#Sewing Machines

[shiftythrifting]

Not the item that's shifty, but goodwill's pricing. About a year ago I bought this item for 5.99 at this SAME goodwill. Recently donated it, PRICE STICKER STILL ON THE BOX, and today I see it on the shelf with a 9.99 sticker slapped on it instead. Insane.

[chasingrainbowsforever]

~ Aqua and Bronze ~

[newyorkthegoldenage]

Crowded table to table, textile workers lean over their machines, sewing clothing in the Garment District, June 28, 1944. New York had always been the chief producer of clothing in the U.S. but it also became a fashion center during World War II, when Parisian fashion was unavailable.

Photo: Associated Press

[vinceaddams]

re ugly/cute industrial sewing machines, one of the ones they had at my college was shiny candy red and with a sort of round retro-vibes casing, i never got to use it but she haunts me ill never find another machine that cute 😔

ooh that sounds delightful! I've never seen a red sewing machine of any kind!

While most of the industrial machines I've used have been the same icky pebbled greige, there was a very old keyhole buttonholer at my previous job that was a nice light green. I think it might have been this kind. I have some photos of it somewhere but I don't know which hard drive they're on so I shan't look for them today.

It was a really nice machine. It does One Thing and that's buttonholes, and it had a little dial on the side showing how many it had made in its lifetime, and the number was in the millions.

While the main sewing machine and the blind hemmer at my current job are also the same ugly colour, the serger is at least a nice green on the bottom.

Still beige on the top though, alas.

[pumpkinpaix]

I bought this singer 66 at goodwill like 2 years and several states ago and it’s been collecting dust in my room without space for me to work on it but now!!! Is the time!!!!!

There was. A lot of grime removed so far and there is so much more to go but it’s a good start :’) wish me luck I am learning through the school of YouTube and hubris as usual

[yeoldenews]

I didn't know they had children's sewing machines back then too! That's so cute! Do you know what they would have cost at the time, compared to an adult-sized one?

Pretty much anything a mom would have/do around the house came in a miniature version for little girls - sewing machines, wash tubs/boards, little china cabinets full of dishes, tiny cast iron stoves, etc., etc.

As for cost - much less generally, but it's a little hard to compare as most children's machines were just the machine and were hand cranked, while adult machines usually came with a cabinet and many had switched over to electric power by that time.

Children's machines in the fall/winter 1923 Sears range from about $15 to $100 when adjusted for inflation.

Whereas a cabinet-less adult sewing machine would run you closer to $700 - however it was an electric machine, so again, hard to compare.

[heartnosekid]

rittenonline on ig

[covington-shenanigans]

i did NOT overspend by buying a vintage sewing machine tonight and i want credit for that

[creations-by-chaosfay]

Remember to clean your sewing machine between projects. The reason you may be dealing with things like pinched seams and skipped stitches is your sewing machine needs some attention. Do not blow into the machine!!! You will only push lint deeper into the gears.

Remember to change your sewing needles. The seams may be messy because of this, as well as torn threads. Seeing needles are very inexpensive unless you buy them at a fabric store.i purchase mine from Organ Neddles Co, in packs of 100, for less than $20 USD online.

Remember to sharpen your scissors and change your rotary cutter blades. There are scissor sharpeners sold at fabric and craft stores, and they are very inexpensive. If you're unable to acquire one, take some aluminum foil, about 18 inches, fold it in half, and cut down the middle. Put the layers on top of each other and cut again. Do this one more time and cut it into thin strips. Voila, your blade is sharpened. There are rotary blade sharpeners as well, but they're more expensive. Save your used blades for sharpening you can do at a later date.

Your machine will thank you by not breaking and requiring parts be replaced.

Oh, and you do need to get your machine into a shop for full maintenance at least once a year. Folks who specialize in this may even be willing to do this in your home, especially for antique machines. Shops that are approved by retailers will cost significantly more than independent specialists. The only place approved by retailers here charges $150 USD per machine, regardless of whether it's manual or computerized. I went on the NextDoor app and asked for references for finding an independent specialist. It was $89 USD per machine, and he had them back to me in less than two weeks whereas the retailer approved shop gave me an ETA of four months. Give your machine the spa treatment it deserves. When it's returned to you, you will discover it's suddenly quieter, running smoothly, and working significantly better because these were things that built up so gradually, you didn't even notice.

You're welcome.

[kvroii-arts]

And here is my 1950s Singer sewing machine. This is also an old photo, but she was missing her bobbin, although I think she had nearly everything else. Like the others in my collection, she is a hand crank sewing machine.

[dragonflavoredcake]

I feel like everyone should be taught basic tailoring at some point because it makes things look so much better

Sleeves just a little too long? Hem them instead of letting them stack and wrinkle and make you look like a kid playing dress-up

Pockets too shallow? Rip some out of an old pair of pants and use them as extensions

Shapeless dress but it has a nice color and good pockets? Take in that waist, trim what's not needed, and bam, nice dress

Tank top sticks out under the arms? Fold it in and sew it up—voila, a well-fitting tank top

Button starting to get loose? Grab some needle and thread and loop the thread through the holes a few times. That button isn't going anywhere.

You don't even need a machine. I do most of my alterations by hand (I find the machine most useful for bigger jobs that are better done quickly, while hand stuff is better for smaller and slower jobs).

It doesn't even have to be obvious! Several of my work polos are tailored (short sleeves brushed the insides of my elbows, which I didn't like, so I shortened them slightly) and no one said a word. It's difficult to tell that the extra fold is there—the sleeves were cuffed, so I folded it up and sewed it in place by hand. When I was working, I sometimes had to compare sleeves to see which ones I'd done.

You don't even need to cut anything if the alteration is small. I didn't cut anything but thread while altering my work polos. Taking in the tank top that stuck out under my arms was my first time tailoring, so I avoided cutting anything just in case I made a mistake.

Anyway learn basic tailoring if you can

[shiftythrifting]

Thrifting fate smiled on me today forgot to take close up pics in the store but I have the cart as proof. I tested the featherweight, and it works the serial number puts it as the second batch made in 1934

[todays-xkcd]

Small sewing machines are sewing machines that are smaller than a sewing machine. A sewing machine is larger than a small sewing machine, but quieter than a loud sewing machine.

Relative Terms [Explained]

[vinceaddams]

I've been spoiled by years of using industrial sewing machines at work and school, and now sewing long seams on my domestic machine at home is frustrating because it's so slow it's SO SLOW. It vibrates so much if I go faster and still won't go anywhere near as fast as an industrial.

[sheliesshattered]

somehow, I don't know how, but somehow sewing machines always know when you're nearly done with a project and pick that exact moment to throw a hissy fit

[thekuraning]

reading ur tags on the sewing machine post and feeling my soul leave my body. my needles break if i look at them wrong what do you MEAN they can go through FINGERS 😨

If I had a nickle for every time my mom sewed straight through her finger while she was teaching sewing lessons in our store (that i am aware of) i would have 2 nickles. Which isn't a lot but its terrifying that its happened twice. We've also had customers do it during class, and my mom's driven them to the ER every time. It did go a little(?) into her bone once and they had to put her ubder to remove the broken pieces surgically.

Unless you have a treadle or a hand crank machine, ur sewing machine has a BIG OL HONKIN MOTOR in it!! And if ur machine is computerized—which is ANY MACHINE that you PRESS BUTTON to select stitches, not just embroidery machines or machines with big screens—it has an EVEN MORE POWERFUL MOTOR!!!

Think of ur machine like a power tool or a car. It is heavy machinery!! So be very careful for me and keep ur fingers away from the needle. Do not tempt fate!! 😔