Anyone else like to sew??? What kind of Machine do you use??? (page 4)

LisaRose

My friend produced me to the joys if vintage singer machines. I found one at a garage sale fir $35. It was great, but a part broke and the local sewing machine repair says they are not available. Not ling after, I FOUND another, the same model at a thrust store fir $12, because it was missing a few parts. I am hoping to get one working machine by using parts from the other.

I have a small antiques and home decor business and I make things to sell. The older Singers were very well made and will sew even heavy fabric with ease, and the thread doesn't seem to break as much.

bsmart

I have a good friend who makes tie quilts (mostly wall hangings) and she says its tricky because of the fabric being cut on the bias she puts a cotton backing on it so it wont stretch. It also makes the project heavy. She also goes to thrift stores and garage sales to get her ties. Once in a while a bag of ties just turns up on her front porch. Sometimes she will do a pillow or wall hanging as a memory project after someone's grandpa passes away.

Estate sales often have ties but may be more pricy because of sentimental value.

PaintedToeNail

I have a 20 odd year old White machine in dire need of repair, the danged thing NEVER worked right. After using a Janome at the Custom Home Furnishings Institute, I bought one. It runs great, but I cannot use it to sew more than 4 layers. My son repaired a Free Westinghouse that someone was throwing away, I think it is from the 1920's, and it will tackle anything you give it. It came with a box of attachments, from carpet making attachments to ruffler makers, the only thing it didn't have was a zipper foot or welting maker. We have been trying to find either a zipper foot or welting foot for it, but it has an unusual shank.

Hortensia

I haven't sewn for years, although, like you, I won homemaking prizes in high school. Yes, I frequently boast about being the Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow! I like to knit and there are a lot of men who knit on ravelry.com, not just Kaffe Fassett. He's a humdinger, though, I have to admit. What amazing color choices and patterns.

One of my favorite male designers (knitting) is Stephen West.

HappyDad

Cowboy.......I envy you.

My late wife spent every hour she could at her sewing machine. My daughter had every latest fashion dress, blouse and pants that everyone envied. My wife had beautiful dresses and I even had some neckties that were nicer than the expensive CEO type. I had some beautiful shirts that I helped pick out the material for and had a few vests that made up my three piece suit for the KH. She also had a surger.

When she died, I donated everything to a school for the performing arts in her and my daughter's name. My daughter had no interest or time in learning to sew.

Now....16 years plus.....I wish I would have learned to at least use the sewing machine to hem some of my "stuff". Even my daughter said the same thing.

I wish you success in your quilting and whatever else you do with your equipment.

HappyDad

mrsjones5

I start sewing when I was 11 years old. My mother and grandmother inspired me to sew but they were not my teachers. I took four years of sewing in high school. When I was a junior I won third place in the Make It With Wool competition for the state of California. After I graduated I went to design school in San Francisco (boy my sewing skills came in handy). I dropped out of school the first year but vowed to return which I did five years later. I got my degree in 1990 and had a great career in grading and patternmaking for nine years until I decided to stay home and raise my kids. I still love sewing to this day though I don't do as much as I would like to.

Over the years my hubby and I have collected quite a few sewing machines from industrial to Elna machines for classroom use (I have three that I would love to use to teach others to sew) to Singer vintage from the early 1900's to the late '60s. I even have a Singer treadle that I absolutely adore, I just need a belt to get it cranking.

My daughter has tried to learn to sew but she has no patience for it. My oldest son now wants to learn to sew accessories for his cosplay costume. My hubby is a sewer too and has a beautiful handwork talent. He graduated from design school in 1996.

ziddina

Ooooooo, jgnat....

I love the pieced gypsy look of those clothes!!!

ohiocowboy

Finally awake, it's neat that you learned on a treadle machine! I think that they were one of the most important and popular things ever invented. To top it off, they are still popular, everyone still wants one!

Moshe, My jaw dropped when I saw that picture! Klinger wore some very interesting things, and it looks like polka dots are not one of his better looks! It's neat that you weren't afraid to pick up a needle and thread, a guy can really learn a lot by sewing. Because we usually have large, clumsy hands, sewing and other handiwork trains us to do intricate things with our hands that will benefit us through life, like having the dexterity to put things back together or fix things that we break with hose same hands-lol.

Jgnat, thanks for the link, I love the vibrant colors and patterns that your friend uses! She is very talented in the way she puts fabrics together to make new use of nostalgic looks. Thanks for sharing the link!

Heather, the sewing box sounds like quite the treasure! I alwys look for them at estate sales, but they are usually among the first things to go as they are so popular. I've found some incredible things in old sewing kits, ie; 14k gold or sterling silver thimbles, bird shaped shears and other ornate sewing accessories. Even the baskets and boxes that the sewing items are stored in can be worth a lot of money. Yours is priceless though, as it holds a great sentimental value for you because it was given to you by your Grandmother. You should post some pictures of the flags!

Lisa Rose, a Lady after my own heart! Perhaps we are kindred spirits in the fact that we both love things of yesteryear, and we both like to incorporate those things in modern settings, giving them new life! I love antiques, and have been collecting since I was 12! Good luck with your shop, if I'm ever in Colorado, I'd love to stop in and see what kinds of treasures I can find! If you ever get any authentic furniture from the 1700's, or accessories from that time such as candlesticks, copper cookware, etc. let me know!!! The biggest item on my wishlist now is either a single or pair of Queen Anne period brass candlesticks from circa 1710-1725. They have to be authentic though, I'm not much into repro's...

Bsmart, thanks for the info about the tie quilts. I know it will be a challenge as silk can be tricky to work with. I will also be using real cotton batting, I just can't see using polyfill for handmade quilts when real cotton is still available, even though it is higher in price. I like to stick with the same natural things that our anscestors used. Do you have any pictures of your friends quilts?

Thank you for so many cool replies, I will respond to the rest in just a little bit as I have to do some important chores. I will respond to the rest of the comments as soon as possible. Every one of your comments is important to me and means a lot!

kurtbethel

I have a plain old needle and thread for mending. It includes several needles, including some curved upholstery needles, and a couple dozen spools of colored thread. It's good to be prepared.

moshe

Moshe, My jaw dropped when I saw that picture!

I know- hairy legs and a dress just don't go together-

Anyone else like to sew??? What kind of Machine do you use???

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