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.

Let me introduce you.......

.....to two dear old ladies or the latest loves of my life.

You may remember earlier on in the holidays, I mentioned my folks were staying with me. Well this is what they brought down with them.

Isn't she lovely? She's going to need a little TLC before I put her to good use, but I'm hoping she will save me alot of time when sewing. I'm intending to have one machine threaded up for FME leaving the other to concentrate on  my 'making up' sewing. No more threading and re-threading and changing machine feet. So she's off to be given a thorough 'going over' by a man 'in the know', while I'm away.
 
 

She even came with her own stylish carry bag...those were the days



Life was so simple back then......

I've already sussed out the instruction manual from the net so I'm good to go. The hardest part is going to be convincing OH that I desperately need a permanent little sewing area to make my life totally complete.


But that's not all, nestled in a mound of bubble wrap, at the bottom of a cardboard box, was this 'dear lady'.

When I saw her again I was transported back in time to Sunday tea at my Nan's house. Don't ask me why, but I used to sit, transfixed for ages, in front of the display cabinet that was this lady's home just staring at her wonderful face. I was totally fascinated with her. Something my lovely mum had not forgotten.

It was lovely to be reacquainted with her after all of these years and to be able to give some thought as to where in my house her new home will be.

I probably don't have to explain that she's iconic Royal Doulton and part of their 'Balloon Sellers' collection. Designed by Leslie Harradine, they started to make her in 1929 and finished in 1998, so there are plenty around but this one is mine!

You just wouldn't mess with this lady!

So that's it for another week, I know it goes so quickly doesn't it? If you haven't seen it already don't forget to have a look at the giveaway I'm offering. I'm feeling a bit redundant as a mum at the moment as my young men are rapidly finding their independence this school holiday and are out exploring pastures new, but at least it gives me more sewing time, just as long as I don't forget to feed them (and that's not always a given when you're engrossed in a project!)

Happy weekend.