Every year about this time I think of a tune from the radio a long time ago called "Here Comes Summer" by Jerry Keller. Some of you may remember, too. It brings back memories of simpler times.
We haven't formed any plans yet about going back to the old in-person get togethers, but we're thinking about it. We all miss it.
The first of our summer Colorado sewing machine get togethers features several contributions from our members.
Courtney
Courtney, from northern Colorado, sent us the following notes and pictures of what he's been doing:
Most of my time this last month has been spent adopting a couple of orphans. Most of my machines are rather old and antique but these two are much younger. The first was a Kenmore from about 1980 that I found at the local Habitat for Humanity. It was very dirty and when I tried it out it screamed metal on metal. The power switch did not work but the foot pedal was a good quality carbon pile and it had one important accessory, the instruction manual. When I got it home, I spent some time just cleaning it up and then lubricating it. It now runs very smoothly, as smoothly as an old mechanical Bernina or Elna. It is a 158.1212180, the most basic of zig-zag machines. It does a straight stitch and a zig-zag but that is all. No needle position or blind hem, only the two stitches, but it does do both of them very nicely. The only missing piece was the spool pin. I am trying an experiment, instead of a metal spool pin I am using a short piece of 5mm urethane belting. Because the belting is flexible the sewing machine will fit in a salesman's case and so far will come back to straight and vertical when I take it out of the case. I figure if necessary, I can put a small diameter soda straw over it to make it straight.
I first saw the second machine while taking Connie to Starbucks one Friday. As we passed a small Garage Sale I noticed there was a sewing machine for sale. On the way back from Starbucks I stopped at the sale and walked up and noticed the sign on the sewing machine "$5 Works but need adjusting." It did have the foot pedal, so I got my money out. When we got home, I got to cleaning it up. I then took off the plastic covers and oiled everything inside. Most of the original accessories were included but it was missing the bobbin cover plate. I got out my Dremel tool and a thin piece of plastic and made one. Seems to be fine so far. The machine is now running well. All the stitches seem to be fine, and it is the first machine I have purchased that is currently available on Amazon. It is a Singer Heavy Duty 4452 and is the youngest of all on my machines.
Because a lot of people know I play around with sewing machines, I often get a lot of requests. I always like to have a couple of loaners available. During the pandemic, the loaners I had were put out to good use making masks. One was liked enough that they asked to buy it, but I said just keep it. I am not sure if I will see the other loaner again, so I am well pleased that I now have a couple of loaners again and my total cost has been less than $20 for the pair!
A few years ago, a good friend passed away from breast cancer and the family gave me her fabric stash. In the stash were a number of pieces of fabric she had already cut. A couple of squares had already been started so I completed the all the rest of the squares in the same manner. They were basically a 9 inch square with 2 inch borders all the way around. I had no idea what she had planned for the squares but another friend suggested cutting them in half diagonally and sewing them back into a square. I liked the idea of cutting them up, so I ended up cutting them into quarters and then sewed the quarters back together in a four patch. I sashed the four patches together with 2 inch sashing and have finished the top. Since I hope the start the quilting this weekend, I have gone ahead and included a picture of the top on a bed. I am very well pleased with the quilt so far.
Courtney
James
James has two newly received machines, which he describes to us, along with pictures:
I have picked up two sewing machines lately. One of them is a BelAir Bantam which is the sister machine to my Sewmor 303. It is an aluminum body clone of a Singer 99. I am not sure if the motor is the original as it mentions International on it. The motor runs well but I need to oil the machine as it is sluggish running with the belt on. Decals are in great condition as well as the wiring. Of interest is the unusual pressure foot adjuster that look unlike any Revco adjusters I have seen. There are no markings to tell who made it.
The second machine is a Singer 192K better known as a Spartan. Interestingly the serial number data base lists it as a Singer 185 made in 1959 which it obviously is not. I do think it is a 1959 machine as it was made in that time period. Originally it would have come in a plastic base, no case and only one foot. This machine had been transferred to a much better case and had a light clamped on that I took off. The motor had also been replaced with one from a Brother machine. Wiring is in excellent condition and the machine runs strong. Has slight loss of the gold lettering. It was interesting to compare them side by side. The weight of the Singer is very noticeable compared to the Bantam. The Bantam has a complete green case while the Singer had a case that someone sprayed gold paint on for some reason. I will strip that off and cover with something less garish.
... to be continued