Interview with Dave Bush

Dave Bush is a set dresser and production buyer in the film industry, living and working in Los Angeles. Having dabbled with sewing in childhood, he recently has rediscovered it as a fun approach to matters practical and fashionable. He aspires to one day make the perfect black suit.

WHEN DID YOU LEARN HOW TO SEW?

I learned the rudiments in grade school, where machine sewing was taught as part of the arts and crafts program. Assignments generally were things like stuffed animals and hand puppets, but covered such basics as basting, seam allowances, making and using patterns, etc.

WHAT KIND OF MACHINE DID YOU FIRST LEARN TO SEW ON?

I don't recall the model, but it was a mechanical tabletop machine that only did straight-stitches. Black, metal, heavy, likely twice as old as I was.

WHAT MACHINE DO YOU SEW ON NOW?

My current machine is also my first one, a Singer 4411 purchased several months ago. Reviewers summed it as a reliable, novice-friendly model that can handle somewhat heavier-duty projects, which fits my needs perfectly.

WHAT DO YOU MOST USE YOUR MACHINE FOR?

Mainly basic alteration, as necessitated by being 5'11" and thin-waisted. As retail sizes generally are too wide for me, the machine has helped manage what was a constant and growing frustration. I hope to undertake pattern sewing as my skills and savviness develop.

The machine will also help me as a production buyer for film sets, where imperatives of size, color and quantity can pose a challenge. An otherwise perfect set of drapes may be longer than required, or the fabric in a medical folding screen may not be a suitable color. Having a sewing machine will allow me to fix such things in a time-efficient, budget-friendly way.

WHAT IS YOUR 'DREAM MACHINE'?

In my perfect world I would have a magic wand. My current machine fulfills my needs for now, but the decadent Bernina 330 would fulfill them with much more panache.

WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A BEGINNING SEWER LOOKING TO INVEST IN THEIR FIRST MACHINE?

I would offer the same advice given me, which is to identify your real needs as a sewer and shop accordingly. Online user reviews at sites such as Amazon.com offer helpful real-world feedback, often flagging a model's problems or defects. I also would recommend talking to friends
who are sewers, drawing from their general insights and experience. One friend of mine summed things in two sentences: "Know exactly what you want the machine to do. Don't spend more than $200."

Is there such a thing as a vintage sewing machine?

What does vintage really mean? Well if you are a smarty pants, you have probably figured out by now, I have been misusing the word vintage all week.

According to Richarde13 on Ebay, "The correct usage of the word vintage must be used with a year: ie. my car is vintage 2001... , this WWII item is vintage 1943... " In fact, vintage in the purest sense of the word refers to wine. When I write vintage sewing machine I am using the adjective form, meaning it is of or relating to a vintage: like it is the best of that group.

Is it wrong then to call a machine from the early to mid 20th century vintage? You tell me. I think it is not the correct use of the word, but it has become part of the vernacular. Ah, semantics... what will we mess up next!

Hope you enjoy the collage of 20th century beauties. Next week I am going to attempt to feature (brooding music cue) Men who Sew. I have some good stuff lined up, so stay tuned!

Links to the Machine Photos:
Orange Brother
White and Orange Singer
Blue Morse
Green Zundapp
Green Brother Overloque

Interview with Amy Karol

Amy Karol is the creative guru behind the blog Angry Chicken and has written two sewing books, Bend-the-Rules Sewing: The Essential Guide to a Whole New Way to Sew (Potter Craft 2oo7) and Bend the Rules with Fabric: Fun Sewing Porjects with Stencils, Stamps, Dye, Photo Transfers, Silk Screening, and More (Potter Craft 2oo9). She has sewn everything from wedding dresses to quilts and has made short films, recorded songs, and created monoprints and fine art paintings. Amy's artwork, textiles, notecards and patterns are for sale on her online shop KingPod. She lives in Portland, Oregon (her hometown) with her husband and their three daughters.

When did you learn how to sew?

I don't exactly remember how old I was—5 or 6? It was always out and set up, I think. My mom taught me. We did a mix of hand sewing and regular sewing, but mostly I was just watching her and learning the process and then trying myself by jamming up her machine over and over again.

What kind of machine did you first learn to sew on?

I learned on my mom's machine, which she no longer has, but has since given to her sister. It was a awesome 1970s (maybe earlier) all metal bright orange Husqvarna. I love it and it was so strong! I must have jammed that machine up 1000 times and it still worked great. When I graduated from highschool my mom and dad said they would buy me a computer to take to college or a sewing machine. I went for the machine, and of course I chose a Husqvarna and now it's the machine my girls use.

What machine do you sew on now?

Now I have a Bernina Artista 165, which is the second machine I have ever owned. I love it. I also use a Baby Lock Imagine serger, which has been nothing short of life changing.

What do you most use your machine for?

Sewing! Ha! Seriously, everything, right? I mean it's perfect for both crafts and garment sewing. I do a love of free-motion work on it as well and it does a great job with that.

What is your 'dream machine?'

I'm pretty well set up right now. I don't have a collection of machines (nor do I want one) but my mom has a vintage featherweight, which I would love to try, it's popular among quilters for it's wonderful straight stitch, and I'd love an old school Pfaff machine, like what I used when working in college in the costume shop, again, another straight stitch machine. Purely for nostalgic reasons.

What advice would you give to a beginning sewer looking to invest in their first machine?

I actually have a bit about this in my fist book, Bend-the-Rules Sewing . . . I'd say try to get the best one you can afford and buy from a dealer from an independent shop, not a big chain store. Also, these smaller shops have classes usually for free—take them. It' makes all the difference in the world. And really be honest about what you think you might sew and try to keep it simple. You can always trade-in if you later want a machine with all the crazy bells and whistles, but starting out, simple is best.

Swingin' Sewing Graphics

I just love the graphics on these vintage owner's manuals! The colors are great and the illustrations are fab! You can barely even see the machine on the Kenmore booklet - just a bunch of happy gals! I love the artwork on vintage patterns too. I had a great internship once where I helped archive an entire library of home sewing patterns - there were over 10,000 patterns dating from the 1860s though 1959! One of my tasks was to try to date them. Betty Williams, the woman who had the collection, donated them to The University of Rhode Island when she died. The entire collection is open for research.
Don't you wish there were some groovy machines to go along with these funky owners manuals? Well, I will have to search for those. I know there were some cute colorful toy machines, and I've certainly seen some groovy Bernina's. I will go exploring tomorrow -- I have to run over to the repair shop. Who knows, maybe I'll find a treasure to write about!

PS - there are great images of sewing manuals (which are for sale) over at Manuals on CD.

Singer Touch and Sew: Mystery Solved!

I found it! I am so glad I took pictures of this machine when my student brought it to class last year! The Singer Touch and Sew was introduced in 1965. You can look at a 1970 version of the Golden Touch and Sew Delux Zig Sag Sewing Machine Model 750 sewing manual here (love the internet for finding things like this!) The graphics are super cool and it clearly shows the bobbin winding feature on page 7.

While researching this I discovered the google timeline and found several classified adds from the 1960s and 70s showing that this machine originally retailed for around $300. Not much has changed in fourty years!

Singer Athena 2000

I love it when a student brings a sewing machine to class that inspires me to learn something. Thursday night happened to be one of those times. I could tell it was an older machine and I had two thoughts: I hope she has the instruction booklet and I'm excited she went to the trouble to bring it to class. I don't expect my students to bring a machine, but if they have one and can bring it, then I can teach them how to use it.

I offered to help her set it up and asked if she had sewn on it recently. I was happy when she replied she had tested it last night because then I knew there was a possibility of it working. I have had students bring in machines that have sat in basements for years. It is never fun to have to tell kids that their machines have to be serviced before they can be used. I hoped tonight that wouldn't be the case. I lifted the machine out of the container, plugged in the presser foot and power cord and it turned on fine. My student assured me she knew how to thread it, so I went to attend to another kid. Then I heard those famous last words, "Michelle, my machine isn't working..." I headed back over to her and sure enough, the machine was on, but it wouldn't sew! I noticed that the bobbin winder was engaged, which could prevent the needle from moving up and down. Typically that can be adjusted by pushing in or tightening the center of the manual wheel, but that was not the case this time. I was stumped! I asked if she has an instruction booklet (I think so, but I don't know where it is) so I decided I needed to sit down until I figured it out. I started investigating the machine: the more I searched, the cooler I realized it was! It crossed my mind that it was a hybrid of some kind from the early '70s and I wrote the model number down so I could research it later.

I still had a mystery to solve. The one clue I had was the bobbin function. It was a drop-in bobbin (on the top by the feed dogs, and not in the front on the neck) and it was a self-winding bobbin design I had seen once before in a vintage machine (I wish I could remember what that one was). I think, there must be something in the bobbin that I can disengage, but I can't figure out what. Then I just go for it. There is a panel of buttons with no information on the top of the machine. I press the first one: nothing (later I figure out it is the reverse button). I press the second one: bingo! It works! Mystery solved.

When I got home I did some research. Turns out the Singer Athena has an interesting place in history. It was introduced in 1975 and was the first electronic sewing machine. If you click on the photo it will take you over to a time line on the singer website. There are some other interesting facts about the machine and free pdfs of the schematics here: Athena 2000. I just love this stuff!

Interview with Miyong Noh of Idyeology

Miyong Noh is the owner of Idyeology, a dye shop located in Portland, Oregon and designer of limited edition burner-inspired apparel. She worked as head dyer and color specialist for Gene Mignolia in NYC for twenty years and spent three years as the dyer for the New York City Ballet Costume shop. She earned her BFA from Parsons School of Design in Fashion and is a fine artist specializing in wood carving paintings, paper mache masks, and wearable art. She has taught adults how to sew and craft for the past five years in New York City and plans to do so again in Portland.

When did you learn how to sew? My mother showed me how to hand-sew when I was about 3 years old. I took a sewing class in the eighth grade when I was about 12. In high school I took a couture sewing course outside of school, then got my BFA from Parsons School of Design in Fashion Design. 34 years of experience and I am still learning!

What kind of machine did you first learn to sew on? I don't remember the home machine model at my school but since my mother had an industrial Singer straight stitch, that is the one I used until college.

What machine do you sew on now? I just moved and sold my Italian Necchi A809 which was an amazing machine with speed control. I've had mostly Singers but recently purchased the Bernina 830! as well as a Thompson Mini-Walking foot machine, a 900 Singer industrial straight stitch and a new Janome 111ODX serger. I had major issues with my Singer Serger 14SH654 because I used it frequently and used many different types of material. Many home machines are not meant to be used on a constant basis thus my need to use industrials now.

What is your 'dream machine?' Any older model Bernina made in Switzerland, Italian made Necchi, and Juki industrial machines: including a coverstitch, blind-hem, and serger.

What advice would you give to a beginning sewer looking to invest in their first machine? I am not a fan of computerized machines because I am used to the mechanical and electrical models. I would advise getting a machine that has the basic stitches: straight, zig-zag, buttonholer, blind hem and if you plan on using stretch fabrics, a stretch stitch, though using a zig-zag stitch will work perfectly fine. You really don't need to have more than those stitches unless you are planning to do a lot of embroidery.

Personally I prefer to buy used older models from brands I trust such as Bernina and Necchi. Nowadays more plastic parts are put inside the machines and they can break apart more quickly than one that has metal parts. It's okay to buy a used machine that is trusted than a pretty new one with tons of stitches you will probably never use.

If you choose to go to a shop to buy one, lift it! If it's heavy generally there are more metal parts than plastic. Check and see where it is made. Talk to the salesperson and tell them what you want to sew. Do your own research as well: Jot down model numbers, go home and check on-line for reviews. Bring swatches of the types of fabric you want to sew.