Monday 20 January 2014

A onesie for The Much Belovéd: Kwik Sew K3713

It seems like onesies are ubiquitous at the moment even here at Oil and Thread where we seldom follow fashion.  According to the stats the likelihood is that by now you either own a Onesie or know someone who does.  I am guessing that fewer people have actually sewn a onesie.  Unless they happen to have a copy of Kwik Sew K3713 lying around.


I thought this pattern might appeal to The Much Belovéd.  He seemed genuinely pleased when he first saw it and quite excited when I finally got down to work on it.  He tends to run around barefoot quite a bit so we agreed on version B the footless sleep suit.

I was inspired by the colour scheme on the pattern envelope and the very reasonable price of red cotton flannel.  An error on my part concerning the fabric width led me to buying twice as much winceyette as required.  During the weekend I spent shrinking, drying and ironing this fabric it felt like we were swathed in acres of red brushed cotton.

Red rag to a bull?

The pattern really isn't complicated and the instructions are first rate.  The biggest challenge is the size of the pieces.  Laying out and cutting took up a lot of space.  It's lucky the dinning table has that extra leaf!  Once the fabric was cut its size made it more than a bit of a handful.


The pattern includes a quarter inch seam allowances which are finished by zigzagging together - must be a job for the trusty 401G.  I heeded all my old sewing machine instruction books' warnings about shortening the stitch length and lightening the tension when sewing flannel.  I think this is supposed to allow the seams to 'give' a little during wear.  Kwik Sew's quarter inch seam allowances mean no trimming - refreshing!

This shade of red has proven to be virtually impossible to photograph!


The neckband and cuffs are sewn into the main body and finished in the same way.


This was my first go at sewing stretchy knits.  I did invest in some Organ needles designed especially for stretch fabric and I played it safe by sewing with my 'modern' machine.  I quite enjoyed the experience and the results are encouraging.


The pattern includes directions for either buttons or snap fastenings.  TMB put in a special request for snap fastenings so that meant buying some new kit.  I may post a full tutorial on fitting snaps at a later date.  They went on without any trouble at all and I think they work well with this pattern.


The pattern is a very generously sized.  I cut the medium based on the measurements on the pattern envelope but in my opinion the finished garment is a shade too big for TBM.  It's actually a better fit on me and I am nearer a large these days.  If I made another (remember I ended up with enough fabric for two) I would either make the small for TMB or reduce the length of the body by 1-2 inches.  TMB was however delighted with his roomy new onesie.  The proof has been in the wearing with the onesie making regular appearances at the weekend breakfast table!

The owner was not available for modelling today

Saturday 18 January 2014

New check spring for Singer 28K

This handsome little machine is my Singer 28K.  It was my first and it was this machine that got me started on sewing.  On it I sewed my first ever garment, pieced my first quilt top and then went on to quilt and bind that quilt.  It's not very easy for a beginner to quilt a single bed sized quilt on a three-quarter sized machine fitted with a fixed straight-stitch foot but the results are satisfying.

Singer 28 Sewing Machine

The machine had been given to a colleague of mine who is a wiz with fancy dress.  She didn't feel it was really the machine for her so the 28 had been stored under her desk at the office for some months.

When it arrived there really wasn't much wrong with it.  It looked like it hadn't been used for a long time and although slightly dulled and with a few blemishes there were no signs of significant rust.  It came with the essentials; a fixed straight-stitch foot, a shuttle, one bobbin and a blunt needle.  The only real problem was that the check spring, which on Singer 27/127 and 28/128, is comparatively long, unguarded and therefore vulnerable to damage, had been snapped.

The check spring is the fine wire spring which will usually be found somewhere in the region of a sewing machine's tension disks.  It's job is to remove slack in the thread as the take up arm rises to the top of its stroke after the stitch has been formed.  If the tension on the check spring is too little or the spring is missing the machine will be unable to form good stitches.


This machine was actually able to form a pretty good stitch even without a properly functioning check spring.  However I knew it would do better if it was in tip-top condition so I bought a new one.  If you are looking for one it is worth knowing that a spring from a 27 will fit a 28 and vice versa.

Singer 27 check spring

The new check spring has a loop at one end for the thread,  a long straight section, a row of even coils and one small coil at the end.  The whole thing slips neatly over the tension assembly stud.


The stud is threaded at both ends.  The narrow thread screws directly into the machine head and the split end allows the pressure on tension discs to be varied.


This photo shows the check spring in position over the tension stud.  The tail of the spring will be sandwiched between the step in the stud and the machine head casting.  This holds the spring in place and under tension.


The check spring's travel is limited top and bottom by the two notches on the machine head casting but the arm of the spring should sit on the lug mid way between these two.  The position can fine tuned by loosening the screw at the bottom of the tension assembly and sliding the slotted back plate to the left or right.


Here is a detail of the tension unit after reassembly.  The knurled nut adjusts the upper tension and shouldn't need to be much tighter than in the picture if the bottom tension is set up correctly.


With a new check spring the Singer 28k is now producing beautiful, even, balanced stitches.  Not bad work for a 115 year old!

Friday 25 October 2013

Sewing on buttons with the Singer 401G

I had to do a little repair so I used the opportunity to get some photographs.
This procedure is so much fun and so quick it is over all too soon.  As usual preparation is key.  First fit an open, short-toed, button sewing foot to the presser bar.

Singer slant shank button sewing foot

Next raise the throat plate (which is, on the 401, the equivalent of dropping the feed dogs - trust Singer to be different!)

Raised throat plate

This is done by setting the throat plate positioning lever to the darn/embroider/button sewing symbol.


The stitch selector must be set at AL and the red lever at position 1.


With the work clamped down by the presser foot and the needle aligned with a hole on the left side of the button take one stitch (turning the balance wheel by hand) and stop with the needle just above the foot.


Then move the red lever to position 4 and take six zigzag stitches ending with the needle back on the left side.


Move the red lever back to position 1 and take three stitches to secure the button.  Remove the work from the machine and trim the loose threads.  It's that easy.  It takes seconds.  I kid you not!

Thursday 24 October 2013

Greist Buttonholer #1

This arrived last week.  It was just in time to make the buttonholes on the French back boxers.  I am rather taken with it for a number of reasons - the funky box is only one of them.


According to the back of the box Greist seem to have offered a bewildering range of buttonholers, no fewer than ten, to suit every conceivable sewing machine.  Make sure you get the right one.  For standard low shanks (like my Singers 15K, 28K, 99K and 201K) it's model #1.  If you're looking for a buttonholer to suit a Singer slant shank it's model #5.


Inside the box is the buttonholer itself;

cover plate and screw;

five button hole templates;

and (best of all in some respects) the instruction book.

The instructions are copyrighted 1966 so the buttonholer can't be any earlier than that although I am given to understand that Greist produced this design of buttonholer we'll into the 1980s.  I love the colour of the buttonholer and the instructions it looks very mid sixties to me.

The instructions are really well written and even offers tips on what size thread and needles to use.  I was interested and delighted to read the following Special Note which I have never seen in a Singer instruction booklet!

This buttonholer should come with five templates - 5/16", 5/8", 13/16", 1 1/16" (straight and keyhole).  Mine came with a rather odd, but useful, mix 5/16", 1/2", 5/8", 7/8" keyhole and eyelet.  The templates are plastic but as far as I can gather earlier versions used pot metal ones and they are interchangeable.  Even better than that, Greist made buttonholers for Singer and the templates from these are also interchangeable.

This buttonholer is smooth and surprisingly quite in use and makes great buttonholes.  I think this one is going to be getting a lot of use probably with the Singer 201K with dropped feed dogs.

I love the back of the instruction manual as a parting shot!

Sunday 20 October 2013

Simplicity 1960: French Back Boxer Shorts - Pt II

Here are the finished boxers.  I added the buttonholes using my new toy a Griest #1 template buttonholer for low shank machines (this means YOU Mr Singer 201K).  I was very happy with the results.  I am planning a full photo-tour and review of the new (to me) buttonholer in a future post.
French back boxer shorts

Front and back there are seven half-inch buttonholes and one additional thirteen-sixteenths vertical buttonhole which allows the waistbands to cross at the back.  It's a lot of work but we all get a buzz out of using an automatic buttonhole attachment right?


The position of the buttons at the back give a range of adjustment for expanding and contracting waists.  I think this design must have arisen from wartime and post war shortages of elastic.


The half inch (12mm) buttons I used were saved from shirts I cut up last year to turn into my first quilt.  There a total of nine so I think can be forgiven for sewing them on with the Singer 401G.  I used white thread to match the buttons rather than pink to match the shorts.  Sewing buttons on with a vintage Singer is probably worth a post all of its own sometime soon.



I am happy with the way these turned out but.  I will need to forget how much work they are before I am tempted to make them again.

Saturday 19 October 2013

Simplicity 1960: French Back Boxer Shorts - Pt I

I have had this pink and blue striped cotton shirting for months.  I picked it up cheaply on eBay.  I washed it to preshrink it ages ago and then it took me ever so long to remember to take it with me to the shops so that I could buy matching thread.  I no longer trust my memory of colour to buy thread.  Unless it's black or white.  After the fabric was preshrunk I was left with just under two yards.


That's a slightly awkward yardage - not really enough for a shirt.  I decided that the only option would have to be boxers.  I had a bit of spare time on my hands so I elected to make one of the most complicated patterns for boxer shorts in the world: Simplicity 1960 ©1945.

I have made boxers from this pattern once or twice before, retracing and redrafting the pattern to allow for my ample girth ©2013.  I pressed the pattern pieces and fabric in the usual way prior to cutting out.  I cut out using the rotary cutter with the help of Ramses II and Venus who always like to get in on the act at this stage.



The first step is to make two pleats in the fronts of the boxers.  These are clearly marked on the pattern pieces and the stripes on the fabric certainly help.



I secured the pleats with pins.



Last Sunday we did some organising in the sewing room so now I can used the Singer 201K in it's No.41 cabinet.  It's the first time it has seen any treadle action since the arsenic green Negroni shirt back in June!  I've rather missed it.  It's now positioned to the right of a window so the light, by day, is good.  I set the stitch length to the longest tacking/basting stitch 6spi.


And sewed about ¼ inch from the top of the boxers to secure the pleats.


The next step is to secure the two fronts together at the crotch seam using a flat felled seam.  This is a little tricky as the seam allowance has a curved taper from ⅝ inch down to nothing.  Careful pressing and folding and a slow but steady foot on the treadle are a must.  Lightly marking the sewing line with a pencil doesn't hurt either.



Here both fronts have been pleated and joined at the crotch.


Knife pleats

I then turned my attention to the seat panel and the questionable pleasure of creating a continuous lap.  The first time I made this pattern I actually had to look up what it was.  Thank goodness for the Internet-o-graph!


The first step is to stay stitch a V either side of the centre back.  The pattern has this V marked on it.  I marked it lightly on the fabric with a sharp pencil.


I then carefully slashed between the two lines of stay stitching - making sure not cut through the line of stitches.


And then (and this is the really silly bit) you have to open the V up until it as near a straight line as possible and pin a strip of fabric along the raw edge.



And then (the silly and HARD bit) stitch it - oh so carefully! - in place in such a way that the line of stay stitching will be enclosed.


Finally the raw edge of the strip is turned under and the fold top stitched to the right side of the seat panel.  This forms a sort of gusset.  I didn't find it easy.  It's well worth practising with scraps.  The pattern instructions call for a one inch strip for the binding.  Make it a generous inch.  I made mine nearer 1⅛ inch and was satisfied with the result.



After all that fuss sewing the seat panel to the fronts and joining the legs (all with flat felled seams) seams like child's play.

Here is where I ran out of steam.  The basic construction is complete with the two part yoke sewn to the wrong side of the shorts, folded over and then edge stitched to the right side.


Yoke front boxer shorts

The boxers still lack a hem, button holes, and buttons but they will have to wait for another day.  At the back the two piece yoke  combines with the continuous lap to form an adjustable waistband which negates the need for elastic.  How's that for austerity spec?!


French back boxer shorts