The “K” Word!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, the K word. I was looking for something a bit different to do last month and run across a knitting pattern I wanted to try. It actually called for using circular needles and didn’t look to terrible hard for someone that was a beginner knitter like me. WRONG! I either was counting the stitches wrong or I wasn’t holding my mouth right, I must have tried the pattern 6 or 7 times till I got frustrated and gave up.

After giving myself a few days to think about things I started at it again but this time in sections with much better results.

The blanket is crib size and will be given to a girl at work who is expecting her second child in April

 

Winding Down

I started putting the 66 back together today, trying to remember where all the pieces went is fun in a way. I started off with the most difficult ones first, they where the ones that I took off last. They where also the ones that I remembered where I took them out of. I’m pretty sure that I have one screw not in the right place but for now it’s staying where it is. Once I figure out where the right one is I’ll fix it.

Just as I was sitting down to eat dinner my friend, Deborah called. She and her boyfriend had been out shopping and had stopped at one of the local Goodwill stores. She spotted a beautiful Singer model 15 in a palor cabinet, she just had to call me and tell me about it. The Goodwill wanted $50 for it. She gave me the serial number, it would up being built in 1910 which is much older than any of my other machines. The cabinet is not any other that I’ve seen, I’m used to the standard 5 or 7 drawer. I will post pictures just as soon as I can get the cabinet out of back of my car.

P.S. Hubby says I need to get rid of a few of my other machines.

Naked Sewing machine!

I wish I could say I’ve got a few loose screws but when it comes to this sewing machine it isn’t sew. I couldn’t get every thing loose that I wanted to so I decided to go with it as is. I had bought some paint stripper that was citrus smelling and easy on the hands, applied it all over the machine and let it set for a while. (Got impatient and started using a scrapper.)

 

These shots show the paint thinner on the machine before I started to scrape it off.

  Here is a shot with nearly all the paint off of it. I think one more coat of paint stripper will do the trick before I can really clean it up.

Vacation

I’ve been on vacation all this week and don’t feel like I’ve accomplished anything at all!

I had fully intending to go up north to Virginia and take my pregnant daughter, Jeannie shopping. I did manage that in between running with her and her car. Seems like on Saturday a week ago she stopped for gas and wound up with a half a tank of water and mud. She has managed to get that gas station shut down for the time being, they have paid for the gas she put in it that day and the tow back to her house. (Her’s isn’t the only car that got messed up from this either) She was supposed to get her car back today.

While I was there I went to my sister’s in Manassas to pick up the sewing machine I asked her to get for me. This one is a Standard Rotary that was made somewhere in the early 1900’s. From what I read production was stopped on them about 1910.

When I got back home on Wed. I decided I needed a day off from all the running and did nothing except for cook dinner. Thursday I did laundery and ironing all day, must have ironed and folded about 17 of my husband’s shirts. (I hate ironing!)

Today was a good day. I ran the roads, did the grocery shopping then got my grand daugther, Giana for the afternoon. I really would have loved to have her spend the night but she’s got a makeup day at school. Poor baby has to go to school on Saturday.

Tomorrow is my last day of freedom before I have to go back to work. Wonder what is in store for me?

What I Do Best!

 

 

 This is what I like to do more than anything in the world, tear stuff up! Here is a shot of some of the parts from the 66. The long straight pieces are from the inside of the machine.

 

   Here is a shot of the underside of the machine, I haven’t taken the last bar out of it yet.

 Here is a shot of what is supposed to be the bobbin assembley. That was sitting on the kitchen counter with the other parts. 

  This shot is where the wheel is supposed to be. I won’t have much time to work on more of the tear down till I get back from my daugther’s at the middle of next week. Hopefully the weather will be warmer and I’ll be able to start stripping the paint off the head.

New Projects

Here it is, 4 1/2 months into 2008 and I’ve really slacked off posting on my blog. Work has kept me more than busy and I’m really looking forward to getting back to my part time hours so I can finish the few projects that I’ve got going.

One of the projects that I have in the works is a total restore on a 1919 Singer sewing machine that I obtained from Ebay back in February. It was sold as a parts machine, took me over a month to get it from the seller due to a mix up.  After getting the machine in my possession I discovered that it was intact as far as it’s parts, making it a very good candidate for restoration.

I’ve been waiting on warmer weather to get the project going in earnest and was able to get started a few weeks ago. I had a heck of a time finding enough Kerosene and the right sized container to soak it in. Why the kerosene you ask? It does wonders for loosening up frozen parts, dirt inside and out and won’t hurt the gold leaf on the outside. The container of choice wound up being a 28 quart cooler just big enough to hold the machine and 4 gallons of liquid.

The machine set soaking for nearly 3 weeks before I could get back to it last week spending the better part of an afternoon taking it apart. I’m still having problems with a few screws that hold in the needle shaft and the presser foot shaft, may have to resort to brut force with them.

1919 Singer Model 66 Redeye aka Ebay Machine.

Year nearly over!

The year is nearly over and a lot has happened since it started.  Slowing down on the crochet, going back to work, renewing my interest in sewing, the passing of both my mother in law and my father, and the birth of my newest grandson. Man, it’s been a busy year!

          

This is one of the 3 coats that I tried to get finished before Christmas, the last one still needs 2 pom poms and snaps but I should be able to finish that up tonight.  The coat didn’t call for a lining but I didn’t like the way it looked without.

My Sister’s Antique Singer (cont.)

I finished up my sister’s machine today, wound the bobbin, threaded it and gave it a test run in my treadle cabinet. I think she’ll be pleased with it, I know that I am.

As promised, the after picture.

My Sister’s Antique Singer

A few months ago I purchased an antique sewing machine, a singer handcrank from 1917 and this set a few wheels turning in my head. I had asked my sister if she wanted me to see what I could do with her old treadle. It was all rusted up and was looking really rough and I wanted to see if I could get it running for her.

After getting it to my house I soaked it in Liquid Wrench as best I could and let it set for a few hours. That was enough to free it up but only to find that the bobbin case was rusted to this spindle thing that it fits on. I had also soaked the bobbin case and tried to use a screw driver to free it but broke it instead. I was able to find online a place that sells replacement parts for old sewing machines.

This is before picture of my sister’s Singer, Model 15 made in 1907. The after picture is waiting for me to take it when I get back from Virginia.

Catching up again!

Quit a bit has happened since my last posting which explains why all you seen was my husband’s tomatoes.

The day after posting those beautiful tomatoes my husband lost his mother. He’d gone to the mountains to tend to her like he had nearly every other weekend for the last few years. I had picked with people and told them that he’s left me again for his other woman. They where getting ready to go to town, she’d gotten up to change clothes and fell in the bathroom. I got the call about and hour later that she was gone. I am so very glad that my husband was with his mother.

My mother in law as a heavy smoker, pert near a chain smoker. When I came up to visit my smoking got worse than my 2 packs a day. It was getting so that I was having a hard time breathing and I knew it was time to do something about it. I had smoked since I was 15 years old and had tried to quit 3 times before without a lot of luck. I bought my last pack of cigarettes on Sunday the 5th and haven’t had one to smoke since the 7th.  Yes I’ve had a hard time getting passed the first few days but I do belive I’m over the worst. (Breathsaver mints have been a Godsend.)