“Cuts out all fatigue!”

First of all, I’m so very pleased and relieved to report that my Singer 8280 is back, almost as good as new (I say almost, as there's currently some alignment problems with the slide-on table which was caused by transit that I'm trying to sort out). It arrived about a week ago, carefully wrapped in layers and layers of cardboard and bubblewrap (so much that I actually gave up before all the bubbles were popped). In fact, the machine sews in a much more smooth fashion, and makes less noise when it does so.

But this post is all about my vintage Singer 99k. When my modern Singer was away, naturally I turned to my beautiful 99k, as of course, a week or two without sewing was not going to be an option. Before then, although I had test sewed on a couple of fabric samples with the vintage machine, I had no real reason to use it for an entire garment, when my loyal and familiar is already on the table, ready to go.

As soon as I started using the 99k, I fell in love with it. Of course I can’t deny the vintage factor, where I feel that I’m touching a piece of history with my own hands, but man is it a good little worker. Here’re just a few reasons why I love working with it:

1. It’s a solid piece of kit. The metal body not only looks curvy and attractive, but it is also more robust when compared to a modern version with a plastic casing. Also, it gets through thicker fabric without trouble, so is very versatile indeed. I’m already looking forward to working with some tricky fabric with it.
2. The generous work surface. The integrated fold-up table helps, but the area below the arm is also much wider so that it’s easier to handle a larger amount of fabric underneath. I was really surprised by how much of a difference it made, and this was particularly appreciated when I was inserting the lapped zipper onto my dropped waist dress, and when I was adding the tape to some curtains. Big thumbs up for this one.
3. The handwheel is so easy to use. These machines were first made as hand crank versions, so the handwheel was a critical part of the entire operation. Luckily my 99k is a 1950s version with a motor and foot pedal included already (see above the picture taken from the instruction manual, and hence the title of this post. The picture made me laugh!), yet I found the handwheel to be of great help at the start (to get the motor going) and at the end of each seam. It’s so much easier to turn, and gives you a lot more control manually.
4. The speed. Once it gets going, and if you are sewing a straight line with your foot down, I’ll tell you, this machine does not mess about! It gets up to quite a speed! I don’t know what it can get up to per hour, but I was very grateful of this when I was altering some curtains. Once the thread is threaded, and the tensions are sorted, the project was done in no time!
5. The backstitch function. I’ll be honest here - it took me a while to realise that my 99k had this function (as the older ones don’t often do this), and by then I had already convinced myself that I did not need this. But the massive relief when I realised that it did backstitch showed me that I was just kidding myself.
6. Its compatibility with my various sewing feet. Although it does not have a “snap-on” foot like my modern machine, its shank is interchangeable with that from my modern Singer, which means that all my sewing pressure feet can still be used on the vintage model. Bravo Singer! This is a pleasant surprise and is very much appreciated, certainly in a world where everything appears to have new versions very quickly, which then render the original accessories largely useless, be it cables, chargers, cases, even sim cards... 

Of course, it is only a fairly basic machine, and did take me a little bit of time to familiarise myself with the threading, etc. A particular struggle I had was with winding the bobbin – the instructions and the pictures are for an earlier model, so I scratched my head for quite a while before consulting the knowledgeable YouTube. The other slight difficulty is that it does a straight stitch only – it was great to use when I wanted to assemble things, but not so great for finishing seams. In fact, I’ve still got the seams on my dropped waist dress to do! After wearing it out for our 1^st anniversary meal at the end of last month!

So what's next? Now that my modern machine is back, will I continue to use the 99k? Yep, without a doubt. As I have been enjoying its smooth action so much in the last few weeks, I think I may actually try and do all the assembling with the 99k in the future, and let my 8280 do the trickier bits, such as inserting an invisible zipper, finishing the seams with the overlocker foot, and of course, working with jersey, which is what I’m hoping to do next!

Do you have a vintage sewing machine? Do you use it, and do you love using it?

Touch of pink dropped waist dress

Update -- make your own dropped waist dress following this simple tutorial here!

Whilst my Singer 8280 is taking some time out to be cured (hopefully!), I have been keeping up my sewing activities with my Singer 99k, and have really enjoyed getting to know this beauty from 1957 (a separate post on this later). For now, here's my latest creation:

I have a soft spot for dropped waist dresses, especially those with a semi-fitted waistline (I do like the baggy type, too, but generally more on other people). So when I snapped up this cute polka dot stretchy cotton, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. It's quiet a thick material, much thicker than the stuff I used for the old favourites dress and my Alma blouse, so would be perfect in providing the structure that is needed for the desired effect of the skirt. 

I've called the dress "touch of pink", as the polka dots are actually in a very pale shade of pink. You probably can't see this from the photos, but they do just make the fabric that little bit "softer". I love it!

I used Simplicity 2146 (remember my last version?) as a base pattern, as I like how it fitted, as well as the princess lines. I chopped off the bottom of the skirt and replaced it with a gathered skirt. 

I made quiet a narrow hem, and used a lapped zipper. Instead of the actual facing, of course I used my favourite single-fold bias tape technique. And this had to be in a pale pink, too. There are no photos of the inside of this dress, as I'm too embarrassed to show you the inside... as it's not yet finished! I'm waiting for my Singer 8280 to come back before finishing the seams. But the outside of the dress looks good, right? ;)  

That said, my lovely 99k has been instrumental in helping me with this wonderful little project. I approve! 

Old Favourites Dress and SOS on my Singer 8280!

What a beautiful summer weekend! For those that don't live in the UK, I hope you had lovely weather too! 

First thing first. I am very sad to report that my modern Singer (aka Sallie Moonbeam) broke down last night...  The handwheel mechanism got jammed up, and would only move a tiny teeny amount back and forth. I took her apart almost completely (big mistake), didn't find anything that was caught (but man was it filthy and fluffy), and when I proudly put everything* back, there were 3 screws and a cylinder left!!! Needless to say, it still doesn't work, and I am getting more and more wound up over it. I didn't quite realise just how much I was relying on my sewing machine, until it stopped working! 

HELP PLEASE! Has this happened to you before? Also, if anyone has any experience of any sewing machine repair/service specialists in the South East (UK), please could you let me know? 

Now onto the project. This was a quick project with one of my favourite patterns, McCalls 2401 (see previous versions here and here), and the same stretchy cotton fabric that I used in my Alma Blouse. I've called it the Old Favourites Dress, though strictly speaking the fabric is quite a new favourite. 

It was a breeze to use this tried and tested version, which I have altered previously to fit me (see adjustments here). This time I made a View F, with the bateau neckline, and sleeveless. I love this pattern with a stretchy cotton - it hugs the body so well and it's super comfortable to wear.  

  

I finished the neckline and armholes with a navy single-fold bias binding as facing - you can't see it from the photos but I love the slight contrast on the inside. 

I think this is quite a smart looking dress. And did I mention how comfy it was to wear? A bit of stretch is all you need sometimes! 

Have a lovely week all! My priority will be to get my 8280 fixed but in the meantime, I'm going to try and use my Singer 99k to keep me busy... 

They don't make them like they used to

Recently I have been let loose to the wonderful world of ebay... it all started when my hubby started selling bits and bobs that were used just once from our wedding (we simply do not have that much space in the house to store it all), and very soon after that, my years of claiming "if I don't stay away from ebay, I will be addicted to it" became history, and my bold claim had turned out to be very true indeed. 

After buying a couple of vintage sewing patterns from it, I had the most genius idea of finding myself a  Singer 99k. Don't get me wrong, my Singer 8280 (Sallie Moonbeam) works perfectly fine, and I did not need a new machine, but who can resist the charms of a vintage Singer? I mean, look at her!

It dates from 1957, and I cannot believe how well it has been looked after. It has a motor and foot pedal installed already, and is in great working order. It came with its manual, some (very rusty) sewing feet and its original case - I am one very lucky girl!