HusqvarnaAutomatic21E

I thought I had told you about Marilla but when I tried to seek a link for this blog post I realized I still had not. I am truly sorry about that. I did mention about Marilla but after that I never introduced her to you. I bought her 3½ years ago on internet second hand shop. I paid 100 € plus 20 € postage cost. Plus 130 € to a technician of the service fee. Helga was really getting old and need a retirement home. She lives with YoungLady now and sits happily on her wardrobe shelf waiting small duties to accomplish.

So, this is Marilla. She is Husqvarna Automatic 21 E. She arrived with original but stinking carry on box which I quite soon threw away. I know it might have had some antique value but I don't want anything moldy into my GreenOldHouse. The box was made of cardboard and fabric so just washing it was out of the question. I cleaned Marilla, tested her and took her to the service. 

I didn't tell you about her because I was not sure will she stay or not. Would she work or not. Would she last or not. And yes, here she is, still with me, Siiri and Anne. But because I had thrown away her original cover she has been needing a new one. Sewing it has not been the priority no 1. I already had an idea of her cover but when I received another gift I knew I will make a certain kind of cover for her.

I received this beautiful The Liberty Book of Simple Sewing by Lucinda Ganderton and Christine Leech as a gift from a dear friend few years ago. In this sewing book is many beautiful sewing projects. It is an excellent book also for the beginners because of proper instructions. I have a bible written by Lucinda Ganderton and it is Stitch Dictionary. 

In the book is this kind of design and pattern for a sewing machine cover. I did some personal touch to it but the basic pattern is from the book. I used the fabrics I have received from the same friend who sent me the book. Also, I used fabrics from my grandma's stash I inherit after her passing away in 2010. And I used fabric I received from a student for my personal use as a thank you gift. 

On the back side of the cover is a pocket for the extension plate. Inside the cover is another pocket. It is for the foot controller.

I can tell you Marilla is very happy with her new cover. She is a very good worker and does the best despite of her high age. 

There she sits with Siiri; side by side on the decoupage drawer chest. If you pay attention on the picture you perhaps notice someone else is sitting there with them... 

Surgery

At work I have -so far- found 7 different kind of sewing machines abandoned under the tables, on the shelves or in dusty corners. Some of them have been labelled broken and recycled. So far I have serviced and fixed 4 of 7. Three of these seven are actually so broken that they need a professional service with new parts.

See the cracked white part which has lost half of it. The lost half is mostly behind the part but you can notice it on the pic. I actually found two similar Bernette so we'll see if we can fix them both at low cost or make one whole of these two. These are old proper sergers from early 90's so they are worth of trying.

More about servicing your own sewing machines you can find on these posts:

Emerald 118

Serger Care

Dusting my Helga

Remember: Opening the machine breaks the warranty, you do it in your own responsibility, always plug off the machine from the power before opening it (turning off is not enough) and take pictures by your smart phone from every step you take because it helps you to put it all back!

Emerald 118

I found this beauty at work. She was abandoned under a table and covered by dust. I've been putting my nose into many sewing machines in all kind of places and dusty corners but never before met any bug inhabiting a sewing machine. This time, when I lifted away the hard cover to see what was hiding under and turned a bit the machine, a very annoyed small spider landed down from the upper parts of the machine. It obviously was hiding in there. I hoped it was alone, without the whole family. And it was. 

I tested it and could only wonder why she had ended up under the table, to be forgotten and covered by the dust. I am going to do the service for all the machine at work by myself as far as I can. Only for non-basic repair I need a service man. So, I opened her and cleaned her. When I started the test drive I understood. She refused to sew anything but straight. She did it gentle and perfect but nothing else but straight stitch. She was stuck. Totally stuck. I was not able to turn the selection steering to any direction. I am not sure did she end up under the table because of that or did it happen because she was forgotten there. See, it can happen that when you do the service for the machine and then don't use it, the grease doesn't get work like it should and it gets stiff and the parts get stuck. That's why you should never forget your machine anywhere.

But if it happens you can still save the day, or your service can. First you need to dust the machine. Then try to the test drive. Be gentle but determine. Try to move the buttons and steering wheels but do not be too hard and break anything. When you just move it back and fort it slowly should ease. Patience is one key word. It took me 3 hours to clean the dust and get it all working. The grease and oil need time to start to move and get smooth again. If it doesn't, you need a specialist to save the day. Because, in that case you need to take the machine back to pieces and clean it all part by part. If you are not sure you can do it, don't even try. 

This was the 1st time me testing Husqvarna Viking Emerald series sewing machine. This model is Emerald 118. I must tell I am positively surprised and satisfied with it. I can truly and warmly recommend it to anyone who needs a basic -not electronic- sewing machine and is a beginner but wants to learn. It has the ability to drive slow so it is perfect for the ones who need to sew slow for any reason. This works perfect for experienced sewers.

From SergerCare and DustingMyHelga posts you can find more information for self-service.

Remember: opening the machine breaks the warranty, you do it in your own responsibility, always plug off the machine from the power before opening it (turning off is not enough) and take pictures by your smart phone from every step you take because it helps you to put it all back!

HusqvarnaZigZag

Just take a look what a beauty I found at work! The Ladies had saved it from the devastation and lock it up in the chancery. When I saw the small luggage-looking box on the floor in the corner, under a shelf, my curiosity woke up. I asked what's in. When I heard there will possibly be an old sewing machine I had to open it. It was heavy but I never even dared to image I could find a treasure! But there it was. Silent as a mouse. I called to the repairman who sorted out my troubles with Marilla. 

And now I understand I never blogged about Marilla. Perhaps I never dared to believe she'll be just fine and then forgot I never wrote about her. Marilla is like a modern version of Anne of Green Gables. And so is this Husqvarna Zig-Zag I found at work.

Back to the point, I called to this excellent repairman who promised to take care of this one and seek the missing parts for her. When she'll be just fine I know she will tell her name to me and my students will adore and love her!

BookBag No12

In BookBag No2 I used the same thick felt as I did in BookBag No9. This time I used different kind of sewing machine functions to decorate it.

HelgaHadHeadache

Today Helga had a headache. She could not stand up and take any single step. Oh, She was so poor. I went through all the adjustments and still after it this was all She could do! I was afraid of Her leg was broken.

I realized something was wrong with Her feeding system. I loosed the screws of the plate to see more.

If you are a first timer take a pic of  E A C H  part you do so you won't get confused with it all when putting loosed parts back. When you put the plate back it is not in the right place if the screws don't go in easily. Then you just need to move it a little bit; even if it seems to be on the right place -it is not if the screws feel difficult.

The reason for Helga's headache was obvious. Even with MyOwnEyes I saw the screws of Her feed dog were loose. I tightened them proper and that was all I did before closing Her up again.

Dear Helga started to sing again. At first I heard an extra sound. It was like a small knock every time when the feed dog worked but then it eased. I assume it was because I perhaps tightened too much or She is just old and She needed to cough a bit to get Her corset more loose.

HotWaterBottleCover -tutorial

Season of gifts is arriving more close. Christmas will be soon there. We all want it happy and joyful. Materia doesn't matter, we all know that. But we also know that sometimes you really would like to give a physical gift to someone special but you need to follow a strict budget and can not afford all you'd like to buy... or make.

This HotWaterBottleCover is easy and very low budget gift to make. Even beginners can do it. Besides, this is up to recycling so also nature lovers enjoy making this true and the person who will have it for sure can value it that not much nature resources were wasted when making this special gift.

First of all you need an old woollen pullover or vest. Then you need to felt it in the washing machine. How? Just put it in a proper long hot wash with the program you'd wash dirty linen. If there are holes or other damages in the material fix them by patching the wool before felting.

Just think about how wonderful idea this is. You can use passed away person's pullover to bring him close to loved ones to cuddle in cold winter season. You can use which ever important but now useless piece of cloth to bring it back to life. Or you can buy it with few coins from a charity shop or recycling center's shop to support their values.

You need to have a pattern of the HotWaterBottle for which you are making the cover. If you don't have the change to sneak in and draw the pattern when your friend is in the Lady'sRoom use some help. This one is for a special person of course. I asked HerFiance to draw it when She is not around. It is easy. Just put the bottle on the paper. Free advertisement mail does just fine. And draw the outline figure of the bottle. That's it. A child can do it!

Then you cut just 2 cm extra around the pattern to make sure the bottle fits in with the filled water after sewing.

Sew the side edges. If you have felt the pullover the edges won't fray easy so normal sewing machine does just fine. If you want you can secure it by zigzag.

Neaten the mouth by bias tape and use velcro (or buttons, ribbons or zippers) to fasten the bottom. In that way the bottle is easy to put in, make to stay in and fill in.

To get some BiasTape there is tutorial for it, if you don't happen to have any left. In this project you need just a little bit so you can do it without the Bias Tape Maker Set which I use in the tutorial. Just cut it, don't iron it and just sew it first from the back side, then at the front side.

I used seaming machine but secured the angle arch places by the sewing machine.

To neaten the seaming machine loose end threads I pull them through the seam by the big eyed tapestry needle and then cut the end off. In this way the seam end doesn't fray easily. The normal sewing machine loose end threads I just cut off.

Ta-dah! Here it is! Sewing doesn't take much time. After felting and drying it, it is just one or two hours job. You can create a beautiful memory in an afternoon moment and still have time to cuddle in with a book and cup of tea!

Husqvarna C.B.

Some time ago Husqvarna Central Bobbin sewing machine arrived home. I was not satisfied with the sewing machine service just because they kept her for so long and I need to call few times if she is ready. At the end they said they'll do it when I give a date when I come to get it! Argh!

She has all the signs still on despite she is old and used a lot.

I have arranged all her stuff and organized them into small drawers of her cabinet. If you know something about these things you can notice all the things do not belong to her. There is for example old key for a toy! But it came with her so I put it in there... The desk of the cabinet still needs to be restored.

She is ornamental old sewing machine!

Busy Autumn

Autumn creates beautiful colors in MyWorld. The frost was here already. My BurnetRose has tiny RoseBerries and RowanTrees are blushing shyly.

I swap some Apples to pumpkins and made 2 kg tasty pumpkin marmalade spiced with lemon and ginger.

AutumnSeason is always busy in MyWorld. Today I needed to help Him out to fix some hunting accessories. I must tell you He tried to do it by Himself but Anne Of Green Gables was very upset. It was unheard-of, rude and shameless that a MAN opened Her cabinet, pulled Her out and tried to use Her! No way, She said! She is very moral old-fashioned girl! I am sure I heard Her sigh when I arrived home and saved Her from the depravity of masculine hands!

AutumnBag

Several years ago I got a beautiful gift from a friend. She had stitched me a wall hanging. Later it turn out I was not the only one to like about it. TheCat turn out to have weird obsession to it. At the end I had to took it away from the wall and keep it hidden to make it to be safe. Since that it has been in my sideboard.

 I have been thinking and thinking what to do whit it so that it could be around but safe from TheCatClaws. Now I finally figured it out! Anne of Green Gables needs another bag with CoffeeBagPatchwork.

See, Anne has got new power line. From the 1st pics you can see the old was green and this new on is much longer and white. No matter was the power line short or long it has a risk to be squashed in the treadle sewing machine cabinet between the machine and cabinet. It is very rare that a treadle swing machine has a power line but mine does. I have noticed it would be very practical if the power line would have a bag to keep it safe.

I realized I could make the bag from the pretty wall hanging DearM stitched for me. Now I finally can see it often and use it, hold it and just admire it. And TheCat can do nothing about it anymore!

I used velcro to close the bag just in the middle. In this way -if I need just a little bit of the power line- the rest can stay rolled up in the bag! Very useful idea.

DearL gave me some old fabric which I fould very suitable with this beautiful stitching whose designer I don't know.

These two very important bags of Anne fit in the cabinet with Her very well.

More machines

Today I had guests...

...it is old sewing machine, as you can see.

It was here to cheer up a bit. 

And here's one more old sewing machine from 1920's. It is Husqvarna Central Bobbin treadle sewing machine. At the moment it is at the sewing machine service. I took Her there when taking Anne home. This machine has suffered a lot but its inside should be OK. After the service all the wooden parts will be fixed and on one day the cabinet will look just fine again. This is actually YoungLady's sewing machine She got from Granny.

SergerCare

I have talked a lot about Helga but only now I realized you have not seen proper pic of Her. She is Husqvarna Viking Hyskystar E20. I can not remember for sure when I got Helga because the dramatic lost of Poor Iris was so overwhelming that exact dates got lost in my mind. Anyway She is hardly 10 years old. As you know I have not been as satisfied with Her as I was with Poor Iris. But for some reason since Helga heard about Anne of Green Gables She has been doing so much better.

Today Husqvarna Viking sells My Hyskystar is H Class E20 machine but it seems to be the same; a bit improved model I guess.

I have also a serger. He is BrotherLock 929D. He doesn't have any special name because "brother" means "veli" in Finnish. And "veli" is actually official first name used in Finland. So we call Him just Brother. :) He is old too; about 15 years. He too has been hard working but during the past two years He has started to think about the retirement.

I like Him a lot and He is easy to use. I have been a bit sad when thinking about letting Him go.

Once more I tried to cheer Him up by dusting, proper cleaning & oiling.

For the first time we ended up opening Him all naked. Don't try this at home if you are not sure what to do. Opening the covers fades away the warranty. I do this only when MyMachines are too old for the warranty.

I was happy to notice there was no dust inside. It proves I have been taking good care of Him. But we oiled all the moving parts which contact another part. And TheMiracle really happened. Today He sounds like a young virile man!

Today I am very happy with MyMachies. Now when I got my first ever treadle sewing machine Anne of Green Gables with Her strong power, managed to tempt Helga to continue Her career and rose up Brother's manpower back to its magnificent level; I can do what ever I desire... in sewing! Not to mention about saving about 600€ when I didn't need to buy new machines. The service of Anne cost 70€. I needed to drive to Arctic Circle to get Her home but I was smart and arranged it to happen on our Theater Night so it didn't cause me any extra cost because we anyway had drove there and back. (She got in the service car in MyCity Kemi.)

Anne of Green Gables

Yes I know. I am a bit obsessed with my sewing machines. But they are so important to me! I can not live without them. Last March before Easter I got my 1st ever treadle sewing machine. We call Her Vihervaaran Anna (Anne of Green Gables).

She is very Swedish Girl and She is finally back home!!!!! I made Her a proper bath (not literally) and pampered Her a lot. I placed Her on MyVeranda where She can see MyGarden and hear the wind that comes from the sea and brings greetings from Sweden which locates at the opposite shore not too far away. I told Her She is very special treadle sewing machine. She is from late 50's, has electric lights but still is a treadle sewing machine! She is Husqvarna automatic 51A.

I had never before tried out a treadle sewing machine. It works better when you tread Her like this; one foot front and one foot back. When you make sure the hand wheel goes all the time to the right direction (towards you) it all goes very well.

I thought it would have been more difficult and I had arranged the whole afternoon to spent with Anne. Perhaps She liked my loving whispers and made me to learn it all very fast. The next plan is to get used to Her. My craft & art teacher told me the 1st thing you sew with your new machine is the hood to keep the dust away. Well, Anne doesn't need the hood because She has this old fashion cabinet. Instead Her guide book has faced several distress during all these years. I will make a bag for her guide book!