid off!  Yep the Pfaff machine which on Sunday was condemned by the machine repair man, is now back working.  But the trouble is I just don't know if I can put the Domestic Goddess back in her box.

Call over to Stamping ground and see how everyone else is beginning their new year of WOYWW

Handmade Monday - a brand new start

The end of an era?

 Blwyddyn newydd da. Croeso yn ol i ddydd llun o waith llaw!
(Thats happy new year. Welcome back to Handmade Monday )

I thought today I would show you some of my crafty tools that I received as Christmas presents, but instead I would like to share with you the sorrow and joy of this weekend.

Saturday night my sewing machine broke down, no panic just disappointment.  Sunday I phoned the repair man, but disaster, disaster, disaster, he told me he couldn't get the part for less than £85 and recommended choosing a new machine instead.

It was a double-whammy, not only was I desperate to continue sewing, but there he was, telling me I could never sew on my machine again.  We had been together since birth (well, since I was 14).

To add insult to injury, my mum traded in her Jones machine to buy it - and Eleanor's Attic, sends her Jones machine to the same man to be serviced.

Well I was not prepared to listen, so I trawled ebay, I put a plea on freecycle and I think I may have found the part for £25.

However, in a need to continue sewing, I texted a friend.  My friend would never describe herself as a domestic goddess, but she is woman of a certain age.  And surely, all woman of a certain age can sew?

Sure enough the response came back, saying her machine was in the porch and I was welcome to keep it!

I rushed round, and collected the great lump, clearly good quality. I rushed back home and opened the lid ...

A brand new start, for a brand new machine

Oh, dear, not what I had hoped for, but the story doesn't end there.  As I looked at the machine, it began to dawn on me, that there in front of me, stood a brand new machine... never used...all bobbins empty... no fluff anywhere.  Complete with the original 3 needles in the packet, the instruction book, the factory release card, etc. (I told you my friend was not a domestic goddess, but to have never used the machine in 50 years?)

The urge to sew was too strong and so the domestic goddess (as I've named it), was soon been put through its paces.  Tune in again folks, to hear how it is fairing!