The Update: Although I located her belt and oiled her treadle, I decided to put Virginia's head up on a pedestal (hmm, that does not sound right) in my totally '70s family room,
and to move Elizabeth's head to Virginia's cabinet. Here's my new little corner of the family room (complete with cat post and, of course, cat).
The Miracle: Well, it seems like a miracle to me, anyway. As long as I was fiddling with my old machines I decided to try out some of the wonderful attachment feet that go along with them. Elizabeth came without feet, apart from the basic presser foot, so I bought a box for her on ebay. The ruffler is the most elaborate little gadget I've ever seen, but the most mysterious little critter in the box was this one:
Fortunately, it has a part number on it, and a little googling took me to Susan's lovely blog Spare Time (for Sewing), where in 2010 she demonstrated the Multi-Slotted Binder. So I bumbled around with it for a bit, shoved some scraps of fabric through it, and did this!
Amazing. Susan, by the way, shows how to do even more amazing things with this attachment here and here.
The Give-Away: Although I'm still short of 100 posts, and well short of 100 followers, I've now had this blog going for a year and a day. So that makes it time for a give-away, right? It so happens that I have not one but two boxes of attachments for vintage low-shank sewing machines (not counting the antique puzzle box) because in my inexpert ebaying I "won" two auctions.
My gain, your um, gain, too. If you would like this lovely box of mechanical marvels, leave a comment congratulating me on my blogiversary and I'll pick somebody at random to send it to. To win you must live somewhere on planet Earth and tell me some way to get in touch with you. Okay? Good.
D'oh! I guess I have to say when the deadline for entering my fabulous give-away is. Let's say June 30, midnight PDT--when the last day of June drags her last tattered remnants into the Pacific Ocean with nothing but Hawaii between her and the day after tomorrow. I think.
Congratulations on your blog-iversary!
ReplyDeleteI've got a few vintage Singers, most recently a Singer Spartan of all things.
You can email me at ebvillaume at gmail dot com.
That binder thingie is really something ...
I presume Virginia is sitting on some sort of alcove above the fireplace but that photo looks a bit freaky, like she's levitating! Thanks for enlightening us about the binder attachment. I have one of those but it looks rather intimidating so I haven't tried it yet. I will now since I love a good bit of binding! I think I'd better not throw my hat in the ring for the giveaway though, since I have a box or two of mysterious Singer feet already! But happy Blogiversary :-)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your Blogiversary!
ReplyDeleteThat looks like an amazing little gadget, I think I've only got a straight stitch foot on my treadle Singer, but then I haven't been very adventurous as playing with it yet!
Here's to another year and a day and more!
Welsh Pixie
Happy Anniversary! Here's to another year of fun
ReplyDelete