Monday, December 4, 2017

Night and day

On the cat lady friend quilt. In an effort to get it done before Christmas, I started taking what I could to work with me. I haven't had the chutzpah yet to drag a sewing machine along- oh, once or twice I did but that's ANOTHER story. I do have a mini iron, ironing surface and cutting mat that I can slip into my work bag along with a pile of units to press or press and trim.







Dark photos portray my dark environment as it really is. Night shift, baby.  Any quiet activity that promotes the nurse to remain alert in the dark quiet of a home with sleeping people in it is encouraged, a definite benefit to the job. Still, lugging in a sewing machine might be a bit much.

I celebrated Thanksgiving's Day at my eldest daughter's house this year. That enabled me to sew up a Marci Tilton skirt quickly that morning, Vogue 8499.


I'm more interested in the pants, but the pattern needs significant grading up because it doesn't come in my size (very large) and a skirt is simpler by far to extend outward. The tulip shaped bottom is kind of interesting though, and the pockets are big enough for a laptop in one and a sawed off shotgun in the other (I don't own any firearms, but if I did and I wanted to conceal them...). I asked my youngest daughter, who is 6'2"and has her own body images to get some photos. This is what we got-


God love her.  Just as I believe I'm making some headway into accepting that I really am this heavy and I need to make friends with it or change it, she presents to me that I'm shrinking length wise!!!  I knew I lost an inch, from 5'11" to 5'10" in the recent past.  I think I look about 5'2" in this photo, and my feet are disappearing.  Had cute footwear too, darn it. She took more, but I can't stand it and they didn't show any of the features anyway. Not even the fabric details. Stephanie is fired. I have a tripod to dust off. I promise to work on photography skills.




.


Sunday, October 8, 2017

trickling along

creatively.  I have been puttering about either operating or working on sewing machines this summer, just at the speed of Mississippi mud before climate change.



NOT SEWING, but I have been very pleased with this garden.  I planned it, went to Lowes and got the lumber. I very craftily packed 8 ft lengths into my modest car with the male employees watching reprovingly (Where's her pickup truck?  Where's her MAN?). They also strongly doubted my choice in untreated lumber.  Organic, smorganic they thought.  Wait till those bugs come.  And that wood will rot.  It will rot, but I'm ok with that.  I got a bunch of good stuff out of there and I learned a lot. I think I'll put up two more beds next summer.  I choked some plants out, putting too much in there.

On to sewing.  I couldn't stand to work anymore on the bodice sloper for a while, so I switched to a woven camisole/tank top with darts.  I used a pattern I had on hand that did not have the "correct size" so I had to grade up. I'm fairly confident I did a good job of that.  I then made my first ever full bust adjustment.  In my previous life as a home sewer, pre-computer age, I never needed to do that. I was a fairly straight-out-of-the-envelope size 18 B cup.  It all would have went to hell when it came to crotch depth but that didn't matter then. I only sewed tops, dresses, and skirts. The first thing I discovered on returning to sewing was that I do need adjustments to patterns now.  Pants fitting wasn't too painful.  As I continue to gain more and more post-menopausal weight, the adjustments are getting more and more complicated.



I accommodated pretty well for the bigger bust with the FBA,  but the arm and neckholes were, yeah.  So I diligently measured and made darts and moved darts and redrew patterns, all that convoluted work.  I came up with this:

with more darts pinned in



Perhaps a little better, but not an exciting, flattering fit.  I revisited what I could find online about Nancy Zieman's pivot and slide method.  I ordered the book (I thought) and received a DVD.  I don't currently own anything that plays DVDs, so I reordered the book.  I looked at it, and noted she says your shoulders and armhole depth don't change with weight changes.  I believe they will if you pad enough fat onto those shoulders. 18 might not sound svelte to most people, but I was Army lean with 19% body fat, bikini strutting.  My measured top size is now 26 or 28. With results as above, I'm going to have to try going from the high bust measurement, thus a smaller size, and then slide out from there to accommodate the bigger parts.  I just don't believe I'll be sliding out from an 18.

 I had to abandon sewing garments when the thermometer hit 90. Unless I was going out doors, and sometimes not then, I wasn't putting on more than boxer shorts and a sports bra.  Even to try on was more than I wanted to do.  I marveled all summer at instagram photos of people wearing clothes. Menopause has been long, hot, and heavy in my world.

So, I switched to quilting for a while.  I finally decided that my very rare and old friend Shari deserved a cat lady quilt.  OK, Shari is my age, but we became friends at age 13 on an Air Force base where we were both brats.  Military brats form few if any lasting relationships during their travels, so Shari is one of only two people other than family I've known prior to age 30. The pattern I'm using is modern and so are the fabrics. I'm wondering if I have too many (very cool) cat prints and should have used a higher ratio of solids.  I can only tell when it gets done.

.

It took me a darn week just to pre wash, iron, and cut out all those curved pieces.  Thank God for  rotary cutters and acrylic rulers.  How the hell did women do those quilts before rotary cutters and olfa mats?  See my mock houndstooth kittys?  Day of the dead kitties?  I also have some Florida beach and bicycles for our childhood, and wild west mountains, for where she chose to end up. There are atomic cats and retro cats, cats in the garden.  Not old lady cats.



These are the first few blocks sewn.  There will be dark alternating with light blocks that form a secondary design of huge rings across the quilt. Pretty awesome design called Chic Country by Sew Kind of Wonderful, or same pattern by template is called Winding Ways and sold by Marti Mitchell.  Sewing those curves is supposedly intimidating, but there is a great video by SKW on Youtube and the blocks are designed to be trimmed down to size, not needing to be sewn precisely perfect.  Good damn thing, in my case.  I sew slow, and thus few quilts.  This will be, in fact, only my second quilt bigger than crib sized.  I'm highly anticipating getting to the quilting part, my favorite part. I struggle with the precision necessary with most piecing.

Finally, I finished those Style Arc Shelby Sweatpants, back in June, but there was no way I was going to put them on and get photos until it cooled off some.  I like the fit, with my standard crotch depth lengthening.  I added an inch to leg length that I would not add if I make them again.  Also, I'm not sure I wouldn't skip those zippered and bagged pockets and just pop in some side seam pockets, but if I went to the trouble I would certainly find better (higher) placement. They are low.



I was worried by the time I decided to put these on to photograph they would no longer fit.  I outgrew a couple things this summer.  Night shift in home health care involves very little activity, but still leaves you exhausted and not craving much activity daytime either.  The studies about sedentary lifestyle and disease links are hitting the news this summer.  Sitting for 6 or 8 hour stretches is more harmful than smoking a pack a day.  Linked to Diabetes, heart disease, depression, on and on and on.  I've started forcing myself to get up and move at least every two hours at work, and I've been trying to get in walks after work and doing fairly well with that.  I was so out of breath though, and then I was asked to pay $74. for a carton of cigarettes after taxes went up in Delaware.  So in another 4 hours I will be 9 days nicotine free!!!  I've been smoking 1 1/2 packs a day, and smoking for 44 years.  I'm hoping to take off quite a few pounds/inches, increase my activity stamina, and find a new job in the next year or two. I'll be freakin wonderful!

There were vintage machines acquired and tinkered with, another time to discuss those. Contemplating a video for the "newest" one.  Video for the quilting of the quilt too.  I'm really hoping I get motivated sewing garments with the weather and my commitment to activity- I'll need clothes to put on!!!


And maybe print this up poster size to keep the inspiration strong on exercise.  Is that my butt?????
I knew when this style started trending a couple years ago not everyone should wear it.  Ahem.  I do like the camouflage with roses, hearts, and peace signs.

Sunday, February 12, 2017

Singer 306K reference for bobbin/standard needle modifications

If you are looking for the post where I am taking this machine apart, it's further back here.
My 306K has been waiting far too long for bringing back to life, maybe 2 years now.  I didn't know a sewing machine could be a UFO!

There are two small problems with the machine still: I snapped off the stitch length regulator lever, and it takes an obscure needle only used for these swing needle Singer models. The lever has turned out to be sightly scarcer than many vintage machine parts are.  I have a fair supply of the needles, but they only come in two sizes and only in sharp, no heavy duty or ball point or other specialty.

Standard 15x1 sewing needles used in domestic machines today (and most vintage, except for this small series of  "swing needle zig zag" machines) are about 2 mm longer than the 206x13 needles my 306 requires. If you try to use a standard needle for zig zag or specialty, it slams into the bobbin case and scratches it up and can put the timing off.

There are two very good options to modifying the machine to take the standard needles, and one bad one.  The bad one is to change the timing, which can end very unwell.  The second is to buy a different bobbin case, which may or not need some work with a dremel or some other tool to open the slot a little further.

This post describes how to modify the bobbin case for a  Singer 306k:  Andrew Caddle- bobbin case conversion.  This post by the same author suggests the Riccar 806 case can be used without any configuring:  Andrew Caddle-alternative-bobbin-case-available.  I am not inclined to go fiddle with a dremel, but I can find the Riccar bobbin case on ebay for less than $16 (free shipping!) so I'll probably go that route sometime soon.  Just not yet.  Andrew's posts are very well illustrated and explained, if you have or are considering a 206,306,319, or 320 go have a look.

Also, In Stitches Vintage Sewing posted the following in a facebook vintage machine group recently:

"What you need is a new bobbin case that fits the machine, has enough room to allow the swing of a standard needle, and in the case of the 306,319, and 320... a slot to match the extra guide pin in the hook assembly.
Sounds impossible ?
The modern replacement for all these machines is a Singer 20u bobbin case (part number 541678) and if you have a 206 you can pop it right in and start sewing.
In the case of the 3xx machines in this series, the 20u case has to be modified to add the guide slot it lacks... judicious use of a Dremel with a small cutter and diamond coated grinder yielded very nice results. After cutting, the slots were de-burred and polished and then tested in a 319k. (Last pictures).
The vibration of the rotary tool will probably loosen up the spring tension screw... that will need to be reset before you start sewing."

I wasn't sure I could give a working link to a closed group link or I would have. He also had great photos.  I particularly like the tip to check the spring tension screw on the bobbin case after you are finished!  Details!

As for my lever for my broken stitch length regulator, I let one slide by and I bought a second that didn't fit, although the seller said it came off a 306k.  Next payday, if still available, I will buy the entire assembly from another ebay seller and see if I can get that to work. $16, shipping included.  Not an expensive hobby, just one requiring patience.

It took me so long to find the above references, I wanted to file them away somewhere that my foggy brain could find them when I finally come around to needing them.  Perhaps they could help someone else find their way as well.  My 306 sews very lovely tiny tiny stitches without my being able to change the length, these machines are so worth rescue!

*Edited 5/7/2020 to add this reference: https://sites.google.com/site/oldironmachines/home/singer-319w