I've lost my mind, but at least the dust is off of the vintage iron
 

Hello again people, it has been 2 or maybe 3 years since I was active here but I just took on a project I thought you all might get a kick out of laughing at my pain. I am no seamstress, I like old machine and kinda like restoring them. I have posted some pictures of my 128's and a 27 built in the year 1900. I also posted a picture of my Black 306w that I swap in and out of the treadle base for the 27. I have stitched with all of my machines though never really made anything.. well this winter I became medically retired and decided that I was making my wife some PJ pants for Xmas. that went pretty well, so when my daughter approached me about making a "Princess" dress I thought Sure... how hard can it be?

this is what I have taken on and the machine I use, just a warning this is NOT what a DIY dad should be attempting to learn sewing basics on.


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Wish me Luck, I am going to need it.

Yes you are! Have fun.

Oh my; lucky, lucky daughter! That is a big bite to chew, but read, read, and re-read the instructions; look up confusing terms or techniques on You Tube, and get ready to put on your dancing shoes.

My husband wants to move to the "Middle of Nowhere, Alaska". I tell him "The Ends of The Earth, North Dakota", is remote enough, cold enough, and painful enough. Of course I guess 40-below is 40-below - unless it's even colder there!

I would love to see how the Princess Dress progresses. I know it will be lovely. My brother made the gown for his daughter's first formal dance. She picked out a former prom gown, far too big for her, from a thrift shop. He looked at it like an old car project. He took it apart, redesigned it, added some parts, took out some pats, and sewed it up. They had such fun doing it.

I relocated here from Western Montana.... north Dakota is Colder because here in the interior of Alaska the wind does not blow.

I am an accomplished mechanic ( 30 years in automotive and aircraft ) have a pretty decent machine shop in the garage and can do the work on sewing, I am missing the "tricks of the trade" and standard practices type of stuff.

SO far a 7 panel bodice is coming together .. I started with the middle lining ( 3 layers because it has boning) of muslin... my 12 yo daughter seems to be a combination of three "sizes" and will NOT be wearing an impossibly tight corset ( that this dress seems to have in mind) so I have all ready figured out Basting by lowering top tension and have had to disassemble and redo my pattern panels once... if this second attempt fits more acceptably we should be good to go.

[QUOTE=greywuuf;7168889]North Dakota is Colder because here in the interior of Alaska the wind does not blow.

Oh man, you're living in Heaven. We've had 40mph winds, seeming non-stop, for most of the week.

Tell her that Princesses must learn to embrace their corsets, bustles, panniers, petticoats, et al. Of course, I'm teasing and would never put 12-year-old in corsets, even if our foremothers considered them normal and necessary.

I was 30 before I was brave enough to be laced into a steel-boned corset. The result was stunning, but it was not worth the pain, the short breaths, the restricted...everything! Our dear Great-grandmothers did suffer in many ways.

tissue paper will help with fussy stretchy shiny thin fabrics! Make a sandwich with the tissue paper, the cheap stuff from the dollar store type paper, on the outside of the fabric.

it will prevent your fancy fabric from snagging on the feed dogs and the sewing foot.

good luck!

thank you for the tip ! with my eyes ( somewhere between not so great and I also need Bifocals but wont admit it ) and my 5 thumbs muslin is almost more than I can deal with !

All kidding aside, I think I am making progress, got the test fit to where I can work with it.... side seams fall straight and the back closes, I think it is time to cut the inner and outer pieces and turn my tension back up and do some "for real" stitches.

photo essay .... it looks messy Loose black basting stitch but it is easy to see and easy to pull.

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I'm amazed that you would take this on, but man you are going good! Keep it up. Looks like your test fit is there. She will be the 'Bell of the Ball'. It's gonna be gorgeous.

looking at these pictures on a big screen .... wow what a mess.... this is the wrong side... and as i said.. tension was turned way down... can pull the bobbin thread by hand ( what I wanted ) I am really not that bad. sheesh it looks like I was doing this in a cave in the dark .... with mittens on ...with my feet. no wonder my wife is shaking her head.