A table for Eunice

I've been scouring ebay lately for the perfect resting place (eww...that sounds a little morbid) for Eunice once we move to a new house. Then I discovered the Featherweight Extension Table. It matches the beautiful black & gold design of her and she would fit right inside. I may not get this treasure anytime soon, but I will be keeping an eye out!

Greetings from the capitol

FW Update:

Brought the FW home from the repair shop on Monday and tested it. Still skipping stitches. Upset. Immediately took it back to Moye's Sewing (remember that 90 day warranty?). The man seemed very disappointed in himself for not noticing the skipped stitches in the sample that he tested and proceeded to take her apart. Apparently the bobbin hook was too far away from the needle (I'll try and figure the technical way to explain this with pictures later).
Called back this morning, and she's really fixed! He said he sewed over 10 feet without a single skipped stitch. Yay!!

Diagnosis FW

Good news everyone, the FW is fixed!

Turns out it was the timing and the thread take up spring! I feel good about the fact that I knew what was wrong with it before taking it in, but wish very much that I could have done the repairs myself. Here's hoping there isn't a 'next time' but if there is I want to be the one to bring her back to perfection. I plan to invest in the Singer Featherweight Service Manual in the future and I also pledge to take excellent care of her and oil/lube/clean regularly.

I am picking her up Monday at 9am sharp!

Atomic/Scientist/Repair

Well, I took my FW to Moye's Sewing this morning full of dread and anxiety. I had every intension of staying and watching the atomic scientist/dry sort of man service it, but he seemed annoyed at the very suggestion and explained that he had 'too much going on' (I exaggeratedly looked around the empty, though immaculate, store with my eyebrow raised and he explained that there were 10 other machines ahead of me - a likely story!!). Anyway, although he clearly did not like me much, he liked the machine. He immediately noticed the thread take up spring was too loose (which I gave myself a mental pat on the back for knowing already) and that for the price of $68.50 he would completely take the machine apart, clean, and replace any and everything that needed attention. All that and a 90 day warranty. SOLD!
It will be ready for pick-up tomorrow, but unless my dear husband is willing to go get it for me, I am afraid she wont be home until monday. If it comes to that, I will be eagerly waiting at the door at 9am sharp!
So it will be another few days before my sew-stravaganza begins but I feel a profound sense of relief that the FW is getting the tune-up she deserves. Mr 'Dry/Atomic' told me that he won't return it to me until it is 'sewing perfectly'. Yep, that sounds good to me.
'Bob' the nice man who sold me the machine is even willing to pitch in and refund some of the money I paid to cover the expense of this little fix-up. I am feeling pretty optimistic about the whole thing.

Seriously, this could be him 20 yrs ago

Note to self:

I want to spend some time reading THIS info ab cloth allowance because I was just contemplating this concept the other day and it was tying my brain in knots.

Trouble in Featherweight Land

:::Sigh:::

It seems that perhaps I psyched myself up a bit too much over the new Featherweight. I noticed right away that the tension was off, so I proceeded to spend 8+ hours attempting to fix it (I'm still not so sure it's fixed) and it is skipping stitches. Yes, I got a new needle (Schmetz 80), and yes it is threaded and installed correctly. Now, as far as I can tell there are 2 reasons that this could be happening.

1. The timing is off. Shudder...

2. The Thread Take up Spring needs replacing (or possibly the entire tension assembly). I say this because the thread take up spring seems to be loose (more so than my mother-in-laws FW) and the last thread guide before the needle keeps unthreading right before the stitch skips. This could also account for the tension issues.

I am at the end of my Featherweight knowledge and therefor have decided to take her to the Singer Sewing Store for an estimate on repairs. Which is free.
I am hoping it will be a simple replacement/repair because I really don't want to return the machine. Luckily the person I bought it from has been very communicative and helpful and has offered to refund the cost of reasonable repairs.

I am trying not to let this get me down (I definitely shed some tears over it yesterday) because even though having it arrive and work spectacularly would have been...well, amazing...this experience will be a learning one (as I intend to hover over the repair man so I can find out exactly what he/she is doing) and I also intend to apply for a job at the Singer Store (explaining my love of vintage singers and the desire to not only become a better seamstress but to learn how to service both old and new machines seems like a good pitch for a potential employee).

I will report my findings...now, to google Featherweight timing.

The Featherweight

It has arrived!

After a few days of stalking my mail lady, she finally emerged from her little truck with a big box with my name on it.
I opened it up, examined all the treasures* and then put the FW to work.
Immediately I encountered a problem...
The bobbin winder was so tight that when laying against the belt it wouldn't turn. I scoured the internet (with no real luck) and finally decided to try oiling it with Singer All Purpose Sewing Machine Oil ($2.50 @ Walmart). Amazing. It loosened right up and works perfectly now.
My next roadblock was the buttonholer. After a few stitches (which I'll admit were very nice stitches) it would get hung up and the thread would break. I changed bobbins, I changed bobbin cases, I changed fabric, all to no avail. Then I decided to try changing thread, oiling the buttonholer (bc oiling worked so well with the winder), and adjusting the tension on the machine (I think it likes to be around 6 or 7). Voila! Works amazingly.

I have a feeling I am going to be busy sewing and getting to know my FW today.

Sewing Tip:
When in doubt, oil the thing.

*Treasures include some very odd needles, the key to the case, a cleaning brush, bobbins, a 2" scallop measurement ruler, Vintage tube of lube, the name tag of the previous owner (A Mrs. Author Auger), 5 Extra buttonhole templates, and a crazy screwdriver.

Here is a little guide to using the right needle.

Singer Pin Tuck Attachment

I just discovered that my mother-in-law's Featherweight has a pin tuck attachment (which I will surely be borrowing for my machine bc I adore pin tucks). Here's a decent tutorial about how to use it.

The Ruffler, The Bias Binder & The Narrow Hem Foot

I wanted to wait until my machine arrives to try out the attachments, but anticipation got the better of me and I got my mother in law's FW out and tried hers (that way when mine arrives, I figure I'll be ready!).

Ruffler

My first endeavor was The Ruffler. An ingenious little piece of machinery really, when you stop to look at the mechanism; Powered by the motion of the needle and using a set of small gears. I tried the 1 stitch ruffle, 6 stitch ruffle and the 12 stitch ruffle all with little effort and great success. It's very easy to use and the results are very nice.

Bias Binder

Next came The Bias Binder. I began with a very wide (maybe an inch or inch and a half?) piece of pre-made bias tape which I chose because I got the wrong size awhile ago and have no current use for it. I had a hell of a time getting it into the little cone (which probably should have been a warning) and when I finally got it through the cone and in position to sew, it wouldn't budge. After fiddling around with it a bit, it was still holding its ground so I pulled it out with some difficulty and went in search of some 1/2" pre-made bias tape. The 1/2" threaded quite easily into the cone and in a matter of moments I was binding everything - concave & convex curves included - in sight. Remarkable.
The only thing that is a bit tricky with this foot is keeping the thread in the right spot so that it doesn't slip off the tape or wander lazily across it. This is something I assume just a little more practice will cure since the fabric and tape, once in position, pretty much take care of themselves leaving my attention free to make sure the needle is on point.

Narrow Hem Foot

Finally, The Narrow Hem Foot. I watched a tutorial about this foot earlier today and when I saw it in the box I decided to try it out. Wow it makes a narrow hem! I did not iron or do anything to the fabric before sticking it in there and sewing but I found that if I make a narrow hem, then make another narrow hem (to encase the raw edge) the result is...well very neat and narrow. This foot is a little tricky to use because there's like a..swirl..in the middle that requires some watching to make sure it isn't taking too much or too little fabric but I think with a little more use it will become much easier. Overall, a success.

What I love ab the Singer FW is that all the components are so functional. The different presser feet and attachments require a little attention (especially at first) but for the most part they do what they're supposed to do with little to no effort on the part of the seamstress. They make sewing quite a bit faster and easier with such lovely, polished results. I'm so happy that I will have one of my own soon. I am also extremely excited to begin making buttonholes!

Sewing Tip of the Day: When threading the machine, make sure the presser foot is in the UP position. This allows the tension disks to slacken so that the thread will reach the core when guided through. If the presser foot is in the DOWN position the tension disks will engage which will prevent the thread from reaching the core and will cause stitches to be uneven.

Singer Featherweight 221-1

This is The Singer Featherweight 221-1 - Serial # AJ202041 Circa 1949 - that is soon to be in my possession (after 3-5 business days of transacting and probably about 3-5 business days in the care of the US postal service). It comes with all the attachments and I am anticipating some googling about how to use the buttonholer and ruffler!

This new, gorgeous, piece of hardware is an early birthday present and normally I would have asked for an expensive article of clothing but instead I am being given the gift that will produce thousands (hopefully) of expensive articles of clothing. Priceless!

Singer Featherweight 221-1

Guess who's getting one of these - recently serviced with new parts (including pedal cord and belt) and all the accessories and manuals (including buttonholer, bias binder and ruffler) plus carrying case !?!?!?

I am.