The Lure of the "Little"

Friends, why are we humans obsessed with tiny things?   Doll houses, teacup chihuahuas, mini Ipods -- the list goes on and on.  It's not like most of us are living in teensy weensy dorm rooms and couldn't squeeze a full-size chihuahua into it.

Speaking of all things small, I have (once again) done the unthinkable:  I bought another sewing machine -- not to be confused with the Viking that I purchased last week that's supposed to be delivered sometime later today.

And I bought -- if not exactly a tiny sewing machine, a 3/4-sized one.  Want to know which one?  Read on!

Sewers are especially keen on the tiny.  The Singer Featherweight 221 is easily the most-coveted vintage sewing machine ever.  Not a day goes by that there isn't a Featherweight for sale on eBay, and on some days it seems like there's a Featherweight auction ending just about every fifteen minutes.  I resisted purchasing a Featherweight for a very long time.  They seemed too expensive and I couldn't imagine how that little thing could live up to the hype -- until I got one of my very own.



I adore my Featherweight and I use it all the time.  I have plenty of full-size sewing machines but I find this one so easy to set up and use and then to put away when I'm done.  Sure, it's also cute, but that's not what I like most about it.  Despite its diminutive size, it can handle anything I give it.  Its motor is also absolutely silent and it has excellent piercing power.



I also used to own an Elna Grasshopper, one of the first modern portable machines.  I couldn't warm up to it, however, partly because I hated the way the old thing smelled (musty), and also because, while the machine was small(ish), the heavy gunmetal case it came in was big, and had been designed to unfold to create a sewing surface for it.  I never used it that way -- which I suppose would have been handy if you were carrying it into battle -- but it still took up a lot of space and weighed thirty pounds.



Another popular collectible small sewing machine is the Elna Lotus.  I like the sleek lines of this machine, but those fold-down doors look like they'd get in the way.  I've never seen it sell for less than a few hundred dollars, either.  Too expensive for me.



No, friends, the machine I got is a Kenmore.



No, of course it wasn't this Kenmore.  Do you really think I'd buy a petite pink plastic sewing machine for the same money I could buy a vintage metal Kenmore?  The machine I just won this morning on eBay is this -- a Kenmore 158-1040!
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I hate to talk money but I spent less than $100 for this machine (a bit more with shipping) -- in fact, probably less than what a pink plastic Kenmore goes for (if it's still in production).  I'm guessing it will arrive in roughly a week.

Now, I know you're wondering why I even want this machine, since I don't travel with my sewing machines and have been known to turn up my nose at zigzaggers.  I guess for the same reason that I have a collection of Ken dolls:  I like small things.  Being rather small myself, I suppose they make me feel large.  Seriously, I've heard it's a fine machine and probably not a bad investment to boot.

In closing, readers, do you like miniature things?  Do you like them primarily because they're convenient (lighter to carry, easier to store, etc.), or because they're so cute you could just pinch their cheeks if they had any?  If the latter, do you also like doll house furniture, miniature Yorkies, and finger puppets?  (Have I left out anything?  Porcelain pigs?)

Do you think the cult of the small sewing machine has gone too far?  Have you ever actually seen somebody quilt with one?  I wonder if anybody really does.

Hey, have you heard about the new Singer "Limited Edition" Featherweight? (The 160, in honor of Singer's 160th Anniversary, and already available in -- I'm feeling faint -- Australia.)   What do you think?  Could this (computerized?) Singer be a Featherweight-quality machine?

Maybe they'll send me one to test!  (Are you out there, Singer people?)

Jump in!

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Sewing and Slowing

Readers, to everything there is a season, blah, blah, blah.

And this season is turning out to be a distracting one.  The cabaret show Michael wrote opens at the end of the month (and closes two days later, for now) and it's been a long time since I've had to learn lines.  I may need an off-stage prompter.  

I don't know what I'll be sewing next.  We've deglamorized my character, a therapist named Dr. Lorna, and my dress is -- are you sitting down? -- off the rack.  Therefore there are no costumes to sew, though I  think Michael will be wearing my leopard pants, which I must remember to hem.

Go figure: the author gave himself the best outfits.

My new (to me) Viking is scheduled to arrive tomorrow afternoon; keep your fingers crossed.  There's also some uncertainty as to whether I'll bid on a certain sewing machine I've been lusting after lately -- please don't remind me that the last thing I really need is another sewing machine; I know it.  I'm hoping that between now and the end of the eBay auction I'll come to my senses.  I'd post the link, but I fear you'd be tempted to outbid me.

The machine is not rare, so it's not like it won't come up again.  I should let it pass, I know, but I'd really like to experience sewing on one and hey, I can always sell it.

In other news...

The ditching continues.

Who doesn't have a library of old VHS tapes?  I haven't watched these in so long, I've forgotten what's even on them (I was never one to label carefully).  Needless to say, I don't own a VCR.  I'm taking advantage of my memory lapse and dumping them.  I'm reaching that point in life when watching old videos of myself is no longer entertaining, but instead somewhat depressing. Do you know what I mean?



I have also been dumping many, many books, but I am quite private about my reading material.  You can see me in my boxers, but please don't peek at my library.

And that, friends, is that.  I hope to be blogging regularly but I may need to slow down a bit.  If anything important happens, you can be sure, I'll tell you about it.

Have a great day, everybody, and happy sewing!

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MPB Men's Boxers Sew-Along 6 -- So Long, Sew-Along!

Readers, there's an old show business adage: Leave them wanting more.  In that spirit, I have decided that today we will formally end the MPB Men's Boxers Sew-Along. 

Today, I'm going to show you the second pair of boxers I completed, which is, aside from a few minor differences, very much like the first.  Once again, I used McCall's 3438, my vintage Seventies underwear pattern.  If you can get your hands on this pattern, which does show up on sites like eBay and Etsy with some frequency, I highly recommend it.  For my body type, it's ideal.



This time, I decided to make View C (the light blue shorts second from the right) which has a plain hemmed bottom with a side vent.

You can see the difference between the two patterns here.  My earlier pattern, with the rounded leg, is on top, and my current pattern on the bottom.  They're nearly identical.





I started making these on my Kenmore 158.141 zigzagger before realizing that I could get far superior results on any of my straight stitch machines.  This is because turning curves and topstitching are much easier to accomplish on a straight stitch machine, and you never have to worry about your fabric getting sucked down into the needle hole. 



I made these exactly the way I made my earlier striped boxers.  Here's how I finished the inside of the right fly facing. I decided not to add a separate facing after all.



Here's the fly from the outside.



I flat-felled all my major seams.  I noticed that some of you are using a mock flat-felled seam and serging your inside raw seam allowances.  Totally fine. 



This time I used a very soft woven elastic that I could only find in black at Daytona Trimming on West 39th St.  (They didn't have waistband elastic this soft at Pacific Trim, and the prices seemed much higher there.)  I paid about $1.25/yd.







Here's the finished vent, which I completed after hemming the legs.  I did both by just rolling up the hem 1/8" and then rolling again roughly 1/4" and edgestitching.  Nothing fancy.  A bar tack at the top of the vent will make the top of the vent point stronger, if you care to add one.



Here are the finished boxers, which couldn't be more comfortable.



I love my new boxers -- in fact, I'm wearing them as I write this!  (You can see the other pair of boxers I made here.)

If you haven't posted your finished boxers in our Flickr group yet, please do.  I'm very impressed with what I've seen so far.  Great job, Sew-Alongers!  I'll still be answering boxers-related questions there too.

On an unrelated note, after debating what to do with my old stereo equipment, I decided that I was not ready to ditch it.  But since I don't have -- or want -- large speakers anymore, I will compromise, and listen to my records on my stereo headphones.  That way I can still enjoy my old records, collected over more than than two decades, without annoying Michael.



How lovely to reconnect with Vic Damone after all these years!



And that, friends, is that.

What's next here at MPB?  Tune in and find out!

Have a great day, everybody!

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Peter's Saturday "Ditch 'n B*tch"

Friends, today I'd like to take a break from sewing men's boxer shorts and return to something we all can relate to: The Daily Ditch!

Please don't think I wasn't ditching this week during the sew-along, because I was.  And would you believe there is still more ditching to come?  Decluttering my apartment is very much like digging a subway in Rome: you unearth ancient Roman ruins, only to find Etruscan ruins underneath, and then you're digging up dinosaur bones and pieces of Fred Flintstone's old car.

To say I'm discovering stuff I'd forgotten I owned would be an understatement.  In fact, I may have inadvertently tunneled into my neighbor's closet, which would explain all the plaster dust and pieces of cinder block.  I hope they won't mind.

Here are some of the week's highlights:

I found this cute plastic Sixties-era storage unit in the street while walking the dogs.  It's actually kind of collectible, part of the Combonibili line designed by Anna Castelli for Kartell.  (Yes, we have good trash here.)  It was a little grimy but I was still able to make money on it.  Is that wrong?



I sold a few other things as well.

This vintage mannequin seemed so cool in the faded industrial setting of the flea market, but looked like junk in my apartment, and it took up a lot of space.  Some artist ended up buying it (for an art project, presumably -- good luck with that).



Hours after purchasing this used bicycle on Craigslist about five years ago I realized the frame was too big, but I tried to make it work.  I couldn't -- it's really not safe for me to ride.  I sold it to an attorney who actually insisted I let him test drive it.  I let him, since he was willing to leave his personal belongings behind.  Was I wrong to snatch his VISA card and a few twenties?  I think he can afford it.



I am always finding cheap plastic sunglasses at the thrift store only to be reminded why they ended up there in the first place.  They're fun to use for photo shoots but, at my age, I really need to start taking better care of my eyes.  Back to the thrift store they go (went)!



Did you know I used to knit?  Well, for two weeks.  I liked knitting and found it very therapeutic, but the yarn is so expensive, and -- this was the main problem -- how many scarves and hats does a person need?   Actually, maybe I'll save a pair of those needles with the plastic between them, just in case.



Oh, I almost forgot -- that Mickey Mouse push-button phone pictured up top.  Nobody seems to want a real phone anymore, not even a priceless Disney collectible, alas.

And now, friends, the b*tch:

I counted yesterday, and in the past two-and-a-half years I have owned twenty-two sewing machines, more than half of which I have sold to make room for others.  Except for a rusty Singer 66 I found in the curb without motor or bobbin case and a Sixties-era Singer (with table) I found in my building's trash before I knew anything about sewing machines, I always found new homes for them, and passed them along in better condition than I found them in.

But then...

Remember my Viking, 3240?



This is really weird: on a whim I was looking at vintage Vikings, models like the 6440, on eBay -- not seriously considering getting one, just window shopping.  After all, my 3240 was working fine, even though it was beat up -- missing, among other things, the door to the shuttle area, a few screws, etc.

The very next day, I tried zigzagging on her, only to discover that she had seized up almost completely: turning her hand wheel was like trying to pull your foot out of the La Brea Tar Pits.  I couldn't believe it.  This was one of those self-lubricating Vikings, which after many decades have a tendency to freeze, though usually as a result of disuse.

Do you think sewing machines have feelings?

Of course, my first thought was that I would fix her myself and I immediately emailed Rain to ask where I could purchase Tri-Flow or some other miracle grease solvent.  Well, I didn't hear from him for days; turns out he had been away on vacation (from fixing vintage sewing machines?).

Readers, to make a long story short, I have decided not to invest another hour in this machine.  I paid $40 two years ago and it has given me a great deal of pleasure.  I don't know how to take it apart, and it's simply not worth paying what it would cost to have it restored here in NYC.  I feel kind of conflicted about it because, like I said, I have never junked a working machine before, but what can you do?

Oh, I should mention that I'm replacing her with this (thank you, eBay), a Viking 6020, apparently one of the last of the Vikings you could oil yourself.  Let's keep it simple.  Keep your fingers crossed.



I have also decided, after working on a second pair of boxers on my Kenmore 158.141, that I don't really want that machine around either.  Don't get me wrong: it's a workhorse, but I'll stick to my vintage straight stitchers, thank you very much.  (And one Viking for the times I need to zigzag.)

And that, readers, is the end of my Saturday Ditch 'n B*tch.

If you have something to ditch and need support to actually do it, or merely want to b*tch, please feel free.  I realize that my sew-along hasn't fostered much discussion and you may have things to get off your chest. 

What have you been up to?

Do you think sewing machines have feelings?

Happy Saturday, everybody!

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MPB Men's Boxers Sew-Along 5 -- Crossing the Finish Line!

Friends, we've almost completed our first pair of boxers, do you believe it?!

I realized yesterday that we never did sew up the crotch seam together.  This is a very important seam to complete (for obvious reasons) and it should be done before any bias trim is added.   The seam extends from the bottom of one leg to the other.  I used a flat-felled seam (see Post 3 for an explanation of how to make one).

In this pic, it's the horizontal seam running left to right (the vertical seam runs up to the fly).



Now let's finish up for real:

Our goals for today are:

1. Measure length of elastic waistband and stitch ends together. 

2.  Divide elastic, pin to boxers and stitch.

3. Turn elastic to inside and stitch four (or how ever many you prefer) rows of parallel stitching.

1. If there's one thing I can't stand, it's a tight waistband.  Cut your waistband elastic to your preferred length, and stitch the band closed, leaving approximately 1/2 inch seam allowances.  You'll want the seam allowance to end up on the wrong side of the elastic (and finished waistband), so if your elastic has a right and wrong side, make sure you stitch this seam with right sides together.



2.  Here's how my McCall's 3438 pattern has me attach the waistband: first I divide the elastic in quarters, and mark each quarter with pins.  I then pin my elastic to the top of my boxers -- wrong side of elastic to right side of boxers -- lapping the elastic 3/8" over the top edge.



Remember that you're going to have to pull the elastic taut to pin it in place and when you release it the shorts will bunch up.  Be patient.  This is the hardest part -- for me, at least -- of making this kind of waistband (as opposed to making a casing and running the elastic through it).



What I found helpful was to pin the elastic to my boxers at six or more points (pin vertically so the pins don't pop out when you stretch the elastic like mine did), making sure that the "pull" of the elastic is roughly the same between pins.  If it isn't, you'll have uneven bunching, i.e., more gathers in the back than in front (or vice versa).

Place your elastic band seam at the center back.  When you're comfortable with your elastic placement, stitch along the bottom edge, stretching the elastic between the pins as you stitch. 



Some machines have an easier time with this than others.  Make sure that as you stitch, the elastic is pulled taut on either end, but let the feed dogs move the elastic away from you.



3.  Next, you are going to turn the attached elastic to the inside of your boxers.  Leave about 1/8" of fabric visible above the folded elastic.  This way, the top edge of the elastic won't peek out over the outside of your boxers.





Now stitch along the top edge, the bottom edge, and through the center.  I actually divide the width of my band in quarters, sewing four parallel lines of stitches.  You'll want to pull the elastic taut as you stitch, just as you did in Step 2.  Since the elastic is already attached to your boxers, however, this is much easier.  I sew my last two lines of stitching from the right side (outside) of the waistband; it's easier to see the white thread.





Friends, we are now done!  Make sure there are no hanging threads anywhere and check your work.  How do things look?

I love my new boxers!





One of the things I like most about this pair is the trim cut.  Since I stopped wearing my sagger jeans, I like a slimmer look.

Readers, we may be done with these boxers, but the MPB Men's Boxers Sew-Along continues.

I'm going to make a different style of boxers next,  and maybe another pair after that.  Once I'm warmed up, there's no stopping me!

Here's a sneak peak of what's ahead:



Some cool-looking boxers are showing up  in our Flickr group.  Have you posted yours yet?

Have a great day, everybody!

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