Thankfully, we got everything moved just in time for the prom/bridal/christening season to pick up full speed. It’s terrific to have everything in one place now and the customers like the new space, almost as much as I do.

Maybe when things slow down I’ll pop a cork on a delicious champagne!

See the new workroom pics on flickr.

The table-top loom that I’ve been building, while it wove a few inches in an hour, required alot of babysitting to make a good weave. While perusing Ebay pictures for ideas on changes I could make to my loom, I ran into this ad (you can click the picture to view the link):

I sent the link to Michael. We laughed and said why don’t things like this come up when we have money? I kept drawing out plans. About an hour went by, when he comes in and says, “What’s the chances? The two text link ad companies just sent me my payment two days early and it’s a dollar more than we need to get the loom. Want a loom? Interested in a road trip to TN? WAS I???? DID I????

With baited breath, Michael waited until the last possible moment to bid on the loom. I thought for sure that since our maximum bid was so low that the other person bidding would win it, so I did not get my hopes up. Michael’s maximum outbid the other person by 2.50. He paypal’d the money right away and sent an email asking if we could pick it up the next day.

We heard back from Mrs. Smith the next day around 12pm, that we could come and get it, so we were rushing to pack pb&j sandwiches, milk, and coffee and off we headed to Del Rio, TN. About 6 hours away. We arrived just as it had gotten dark. Del Rio is a small town that you reach by winding roads crossing over rivers. There are alot of abandoned buildings which proclaim the difficult times keenly felt in alot of these small communities.

We met Mrs. Smith at a parking lot and followed her to her home about 12? or was it 20? miles into their small town until we came to rest in the driveway beside the loom. Mr. and Mrs. Smith and ‘Grandma’ were the nicest people one would ever want to meet. It was just like going back to Gauley Bridge, WV to visit family. ‘ Grandma’ was so tiny and looked soooo much like my great-grandma Ward that I just knew Lula Belle was smiling down from heaven at me!

Mrs. Smith gave me a copy of a letter from a lady that helped her in determining what type of loom she had and how best to sell it. She also reminded me again that there was a loom just like it at Red Clay Park. We were definitely going to check it out. We arrived home around midnight.

The boys were total angels on the trip. I was surprised, tho, to hear Michael asking the next day, if I wanted to make one more drive up to TN to see the loom at the park. The boys were excited and said – Yeah – c’mon Mom – let’s go. (They were hoping for a chance to bird watch in TN), lol So again, it was 12 in the afternoon, we packed more sandwiches and headed back up. This time, we made it to the park with 45 minutes to spare before it closed at 4:30pm, thanks to a shortcut up to Cartersville that Michael discovered.

The loom is upstairs in an employees only section, but the lady at the desk was kind enough to allow us to go up and take pictures. Afterwards, we hurriedly walked to each of the buildings, took a few pictures, and then it was back into the truck to see what we could see before dark. There had been an ice storm a few days before. We went to ‘rock city’, stomped on a few snow burms and bought some rock city fudge for a return home treat.

This is the loom that resides at Red Clay park:

There are a great deal more pictures of it and all the other looms, which I will upload in the next few week into my flickr albums and at antique spinning wheels and looms. This loom had some neat features. The rawhide straps used in the castle’s rods, the turquoise blue dyed heddle strings to readily identify the dent spacings and the original reed made from true reeds. It is a beautiful loom! It has a rag rug on it, put there for show. While the reed is sleyed, the heddle strings are not.

Red Clay loom from the back

Red Clay loom from the side

I think my favorite is the rawhide straps – such a creative solution that is! I’ve found that barn looms definitely offer the most creative solutions! Also notice the beams’ ratcheting holes with the dowel?

And, now, my new baby…… She and I have come a long way, together, these two weeks.

Loom Front (she has a 6 dent, 22 1/2″ carbon reed that I brushed and sanded most of the rust off of. There is room for a longer one on each side)

Loom Side

Plywood Ratchet and Pawl at warp beam

Ratchet and Pawl at front beam

Lambs and Treadles from the front

Lambs and Treadles from the back

Beater Peg

The loom was still warped with a wool two ply yarn. I made a time capsule of sorts, in a brown paper lunch bag (my momento of our trip to get her) and placed inside it the following fragments which I was able to save when cleaning her up:

one of the apron’s tied sections

two fragments of a broken heddle bar cord (notice loop is tied with sewing thread and not the usual metal clasp) and a section of the warped 2-ply wool yarn

A small section of the fabric woven that was on the cloth beam

and, last but not least, the only intact 11″ heddle string remaining

I will attach this bag to the inside of the loom so that whomever should get her again one day, can glimpse a bit of the life that this old loom has led.

The only item missing from the loom was the very top counterbalance bar, and since two of the heddle bars were made from broomsticks:

I’m continuing the broomstick tradition and have used my own at the top.

She stands as a time capsule in and of herself, a lovely tribute – to all of the creative, loving, and kind people who have tugged at her apron strings to give them comfort when they needed it most and…..

I LOVE HER!

We decided to get out and have some fun rummaging around antique stores yesterday. This beautiful gem caught my eye. She was labeled simply “Primitive Spinning Wheel” with a price tag of 125.00. With money tight, I ran my hand around it, and continued window shopping. Unbeknownst to me, Slobo haggled for a much lower price. She was waiting for me at the door as we were leaving! He buys me such lovely jewelry! He was chuckling and said he walked right past me with it when I was looking at an old White treadle machine and I never saw him! Apparently the boys were in on it too. Sometimes I’m really glad that I don’t pay better attention. What a lovely surprise and a beautiful gift! Slobo is so good to me!

Some research has revealed her to be made around the late 1700′s to early 1800′s. She’s made with hardwood pegs and square nails. She’s of Irish descent and was made for spinning flax into linen, noted by the wire-hinged compartment used to hold water for finger dipping while spinning. She’s double drive and from what I can tell there are only two replacement parts: the knob which is screwed onto the lid of the compartment and the peg toward the front which (I’m guessing) held the flax as it was being spun. Of course, I haven’t spun a thing in my life – so I am really excited to learn! The pedal action is really smooth. So, as soon as I learn what I’m supposed to do and replace the second drive band, she’s hopefully going to be off and running!

I have some wool roving from Hobby Lobby, but from what I’ve read, it may be difficult to spin because it’s not ‘fresh’? I’ll give it a try anyway since I’ve nothing to lose. Have a look at her – she’s soooooooo beautiful!

Irish Saxon Spinning Wheel pictures on Flickr and Stereo image of a similar wheel being used indoors

Btw – Her name is what else but Cotton Jenny.

Maybe I should’ve listened to that bell in my head, when at 16 I tried to hand sew a man’s tailored jacket. Now to stop chasing butterflies and settle down….. that’s going to be tough!

Anyway… Here are pics of the newly cleaned up and renovated workroom (food for all you 900+ voyeurs that visit daily – maybe you’d like to comment?):

Lewis – A new addition to the little family of Ozzie and Harriet, from David at Atlantic Sewing. His job is blindstitching – as soon as I locate a manual, legs and motor for this wild child:

My sewing room thus far: Still have to make room for Lewis but this is the basic setup. I did have a 10′ iron surface made from pads and extra flooring on top of tables, but I’ve used that wall for the industrials (for now anway) and made a pressing surface from 2×4 plywood covered in insul-bright, batting and cotton twill. I moved the pressing surface in front of the window to make it more enjoyable and easy to see my work and the kids in the daylight hours. Plus, the shelf above will hold my gravity feed iron that I know will follow me home in the near future.

On the flip side of the sewing room is My Tower of Babel…
or the fabric I collect as I find it on sale. (Slobo is getting so artsy with his photography!) I’m proud of the fact I got it this organized! Shirtings for the kids on top left, Plain Shirtings for whole family on middle and bottom left, Flannels for kids on top right, bottom weights for kids on middle and bottom right, bins on top contain knits – singles, doubles, interlocks) There are dressers and shelving below that hold patterns, books, and denims. Fleeces and Buttercup Inventory in other room.
Between the Tower and the Canning Pantry (off the cutting room) we should be clothed and fed for at least two years! Now if I could only print a housepayment or two on the press (j/k)!!!

Next Room – cutting / printing / design area. For this room I was fortunate to get a library card catalog that a neighbor of Mom’s was throwing out! Can you believe it? Solid Maple – too – no less! When it wouldn’t hold Mom’s jewelry (mostly costume) – she gave it to me for fat quarters – but I never seemed to get around to filling it up. It’s now labeled and repurposed to hold all my threads for the industrials – parts – notions for alterations and custom sewing work. JC Sprowls and Carol Kimball were very kind to give me a head’s up on what to stock, and the storage cabinet worked great – having exactly the right number of drawers that fit thread cones beautifully. It has sliding metal panels that ride along a series of notches – keeping everything in place so it doesn’t roll around. (Heaven Sent!)

Interfacings, Buttercup Goods, and such held on the shelves nearby:

and the sweetest part of the organizing and cleanup (besides fantastic lighting in the sewing area) is my new cutting surface!!!! I added 1″ thick MDF (with additional support) 48″ wide by 13 ft. long! WOOHOO! I polyurethaned them for ease in printing and now – NO MORE DIPS or dragging fabric on the tabletops!!!!

Definitely Organized Chaos!!!

I’ve now named her Harriet and the Consew 225 – Ozzie! They make such a cute couple!

Here’s Harriet’s table, motor pic.

She’s a Singer 291U – Similar to a 281 but with reverse. Straight lockstitch machine. I tested her on different fabrics and will need to adjust the tension for sewing 2 layers of calico, but she sews more layers beautifully, with speed and precision.

She came with the table, motor (clutch), bobbin winder and machine for 300.00. The head only would have been 150.00. All total with shipping to USF Holland’s terminal was 430.00. I really enjoyed working with Atlantic Sewing and would highly recommend David’s expertise help when purchasing an industrial machine. He IS a salesman and will use typical salesman tactics, but he’s honest and will tell you whatever you’d like to know. The only thing I’ll need to do is the bobbin winder had been spray painted (all parts) so I need to strip the paint off the stem that holds the bobbins, now with the paint, they won’t go on.

He promised pics, a copy of the manual and some attachments, saying “Don’t worry – I’ll take care of ya!”. He forgot those items - ***** but do I really care? Not really – because he sent me a machine – packed just right – that I can plug and play with no problems!!!! I LOVE HER, can ya tell??? So what’s a few inexpensive attachments, he did remember bobbins, needles and a quart of oil! The important schtuff.

***** David called me back right away (I was at Mom’s and didn’t get his message right away), but he was cleaning out his warehouse and found the box of accessories that he had promised me still sitting there and realized it had not gotten on the truck. He was shipping it free of charge right away!!! I LOVE DAVID!!!! There will be a forthcoming post on a side story of a new offer from David as soon as I get a chance later tonight…. I RECOMMEND ATLANTIC SEWING WHOLE HEARTEDLY – DAVID IS HONEST AND VERY REPUTABLE!!!!! 11/01/08 *****

Here’s her glam shot:

She looks grand next to Ozzie:

I had named Ozzie, Beauty – but now next to Harriet – She is definitely a HE!

Here they are together in their new home:

In order to make room for them, the rest of the sewing area needs an overhaul now. These will come out from the wall a bit when I’m done…. but that will have to wait.

Just FYI, I tried the testor type paint (aqua) on Ozzie’s base and it’s tough as nails, I cant scratch it at all. I’ll finish painting him one of these days – now I just might have to make Harriet a soft pink to go with him???

Alas, I’m putting up the Singer 291U parts manual and instruction manual under the Manual’s tab – If you need it – you can find it there.

Since Friday, I’ve been messing around with different settings to try and get the machine to sew nice, pretty stitches. It’s been a harrowing ordeal, complete with tears, kicking, screaming, yelling, and a dinner out – compliments of Slobo – who was probably ready to divorce me. Alas, tho, Beauty is now sewing. Probably the best thing I ever did was make my sewing room downstairs, away from little ears! I also believe one of the reasons these machines are so heavy is to prevent them from being easily thrown through a window!

I finally realized the two big problems:

#1 – The bobbin case was up too high. I did not notice it with the smaller thread when I sewed her off on the first test. After lowering – raising again – then lowering it yet again, the bobbin nests finally stopped. The thicker topstitching thread was getting caught between the foot and case – around the little nodule that juts out.

#2 – The thread breakage was caused by the thread controller being set improperly. After tweaking for hours yesterday, I finally found the right combination that would hold the thread in the proper position. I thought at first, the new needles, 135×17 sz. 18′s were ‘cutting’ the thread, but switching out to the original ball point needle in the machine did not alleviate the trouble.

In addition, I discovered she wouldn’t tilt back because of the front lip on the new table cutout. So, I took coping saw in hand and had to cut out where the lip was touching the front legs – making them flush. Now, when I get my oil pan, I can install the peg behind the machine and tilt her back when I need to. Slobo has ordered me the oil pan from ebay and it should be here soon.

Much to my delight, last night, she sewed 8 pairs of pants, thread color changes and all, just fine! It’s amazing how much that thread controller actually controls how that machine will sew! But, Now Ya Know and So Do I!

More sewing will have to be put off for now, tho, because little Stetson Man became ill again list night. The usual culprit: sinus infection with 101 fever and vomiting. Slobo found pup’s prescription for stomach cramping, etc last night and it’s only been 2 1/2 months since the last bout with this mess! Once again, I suspect our outing on Wednesday to Walmart was the culprit. It’s unbelievable how often these guys get this stuff! I’m ready to sew up some hoodies with permanent respirators attached!

Slobo will get to spend his Sunday once again, trying to convince Walmart police to sell him more than two bottles of decongestant. Everytime he tries to buy enough so we don’t have to restock again in 2 days, the clerk calls over the police. He has to show them his ID, swear that it’s for sick little boys, miles away at home, and – IF the cop feels generous – Slobo gets to buy the 3 small bottles of Tylenol cold or Tussin. Apparently, druggies make meth or something out of decongestants and the state now frowns on parent’s purchasing more than two bottles at a time. If the officer is not feeling generous – which happened once – he will have to spend another 20$ in gas to go buy some more in 2 days. And we thought we lived in a free country – huh?

That’s a whole-nuther-post, I tell ya! Especially since hearing that the elementary schools are now going to try and require digital tags on the children to keep track of their movements. Must go tend sick children – I hope you have a glorious Sunday! And remember, kicking the machine hurts you more than the machine!

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And here she is being sewn off for the first time after 3 months of work!

Still hard to believe it only cost 140.00 for table, machine, repairs and everything! That ole’ keeper up there sure is good to me!

This payday, I’ll order her some needles and some thread and start workin’ on our poor, tired couch! I am one thrilled beast! Yipppeeeeeeee!

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I’ll be able to get the Consew in working order today – I hope! The belt pulley opening will need to be widened a bit – also, I had to swap the 50″ belt for a 53″ belt. Yeah, I chickened out on the idea of mounting the motor closer to the tabletop – I was tired and the motor was too heavy to contemplate moving – especially since it lined up with the pulley of the machine anyway. I might regret tho, as I get it together today. Tthe machine fit in the opening well. I did need to ‘dig out’ the hinge pin clearance a bit more and square off the corners where I routed them a little higher in order to get it into the right position. But this was really easy with DH’s sharp wood chisel. I just need to route out the holes for the hinge pins and she’ll be ready…. Check back with ya’ll when it’s finished later today!

Can you tell I’m excited??!!!

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Top Tray:

The top tray cams are:

Buttonhole Cams x 2
III (loop-de-loop design sort of heart shaped at the loops), IV (zigzag), V (scallop design), VI ( |__|__|__| hemstitch design?) I (greek key), VII (A bartack cam – so it appears)
#’s: 2 0′s, 10-11, 14-15, 16-17, 18-19,20-21,22-23,24-25,26-27,28-29,30-31,32-33,34-35
There is an empty, unmarked slot at the top of the #’d cams in the accessory box. I don’t know what that was for.
+ 2 hubs for creating stitch combinations.
Empty oil bottle

Manual Page 5 of Top Tray Accessories:

Bottom Tray:

The bottom tray consists of these items from the manual page 7:

Box, Needle Threader w spare hook, Bobbins, Double Needle (x2), Case with needles, Screws for Straight Guide, Bobbin case with black latch, straight guide, small screwdriver (x3), seam ripper (not in my pic – but have), stopper for circular sewing (x2), screw driver large (have but not shown), quilter wire with clamp, brush (have but now shown), plastic oiler (in upper tray), ruffler and pleater (in seperate box), multiple slotted binder (seperate box also), daring presser foot, guide for blindstitch, hemming presser foot, straight stitch foot, double needle foot, button sewing foot, cording foot, transparent ziz-zag hinged foot with grooved bottom for satin stitch, transparent presser foot for making buttonholes automatically, shell hem presser foot.

On the machine now is a metal zig-zag foot.

Hope this helps someone else out there.

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I still will need to cut holes for the hinge pins, thread stand, and light mount when I receive them, but this is how the main cutouts turned out. The template worked. It was a tight fit on the back edge, so I still needed to route a little more out (maybe 1/8″?) to fit the machine well. ** (addendum: 06/13/08 It ended up being a lip that was 3/8″ deep, corners at 1/4″ deep, 1/2″ deep at hinge pin locations on the lip portion — 3/8″ deep where hinge pins (circular portion) fits into top, and 1/2″ deep x 1/2″ back into that circle for movement where hook and pins meet at the top. Also, the belt opening needs to be a 1/4″ closer toward the back of the machine – wider than I have marked.) That may be because I traced the inside edge of the template line, rather than the outside. If you use this template, you may want to go along mid-to-outside edge. It is a close-enough tracing to allow for adjustment without the machine falling through the top. I used a sharpie marker and should probably have used a pencil to get a cleaner line.

The routing went much better than I feared. After making the initial inside cutout, using a jigsaw, I almost went to Home Depot and bought a sheet of 1/8″ luan to put on top rather than attempt routing the ledges. But alas, I had that thought at 8:49 pm and Home Depot closes at 9 pm. So, I took a deep breath and did it! It worked out really well, I think.

A tip: whenever you use a jigsaw to make a cutout (such as a sink cutout or for a machine, it’s helpful to use a scrap of lumber (in my case a 1×2), put a nail into it’s center and nail it to the center of your cutout. It must be long enough to extend beyone your cut. This will in effect hold the cutout from the top of the table and keep it from slipping down before you are finished your cut – this slipping could – at best – jam your equipment – at worst – break your saw blade.

For the inner ledge cutout, I used a straight cutting bit and made successive passes to get the depth of the profile needed (as my old Black & Decker Router) isn’t too accurate. Once I had the depth of the corner pieces, then I lowered it another 1/8″ to get the ledge. This depth requirement did end up deeper than I originally had thought (about 3/8″). Still, it was a matter of just slipping the machine in and out of the hole until I got a depth I was comfortable with. Here is a closer look at the cutouts.

If you don’t have access to a router, gluing up another sheet of 1/4″ or 1/8″ (whatever the necessary depth of the reveal is), will work. After you make the outer edge cutout, just make sure it’s glued down into a position that will leave the necessary reveals. Without a router, you will need to probably use a wood chisel to dig out any spots lower than the base of the machine, like in my case, the hinge pin base clearances (they rounded down slightly in the back, like a 1/2″ half circle of steel).

Here is a view of the edge profile. I used a rounding-over bit (Norm would be proud!). Mainly because it seems my kids are always hitting table top edges with their foreheads. This step isn’t necessary, but you do want to make sure you seal and sand those edges. I’ve seen where people have used wood putty on a spatula to fill the edges of plywood, but I really like the toned lines in finished plywood.

I put two coats of water-based poly on the top and bottom and cutout edges (remember, if you seal the top, you need to also seal the bottom and any edges. or it may warp (the unfinished edges will absorb moisture from the air). I’ll sand the works down and continue putting more coats until It’s as smooth as I need. Water based stains and sealers raise the grain, so you must sand in between. This isn’t difficult tho, a fine sanpaper on a dense sponge or a block of wood works really well and quickly. Just take your time and do several coats sanding in between and the results will be really pretty.

In the past, I’ve used the oil based sealers and Johnson’s Paste Wax and Carnuba Car Wax. Most of the furniture in my house, I refinished with the waxes, as this is a hard durable finish that I can recoat as kids muck up without stripping. In this case, tho, I just knew if I waxed it, I’d set a hot iron down on it one day. So for now, I left the poly. Granted it still won’t hold up to an iron, but it will most likely leave a nice milky white spot to remind me never to do it again! I’m not sure how the oil based finishes would have dealt with it. But, hey, I’ve got to stop being lazy and use my ironing board for it’s intended purpose anyway.

All in all – I highly recommend making your own top. It really isn’t difficult and took me, using power tools, about 4 hours total (to the end of the 2nd coat of sealer) If you don’t have access to power tools, you can cut it with a hand saw that you can put through a drilled hole. It will just take awhile. The top cost: 30.00 + tax. The birch ply was 15.00 for a 24×48 sheet. + wood glue and sealer if you don’t have them. Not too shabby!

I’ll wash, sand and repaint the legs today, in between the coats of sealer. I’ll also add a tape measure to the top’s edge. It should be nice and dry by the time my parts come. Yippeee!

A HUGE THANK YOU in appreciation to the folks on the WEFIXIT group on Yahoo! Especially Bob Cavenagh! His encouragement and informative answers gave me the needed confidence to tackle this job. I highly recommend doing it yourself!

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In the meantime, while I wait, I’ve glued up the 2 birch ply boards today and will begin the cutouts tommorrow. For a template, I used a scrap of packing styrofoam, cut out the tracing of the deepest portions of the base:

Into this, I set the machine on top, pressed really hard, and got an impression of the underside of the lip around the edges and those partial cutouts on each corner.
This is the resulting wax paper template (just for viewing):

The resulting dimensions are:

From the plywood, I will entirely remove an opening of 18″ wide and 6 1/4″ high.

To form a lip on the remaining edges, I will cut a template from masonite which measures: 19″ wide x 7″ high + the needed diameter of the base of my router.
The front edge lip (going into the remaining wood across the surface of the wood) will come in 3/8″
The left edge lip will come in 1/2″
The back edge lip will come in 1/2″
The right edge lip will come in 1/4″

Think rectangle inside of a rectangle with those being the reveals.

I’ll then attach a router, using the masonite as a guide, and route the inside lip edges to be at a depth of about 1/8″ except at the corners which will be oval shapes that sit a little higher – making them at a depth of about 1/16″. I was thinking at that point, I could cut 4 pieces of felt and glue those down at those corners, or 4 pieces of rubber (maybe the flannelized rubber I have will work for that) … this will just take some putzing around, I’m sure.

So, that is my plan for the week ahead.

If anyone else needs a template, I’ve scanned in what I’ve got so far from the wax paper.

Important:
This template has not been tested yet. I’ll make a note back here if it works out or doesn’t. So don’t go cutting out a hole yet, folks!

Just make sure when it prints you end up with those same dimensions mentioned above, as scanners and printers can often reprint to the size they like, not actual. One last note, the pins are spaced 13 3/8″ on center, with the left pin centering at 3″ in from the left side.

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Motor Specs:

I was pleased to discover today that the ole’ rusty motor just purrs along like a kitten. DH took the plunge and plugged her in – moved her arm – and wah-lah!

Motor was from 1985. 1725 hp, 1 phase. Not really sure what that means, except it will probably sew faster than anything I’ve got downstairs. Looks really aren’t everything! I admit to having bought some ‘Tiffany Blue’ testor paints to paint it if it runs well. If it runs really well, I might stick a rhinestone or two on her needle bar clamp!)

Motor and Machine Mounting Questions:

There is an arm, (circled numbered one with arrow) attched to the metal framework below, not hooked to anything else.
Is that for a missing knee-lift setup? that then gets also attached to the machine back? or does that go to the ?? foot peddle?

Left End:

It has wiring to attach for a table-mounted light and a plug for a 60v lamp.
Picture shows the two peddles below. A treadle and a foot?? peddle. Is that an “either/or” peddle for the motor arm?

Upper Back Center:

The picture above shows the back of the machine, with knee-lift bars and spring. These aren’t attached to anything. I’m guessing that since these need to pass below the machine, that it should not be resting on a lowered platform in the table, but rather that the machine should be mounted on hinge pins.

The two hinge pins from an old Necchi are on the table just inside the belt.

The belt is a Smith Kelly utility v-belt I purchased from Auto Zone today. It’s thickness is slightly more narrow than the one described online for the machine. It’s circumference is 50″. It was 2$ more than the sewing sources online, but with shipping costs and having to wait, I decided to go ahead and try it out. I can always purchase one onlne and return this one if it doesn’t work out.

Machine and Table From Above:

Machine – Table – and Lower Shelf? Support:

The white shelf is just a scrap of laminate shelving I set on what looks like a heighth adjustable bracket. (Bolts when turned raise up and down that are in the framework of that bracing). Again, tho, this would prevent the knee lift from coming down. (Or an oil pan?)

Motor and Shelf Support from Below the Table:

Here maybe you can see this framework for what appears to be a lower shelf support (green pearlescent painted structure), with the laminate shelf scrap on top of it. The black bolts in the corners can be turned to raise and or lower the shelf.

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Okay, so where does an oil pan fit into this? The belt also rubs slightly against the back edge of the cutout when the machine is moved as far left and center as it can (This can be relieved easy enough with a routed long oval shape to give it room).

The machine wouldn’t be so stable tho, because it’s not attached to anything and the belt is pulling down on the handwheel pulley to the motor ever so slightly.

I’m perplexed until I can see how an industrial Consew is supposed to look. Maybe it’s time to fill the truck up with some of that gold go-go juice and take a trip to Atlanta, although that would probably pay for a new top – wouldn’t it? lol. Argh!

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I just want to say (and if you read this J C I hope you gush with pride!) J C Sprowls, a sample maker, custom clothier and all-around terrific human being, owner of Declan Steed is consistently my angel unawares! If you ever need anything sewn (except machine repairs – I don’t think J C would appreciate getting that end of the business) please never hesitate to contact him! He is always one of the first to help in the Fashion Incubator forum and it would be really great if ya’ll just flooded his gates with business!

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** Update: 06/04/08 – Okay, after some more suggestions, Lila from Italy hit the name on the sewing machine head so to speak! His name is now Rodolfo Valentino!! That’s perfect, Thank You, Lila!!! So, Slobo – Meet my new RV!! **

I finished the tote bag and and second project organizer this weekend. The bag is VERY large. Slobo was laughing that when I go to my Mom’s I could carry my projects and one of the kids in it! I think he’s right. This coming weekend, I’ll make two more crochet organizers – one to hold my circular knitting needles and one to hold my double-pointed needles.

For now, I must go clean.

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The nearest town to us, where this street is located, was formed in 1882. It was settled along what was then, Georgia Pacific Railroad lines, newly laid to Birmingham, Alabama. The town grew to three main roads by the early 1900′s, one crossing over the railroad tracks. It now consists of two. The third having been leveled and rebuilt many times. The rows of stick-built buildings originally looked like a scene out of the old west, complete with dirt roads, horses, wagons and buggy carts. Each row had anywhere from 5 to 8 proprietorships. By the 1930′s, the buildings had brick and local stones surrounding them.

In the very beginning of township, there were only about two dozen families, running mainly farms and a mill. Below is a picture of the street when it was about 26 years old in 1908. The 3rd building from the left end would be the future home for my Consew. In the 1900′s, handmade furniture and farm implements were being made by hand and sold in the mercantile/hardware/feed store. The community recreation center, at the time, was a tiny railroad platform in the center of town. Here residents would watch who got on and off. Old-timers would gather in front of the feed store and talk about happenings around town. They still do this to this day, only now the seating is in front of the only grocery store, one street over and it’s old-timers mix it up with teenagers.

Sometime around 20′s-50′s, the building underwent alot of changes. The picture below shows two proprietorships. The one on the left was a doctor’s office, the one on the right, a furniture and novelty store. The furniture and novelty store is what would eventually be used as the tarp manufacturer where my lovely Consew resided.

The only history book at the library, makes mention of what a big deal it was when the movie theatre arrived. I don’t remember the year this blessed event occurred, but the movie theatre’s brick outer walls, barely standing to this day, still contained the movie reels and canisters under all the beams and rubble, until removed last month. Below is a picture of what those buildings in 1908 had become by 1950.

Finally, here is the same building row as of this morning:

It feels really good to just touch the Consew and know that for a moment in time, it stands as a testament to history of a small street in a small town in a not so very big world. That’s not too wierd is it?

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As we drove past that day, one old industrial sewing machine after another came out of the rubble along with lots of industrial stands and other items unrecognizable. I urged my husband to pull off and ask one of the workers if they were going to be selling those machines. Nervous about doing so, he finally agreed. The guy leaned against a telephone pole and said, with a car salesman smirk – “Depends – ummmm whatcha wanna pay for one?”. I just leaned across my husband, laughed, and said – “I don’t know – is CHEAP an amount? I don’t have much!”. He grinned and said – “Well – we can probably work a deal here. Come back in 20 minutes after my bossman leaves for the day and I’ll meet ya behind the building with a machine.”

Tickled yet feeling really – really guilty – we ran to the ATM got $20.00 out and came back. The bossman wasn’t gone – so we circled – he still wasn’t gone. With each circling, we felt even more guilty – like the police were going to get us – maybe this guy didn’t even have the right to sell it – what if it was stolen property – we’d get charged with theft by taking!!! Just when we were about to forget it and go home, one more turn around the building to take us to main street to leave, the bossman comes out and says – “So I hear Tom has offered ya’ll this sewing machine and table for $20 (Yeah, he said he’d sell us a machine for $15 throw in a table for $5). “Yeah” I said as I saw Tom, head bowed inside the building as if he’d just been chewed out! Awww man – I didn’t want a sewing machine THAT bad!

The boss said it was okay and that he’d sell me this one but if I wanted anything else I’d have to pay alot more because he could get good money for the scrap metal! I thanked him profusely, totally relieved, and told him Tom just caved to my begging – He said it was okay. The next few days we saw Tom smiling as he worked finishing to clear the building and waved.

Tom – Wherever you are – THANK YOU and God Bless YOU! You were a godsend to me!

Here she is before she was whisked away in the arms of my sweet Slobo to the repair shop this morning:

Consew 225 – Front

Consew 225 – Back

I’ve had my eye on the Juki DDL series for many years, but even at 700. I couldn’t get it – especially with shipping costs running another 250.00 for a head with table. I’ve spent the last couple of months, cleaning and scrubbing up my new baby. I dipped her in Kerosene and scrubbed her with wire brushes to get the rust off. She’s felt old toothbrushes, q-tips and lots of flannel rags! I polished the oily kerosene residue with rubbing alcohol. Got her a new belt, bobbin winder, bed plate and a missing screw from Southstar Supply and lo and behold – she looks like she did the day she was left behind! I’ve attempted to time her – thought I had it – but the bobbin thread is still nesting under her. When I got her, she was frozen, the original steel tread belt crumbled in my hands, a waxy lint covered her bobbin case and a piece of tarp – still left in her – revealed her original problem with nested threads.

She’s gone off to our local repairman for a fixin’ fine tuning time and I cannot wait to get her back. Then all I’ll need is a new table top (the old cutout is way too big), a gooseneck lamp, a thread stand and a servo motor (the old one is rusted and I don’t have a clue about motors). A new ensemble would only be $250. My repairman mentioned he might be able to find a top and motor for me. That would be really great because I wouldn’t have to pay shipping of a new one.

Say your prayers she’ll purrrrr like a kitten and Slobo gets lots of new offers for paid postings, we have an old couch to reupholster and the boys need new jeans!

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And here is a picture of the love of my life. A showcase proofing press I picked up in Warm Springs, Ga.

Letterpresses hold, for me, secret thoughts, desires, mistakes, elations – a sort of communion of creative thought, if you will. A thought which has taken a great deal of time to express itself. Something that is unattainable by any other means.

I had a much larger Vandercook once, it took six guys to get it into my basement. For a myriad of reasons, I was unable to keep it and donated it instead to my printmaking teacher for the school – as long as he moved it. Still I miss all the artwork that was in my mind to be printed on that press and that loss never leaves, every bit as much as memories of other loved ones. So, this little proofing press follows me from house to house, in hopes that one day she will be producing much more. Thanks for the quiet sidetrack there to admire a true lover of type.

Luckily, I discovered that this machine has a motor mount under the handwheel. After pricing the parts to electrify her, about $85.00, and trying this weekend to get 5127 running to no avail, I decided to use the motor and a few other parts to get the treadle working.

When Mom bought the treadle in 1975, it came disassembled. I remember helping her bolt the treadle base together and other items. The machine has never been sewn on. When she let it come to live with me a couple of weeks ago, it took a long time to adjust bolts that had come loose, the tension disc which had never been assembled properly and was missing a piece, among alot of other quirks, like an extremely sharp rough cut edge on the bobbin housing that could have sliced your finger right off.

The machine was made in Japan as a replica. The serial # is listed on the Singer site, but I was dismayed at the construction and lack of quality in the parts. So, after replacing some, tightening others, she was sewing just fine. Then I added the motor. What a wonderful machine. She sewed through the eight layers of heavy quilter’s cotton with no problem. So, this one, along with the Necchi will see me through Holiday sewing year after year with no bent parts or melted nylon gears. (hopefully!).

BTW, the decals are of the sphinx and eqyptian designs. Very pretty, tho peeling in a few places.

Here is the Singer 15ch in it’s treadle cabinet:

Here is the back showing the motor mount:

Closeup here:

I did not want to drill any new holes, so the light assembly is bolted on via the screw on the cover in the back for now. I’ll get a shade for it and probably use a velcro strap to hold it more towards the front in the future. It was really an easy thing to do!

Don’t I have wonderful Moms with great tastes??? If it wasn’t for their wonderful sense of beauty, I would not have my new Necchi or this gorgeous treadle/electric!!! So for all of you moms that don ‘t sew, go ahead and buy the machines, even if you just want to look at them, because one day you’ll have a sewer in your life that will be crazy over them!