Friday 7 October 2011

Mrs Singer has a test drive!

I thought it was high time that this dear lady could show me what she was made of and so yesterday I put her through her paces. I thought you might like to see how she got on.



Being 'a lady of  a certain age' (and I include myself in this category) she commanded a certain amount of respect and so accordingly she was carefully lifted onto the work table and placed in postion. It was then that I noticed she was carrying a little extra weight, but thats to be expected, as I say, for 'a lady of a certain age.'

So with great trepidation and excitement I sat in my chair, plugged her in and then turned to consult my manual. Now this, I think, is a useful piece of information for all those of you that have bought or are thinking of buying an older sewing machine (mine's about 45 years old) there is a useful little website called sewingonline.co.uk  where you can download a manual for the make and model of your machine no matter what it's age. That's where I got mine from.




Singer 317 manual - prized possession


So after winding on a bobbin and threading her up successfully we made a start, grabbing the nearest scrap, she produced this.




Not bad, I hear your cry, a good example of what she can do on the straight stitch and zig zag, quite impressed with the satin stitch actually.  But then I knew she was ready for some fun, she threw off her presser foot with gay abandon and quivered with excitement as I reached for the embroidery foot (sorry this has suddenly turned into a Mills and Boon novel)

Shall we.....?




Ready......?




Let's go......!




These are the results of her efforts. Using a variegated coloured thread produced some nice effects.




Lets have a closer look.......











Things were going so well and so I asked if she fancied trying a little raw edge? "Oh I thought you'd never ask!" she gasped......



Good girl!


At this point, I decided to take off the embroidery foot and proceeded to stitch without it. My stitching went very loopy but I worked out this was because I had forgotten to push down the presser lever (you should do this even if the foot isn't attached) and also because I wasn't going fast enough. As soon as I rectified these, the results were better.



So on the whole I'm very pleased with her first outing and can see many an occasion when I will be in need of her help. Yes she's a little clunky and heavy but she's solid and sews like a dream and that's what counts.

I'd love to hear if any of you have reliable 'ladies of a certain age' that help you out with your sewing.
Have a good weekend.


11 comments:

  1. I think it's a bonus that she performs so well as she's beautiful too look at. Really gorgeous - worth having just for show but she produces fantastic results!

    Nicki x

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  2. Well. I would never ha ve believed it. I have inheritted an Elna Lotus, beautiful little Swiss machine that shuts away in its own attached box but no instructions or extra kit. I have now downloaded all 74 pages of the manual and can't wait to get it sorted. Many many thanks for pointing me in the right direction. I will let you know how I get on.

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  3. Yes I couldn't agree more Nicki and Carol I'm thrilled for you, have fun!

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  4. I love this post, you're a great story teller, I was giggling all the way through! Beautiful work too!

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  5. Not only are you a brilliant creator of stunning handmade items but you are a superb narrator too - reading this has been the highlight of my day so far - and it's been a good day! Vx

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  6. What a fun time you have had with Mrs Singer... I love seeing what you have doodled... I think I need to drop the dogs on my machine again and just let rip!

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  7. Thanks so much for that link - am away to drag out my old 'Newhome' to see if I can get a manual for it and maybe find out about tension (thread keeps breaking) Mich x

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  8. Heavens Caroline, you do keep very busy! Mrs Singer is a very grand lady and isn't she clever just like Mrs Redneedle! It all looks very technical to me but the results are amazing.x

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  9. This post has made me chuckle! Looks like great fun was had Caroline!

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  10. the machine stitch doodles - oh wow! wish i was a sewimg machine goddess myself :) great stitches!

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  11. I have recently bought this gorgeous machine from a second hand shop and she was going when I first turned her on but now its struggling....any suggestions what could be wrong??

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