ArchaicArcane

You have ones for modern Brothers? Or they came with vintage Brothers?

Most of the darning springs I have seen attach to the needle clamp like this: http://www.thesewbox.com/2009/06/att...ur-sewing.html

Mickey2

With my 99K came a darning spring looking like the one in the picture. It temporarily replaces the regular needle clamp and fits only my 99K, not the 201K. There's a tiny hole on the end of it, keeps the thread in place. The jumping foot in the Elna Supermatic accessory box looks very nice, but I haven't tried it yet.

Cari-in-Oly

Yes that's the spring I was talking about. And yes, the ones I have came with vintage Brothers. The most modern Brother I own is my PE200 Snoopy machine. I'm not positive of it's age but it's almost ancient for an embroidery machine.

Cari

ArchaicArcane

Yeah, some of the needle clamps are very subtle in their differences. The ones that make me crazy are the ones with the thread guides that don't screw in but push into the clamp then the whole thing goes onto the needlebar. I'm drawing a blank (spent the day long arming and subsequently ripping, then quilting again so my brain is mush) - but I think the featherweight is one of them.

I was curious because I was reasonably sure that they wouldn't come with a new machine (nor could I remember seeing one when I serviced Brother for a local shop). I think nowadays, those, like those beautiful exposed gears on a Saxonia would be banned as "dangerous". A pitfall of us "banning" natural selection.

I have 4 modernish machines here - my long arm, the embroidery machine - it's 5 years old but it's still a current model for Janome, my serger which is also still a current model but also several years old and my Pfaff 6122 (back when they were still made in Germany) which is probably bordering on vintage - I'm guessing mid to late 90s?

Cari-in-Oly

Don't you love it? I have the MC200E and the MC350E and love them both. I'm going to let the 200 go soon, I'm gonna get the new MC500E after the first of the year. I'll keep the 350 since it's a free arm machine. The Brother was a Christmas gift last year.

Cari

ArchaicArcane

I'm actually amazed by the machine. I didn't know if I'd like it - it being as new as it is but I found a used one for a really good deal and figured I'd try it out. Yes, there's plastic inside but it's pretty robust anyway. I had a project on it, the excess fabric held out of the way with clips and had to step out of the room for a couple of minutes. When I came back, the machine was obviously laboring - one of the clips had shifted and the shirt had fallen in and caused all sorts of chaos and mayhem. I ended up cutting the shirt out, the machine had kept going long enough that the hoop was twisted and everything. Once I got everything out and apart, it was completely willing to continue on with the next stitching project. It's dead easy to service (though as with most new machines, I don't love getting in there) and seems to do everything I ask it to, even stitching on clothing weight leather.

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Yeah, I think I love it.

Cari-in-Oly

Nice work Tammi, is that an Urban Threads design? I've had one of those mishaps too, when I got my first machine the 200. It was a baby onesie that didn't survive. You've given me an idea. I've made one sewing machine cover out of pre quilted fabric that I embroidered on, now I'm thinking a leather or vinyl one might be cool to try.

Cari

Mickey2

I read some where you had to have a machine with a vertical bobbin case like model 15 to free motion quilt. I can at least darn on and old Bernina I have with out much trouble. I had given up on my 201K since it has a drop in bobbin case, much the same for the 99K. Lately I have seen old darning and embroidery instructions for both the 201 and the 99, with a result much better than I ever aimed for. There is an Australian blog were an experienced quilter claims you can use any machine, just set it up right, and she sits down with an old 201 and sews through two layers of patchwork with cotton wadding in between. ArchaicArchane, your embroidery on leather looks great. Is it free motion? Makes me think of swirls in Windows 8. I need an idiot proof machine with lots of high tech computerized stitch control to get half close. What is the secret technique to do it on cast iron vintage?

Cari-in-Oly

Mickey, Tammi and I really hijacked this thread. By the time that pic was posted we were talking about our embroidery machines, a Janome MC350E. It's a modern embroidery only machine. It wasn't done on a vintage sewing machine, sorry for the confusion.

Cari

ArchaicArcane

As I've mentioned in other threads, there are a lot of instances in sewing and quilting where opinions are mistaken for facts. ("You should only use X thread with X machine" is one that immediately comes to mind) It irks me because it sabotages a lot of people right out of the gate.

Your Australian quilter is right. You don't have to have a vertical bobbin, it just tends to be a little easier - especially when learning - because tension is easier to dial in without the thread making that "extra 90 degree turn". That said, there are tons of people who FMQ on new machines and most new machines don't have vertical bobbins. 15s are also loved for their throat space and in the case of a 15-91, because the potted motor is out of the way. Yes, it's incredibly easy to FMQ on - a 15-90 was the first machine I ever FMQed on - but not only because of the vertical bobbin. People will also say you can't FMQ on a slant machine or you can FMQ on only the 301 but not the other slants (which have horizontal bobbins). I can FMQ on a 411G and a 431G. I always encourage people to try it themselves before they give it up as impossible because someone said "you can't". Besides, the 201 is the Cadillac of machines. It doesn't make sense that Singer would have said "Yeah but" as to its capabilities (and there are directions in the manual IIRC). Certainly my 290C had directions and that spawn of he... erm machine was a slant with a drop in bobbin.

The secret to FME on a cast iron machine is to have someone way more coordinated that me do it. As Cari mentions, this is on a modern (Amazing!) machine using a digitized design. My mom can FME, I have some old gorgeous hand made clothes from when I was a kid that she did it on, but that gene did not pass to me or else it's still dormant. I may try again one day, I haven't tried in more than 5 years and I know a lot more now so I may be more successful.