1954 Singer 99K - Violet

Violet: 1954 Singer 99K hand crank

From rusty to beautiful, this little 1954 girl from Great Britain was quite a challenge!

We bought her for $35 in February 2022. Her decals looked good but the shellac finish was mostly gone. Gouges and crazing in the paint, wiring shot, and oh so dirty inside and out. Amazingly, she did sew after oiling. We put her on the shelf while working on other projects, thinking it could be a parts machine.

This February, we got going with a plan to clean, paint, replace missing parts and add a hand crank. Jerold took her apart all the way down to the last screw, then cleaned and polished all parts. He rewired the motor, too, so we can use either it or the hand crank. We got the spoked wheel and crank on Amazon; they both fit and the bobbin winder still works.  

We tried to sand the finish but it was too uneven, so ended up stripping her to bare metal. After primer came the gorgeous Rustoleum 2X paint in Gloss Grape. I printed and applied new decals in black, using Art Deco style designs.

Then Violet just decided to be finicky. We hit a snag with the clear coat: it wrinkled up on the bed so we had to sand and recoat. It's not perfect but it's good enough. We polished and waxed her to a super shiny finish.

Jerold had to fine tune all tension and bobbin adjustments, but now Violet sews a perfect stitch. I'm happy with how she turned out, even with the setbacks. I couldn't do this without my talented husband. We learned a lot, didn't give up, and I got the purple machine I wanted. It's all good!

 

Citrus Twist

Citrus Twist

How's this for a bright summer quilt? Lime, lemon, orange and pink grapefruit dots and blenders zing against the light gray micro dot background.

It's my version of Electric Slide quilt by Corinne Sovey, that I saw in a recent issue of Make Modern magazine. I adapted it to use Accuquilt and Blue Wren dies for cutting.

A large wild zig-zag print in yellow, orange and green, bordered with green/white dots made the perfect backing. I quilted with yellow thread in a meandering free motion pattern all across the quilt.

I nearly needed sunglasses while working on this one. Citrus Twist is 51” square.

Thanks for your nice comments on Facebook last week about Bogie, our 1942 Singer 99 Wrinkle machine. We just finished with the 1954 Singer 99K and she's a beauty. You'll see her very soon.

Dies used:
Accuquilt
55039 Chisels 3½” x 6½”
55005 Rectangles 3½” x 6½”
55009 Half Square Triangles 3½”
Blue Wren
6015 Strips 1½” 

1942 Singer 99 Restoration

Bogart: 1942 Singer 99 restored

Here's our latest sewing machine restoration: meet Bogart, or Bogie for short.

I found him in June on a local Facebook listing and went right away to pick him up. For $50 we figured it could be a parts machine for the other 99 we are working on. Oh, were we wrong! The nearly perfect wrinkle finish (Godzilla) and blackened faceplate gave us the first clue, along with a 1942 serial number. It's a Blackside, manufactured during WWII when parts were scarce.

1942 Singer 99 Before

The wiring had all but perished, so no idea if it worked. The Bentwood case has a hole in it (to be fixed at a later date when we have our carpentry hats on). Still, it was too unique and complete to use for parts, so we decided to clean, oil, and restore with the least amount of interference.

Trial run: it sews!

Jerold oiled the creaky old guy, cut off the nasty wiring, and hooked it up temporarily to find the motor runs just fine! Threaded it and it sews pretty good, better after a bobbin adjustment. He took off the bobbin winder, bobbin case, hook, and other pieces to clean and oil. The handwheel was nicked terribly, so he sanded and used satin black to repaint it. The bobbin plate was missing, so he blackened a spare Singer one to replace it.

Love this Blackside scrolled faceplate

I cleaned the dirty finish with Goop and a soft toothbrush. Lots of nicotine and dirt! There are no decals, just simple paint stamped Singer lettering. I was careful not to scrub too hard around them. There were about 6 small nicks in the paint and I used a mix of black and satin black to dab on so it wouldn't rust. These don't have shellac, so I polished (using Jerold's suggestion) with Kiwi shoe polish and buffed with a soft brush. I used the same technique on the foot control.

Rewired, all parts cleaned and oiled, wood base cleaned and polished, Bogie is looking pretty spiffy and running fine at eighty-one.  He has some wear, but who wouldn't at that age? I'm so happy I found him, even though I really wasn't looking. I'll be sewing something with Bogart soon.

We had so much fun working together on this! Next up, we finish complete restoration and paint on the other 99. Then on to a  clean/oil/polish on a 1923 Singer 127 with gorgeous Sphinx decals. 

 

Confetti Stars

This cute little quilt was my 4th of July weekend project. Red and blue scraps with a touch of white and cream have a patriotic vibe, and those dots sure look like confetti to me.

This is my version of the Friendship Star block, adding corners to create a secondary design. Instead of the standard nine-patch, I cut 4½” x 8½” rectangles, then added 3½” HST on one corner. Smaller 1½” HST go on the opposite corner.

Then, I sewed the rectangles to the center 3½” square. This created some excess, which I trimmed off to 11½” blocks. Not the conventional way, but I think this made for fewer seams. It also gave more space between the stars, so my points are perfect.

After adding a narrow border of red mini gingham, I quilted in rows, using cream thread in decorative stitching. Binding is a red and blue stripe. Finished size for Confetti Stars is 47” square.

Halfway through the year, and this is quilt #27 completed.

Accuquilt dies used:
55160 Rectangles 4½” x 8½”
55006 Squares 3½”
55004 HST 3½”
55818 Bow Tie (1½” HST)

55017 Strips 2½”

Cut And Try Sampler

Cut And Try Sampler, 2023

Today's quilt is a combination of sample and experimental blocks, in purple, aqua, white and gray prints.  

Whenever I buy a new die, I immediately cut and sew a block to test accuracy and quality. I choose three or four coordinating colors for these trials. I use the same fabric when I'm experimenting with variations or new designs.

Once I get enough blocks, I'll arrange them on the design wall, then join them with a complementary sashing or background. I don't worry if they are different sizes, the variety is what makes these projects unique. It's a fun way to keep those trial blocks from stacking up and I get another bonus quilt!

I quilted 2” rows with a small serpentine stitch using light gray thread. Cut And Try Sampler ended up 49½” x 48” size. 

Now to choose a new color group for the next batch.