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Sorry to drop in this thread and immediately ask for something, but I'm in need of some beginner help here. I have never sewn in my life and have been teaching myself the past couple weekends. I was given a vintage basic sewing machine which was bought at a yardsale, probably made during the post-war economic boom in Japan. It seems to be in good condition to me as all the surfaces, even the inner ones, are still highly polished. The only signs of damage are half a dozen spots where the needle has struck the needle plate and a missing screw on the feed regulator dial.   I located a manual online for this model (or one very similar to it, http://bypatrice.com/sewing/deluxe_manual/index.html), that guided me through the basics of how to thread, operate, equalize the thread/bobbin tension, adjust the stitch size, clean, service the machine, etc. I've sewn a few test swatches and this thing glides through anything I put in front of it. I can see that it can probably produce finer stitches than I've seen on any store-bought clothes. I've been trying to tailor button-down shirts by taking in the side seams to fit my incredibly lean build and got okay results on my first try. I know what I want to achieve as far as fit, but I'm struggling with certain aspects of technique and operation of the machine. Are there any resources out there that can help me out? I watched about half a dozen youtube videos today but they all glossed over the basic things I want to learn, or were by people who didn't know any basic sewing terminology and just confused me.
uncloudy day fucked around with this message at 03:20 on May 19, 2013 |
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May 19, 2013 03:18
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 22:01 |
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Thanks for all the information you two. The machine has metal feed dogs that are in good condition. Clean metal with no chips or buildup. I experimented a little today and they feed the fabric just fine if I keep my speed slow. I think my problem might have been the fabric or threads snagging on different parts of the machine, and going way too fast. Interestingly, when cranking the machine by hand I can achieve stitches that are up to 1/8" long, but only about 1/16" long when using the motor on the same settings. Also, today my bobbin tension was off the charts high and I couldn't lay a good seam even with the needle tension on the highest setting. Maybe this can all be chalked up to it needing a good cleaning and lube. I'll give a good work over and report back. Thanks again for all the help!
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May 20, 2013 00:31
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Stultus Maximus posted:Although note that this method will result in weird sleeves if the shirt is constructed using flat-felled seams. If you wear a jacket or sweater most of the time it's not a problem and sure most people won't notice but it isn't neat. Do you mean that a flat felled seam just looks cleaner than a self-done plain seam? Luckily I wear my sleeves rolled up 99% of the time so it's not as noticeable, and I don't even attempt to make the cuffs look clean, but I agree. I also found out the biggest problem with trying to "tailor" a shirt like this is that you remove a substantial amount of curvature from the arm holes. The body and arms are slimmed, but you can end up with arm holes that are nearly straight lines when the shirt is lied flat. In order to reshape the arm holes, you would need material that has been cut out of the shirt, so it's the only option. This causes all sorts of problems like bunching around the armpits and less mobility in the arms. Probably nothing will ever look as good as a full custom shirt.
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May 20, 2013 21:36
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I posted a while ago that I'd bought this machine at a yard sale, and everyone gave me great advice for getting started. I just finished making myself a pair of lounge pants from a yard or two of wool from an old Pendleton robe. This is probably the hardest I've worked my machine so far.(will post a better pic, but here's a taste):  Is it bad for my machine to sew as slowly as I can through a project? It seems to resist going slowly. I can't imagine using this thing at full speed until my skill level is much, much higher. I noticed my foot pedal getting hot during the portions where I sewed slowly. So hot that I actually burned my toe on it. I'm thinking about having the mechanical pedal replaced with an electronic one that won't generate as much heat. There's at least one person on youtube who's attempted this. Is it ever a bad idea? I don't know much about servicing electro-mechanical things like switches. I also got some absolutely beautiful fabric from a linen store in Kyoto. I am making pillows and pillowcases for my girlfriend for Christmas, because she loves the look of linen. I'm pretty pumped! uncloudy day fucked around with this message at 10:37 on Dec 23, 2013 |
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Dec 23, 2013 10:34
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I scored this awesome vintage Hawaiian fabric at Value Village!!   The design is obviously designed to be framed in a certain way, so making something like a shirt is out of the question. What could I make with this besides pillows?
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Mar 9, 2014 21:28
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I saw that in YLLS but here's my reply. I assume you're going for a conventional fit here. It's giving you a bit of an hourglass figure -- try and get the shirt to hang and not hug your body. There is bunching at the armpits. It looks skin tight across your pecs as indicated by the smaller horizontal creases. The shoulder seams are too wide -- they're hanging off your shoulders. I think that the seams should be at the point if you follow the V of your chest in a straight line up to the top of your shoulders. The sleeves themselves look a little narrow or lanky to me. Also the tight fit of the shirt is clashing with your loose jeans. Sorry brother. How did you modify this?
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Mar 24, 2014 03:15
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| # ¿ Apr 27, 2024 22:01 |
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I got ten yards yards of this heavyweight printed linen at value village for fifteen bucks. Definitely something I could see in a 1970s kitchen until this folk art esque stuff fell out of style. One panel is about 24 in. wide. The print also repeats "a fully guaranteed vat print. 100% imported pure linen." Anyone have any idea what kind of fabric (besides the fact that it's linen) I have here? Could it be valuable? I'm just curious before I go and use this to sew myself a lifetime supply of dishtowels.
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Aug 10, 2014 07:30
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