Mens Leopard Print Pants for Christmas!

THANK YOU, SANTA!

OK, how cool are these pants?  I can't wait to wear them to Paris Fashion Week!  A Hollywood Premier!  Drinks in London with Madonna!  Fabric shopping.

I think they more than live up to their inspiration, don't you?

Whoops, wrong photo!

 

Friends, I have learned that Star of Tomorow Garrett Hedlund's leopard print pants are by none other than Givenchy for Spring/Summer 2011!  (I knew there was something vaguely Audrey Hepburn-ish about them.)  I am so on trend.

The resemblance is uncanny -- to the pants, I mean.  I'll have more photos of them next week.



Here are a few construction shots.  They weren't hard to put together despite being cotton velvet.  I used my Singer 15-90 treadle for the topstitching and, since my 15-91 needs to be rewired, my Pfaff 139 for everything else.

Do you believe it: me on a zigzagger!


 





And speaking of sewing machines, you're not going to believe this, but yesterday I sold my seventh sewing machine.  Yes, my Elna Grasshopper now belongs to Daniel, the hippest-looking hipster out of Bushwick, Brooklyn, right down to beard and jeggings.  A perfect match of man and machine. 



Readers, I have no more vintage sewing machines to sell, well, if you leave out my cursed Huskystar serger, and leave out is probably what I should do with it -- in the snow.

So you're probably wondering what sewing machines I have left.  OK: I have my Singer 15-91 which needs rewiring, my Singer 15-90 which is now my treadle, my Singer 66, which used to be my treadle, but now has the motor from the 15-90 attached to it.  I even found a way to attach the lamp -- clever, huh?





Then I have my Pfaff 139 which until the leopard print pants project I hadn't sewed on in a long time.  She's strong and speedy.



And finally, my beat up Viking 3240.  I use her primarily to wind bobbins and insert invisible zippers.



That's it!  Five sewing machines and my Brother 1034D serger.  When I downsize I really downsize.

Friends, that's all for today.  I hope those who celebrate it are enjoying a very Merry Christmas.  I leave you with a little Deanna Durbin, who captures the Yuletide spirit in uber-glamorous close up as she sings Silent Night into a telephone receiver.  It's good to be Queen of the Studio!

Cheers, everybody and see you on Monday.

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Purrrrfect holiday sewing: Men's Leopard Pants!

What is it about Christmas and leopard?  They just go together.

Yesterday, my back nearly back to normal, I got started on my leopard pants project; why wait?  I'm using my TNT Kwik Sew 2123 mens jeans pattern from 1991, with a few minor alterations to the pattern like a lowered waistline.

I love the fabric, which has a wonderfully soft nap.  I just want to roll in it.


 

I picked up a few necessary notions locally -- a zipper for the fly and some thread.  Initially I thought I'd topstitch with black thread left over from my toggle coat project, but it looked too dark.  I also tried a cream color but that was too light.  I settled for a traditional rust like you'd find on denim jeans and which happens to blend in well with the leopard spots.

I experimented a lot with topstitching on the cotton velvet with my new Singer 15-90 treadle.  Rust on left, cream on right:

 

My machine:



The thing about cotton velvet, leopard print or otherwise, is that it's somewhat pillowy.  My first flat felled seams connecting the right and left back yoke came out fine, but they were a bit thick-looking and cotton velvet can't easily be pressed.  Here's the seam from the wrong side.



I decided that for this project I'd use the faux flat felled seam method.  Rather than stitching wrong sides together, cutting one side of the seam allowance down to 1/4" and folding the other (5/8") side over the narrower allowance and topstitching, I'm stitching right sides together, serging my seam allowance, and topstitching the serged allowance down approximately 1/8" from the seam and then 1/4" from that seam.  It looks identical to an actual flat-felled seam but it lays much flatter.

Here's a sample -- nice and flat.



I didn't get terribly far and I'm not sure I can finish them today, but I did get the back done -- no pockets or waistband yet of course -- and Michael was willing to let me drape them on him just to give you an idea of where we're going with these. 



Quite leopard-y, wouldn't you say?

Friends, let's face it: if you're wearing leopard pants, it's not because it happens to go with your sweater.  It's all about that cat print.  We'll see how these turn out and whether they ever get worn out of the apartment.

I imagine many of you are traveling or shopping or baking or vacuuming today -- and perhaps even sewing!  I wish you well in your endeavors.  Rest assured, Male Pattern Boldness will be back tomorrow. Like Santa, there's no rest for the blogging elves on Christmas!

Have a great day, everybody!

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Peter's Holiday Hodgepodge

Readers, it can no longer be ignored: it's almost you-know-what-mas again.  I hope you've been good little girls and boys; I know I have been!

And speaking of Christmas miracles, just look what I found in the trash yesterday when I was doing laundry.



I call these suede beauties my Sally McGraws, though they're actually by Liz Clairborne.  Might they be prominently featured in a loving visual homage to Sally-style and her fantastic blog Already Pretty sometime in early 2011?  I know Cathy's game; if ONLY we could get Sally to appear as well.  (Universe, do your thing!)

Meanwhile, you'll be happy to know that my back is much, much better, so much so that I was able to launder both my plaid cotton flannel and my leopard cotton velvet.  Both came out beautifully and I couldn't keep myself from experimenting with a little topstitching on the leopard with my new Singer 15-90 treadle.





In even more electrifying news, I have begun to dismantle the wiring of my dearly beloved but dangerous Singer 15-91.  I'm a little embarrassed to show you the state of this machine's wiring for fear you'll think I harbored a death wish.

I'm not sure a shock from an electrified all-metal sewing machine body could kill a person unless it were tossed in one's bath, but it could definitely make one's hair stand on end and result in mild-to-moderate memory loss if a calmer overall affect.

Brace yourself, kids:











I think I'm up to the challenge of this rewiring project and it's helpful to know that many MPB readers have done this themselves -- or at least have an opinion about it.  I feel less alone.

Friends, that's it!  I'm cautiously optimistic about the prospects of getting some real sewing done today.  Sexy leopard pants by Christmas?  We'll see.

Happy Thursday, everybody! 

Any snow falling out there?

BTW, where does one purchase a solderer -- solder gun...blow torch?  Will I need goggles?

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BREAKING -- Singer treadle switcheroo!

Friends, I know I lose a great many of you when I talk about vintage sewing machines.  Eyes glaze over, minds wander, thumbs twiddle.  We live in the time of Twitter and attention spans are short.

Hence I pepper my blog entries with video clips, movie memorabilia, and references to yesteryear's exciting stars of tomorrow Troy Donahue, Connie Stevens, and Keir Dullea -- something even knitters (and there are some) can enjoy.

And yet rarely has the topic of sewing machines been as dynamic and fertile here at MPB.  So much to tell!

First of all, I have a surprise for you -- close your eyes -- OK, now open them!





I picked up this little straight stitch walking foot at the informative website, Sew-Classic.  Jenny sells all kinds of useful parts and accessories for vintage sewing machines there, and she has written at great length about some of my favorite Singer models, including the 15-91.

So yesterday I am reading her 15-91 review, and she starts discussing wiring problems common to old 15-91 machines.  I'm like, OK, let's see if my 15-91 also has any of these potentially dangerous problems.  I know there's visible cracking on the wire leading to the light and I know that every once in a while the wire leading to the outlet needs to be moved two inches this way or that way before the machine turns on -- highly suggestive of a short -- but only once in a while!  I unscrew the three-prong terminal on the machine that the power cord plugs into to inspect the condition of the wires (connecting pedal, motor, and lamp) and almost immediately pieces of brittle wire insulation crack off.  This is not good.

Friends, I have decided that one of my first projects in the new year will be to rewire my 15-91.  I don't like shocks of any kind and I can't take risks with my life, not when I have a blog to write.  I may even learn to solder.

But let's get to the topic at hand: treadles.

Yesterday, despite debilitating back pain and with much assistance from Michael since I can't lift 35 lbs. right now, I replaced my Singer 66 treadle machine with the new vintage 15-90 that arrived on Monday.  It took about ten minutes.

Just one screw released the motor, another screw, the lamp.



I then removed the clutch release wheel and the clutch control washer (I'm learning so many new words.).



This is what you see.



Next I slid the hand wheel off and then the belt.



Now the machine looks like this.



Next we removed the machine from its wooden base by unscrewing the hinge screws on the inside base of the machine and sliding the machine off the hinges.  We did the same to the Singer 66 in the treadle table (first removing the hand wheel to free the leather treadle belt).

We placed the Singer 66 in the wooden base that the 15-90 had formerly occupied.  (I've ordered a shorter -- 13 3/4" -- belt through Sew-Classic so I can attach the motor to the 66; that's next.) 



We placed the 15-90 in the treadle table and attached the leather belt.  No belt adjustment necessary!





Beautiful stitches, no electricity needed, and I can regulate stitch length as well as reverse stitch the modern (circa 1949) way.





Friends, nothing is perfect in life but this comes close.  I am a happy man albeit one currently prone to lower back spasms.

For those still with us who have an interest in such things, much (much) better instructions for performing this treadle conversion can be found at the Treadleon.net website, here.  It's an invaluable resource for treadlers and those who love them.

Now who can teach me to solder?

Indulgent readers, we're nearly out of time.  I am so happy I can share my obsessions with you.  Michael and I, Freddy and Willy, and the surviving cast members of Madame X all wish you the happiest of happy holiday seasons.  I'll be back on the morrow, not to worry.

And what of you?  Drowning in a sea of wrapping paper, homemade toddler pajamas, and tote bags?

Do tell!


(Pass the Kleenex as Lana and Keir reduce us to wet noodles.)

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Welcome, Singer 15-90! or "Out with the Old, In with the Older"

Friends, Monday was a very exciting day here at MPB headquarters.  As if guided by the spirit of I.M. Singer himself, I was able both to sell my Singer Spartan (my seventh sewing machine sale since I started decluttering earlier this month) and hours later to receive my Singer 15-90, courtesy of UPS.

Close readers will remember my intention of selling my beloved 3/4 Spartan (also known as the 192K) last week, when I decided that, cute and reliable as she was, I wanted something stronger, and a machine I could put in my treadle table in place of my 1920 Singer 66 -- a fantastic machine but one that lacks the ability to reverse mid-stitch and a less-than-ideal stitch length knob (you turn it like a screw, which means no way to identify stitch length without actually stitching).

I am sworn to secrecy about the purchaser of this machine as she is a well-known celebrity in certain parts of the world or so she claims and has escaped to Brooklyn to lead a normal life or as normal a life as one can lead in Brooklyn.  The timing couldn't have been better as I knew my 15-90 was already out for delivery.

The beauty of a transaction like the Spartan sale is that I didn't have to box anything -- Celebrity X carried the Spartan off in a doubled Whole Foods shopping bag.  The box I received was one of the most meticulous packing jobs I've seen and I've seen many. 





Friends, there was enough tape, plastic wrap, styrofoam and cardboard in this package to mount an entire junior high school class science fair.  It did leave me feeling a little guilty about carbon footprints but at least the machine itself is second-hand and the packaging went to the recycling bin in our apartment building.

Voila!



To my delight, this machine is in excellent shape, clearly having been spruced up of late.  Despite dating back to 1949 (March 4 to be exact), the wire and plugs are all new and clean, as is the bobbin winding tire and the belt.  (My Spartan dated from the early 60s, btw; my 15-91 from 1952.)





The only flaw, if you can consider it a flaw, is that it came loaded with a class 66 bobbin instead of a class 15.  Which is funny, because when I purchased my drop-in bobbin Singer Spartan more than a year ago, it came with a class 15 instead of a class 66!  I think a lot of people can't tell the difference and wonder why their stitching looks off.

That's the 66 on the left, the taller 15 on the right.



First stitches were perfect right out of the box.  The only difference between this model and the 15-91 is the belt-driven external motor on the 15-90 as opposed to the gear-driven "potted" motor on the 15-91.



The 15-91, which cannot be converted to a treadle:



The plan, as mentioned above, is to remove the motor (which I guess means removing her gorgeous lamp too, alas) and treadle with her.  Maybe I'll install some of her wires in my old 15-91 (her lamp in particular -- much better shape).



I am so happy I had this distraction from sewing conflict, not to mention lower back pain no doubt brought on by Yuletide turmoil.  It's so good to know that others are in turmoil too, if not actual back pain.

Oh, and speaking of leopard-print pants, the leopard panted guy -- unknown to me, who stopped following celebrities after Keir Dullea (so moving in Madame X) -- is a young actor named Garrett Hedlund, currently starring in Tron: Legacy. 

He's no Troy Donahue but he does wear leopard well.  Kudos to his publicist for this coup.

Friends, we're out of time.  There's much to do here, including some leopard laundering, if I'm up to it.  No tote bags today (if ever).

Have a great day, everybody!

(Farewell, Spartan!)

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