Peter's Best and Worst of 2011!

Friends, I'm not a big fan of year-end wrap-ups.  I mean, are our memories so short that we need to be reminded of what just happened?  I had something else to say about this, but I forgot it...

Let's talk about sewing!

I don't know how it happened, but at year's end I find myself facing this again.  Readers, this is my SEWING TABLE, and if you're wondering how I get any sewing done there, you're not the only one.  



Speaking of sewing tables, I applied my first coat of Polycrylic to my Featherweight table today.  It's looking good.  I'll be applying at least two more; it doesn't take very long and it isn't messy.  I wasn't able to get started on this yesterday as the weather was too cold.



OK, so best and worst.  This has been such a full year that it's hard to choose, but I'll give it a try.

Worst Garment of 2011

Readers, this shirt/dentist uniform made from McCall's 3087, a shirt pattern from 1954, was a dud.



There's really nothing wrong with the construction of it and the fit is probably what was intended for the period, but the gray flannel-y fabric is boring and I never wear it.  Maybe I'll dig it out of the closet and throw it on later today for old time's sake.  A brooch might help.



First Runner Up

This is, thankfully, an early version of a garment that ended up fine -- the BurdaStyle Sew-Along dress I labored over for most of September.  NOTE: If you're adding a contrast underlay, keep it close to your outer fabric or you'll look like a pinwheel. 



Best Garments of 2011

Not very exciting, but I think the best garment I sewed for myself in 2011 are these white jeans.  Not only are they nicely finished, but I also wear them all the time -- probably more than you're supposed to wear white jeans if you want them to stay white. 



First Runner Up



Even less interesting than jeans are pajamas, but I love my shorty pj's, made from three different seersuckers: gray, lavender, and pale brown.  They, too, get a lot of use, which for things I sew for myself, matters.

Little Known Fact: Your pajamas will last longer if you take them off right before going to bed.  You'll also sleep better.

Second Runner Up

I probably won't wear these leopard pants as much as my white jeans, but they were an end-of-year surprise: a bit of a joke that turned out well.  Maybe there's a New Year's Day invitation in today's mail and I can wear them to a glamorous party.  If not, then just around the house.



Best Cathy Outfit 2011

This is the most challenging category, readers, since many of us have strong opinions about my cousin's wardrobe.   I must say I am partial to Cathy's 1944 outfit, though I think her days as a dirty (bordering on filthy) blonde are numbered.



First Runner Up

Much more popular among the people who care about such things was Cathy's strapless Fifties cocktail dress.  Vintage enthusiasts seemed to love this outfit.  Given Cathy's Esther Williams shoulders, however, I prefer a more covered-up look.



Did you know?  Cathy secretly hopes to play Baroness Schraeder in the television remake of The Sound of Music starring Susan Boyle.

Best Garment Made for Somebody Else in 2011

If truth be told, other than Michael and Cathy, who has her own category, I don't think I sewed for anyone else -- at least, I tried not to.  I've asked Michael, who's right here with me now, and he chose the vintage cotton short-sleeve shirt I recently made him from McCall's 3995.  I agree.



Best Purchase of 2011

Hands down, my first Singer Featherweight, which I purchased last March.  I'd resisted Featherweights because they seemed too cult-y, but I guess I've joined the cult.  I've since purchased a second -- it's good to have a back-up!



Little Known Fact (and no joke): According to my friend Rain, who knows about such things, those prized white Featherweights, while rarer than black ones, are mechanically inferior.  Singer started cutting corners during their years of production.

First Runner Up

I own many -- and I mean many -- sewing books.  I love this one.  

 

Worst Purchase of 2011

This is tough.  This box of used wigs (my second boxful) wasn't all that, though I haven't given up on them yet.  I don't buy much, and when I do buy things, they're rarely expensive enough for me to cry over (much).  Does that sound like a cop-out?





Did you know?  Used wigs make great feather dusters provided you dust them first.

Best Daily Ditch of 2011

Now this is a category with real competition.  You can see most -- though not all -- of the items I said good-bye to this year here.   I think my favorite, in terms of space taken up and time wasted trying to clean, is this vintage American Tourister luggage.  Old luggage is usually smelly, but some is smellier than others.  This was putrid.



First Runner Up

The less said about this Eighties-era nightmare serger, the better.  Good riddance.



***

And that, my friends, is that!  I may or may not pop in tomorrow with a Featherweight table update, but if not, I want to wish all of you a very happy and healthy 2012. 

Your enthusiastic support day after day has helped to make this past year a very special one for me.  My very best to you and yours.

I think Mae West says it best...

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Peter Strips!

Readers, I hope you're not disappointed but I will not be disrobing today.  I will, however, be finishing my featherweight table, otherwise known as Miracle on 24th St.

Yesterday, with the encouragement and guidance of so many readers, I stripped off the old varnish with the aid of various grades of sandpaper -- no chemical strippers needed.  I sanded and sanded and sanded and finally got that old finish off.  And not just the finish: chunky paint splatters, pieces of mid century masking tape, and one rusty thumbtack.  I don't know what this table was used for, but it was a lot more than sewing!



I even discovered the old Singer stamp:



Today the table is (almost) ready to be painted with multiple coats of Minwax water-based Polycrylic.  I opted for the satin finish as I'm not a big fan of glossy furniture.  I've decided to leave the table unstained (sides included), which looks more modern and less like something you'd use on poker night.  I'm excited about finishing this!

Before:





After:





Big difference, no?

I realized as I was doing this that my Pfaff table could also use work (though I've been thinking about scrapping that machine -- space, you know) as well as my treadle table, but one thing at a time, right?

Since many of you were no doubt expecting some real stripping, here's Pepper Powell, aka, The Hot and Spicy Redhead.  Cute outfit, Pepper!



Happy Thursday, everybody --  two more days till 2012!

Ready, Set, Strip!  (...fifteen years of ballet for THIS?)

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Featherweight Table Makeover -- and so much more!

Isn't this an amazing transformation, readers?  Wow!

Unfortunately, this Featherweight table is not the one Santa left for me in the street last weekend, but rather belongs to MPB reader Wayne of Florida, who restored it himself.  This pic shows the table before he applied polyurethane, but it looks fantastic to me as is (the blue tape is simply to keep the black enamel paint applied to the sides off the top).

You can see that Wayne's table was originally in similar condition to mine (pictured below) -- maybe worse.



I have received detailed advice on refinishing my table from a number of readers (Thanks, Sammi!), and the information has been very helpful.  It sounds like the old varnish will come off easily with just sandpaper (starting with a coarser grain and working down to finer ones), so I won't have to use a chemical stripper, which I was dreading.  I hope to get started on this today, but you know me: anything can happen.

Friends, this is the downside to all those amazing finds I tell you about: they usually need some TLC, which just becomes another chore.  I mean, if I hadn't found this table on Saturday, I certainly wouldn't be sanding veneers today.  And poor Patti Playpal still needs her thigh repaired -- sigh.



In other news....

I won this Twenties pattern on eBay this morning and if you happen to be the other bidder, my apologies.  



The seller listed the dress pattern as being from 1921 but there is no way it's from the early Twenties.  Here are some fashions from 1921.  Among the differences are higher waistlines, lower hems, and no cloche hats.



In contrast, here are some McCall's fashions from 1928, in very much the same Art Deco-inspired vein as the pattern I purchased (particularly the gray and white ensemble on the far right with multi-paneled skirt and scarf).



Do you agree with me?

Meanwhile, my used burgundy and black Allen Edmonds saddle shoes arrived yesterday and they're groovy and comfy and certainly worth the price.



Also an eBay win, I purchased them before I made my cherry leopard pants, but was thinking they might work well together.  Today, however, I'm not so sure.  It's a little much, don't you think?



Friends, that's about it.  We have a mystery houseplant Michael fished out of the trash months ago -- we do that kind of thing a lot here -- that has begun to bloom.  Can anybody identify this houseplant, which might be in the aloe family?  (Its leaves are similar to those of a snake plant, but fleshier.)



What is it about the week between Christmas and New Years that leaves me feeling a little disoriented?  I think the best thing to do is to head to the hardware store ASAP in search of sandpaper, don't you? 

In closing, are you the refinishing type, or are you more inclined to cover over blemishes with Contact Paper?  Frankly, I always thought I was more the latter, but people change, I guess.  I may even polish my Featherweight.

Have a great day, everybody!

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A Sewing Machine as a Gift -- Yea or Nay?

Readers, I was both excited and troubled by a feature I saw in the most recent (January 2012) issue of Consumer Reports magazine.  Their annual "25 Great Gifts" list included -- are you sitting down? -- a sewing machine!

Actually three sewing machines (presumably you'd choose only one):  The Brother Innov-is 40, Pfaff Select 3.0, and the Bernina Activa 230PE. 



Now, I am unqualified to comment on the quality of these machines, having never seen any of them in person, let alone sewed on one.  I'm thrilled that a sewing machine made the cut as I think it reflects on a renewed interest in home sewing.  But the idea of purchasing a sewing machine as a gift (i.e., for somebody else) worries me.

And don't you love how Consumer Reports lists the BMW sports car (below right), which costs $49,525 as "for someone super special" as opposed to "from someone very rich," as if the cost of a gift reflects how much we value the recipient -- precisely what Madison Avenue tries to guilt us into thinking every year.   In this rotten economy it seems particularly tone-deaf.



I have seen so many threads on the Pattern Review message boards where someone (usually the husband of a sewer) is requesting advice on what sewing machine or serger to purchase for his wife.  And almost invariably the responses come in four-to-one that if they really want their wife to have the machine of her dreams, they should purchase a gift certificate from a reputable sewing machine dealer and let her choose the machine herself.

I am of the same opinion though I'm generally opposed to the idea of purchasing new things (other than socks, knit briefs and undershirts), given that most the Western world, and certainly the United States, is awash in perfectly good second-hand stuff.  And while the Bernina Activa is probably a wonderful machine, spending $1350 for a sewing machine seems like a crime whose victim is the customer.  I'm open to having my mind changed, of course, but come on, that's a lot of money.  Personally, I'd rather have the cash.  (In fact, I recently read on some blog that the way to tell if something is worth (to you) what you're spending on it, is to ask yourself if you had the choice between receiving the money or the item, which would you choose?  Think about it.  Would you rather have someone give you $1000 or get, say, a flat-screen TV?)

Friends, I open the floor to you (not literally; I'd hate to have you drop into a pool of hungry crocodiles).

1) Do you think you can ever buy a sewing machine -- wait, let me restate that: do you think you should ever buy someone else a sewing machine?  Unless, of course, you know exactly what model they want and it can be returned (if need be), and they can find support nearby for the machine should they need it?

2) Have you ever received a sewing machine as a gift? If so, were you happy with the choice made on your behalf or would you have preferred another? (Be honest!)

3) Do you agree that buying a sewing machine for someone else is not equivalent to purchasing them a DVD player or a set of knives (then again, for the serious cook, perhaps knives aren't such a good idea either)?

A sewing machine as a gift (for Christmas or any other time) -- Yea or Nay?

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Miracle on 24th Street!

Friends, do you believe in Christmas miracles?  You don't?  Well, read on -- you soon may!

Yesterday, Christmas Eve, we rented a car to drive down to southern New Jersey to visit Michael's parents.  On our way to the garage, not two blocks from where we live on West 24th St., what do my eagle eyes spot atop a huge pile of trash on the curb, but a square folding table?  And not just any folding table, readers -- this table had a rectangular hole in the top, a very suspicious hole in the top.  Can you guess what it was?

I knew immediately!  As soon as we picked up the car, we zipped right back to the garbage pile, and I kid you not: en route, we passed a NYC Sanitation truck approaching this very corner; we'd arrived not a moment too soon!  I jumped out and threw the table in the trunk.  We then continued on our way.

The pile of garbage where I found the table looked a lot like this one.

This morning we're back from our trip -- Merry Christmas everybody! --  and that folding table is in the apartment.  As you can see, Michael was delighted at the prospect of bringing this treasure into our home!





Behold!



While the table's surface could use refinishing, the table itself is sound and very stable.  Surely by now you have guessed what this Christmas miracle trash find is.

A vintage Singer Featherweight table!

I think Santa meant to drop it down the chimney but got tuckered out and left it a block away.  How else can you explain it?  I mean, who throws out a Featherweight table on Christmas Eve?  



This table is missing the insert that fills the hole when the machine's not in it, but to me this is unimportant since it's not like I'd use the table for anything other than sewing.







Wait.  I know what you're thinking.  I'm thinking it too:

Am I really going to use this sewing table (my fourth)?

Where am I going to store the table when I'm not using it?

Where am I going to put the table when I AM using it?

Details, details!  Please -- it's Christmas, and this is a true Miracle on 34th 24th Street.  Did you ever question why Maureen O'Hara would give up a fabulous Central Park West apartment with a million-dollar view to move to suburban Long Island?!  She just added two hours to her daily commute.

Some things shouldn't be scrutinized too closely.

"Susan, from now on we'll visit Santa at the Roosevelt Field Shopping Mall."

Anyway, folks, that's all the miracles from my corner of the world so far.  The universe certainly works in mysterious ways is all I can say.

Meanwhile, we and the dogs had a lovely Christmas Eve, complete with canine presents.









Best wishes for a Happy Holiday, from our family to yours! 

Now do you believe in Christmas miracles?

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