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| My Singer on the left, making duck bunting! |
Preparations for the World Rivers Day Festival continue apace, and one of the things we have been up to is making bunting out of recycled fabric. On Monday night a group of us got together for a session of bunting making, using Charlotte's sewing machine. And we got quite a bit done, but could have made more with an additional machine.
So I dug out my old Singer, which I've had on the boat for nearly three years since my dad got it down from the loft and brought it over to me. Embarrassingly despite having learned to use a sewing machine at school, I'd forgotten how to use it and it had languished unloved under the bed. When we redid the bedroom, we found a spot for it when it can be more easily accessed. But I still needed a refresher! I took it out of its case and tried to get some of the dust off. It looked a bit sorry for itself! But a few turns of the handle which produced a smooth, quiet clunking proved that all the mechanism was moving soundly.
I lugged it over to Charlotte's boat Felicity last night, and she showed me how to thread it up. The bobbin was still full so once the cotton was on the top spindle, I was ready to go, using the wheel to spin it. It does have a retro-fitted motor attachment but it was quite quick enough using the wheel, and I didn't want to drain the batteries. That evening, we must have made 50+ metres of bunting. I really enjoyed it, and was so pleased that my previously unloved old Singer was still going so well. I have resolved to give it a good clean and an oil, and start using it more often!
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ReplyDeleteMy grandad has made curtains for my parents with his 40s/50s Singer machine - wood, and no electric motor, just the quiet turning of the handle! I used to love the sound of it when I was younger.
ReplyDeletePS Can't spell today!