Tag Archives: vintage

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Quick Note: Why I don’t recommend…

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simply re-threading your machine when you have problems with it.

A quick note today folks! I’m inside waiting for the anti-inflammatories to kick in before I go back outside to do some bodywork on the truck so I thought I’d jot down a little note for you.

The traditional advice when you start to have tension problems with a machine seems to be “Re-thread it.  Everything, the bobbin case and the top”.

Most of the time that usually means that people yank the thread out from the back – or some will cut it and remove from the front – then they re-thread and…. it doesn’t fix it.  Sometimes it will but often it doesn’t.

Why? Continue reading Quick Note: Why I don’t recommend… →

Longarm Quilting, Patterns, Quilting, Sewing Machines

A new pattern for a new year!

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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. Continue reading A new pattern for a new year! →

Life, Quilting, Sewing Machines

More of it – Happy New Year!

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“The only thing better than a good thing is more of it.”

Happy New Year Everyone! As we go into 2015, I haven’t exactly made any resolutions but I have decided that I’m going to finish some projects that I’ve been working on and start the ones I’ve been thinking of. What this means is that I’m planning on taking on only a couple of very focused projects this year which is a huge departure from previous years because last year left me pretty burned out.

I’m still going to be making posts – it’s one of the main things on my list of things both started and in contemplation. I would really like to see the 34 drafts finished and out to you all to read.

In the effort to get an early start on the projects, I started 5 projects at once in the past week. LOL! Typical for me, overkill, right?

It’s OK – these projects are easy to stagger and it’s actually not as overwhelming as it sounds. 🙂 Continue reading More of it – Happy New Year! →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Automatic Tension isn’t.

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Just a quick note tonight folks! Really.

One the the biggest problems I find that people have with “newer” sewing machines is a terminology problem.

“Automatic”

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In the car world, an automatic transmission shifts for you.  It automatically does what you would have to do manually otherwise.

Automatic as far as your tensioner is concerned is Continue reading Automatic Tension isn’t. →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Out of the nest – Ditching the Thread nests part 2

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In the last post, we talked about ways that thread nests can be solved from a user point of view.  Today, I’m getting into the slightly more technical ways that the nests happen and how to deal with them, or when to take it in for service.

Category 2: Possibly user fixable or take it in – Depending on skill and comfort level

Continue reading Out of the nest – Ditching the Thread nests part 2 →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Fly little nestling – Ditching the Thread nests part 1

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One of the most common issues that people bring machines to me for is tension.

The thing about it is that – in most cases – the tension issues are really not something that I need to address as a technician . Don’t get me wrong, there are some legitimate issues – mis-assembled tensioners or severely clogged up tensioners – to name a couple. Continue reading Fly little nestling – Ditching the Thread nests part 1 →

Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Stuck in the Middle – Frozen Slant-O-Matics

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Note: This post is some of what we’ll be going through in the class I’m giving in William’s Lake next month.

The 401A, 403A, 411G, and 431Gs along with the 500A and the 503A (or the J version) are possibly some of my favorite Singer machines. There are a few more in this series as well, like the 401G and the 421G but I’ve honestly never laid hands on either of those models. These machines are all fundamentally the same with some small differences. They are all “Slant-O-Matics”, meaning that the whole stitching mechanism is tilted a little and angled toward the user to make the needle more visible.

Today, I’m going to talk a little about the differences and also about the one thing that makes some people shy away from these machines – the cam stack and stitch selectors are frozen. It’s typically easy to fix, so I want you all to know how to take care of it.

Continue reading Stuck in the Middle – Frozen Slant-O-Matics →

Life, Sewing Machines, Site News

A Million Miles – traveling to speak and teach!

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Note: Amended date!  I goofed ladies and gentlemen, April 16th is the date, not March!

Update: 2014-04-09 – It looks like the Evening class is tentatively full (may be able to open 1 more spot) and there is one left open for the morning class.  If you wanted to get in, now’s your chance!  We’ve been chatting about the possibility of me doing the class again in the future in William’s Lake, but there’s no firm timeline for it.

OK, so it’s not quite a million miles but I bet it feels like it by the time I get home.

I’m going to be teaching people just like you how to service and restore their vintage machines in BC next month! 🙂

Beauties like this:

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The Cariboo Piecemakers quilt guild has asked me to speak to the group about vintage sewing machines at their Tuesday meeting.   The following day I will be doing a marathon training session.

The class is in William’s Lake, B.C. Canada (approximately 3 hours out of Kamloops) the Wednesday before Easter (March  APRIL 16th) at the Pioneer Complex, and we have just added a second session and there’s currently a little room left.   The tentative times for the classes are 10am to 3pm with a break for lunch and 5pm to 9pm.  If you’re interested in attending, leave me a comment below or contact me here.

Here’s what I’m planning to cover: Continue reading A Million Miles – traveling to speak and teach! →

Longarm Quilting, Quilting, Sewing Machines, VSM Repair

Standing at a Crossroads – Thread: Cross Wound vs Stack Wound

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I received an email from Roger about a month or so ago that asked for clarification about one of the posts I made last year. The post in question is Common Thread – Evaluating the Real cost of thread

Did I mention that I love hearing from readers? Even if it’s questioning what I’ve written, I enjoy the conversation. 🙂 Feel free to comment below or drop me a line. I always answer, even if it’s not right away because I’m perpetually behind on email.

The question Roger asked made me realize that I might have been guilty of a little thread “geek speak”. He emailed me to ask what I meant by “cross wound” or “stack wound” thread. The two other questions I also inferred from that question were “what’s the difference and what does it mean to me?” 🙂

Continue reading Standing at a Crossroads – Thread: Cross Wound vs Stack Wound →

Sewing Machines

Rockstar – In my quilt studio!

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Note: I’ve noticed lately that the photos in the posts look blurry and low quality.  This is not true if you click on them to look at them.  Until I figure out what it is that’s doing this, please click on the images to see them the way I intended for them to look for you.

As some of you may know, my APQS Lucey was delivered on November 1.  She waited patiently until November 5 for setup because when I bought the machine, part of the deal was for Matt from Sparrow Studioz to come set it up.   You also may know him as manquilter.  He’s a local quilting rockstar.

I loved this idea because I knew that she’d be set up, level and running perfectly with her leadergrips sewn in (and straight) before he left.  Sure I can probably service Lucey, maybe even with one eye closed, but it doesn’t mean I want to tinker like that all the time and certainly not right out of the box.  This was great peace of mind, and permission to be in creative mode, not techie mode right off the bat.

The wait was slightly agonizing.  Yes, I know those of you who have known me for years are thinking “Wow, that’s the understatement of the century!”  After all, I’m not known for my patience.  😉

That said, it was mostly “easy” to wait.  She arrived Friday, then Saturday and Sunday I had classes at Sparrow Studioz.  Monday, I had a white featherweight to service, a sewing circle (sometimes referred to as a “Stitch n B*tch”) to attend and a very well deserved chiropractor appointment.  Realistically, I wasn’t going to be able to set her up before Tuesday myself anyway.

Tuesday, though…  Continue reading Rockstar – In my quilt studio! →