Happy New Year everyone!
If anyone had told me a few years ago that I’d be teaching people to maintain their vintage machines, I’d have probably thought they were crazy. We’re planning more workshops for 2016 though!
For that matter, if they’d told me that I’d be quilting on a massive quilting frame and have a long arm as my most consistent dance partner and half my basement dedicated to sewing machines and quilting, I’d have shook my head and thought they really didn’t know me.
Similarly, it never occurred to me that I’d become a published pattern designer. As of today, this too though has come to pass. Today, my very first pattern has been uploaded to Craftsy and is available for sale and proceeds from this pattern will support the upkeep of ArchaicArcane.com and facilitate the upgrade of certain video making equipment.
So what is this pattern, you ask? I’m glad you did. 😉
It’s a Featherweight Case Liner
It’s a carrier to help put your Featherweight into and lift it out of
the case. It should help prevent damage to the power connector that often gets damaged when the machine is put into the case. If you use another case or a soft bag, it will add a layer of protection against bumps and scuffs as well.
When your Featherweight is out of the case and in use, the liner converts to a handy machine mat and tool organizer combination.
Also, because I’m a long arm quilter, the pattern is long arm friendly. There’s an addendum on the back of the cover page that details the steps that change and slight fabric requirement changes to accommodate the frame requirements. This photo is of the long arm sample that I created.
I’ve tested the liner in the 3 black cases but haven’t had a white or tan featherweight here to test it in their cases. The liner will fit the white 221 but its shorter bed means that the extension bed pocket won’t be full. This will harm nothing.
Some of you who follow me on Facebook may have read about me carrying “Ronnie” and “Eliza” in their liners, inside their cases. This is the liner I’m always talking about. Eliza – the 222k – is featured in the photos here. In fact, this is the exact liner that protected Ronnie the day her bag broke and she hit the floor from about hip height. Snug in her liner, inside her case, I’m not sure she knew she fell. I did and so did a motorcycle helmet visor in the hallway behind me. She hit so hard when the straps broke that visor jumped off the shelf and her case might have dented the kitchen floor. She missed my feet by inches but rocked onto one of them after the initial hit. No damage to her or the case though.
How this pattern came to be:
Two and a half years ago, I debuted an early design of it here. In its original incarnation, it didn’t have the organizer for use when the machine is in use.
Since then, my dear cousin Jo and others have been requesting that I produce a pattern for it. This October, Jo and I spent a day and wrote it out. If I thought that was a long day, the work was just beginning! There were edits and testing (by Jo and me and others as well) and revisions using suggestions from people testing and critiquing the pattern. At one point, I had to re-shoot all of the pictures because I’d missed a few very important images and didn’t have any access to the fabric we’d originally used. At the same time, I changed the order of a few steps to make it easier to build this pattern. In fact, I have 6 liners for 3 featherweights now and that’s not counting other people’s liners! 🙂
As of this moment, the pdf version of the pattern is available here. If you want a paper copy of it – it’s a little more complex. You can send me an email by clicking here and I can send you a paypal invoice for the pattern plus actual shipping from Canada. That will come directly from my studio to you. I’ll need to know the email address you want to use (if you already use Paypal, it will be that one. If you don’t, I believe Paypal lets you pay an invoice without creating an account. ) Otherwise, I can provide a mailing address where a cheque (check for you Americans!) can be sent.
And a few more photos of the liner and Eliza, your model. 🙂
Next up, I’ll be writing up the pattern for the bag I made for the featherweights after that first one broke. Jo tells me we have a whole series of patterns we’re making for these gals. 🙂
A sincere thanks to Jo for the multiple kicks in the rear and her experience in creating shop samples and writing up instructions. I couldn’t have done it without you! Thanks also to my testers: Sharon D. and Christine M. Your input was invaluable!
What a pretty and useful liner! I love that it has the pocket(s?) for various sewing bits and bobs, as well! And that quilt in the background of the photos is stunning too!
Thank you! Yes, 6 pockets to hold all sorts of things. While technically the cutter wouldn’t usually be in there, I have used a pocket for that when paper piecing. 🙂
That quilt is based on Northcott’s Aphrodite pattern, using the Stonehenge Aphrodite line. It’s actually the first pattern I saw as a new quilter that made me say “I want to make that!” and I did – a whole queen sized top is awaiting quilting but I have performance anxiety on it. In the meantime, the scraps were more than plentiful enough to make the lap quilt you see behind Eliza – quilted and inspected/claimed by the queen. *sigh* I am so lucky. 😉
I think the best way to go would be to use the featherweight tote pattern, and add 3.25″ – 3.5″ to the width of the fabric to accommodate the width difference on the small bentwood. The depth is pretty much the same as the larger featherweight case and height is only 0.5″ besides the handle.
Bought it on Craftsy, downloaded it, printed it, now to figure it out. I make great quilts, but I am 3D challenged.
I think you’ll like this then. It’s only a little 3D and I make sure it’s done at the end so you’re not fighting bulk the rest of the time. 🙂 And Thank you!
I am looking up the pattern now. It is just what I need!
I’m so glad to hear it! Please let me know if you have any questions and what you think when you’re finished?
Good for you Tammi, I will be checking that pattern out, and it will be one of my early projects for 2016.
I would love to hear what you think of it! It looks like you’re local, is it alright if I contact you to test the bag pattern once I get it written up?