Colorado get-together?
10-09-2018, 06:31 PM
#101
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,244
Originally Posted by Kelsie
Wow. Just found this thread and read the whole thing. Thoroughly enjoyed it. About the button hook - are you using it to clean/work on machines? It is celluloid and you mentioned not caring what it is made from but to keep it you will need to keep it out of the sun and away from any heat source. We are talking about not going to Arizona next year but travelling around more. Perhaps we will get to Colorado. Would love to come and learn.
No, I had just found the button hook with some sewing stuff. I actually found a metal JC Penney's one with a Touch & Sew machine. I was initially rather surprised. I thought about it and then needed it for one of my blouses. Decided then. that they come in handy for their intended purpose. Thank you for the information. I found a celluloid knitting needle but the tip of it was in pieces. I don't want that to happen to the button hook.
If you should come through Colorado, please let us know. We have an off board mailing list for our get-togethers. Should anyone be in the Front Range/Denver area we would love to call a special get-together. I know John and I sure enjoyed meeting with Leon & Iris. Hopefully, sometime they will make it back sometime we can all get-together.
Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
10-10-2018, 09:21 PM
#102
Senior Member
Join Date: Oct 2017
Location: Vancouver Island / Arizona
Posts: 458
Janey and John: I shall follow this thread assiduously but my husband has just told me we can't come as we can't chance the weather. Perhaps in future years when we have downsized our motor home and will be taking shorter trips in the summer time. It seems each trip we meet snow at some point - gets pretty scary.
10-16-2018, 02:37 PM
#104
Senior Member
Join Date: Dec 2011
Location: Colorado
Posts: 580
I just stumbled upon this thread! I live in the Denver area (Lakewood to be exact). A lot of interesting vintage sewing machines. :-) How fun to meet like this. I will be following, hope to get to join ya'll in the future!
10-16-2018, 06:03 PM
#105
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,244
Originally Posted by DawnFurlong
I just stumbled upon this thread! I live in the Denver area (Lakewood to be exact). A lot of interesting vintage sewing machines. :-) How fun to meet like this. I will be following, hope to get to join ya'll in the future!
It really is a lot of fun to meet like this. I know we might miss some topics that were discussed in our get-togethers when we post here. As you can tell from what we have posted about, there are a lot of different things that we talk about, We get to see some fun machines, books and other things as well.
Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
11-05-2018, 08:28 AM
#106
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,244
November 3, 2018 - Colorado Get-together
What began as a chilly and rainy morning, changed to blue sky and sunshine by the time we were meeting at Perkins. Our monthly sewing machine get together met at ten o'clock and had as many people attending as we have ever had.
We welcomed a new person named Dawn, joining us for the first time. She brought a Bel-Air 600, made in occupied Japan. It does need to be rewired. It had a bag of attachments, some of which were unfamiliar to her, as to their function. Janey and Dorothy went through them with her as to what they were. With only a little rust in a few places, the Bel-Air should restore nicely and work fine. We talked about rust removers, polishes and oils, among other things. A picture of her machine is shown below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603501[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603510[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603502[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603503[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603504[/ATTACH]
Also at our get together were Courtney, Dianne, Cheryl & Chris, Dorothy, Carol, Paula, Janey & John. Ten of us in all.
As a surprise, Dorothy made some much appreciated and well received sewing machine carriers for everyone who attended. There was some talk about the plans for it at the last meeting, but Dorothy arrived with several of them already made.
Each carrier has a tough fabric bottom, with heavy duty straps to hold a machine safely, and providing a handle for carrying it easily. It's a great design. If anyone has ever had the handle of a case top come loose, this is the thing to prevent that. Just about any machine in a portable case can be carried safely and with ease. Thank you Dorothy.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603505[/ATTACH]
Dianne brought an interesting antique toy machine made of wood. She emailed us a few days ago that she would be bringing a wooden sewing machine and it had some of us looking up on the internet what it could possibly be.
It features a ring shaped wooden body with metal moving parts. It is a chain stitch machine and has a section of the ring which is removable to allow fabric to be more easily pulled through the very small machine. The name of the machine is a Practical. According to https://sewalot.com/foley%20&%20williams%20goodrich.htm and http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php/Goodrich it is a Foley & Williams machine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603506[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603507[/ATTACH]
Courtney brought an interesting metal sculpture of a man sitting at a sewing machine, the man being formed from a bent railroad spike with other metal pieces being used to form a table and sewing machine. Thread was made from wire.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603508[/ATTACH]
Courtney also brought a tote his wife had given him with a Willcox & Gibbs printed on it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603509[/ATTACH]
There was an industrial bobbin winder that Carol brought which is shown above with Dorothy's carrier. Dorothy, our resident industrial guru, told us that bobbin winders were specific to the various machines. Carol's appears to be for such machines as 35-1, 78-1, 111W100 and 151W6.
Paula brought a picture of an interesting drop-at-a-time oiling pen. It was one her phone. Sorry, no picture.
John talked to Chris and Cheryl about the wiring of a Montgomery Wards machine that Janey got this month. It has a "Chicago" plug on the rear of the pillar, believed to be a power connection, but is a socket. This would mean that the power cord would have pins- posing a safety hazard. We will have to determine the wiring design with a meter, but may be looking for a plug for it. We talked about the possibility of making a plug, with two soldered metal pins and set in potting compound for an insulated plug body.
Courtney and John talked a little bit more about a computer sewing machine controller that Courtney is working on.
I'm sure there were things talked about that were missed here. But these, at least, were the highlights of the meeting.
We plan to meet again next month and will post the minutes of the next meeting here.
We welcomed a new person named Dawn, joining us for the first time. She brought a Bel-Air 600, made in occupied Japan. It does need to be rewired. It had a bag of attachments, some of which were unfamiliar to her, as to their function. Janey and Dorothy went through them with her as to what they were. With only a little rust in a few places, the Bel-Air should restore nicely and work fine. We talked about rust removers, polishes and oils, among other things. A picture of her machine is shown below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603501[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603510[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603502[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603503[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603504[/ATTACH]
Also at our get together were Courtney, Dianne, Cheryl & Chris, Dorothy, Carol, Paula, Janey & John. Ten of us in all.
As a surprise, Dorothy made some much appreciated and well received sewing machine carriers for everyone who attended. There was some talk about the plans for it at the last meeting, but Dorothy arrived with several of them already made.
Each carrier has a tough fabric bottom, with heavy duty straps to hold a machine safely, and providing a handle for carrying it easily. It's a great design. If anyone has ever had the handle of a case top come loose, this is the thing to prevent that. Just about any machine in a portable case can be carried safely and with ease. Thank you Dorothy.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603505[/ATTACH]
Dianne brought an interesting antique toy machine made of wood. She emailed us a few days ago that she would be bringing a wooden sewing machine and it had some of us looking up on the internet what it could possibly be.
It features a ring shaped wooden body with metal moving parts. It is a chain stitch machine and has a section of the ring which is removable to allow fabric to be more easily pulled through the very small machine. The name of the machine is a Practical. According to https://sewalot.com/foley%20&%20williams%20goodrich.htm and http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.php/Goodrich it is a Foley & Williams machine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603506[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603507[/ATTACH]
Courtney brought an interesting metal sculpture of a man sitting at a sewing machine, the man being formed from a bent railroad spike with other metal pieces being used to form a table and sewing machine. Thread was made from wire.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603508[/ATTACH]
Courtney also brought a tote his wife had given him with a Willcox & Gibbs printed on it.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]603509[/ATTACH]
There was an industrial bobbin winder that Carol brought which is shown above with Dorothy's carrier. Dorothy, our resident industrial guru, told us that bobbin winders were specific to the various machines. Carol's appears to be for such machines as 35-1, 78-1, 111W100 and 151W6.
Paula brought a picture of an interesting drop-at-a-time oiling pen. It was one her phone. Sorry, no picture.
John talked to Chris and Cheryl about the wiring of a Montgomery Wards machine that Janey got this month. It has a "Chicago" plug on the rear of the pillar, believed to be a power connection, but is a socket. This would mean that the power cord would have pins- posing a safety hazard. We will have to determine the wiring design with a meter, but may be looking for a plug for it. We talked about the possibility of making a plug, with two soldered metal pins and set in potting compound for an insulated plug body.
Courtney and John talked a little bit more about a computer sewing machine controller that Courtney is working on.
I'm sure there were things talked about that were missed here. But these, at least, were the highlights of the meeting.
We plan to meet again next month and will post the minutes of the next meeting here.
11-05-2018, 06:57 PM
#107
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,244
Correction to November 3, 2018 - Colorado Get-together
There is a correction to the machines that the bobbin winder is for. It should Not include 35-1. The 35-1 is a carpet sewing machine and uses two spools of thread, but no bobbin.
Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Janey - Neat people never make the exciting discoveries I do.
Last edited by QuiltnNan; 04-11-2019 at 07:49 AM.
12-03-2018, 07:37 AM
#108
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,244
Colorado Get-together December 1, 2018 part 1
A cold gray morning in Denver covered things in frost and a thin coating of ice. But by the time we met at 10 O'clock, there were blue skies, the sun was out and it all melted away. Those of us who travel some distance had been worried about a possible snow forecast, which didn't materialize.
At the meeting were Courtney, Dianne, April, Dorothy, Carol, Janey and John. At the end of the meeting Courtney's wife Connie, who had dropped Courtney off and was doing other things, joined us for a little more conversation.
Courtney brought a Wheeler & Wilson machine, thought to be from about 1871. He thinks it might be a model 4. It has interesting flat bobbins and several attachments, some of them unknown as to what they do. It uses a curved needle and Courtney explained a little of his experimentation making more of them from straight needles. It would use a wide drive belt (maybe inch or inch and a quarter wide). Courtney is trying to fashion one for it. Courtney keeps accessories for it in a carved Wheeler & Wilson wooden box. Pictures are below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604741[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604742[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604743[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604744[/ATTACH]
Does any one know what the item is for that is between the bobbins on the right of the pictures?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604745[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604746[/ATTACH]
Dorothy brought a Thompson machine for April to use in some sewing projects using leather and denim. More of an industrial machine, the Thompson will sew what a domestic machine will not. She broke a size 26 needle and brought to show how large it is. No way would it work in a domestic machine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604747[/ATTACH]
April told us a little about her sewing room and her plans. She showed us a very nice sample of her free-motion embroidery, a smart-phone case, pictured below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604748[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604749[/ATTACH]
To Be Continued....
At the meeting were Courtney, Dianne, April, Dorothy, Carol, Janey and John. At the end of the meeting Courtney's wife Connie, who had dropped Courtney off and was doing other things, joined us for a little more conversation.
Courtney brought a Wheeler & Wilson machine, thought to be from about 1871. He thinks it might be a model 4. It has interesting flat bobbins and several attachments, some of them unknown as to what they do. It uses a curved needle and Courtney explained a little of his experimentation making more of them from straight needles. It would use a wide drive belt (maybe inch or inch and a quarter wide). Courtney is trying to fashion one for it. Courtney keeps accessories for it in a carved Wheeler & Wilson wooden box. Pictures are below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604741[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604742[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604743[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604744[/ATTACH]
Does any one know what the item is for that is between the bobbins on the right of the pictures?
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604745[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604746[/ATTACH]
Dorothy brought a Thompson machine for April to use in some sewing projects using leather and denim. More of an industrial machine, the Thompson will sew what a domestic machine will not. She broke a size 26 needle and brought to show how large it is. No way would it work in a domestic machine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604747[/ATTACH]
April told us a little about her sewing room and her plans. She showed us a very nice sample of her free-motion embroidery, a smart-phone case, pictured below.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604748[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604749[/ATTACH]
To Be Continued....
12-03-2018, 07:42 AM
#109
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2015
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 4,244
Colorado Get-together December 1, 2018 part 2
Dianne brought pictures of quilts she is working on with Half Square Triangles. They feature repeating designs in something of an optical illusion, appearing to vary with the background behind them, but they are actually the same.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604750[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604751[/ATTACH]
Carol brought a box of controllers, cords and other accessories including such things as White ZigZag attachment, Singer Blind Stitch attachment, a couple of darner, embroidery springs with hoops and some Greist attachments. Fortunately, the Greist attachments have the adapter needed to change the feet.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604752[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604753[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604754[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604755[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604756[/ATTACH]
Janey brought information about the story of Greist(Griest) and a print out of a chart found at http://xfossils.com/cintipam/boye/chart1.jpg from 1909 to identify various feet. She also had a print out of the first page of http://patentimages.storage.googleap...fs/US55869.pdf that was the patent that indicates that it is for a "pinking machine," however, the second page calls it a "puncturing-machine for making patterns." Later Thomas Edison was granted patent 180,857. Even later Griest was granted patent 208,905. There was another non-sewing machine attachment patent that was granted to Griest #290229 for "Art of Riveting Metals Together" which surely was used for manufacturing attachments.
John brought a large print of last year's sewing machine Christmas card for those who had not seen it. A large resolution image can be found at https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...914-585861.JPG
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604757[/ATTACH]
We plan to meet again the first Saturday, after the first of the year. Until then, we wish everyone happy and festive holidays and a happy new year!
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604750[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604751[/ATTACH]
Carol brought a box of controllers, cords and other accessories including such things as White ZigZag attachment, Singer Blind Stitch attachment, a couple of darner, embroidery springs with hoops and some Greist attachments. Fortunately, the Greist attachments have the adapter needed to change the feet.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604752[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604753[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604754[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604755[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604756[/ATTACH]
Janey brought information about the story of Greist(Griest) and a print out of a chart found at http://xfossils.com/cintipam/boye/chart1.jpg from 1909 to identify various feet. She also had a print out of the first page of http://patentimages.storage.googleap...fs/US55869.pdf that was the patent that indicates that it is for a "pinking machine," however, the second page calls it a "puncturing-machine for making patterns." Later Thomas Edison was granted patent 180,857. Even later Griest was granted patent 208,905. There was another non-sewing machine attachment patent that was granted to Griest #290229 for "Art of Riveting Metals Together" which surely was used for manufacturing attachments.
John brought a large print of last year's sewing machine Christmas card for those who had not seen it. A large resolution image can be found at https://www.quiltingboard.com/member...914-585861.JPG
[ATTACH=CONFIG]604757[/ATTACH]
We plan to meet again the first Saturday, after the first of the year. Until then, we wish everyone happy and festive holidays and a happy new year!
Last edited by OurWorkbench; 12-03-2018 at 07:53 AM.
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