Singer Featherweight 222K

About a month ago I had the most incredible stroke of luck.  I managed to obtain the highly sought after Featherweight 222K for only $350.  The 221's fetch more than that here normally.  For those who are wondering what I am going on about, a Singer 221 Featherweight is a very collectable, very small, portable flatbed machine.  They are very popular amongst quilters and fetch a very good price.  However, they were making them for a number of years and made quite a few.  The Singer 222K, on the other hand, was made in very limited numbers, I think they only did about three runs and they are very, very collectable.  The 222K has a few added features that the 221 lacked.  It is a convertible, free-arm machine and drops the feed for darning.  Mine also came with its original instruction manual, box and accessories.  Unfortunately, as I discovered when I got home, it didn't come with a bobbin winder.  This is an extremely irritating fact and I will have to look into buying one to complete my machine.  When I bought it, I was informed that the machine itself was seized, although the hand wheel turned freely.  Further investigation showed that it is missing the stop motion bushing screw, which attaches the bushing the hand wheel sits on, to the main drive shaft of the machine.  If the machine were not seized, it would probably be almost unnoticeable due to the friction between the parts.  So far I have been unsuccessful in locating a spare.

I have given her a slight clean and oiling but she will have to wait until I have more time before I really get to look at her.  She has a name too; Gina, which has always been one of my favourite names.

Various attachments in their metal tray inside her box

Stitch length and feed height adjusters

From front with flat bed attached

Without flatbed

Gina is incredibly small.  When I first saw her I could not believe my eyes, she was almost toy-like.  You can see her size in relation to an average size computer mouse above.  I cannot wait to have enough time to get her cleaned up and stitching.

Interestingly, whilst typing this post I was listening to T. Rex and have just discovered that today is Marc Bolan's birthday.

Red Scissor Shirt

I have had this red material with scissors on it for quite a while, probably about 6 months.  It was always earmarked for a 3/4 length sleeve shirt.  After we got the Singer 206 back up and running I decided I would make this shirt up on it.  I used my usual shirt pattern, Butterick 6085 in a size 10 with adjustments and no darts.  Below are pictures.

After the collar insertion

Seam finishing using the overlocker

The bottom hem

Topstitching

The scissor buttons

From the front.

Instead of spending forever trying to figure out how to make a buttonhole for scissor shaped buttons, I fastened the shirt with press-studs and stitched the scissors on top.  The sleeves have a slit in them and above each slit I stitched another scissor button.  While the weather is probably not quite right for this shirt yet, when it is, I'll have it ready!

Today is also the birthday of an actress from a film I rather like.  The actress is Donna Reed and the film is It's A Wonderful Life, which was lent to me by a friend, much to my pleasure.

Brief Catching Up

I have finished my red dress and I wore it to the awards ceremony today.  I was still finishing it this morning though and I am not really very happy with the hem.  Hopefully I will have some photos of it completed tomorrow.

I also couldn't miss two important birthdays from today and yesterday!

Yesterday's birthday was Andy Williams and today's was Deanna Durbin, both favourites of mine.  Should be more coming tomorrow!

A Day of Sleeves

I think I can honestly say that it took me as long to complete the sleeves and their eventual attachment to the bodice as it took to assemble the bodice.  The fact that I worked all afternoon and overslept probably did not help my perception.

With this dress, the capped sleeves are self lined, so you effectively cut four sleeves (prepares one for making a dog dress, I suppose), only two of them act as a lining to the other two.  The sleeves are eased and seamed together at the bottom.  You stitch the outer sleeve to the armhole in the dress, easing in fullness, then slipstitch the lining sleeve over the seam on the inside, if that makes any sense.  My sleeves were not all that cooperative but I am fairly pleased with the result.  Photographs of the procedure follow:

Completed sleeve, before attaching to bodice.

The sleeve lining pinned over the sleeve seam on the inside.

The bodice completed with sleeves attached.

Close up of yoke and overlap on left hand side of bodice.

Hopefully I will have the skirt attached by this time tomorrow, however I do not like my chances as I have been called into work early to cover for someone who is sick.

Today is November the 26th and it is apparently Tina Turner's birthday, my absolute favourite song of hers is 'Simply the Best'.

I also love the dress she is wearing in the picture above!