Not Happy With My Brother

This time I am talking about a sewing machine. My real, human, flesh and blood brother is awesome, so let's not confuse the two.

Yesterday I started sewing the Rose Print Dress using my Brother sewing machine, which I had been using because it has an automatic buttonholer and I needed it for the MPB shirt.  "Funny you should speak of the MPB shirt, when is there going to be a reveal?" That is what you were thinking, right?

I have been waiting for the elbow patches to arrive, they have, but oops, I have no black embroidery thread to sew them on with. I thought I did.  I will not reveal till it is 100% finished. Hubby loves it! I promise it will be only a couple of days more.

Back to that tiresome Brother of mine. I have mentioned time and again that I really do not know how to sew. What I mean by this is that other than 8th grade home-ec class, I have had no one to show me the ins and outs of the sewing world. It may be my humble opinion but nothing beats having someone standing over your should (like your mother or grandmother) to show you how it is done...and more importantly WHY things are done the way they are. Tutorials and YouTube are wonderful, goodness gracious yes, but they do not replace a real life person that you can converse with over the course of a lifetime.

My Brother has the worst tension. I don't get tension. I don't get how to adjust it. I really don't know the first thing about sewing machines. There I said it. If I step on the pedal and it does not go, I am doomed. The tension was working fine on the Brother when I was sewing with wool, substitute light weight cotton and Ugh!!! Out came the Manuel. Okay, just move the knob 'this way' that should fix it. NO! Okay, move the knob 'that way' that should fix it. NO! I sewed and turned and moved and cajoled and all I got was a damn mess. Bye-bye Brother. See you next time I need to make some buttonholes.

Out came my trusty Singer Touch and Sew. One of the reasons I believe it has such beautiful tension, is the lengths you need to go to, to thread it! The Brother takes all of 3 seconds, the Touch and Sew takes 3 hours (just kidding)...but I have to believe that all of those loops and rings and what-cha-ma-things help with the tension. I put the light weight cotton in and zippitty-do-da. Perfection!!!

I sewed together the bodice lining so I can use it as a  muslin to see what changes need to be made. Ugh! Once again with the 1950's pattern, boobs too small. Waist too big! Can I say Ugh! again? It will be a fairly easy fix but I am sure no matter what, I am going to need hefty undergarments for this dress. So I started looking on e-bay. I have plenty of new fangled ones, but just can't bring myself to wear a vintage inspired dress with new-age undergarments. I really like the idea of a one piece body-armour. That way any left over bulge may have no place else to go but up into my boobs. Sounds like a plan to me.

I just love the one below. Look at the little lace skirt attached for poof around the hips.

The problem though with buying from e-bay is figuring out the fit. What does a small mean? How much to these babies stretch? I must find NOS (new-old-stock). Really don't want someones used undergarments!!
And then there is the price. Holy smokes they are not cheap. I want inexpensive. So much for whipping this dress up..it may just whip me up!  Is there really anything simple in this world? How the heck do those contestants on Project Runway whip those creations up in a day or two? I just don't get it!

Score...I Think

Yesterday I picked this up for $8.00 at a church fair (whatever Brian). I know it runs, but not how well. I plugged it in briefly before I paid for it and it sounded great. I worked last night and did not get home till midnight, so I have not had a chance to further test it. I did find info on how and where to oil it, although I don't have any sewing machine oil. The first thing on the agenda after writing this is to go check it out somemore.

It is a Singer 603E Touch and Sew. There was a case full of bobbins which came with it, but no extra feet or throat plates. It looks like there are plenty of those on e-bay for the future. From a quick look-upon the web, this is one of the last models to be all metal. I'll tell you it FEELS all metal. It weighs a ton, or at least it feels like it weighs a ton. It came with the carrying case, although the handle has lost its cushy covering and is a bare, rusted piece of metal. Ouch when carrying this.

 

I know NOTHING about caring for a machine like this but have been inspired by so many of you that oil and care for old machines and get them up and running again. I guess I always knew this would be another step I would take with my new found sewing passion. I am pretty mechanically minded so I will give it a try.

If I can get this threaded and the bobbin in and all of that, I may give a go of this for sewing the MOD dress. This machine is from the 1960's so that would be apropos.

That's it for today, I will check in with you again tomorrow.