Peter's best (and worst) of 2010!

Friends, as 2010 draws to a close, let's take a few minutes to recall some of the high -- and low -- points of this, our very first year together.

Worst Garment of 2010 

Readers, this was a tough one.  While I have no doubt created some winning garments for myself, Michael, Cathy, and others, there have been some clunkers along the way.





This bathing suit/matching tank top combination is best suited for a member of the Romanian women's gymnastics team circa 1972.  (Olga Korbut anybody?) Though made from an honest-to-goodness vintage men's underwear pattern (McCall's 3438), something is very wrong here -- primarily the cut and the fabric.  The execution...is scheduled for any day now.   

Little known fact -- That tank top went straight to the Salvation Army; let's hope it doesn't turn up in the neighborhood this summer.

First Runner Up:



Belch.

Second Runner Up:

 

Why did I ever?

Best Men's Garment of 2010

Let's face it, like every sewist, I make a lot of things that end up sitting (or hanging) more often than not.  But there are always a few favorites that become wardrobe staples.



I wear these Kwik Sew jeans nearly every day.  To the wise guy who asked about the bathing cap, that's a Wigwam Headliner cap I wear when I run or when I'm cold.  My bathing caps have flowers on them.



I love my toggle coat and the timing of the construction couldn't have been better.   Could it possibly win the Pattern Review Winter Wear contest?  We'll see.



My banded collar shirt turned out so very nicely.  If only it were warm -- and opaque -- enough to wear in December.

Best Cathy Outfit of 2010

This is a very controversial category, friends.  We all have our image of Cathy and what suits her best and I would hate to alienate any of her fans.  But my favorite is...



Maybe it's because I was at my physical peak in the Eighties or just because I like Joan Collins, but this Dynasty dress, McCall's 9037, made from a Ralph Lauren bedsheet, is my favorite.  Cathy modeled it on the first day of Spring, and the weather that March day was glorious.

Has Cathy ever looked so fetching?



First Runner Up





Cathy's a natural flapper.

Did you know?  Cathy has a 16-inch waist hidden under 14-inches of adipose tissue.

Worst Cathy Outfit of 2010



Never. Again.  (Vogue 9128)

Best Garment Made for Somebody Else in 2010



Michael's Liberty of London print shirt (McCall's 6890).  Gets a lot of wear, too!

Best New (to me) Book of 2010

This one just arrived on Wednesday, friends.  I saw the legendary Hollywood costume exhibit, curated by Diana Vreeland in the Seventies at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, when I was a kid.  I finally tracked down the accompanying book, Hollywood Costume: Glamour, Glitter, Romance, published by Abrams in 1976, on Amazon.

My favorite coffee table book and I don't even have a coffee table.  Gorgeous!















Great photos and text.  A lot more pics here.

***

Friends, that's it.  Thank you all for helping to make 2010 such a fulfilling, fun-tastic year and I look forward to even more fun in 2011.  I wish all of you a happy and healthy new year.

Have I missed any MPB highlights -- your favorite pics, posts, outfits?  Don't be shy, make your argument!

See you in the new year, friends --  Hugs!

In memoriam...

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Resisting Sewing Obsession

Readers, as you can see, I now have my Pfaff 30 here at home in its original table.  I am so into this machine.  We have an incredible physical connection.

But it's not perfect.

And friends, this is where I need your help.  You know how you've helped me get past some of my former obsessions, like fitting my self-drafted bodice and living with the natural drape of my wool melton toggle coat?  Well now I need to learn how to live with a vintage sewing machine that isn't quite at its physical peak though definitely possessing all the potential to get there.

The belt, one of those stretchy tube-like ones, while still basically intact, could probably be replaced.  I can do that easily.



Tinkering with belts of late, I have learned to my surprise that belts often do better looser rather than tighter, as a tight belt can strain the motor.  That adjustment definitely helped in the case of the Pfaff 30. 

BTW, have I showed you my knee pedal?  I love not having to deal with one more pedal on the floor.  When I first attached it it seemed oddly high until I remembered that that lever part swings down.  Duh.  (I was like, Did women sew in high heels or something so their knees were up higher...?)



Then there's the subject of cleaning.  OK, here's the deal: while I am willing to douse my sewing machines with enough sewing machine oil to give them acne, I draw the line at kerosene.  Those inclined toward the mechanical -- Debbie, Susan -- certainly know about kerosene.  It's sort of like gasoline, and in some parts of the world is used as a fuel source, and it's supposed to be incredibly effective at dissolving old grease,  unsticking frozen gears, and killing head lice (I'm not kidding).  But its smell is easily absorbed into just about everything and once you have that smell in your house, fuggitabout it -- you have to move.

Now I do have a balcony where I could work but right now it's covered with about ten inches of snow and it's freezing outside.  I actually do own a liter of kerosene -- it was recommended in my old Elna Grasshopper instruction manual to use as a lubricant -- which has been sitting on a shelf on the balcony; it's recommended you don't even store the stuff in your house.

Even the plastic container the kerosene comes in stinks -- think gas station mixed with bus exhaust -- and I just don't want to deal with it.  I've read about people soaking entire machine heads in kerosene to thoroughly clean them, but honestly, where do they do this?  Certainly not in their living room.

Frankly, while all my machines could benefit from this sort of cleaning, is it necessary?  When I turn the hand wheels of my Singers, they feel wonderfully free; the Pfaff, a little bit less so.  I've oiled and wiped and oiled again and I think the more I sew on the machine the more things will loosen up -- this was definitely the case for my Singer 15-91 which, as you may recall from my 15-91 video, arrived a little noisy and stiff and now runs like a thoroughbred, even though I never did more than oil it (with plain old Singer sewing machine oil).

I have to remind myself that these machines are here to serve me in my sewing and not me to serve them, though obviously I want to keep my tools in good shape.  I like when vintage machines need a little TLC and it's a great feeling to bring an old machine back to working life, as I did with my Singer 66 treadle.

But they -- like my sewing projects -- don't have to be perfect, right?

I'm also thinking of buying a wire sealant for the old wires in my Singer 15-91 and not replacing all of them right now.  For one thing, as I mentioned the other day, the clutch release wheel is stuck.  It's going to take kerosene to break that down, and I can't rewire the motor without removing the hand wheel (I don't think).  I'll likely replace the light, where the wire deterioration is most evident, with the light that came with my 15-90.  Or not, I don't know.

Friends of an obsessive bent, how do you deal with these moments of compulsive tinkering, be it on a sewing project or maintaining a vintage sewing machine?  Is it best to just go for a swim, clean out a closet, make soup -- anything that takes you away from the obsession du jour?

I think this is why people buy brand new sewing machines.  When they break -- and they will -- you can just throw them away and buy another one.  You can't soak a plastic Brother LS2125 in kerosene, that's for sure. 

 Guys, I need good tips and I need them soon, before I start preparing my kerosene cocktail. (Won't a little lemon juice or apple cider vinegar work just as well?  Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda?)

In closing, do you ever experience sewing obsession?   Do you fuss over invisible zippers that are ever-so-slightly visible?  Do you pick lint out from under your throat plate after every project?  Do you pre-shrink your thread?

Where does it end and why is it worse around the holidays?!  Your wise counsel, please.

A big Pfaff-y hug to you all!

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Oh Joy! Oh Rapture! The Pfaff 30

Friends, let's face it: when it comes to sewing machines, I'm a playa.  In just eighteen months I've been with more sewing machines than some of you will sew on in your entire lives.  Is it me or are men just that way?

I've had sexy Italian Necchis, the off-beat, not-easily-forgotten Elna Grasshopper, plain but reliable Kenmore,  sensuous Singers 15, 66, and Spartan, the showgirl Genie, a Viking on the skids, a Brother, and a White.  There's even been another Pfaff in my life, my smooth-as-silk 139 zigzagger. 

I've made progress toward settling down with my 15-91 though I admit I also had a little thing going on, on the side, with my 66 -- now 15-90 -- treadle.

But readers, I've finally found the one.  I think.



This Pfaff 30 was being sold on Craigslist for $40 by a real live Broadway actress.  The machine belonged to her mother and had been used as a bedside night table for -- I'm guessing -- many decades.  Yes, this machine has a table, which I'll be picking up later today and will show you tomorrow.

I picked up the Pfaff around 4 pm, twenty blocks north of where I live, approximately a mile.  Michael wasn't available to come with me so I figured I'd just go take a look at the machine and then if I decided to take it, come back for it.  But once I was there it was love at first sight and I couldn't leave without her, so I carefully removed the machine from the table (unscrewing the knee pedal -- very excited about the knee pedal) and fortunately the seller had a sturdy cardboard box I could carry it in.  I'd guess it weighs about 30 lbs. -- heavier than some, lighter than others.

But the traffic at this hour was horrendous (Ninth Ave. and 42nd St.), total gridlock, and a bus or cab was not to be had.  So readers, I walked.  After about ten blocks I called Michael and told him to get his coat on and walk up the East side of Ninth Avenue and come help me!

Despite having been in a table, the machine was dusty and had all the tell-tale signs of decades-long neglect: bobbin with old, discolored thread, crusty dust balls under the needle plate, stiff gears.
 



But it had an intact belt, decent wiring, and it ran, albeit stiffly.  After a lot of oiling and some spit and polish, however, it purred.

And it stitches beautifully.

Leather:
 

Four layers:



And back to cotton shirting with no tension adjustment needed.



A few great things about the Pfaff 30: it takes standard Class 15 bobbins, it fits Singer tables and Singer straight stitch accessories, it has a 1.3 amp motor (powerful), and it uses standard needles.





The sewing experience is wonderful.  It's beautifully engineered, and feels so powerful and precise.  Check out the stitch length selector -- much more accurate than a similar vintage Singer.



There's not a whole lot of info online about the Pfaff 30.  It sounds like it's nearly identical to the Pfaff 131.  The instruction manual actually says 131 on it, so I'm guessing they're close kin.  The machine also says Made in Germany (as opposed to West Germany) which suggests that this is a pre-WW II machine. 



I'll have to make a movie of the Pfaff in action sometime soon, because it really is something special.

I think this is the one you marry, folks.  I think.

Anybody out there have any additional insights?

Do you forgive me for my promiscuous peddle-hopping?  I think, since I did sell seven sewing machines this very month, I'm entitled to a few new ones to help fill the hole in my heart, don't you?

Anyway, no more for the rest of the year -- promise.

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

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Snowed-in Sewing

Twenty inches is a lot of snow, my friends.  I am at an age where snow is a nuisance, sadly.   My Flexible Flyer days are far, far behind me.

Shirts.  

I want to talk about men's shirts today.  I have two shirt projects in the pipeline.  The dog coats will have to wait till the new year along with every other thing on my old to-do list.  I have to follow my passion.

I don't remember how I stumbled onto the link of the very cool John Ashe Menswear website.  They have a store on the Lower East Side of Manhattan mixing classic men's styles with an urban hipster aesthetic.  They sell some lovely men's shirts and I was particularly drawn to this bib shirt.



David Coffin writes a bit about bib shirts in his book Shirtmaking. Most people associate them with tuxedo shirts or Victorian menswear.





Bib shirts are great for mixing vertical and horizontal stripes and that's what I intend to do with this striped shirting I bought many months ago, around the time I was making those harem pants.  It just sat (not unlike the harem pants, go figure).



I've already started to experiment with it.



Of course I also have this plaid flannel and I want to do something unusual with it too.  We are in flannel shirt season big time.  Brrrrr!



Luckily I have my new walking foot which I have hooked up to my 15-90 treadle, where I expect to do the bulk of my shirtmaking.  My 15-91 needs rewiring, and that's been delayed because the silver clutch release wheel is stuck to the black hand wheel and I need to use kerosene to work them apart.  I have a container of kerosene on the balcony but it's so cold we can't really open the windows and I don't want to asphyxiate from kerosene fumes.  I swear, I'm not looking for excuses: these two wheels have been stuck since I bought the machine many months ago and I just ignored it since I wasn't using it to wind bobbins so I didn't need to release the wheel.



Friends, I fear I may be at high risk for becoming a hipster.  I may even have to move to Brooklyn -- the "fringier" the neighborhood the better -- and take up some kind of craft I can sell on Etsy.  It's a slippery slope from that to tattoos.  If you see it happening, please comment Hipster Alert! and bring me to my senses.  I really don't want to grow a beard.

Anyway, that's what's going on today beneath the snow drifts.  I'm having lunch with my brother and  SIL around noon and then...and then....

Patient readers, if I said that after lunch I was going out to check out a vintage sewing machine, would you think I was crazy?  It sounds a little out there even to me but my policy has always been full disclosure and I'm not going to start lying to you now.   Regardless, expect more info tomorrow.

In closing, have you ever made a men's shirt?  Do you have any interest in it whatsoever?  If not, I won't dwell.  Otherwise I can break it down and maybe make a movie or something; let me know.

Remember: the squeaky wheel gets the grease so squeak a bit if you're up to it.

Are you recovered from the holiday yet?  Brace yourself: we have another one coming.

Have a great day, everybody!

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Leopard Print Pants and the Holiday Hangover

We're in post-holiday recovery mode here today, folks.  I feel so grateful this time of year -- mainly that I'm not stranded in a Chicago airport waiting for my flight to be rescheduled.  Life is good.



We're snowed in here in New York City.   It's cold, blustery, and very, very white. Luckily Michael and I returned home from his parents' house in suburban New Jersey before the snow started to fall on Sunday.   We had a very nice weekend and I received as a gift a lovely pale gray cashmere sweater.  No complaints here.

We made time to create a visual homage to the legendary, leoparded Ann Margret. I think this portrait captures perfectly the spirit of Christmas, don't you?





Refined readers, the novelty of the leopard pants is beginning to wear off and I think it's time to put them away until I have opportunity to debut them in public.  Please help me create that opportunity.  Do you know any celebrities? Are one yourself?  A-list, B-list, up-and-comers, has-beens -- it's all the same to me.  Let's have dinner.

Last leopard pics before toll:







Those who wish to follow the leopard journey in its entirety can view my Picasa file here.

The week between Christmas and New Years is generally a period of rest.  Not at MPB, however.   There's so much sewing yet to do, so many machines needing oil, spit and polish, and new wiring (ugh).

And how about you?  Are you sewing this week or just returning gifts?

What's going back to the store and why?  Change the names to protect the innocent but do tell.  Any good sewing-related gifts?  How were your gifts received?

Jump in!

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