My First Project on My "New" Singer 15-91

I wanted the "new" Singer's first project to be simple, so I am making liners for the rats using un-favorite fabric.




This photo has the liner lying on my floral bedspread. You can see my freehand quilting.

I'm fairly pleased with the machine. It sounds like a shaking tambourine and the thread seems to just fly around through all the hooks and such. Comparably the Singer 66 has much more streamline threading. But, I'm having a blast so far.

I found out that apparently 15 bobbins from Walmart are notorious for not working on Singer 15s especially the ones from Dritz. Just guess which kind of bobbins I bought. But, I just have to mention, what the bleep. How can a company sell 15 bobbins that don't work on Singer 15s. It's just WRONG.




Here's the back. The backing is so thin that you can see the fleece through it. /giggles. Didn't I say this is NOT my favorite fabric. You can see some of my tension issues although some of it is due to finding out how fast the machine will go and not ironing the fabric. I also, had to play around with the stitch length. It is a delight to be able to switch the stitch length so easily in comparison to the Singer 66.

My Singer 66 was not completely ignored today. Today, I oiled it more thoroughly than I've done in the past because I learned a lot about oiling while figuring out how to oil the Singer 15.


I cleaned the back medallion. I didn't get a before picture. Mainly because I had no idea what I was doing and was surprised to find all the dirt. It had had dirt outlining all of the details. I cleaned it using a toothbrush and water. The details on the 66 are just awesome.

So, then, I had to clean the Singer 15's back medallion




This clean job was not as striking. But, here's the before....




And, here's after.... I hope you can see that it is significantly shinier.

Also, I spent time taking photos while threading the Singer 66. I'm hoping to create a photo tutorial for threading that machine.




But, I want to share this photo because it vividly depicts the horrible shape my Singer 66's shine coat is in. It actually doesn't look this bad in real life. Under normal lighting conditions, the finish is a fairly cohesive matte finish. None of it really shines in real life. Anyways, the flash is reflecting off the shine coat and that's why the photo shows the lousy condition of the finish.

I'm wondering if someone attempted to remove the finish. The more I look at it the more concerned I become that I need to replace that finish because I'm thinking it needs the finish to protect the metal.
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New Sewing Machine - Squealing in Delight - Singer 15-91

For awhile, I've been seeking a vintage Singer sewing machine on which I could learn refurbishing especially the motor. Today was amazing. I found a Treadle Singer 66 that was in very good condition, beautiful cabinet, paint job intact, but it was obvious that someone had been messing with it who didn't know what they were doing (the tension knob was too tight, the throat plate wasn't seated properly, it had a plastic pin for a spool holder???) They were asking $100 but were willing to barter. It looked like a machine I could easily learn to repair, but it was a treadle, and I specifically want to be able to repair the electrical portion. So, we walked away....

I'd told my hubby that I feared I would regret that decision....

Less than an hour later, we went to another garage sale and, VOILA, I saw another sewing cabinet. It had various items sitting on its lid, so I started cleaning it off, and the lady who owned it started to help, and she said that no one knew it was a sewing machine with all of the stuff on it. And, I mentioned that I was cleaning it off because I knew it was a sewing machine and wanted to see it.

We pulled out the machine, and my chin hit the floor. The Singer is beautiful. Its decals and paint are essentially intact and shiny except for the layer of dust that I kept dusting off. It actually took me a few moments to realize that it wasn't a 66 but rather a 15-91, the model that I've always wanted because I can drop its feed dogs and more easily do free-motion quilting on it rather than on my 66, but it also has reverse.




The prior owner was asking $75, and I felt I couldn't barter because I felt the machine was worth at least $100 if not more. So, I bought it.

AK940949 is its serial number which means its birthdate would be May 26 1952. (It's about 20 years younger than my Singer 66.) Its original owner was named Maria and she was from Austria. And, her son died in WW2. The lady I bought it from had received it as a gift from Maria who apparently had sewed with her. But, also, Maria had saved her life. When the prior owner's mother was pregnant, she'd been hemorrhaging and apparently Maria had been there to help out. So, this machine had meant a lot to the prior owner, and she was happy to know that I was going to continue sewing with it.

The above photo was taken after I removed the dust. Ain't he shiny?




Here, I've taken the front plate off, so that I could remove fuzz and icky stuff.




Here's just some of the icky stuff that I removed from the machine. I'm still shocked with all the gunk that was secreted in places. The feed dogs "looked" pristine, but I was scraping lint out of them, too.




Here the bobbin assembly has been removed.




A close-up. I'd previously been scared of taking parts of my sewing machine apart for fear that I couldn't put it back together.




And, here it is. Look at that purty stitching.




Here, I'm trying to show that both sides of the fabric have perfect stitches.

Not, everything is great, though.

I still have a few things to do.

- The bobbin case is rusty, so I'm going to try to replace it.
- The brand new number 15 bobbins that I bought today don't fit its bobbin winder. This has me flummoxed. How the bleep can they not fit? The ancient number 15 bobbin that came with the machine fits the bobbin winder. So, I need to find some bobbins that work.
- The finish on top of the cabinet is badly scratched. I need to figure out how to fix that.
- And, the hubby has confiscated its power cord (fire hazard). The 15-91 borrowed the 66's power cord for today's sewing adventure. So, electrical repair is already beginning.

I am just thrilled that I have a Singer 15-91, and I may be a bit weird, but he's a boy. LOL. He's just a lot more stocky and bulky than my 66.




For comparison, here's a picture of my Singer 66. Yes, that's Bittle pretending to sew.

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It's a Rat Tribble - More Fat Walter

Walter Butt


And, here's a ball of fur with rat ears.


Seriously, I would love to help Walter lose weight, but he does make a nice rotund ball.

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This Week in the Critter Nation - Four Layers in the Crib

I'm about to make more liners, so the Critter Nation remains fairly similar this week.




I call the upcycled record file the "crib". And, this week it has Doctor hanging in the top layer. A hammock covering the wire floor, and the double hammock hanging from the bottom of the "crib". We also have the big teal ball from their tunnel set in the upper floor this week.



Martha says, "hi" from the top layer of the "crib".




Mabs says "hi". I wish she was perfectly in focus because that would be an awesome photo.





Downstairs in the Critter Nation.




Walter being adorable.




Walter being cleaned by Mabel.

Isn't Mabel cute in her almost full coat of hair? Her fur will probably fall out soon. Sigh. She being a rex and all.

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Scary Spider - What is it?

Yesterday, we found this frightening spider hanging on the side of our house.  Yes, I know, for some people spiders are cute and friendly, but for me.... SCARY.
So, therefore, I'm attempting to put the scary pictures after the  (Hopefully, this works.)

Now Selling Rodent Themed Items in my Etsy Shoppe

In my wanderings through garage sales looking for toys for my rat crew, every once in a while, I stumble across some cute items.

I'm now selling rodent themed cute household items, something for the humans in the house





Currently available in my Etsy shoppe - Mouse Brass Figurine




This cute book of sweet sayings illustrated by darling mice is also currently available in my Etsy shoppe.

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Walter the Lazy Mouse - An Awesome Used Book Find

I found a wonderful little book at a used book fair that benefits our local public library. Sadly, the book's cover shows its age and is held together with library tape, but the story... just too cute.





I included a photo of the first pages of the book to demonstrate the loveliness of the illustrations, and the mouse house illustration reminds me of my Critter Nation.



And, here's Walter. I'm not sure that he appreciates his namesake being lazy. I think he's taking it personally. LOL




Anyways, the book's author is Marjorie Flack, and the illustrator is Cyndy Szekeres. The book appears to be from 1963. It's an easy to read chapter book with lots of darling illustrations. Walter, the main character, has many adventures and learns the value of industriousness. Something that I wish my own Walter would learn. Then, maybe he might lose some of his weight.

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