Meet the 4-H Forum Fleet

Since we sponsored Ray White's sewing machine repair class, I have been busy collecting old zigzag machines in need of tender loving care for one of the 4-H Forum classes I will be teaching in Pasco, WA, in October. These machines were all in need of a thorough cleaning and lubing at the least, but some truly had repair issues. I picked up parts from e-bay stores and machines that came without other necessary part. Tips and encouragement came from the wonderful folks on the sewing machine repair lists at Yahoo.

The first machine I found came from one of our thrift stores. I was looking at it and the manager saw me. He said it had been in the store too long. He wanted it gone for $10. I figured it was a deal because the machine was an older Singer and looked to be functioning just fine. I only had to lube and clean up this fine simple zigzagger and he was ready to run. Meet King Leo, The Spartan (aka Singer 327K):

The next two machines came from two other thrift stores in town. I wanted to find older machines that had zigzag capabilities. This would make them more versatile for 4-H because they could be used for seam finishing and applique. I tried to stay away from the machines that I knew had non-metal gears but I couldn't resist this Singer because it ran so quietly and came with everything including the instruction manual, a rare find when buying old machines at yard sales and thrift stores. Meet Vinnie, a Singer Stylist 513.

Andy, a Singer 401A, was hiding out in a cabinet at the third thrift store. He had no cords or foot control plus the stitch selector was jammed and a thread guide was broken. The cabinet was optional so I offered 5 dollars for him and left the cabinet. I knew I had some work ahead of me but I figured parts and cords were somewhere on the internet. A fine lady, who also hosts Ray White's classes in Lake City, MN, had just what I needed to get this guy in shape to sew. I have yet to put on the thread guide but he has cords and a foot control and even a brown suitcase for travel.

Andy has a twin sister that I found at a yard sale. I paid more for Carrie but she had some decorative disks and a foot control that works fine despite a crack in the exterior. Cindy provided the cord for her, too.

Another lucky break came at a yard sale. I found a Singer 600, aka Eddy. Eddy needed some work on the bobbin winder, his one design flaw. Someone had not replaced the bracket properly that holds the bobbin in place as it fills in the machine. The bobbin would jump and the machine would jam if I forgot to wind the bobbin a very slow speed. I shamelessly gleaned a tip from the Singer man with a booth at our fair. Also, Terry's TnT site offered some vital information, too. Here is Eddy showing off his working parts:

Stay tuned! There are 5 more great machines ready to go to 4-H Forum.

Sewing Tutorials

Blogs and Flickr are great places to post tutorials on quick projects. Kerri has a great lined pouch with an easy exposed zipper up at Flickr. She has a contest going at her blog for anyone who completes one of these easy bags. I couldn't resist making one but I just had to try putting the zipper off to the side. I think this style would make a great pencil case with grommets so it could be inserted in a notebook. If you try one with grommets, be sure to use interfacing to reinforce the area where the grommets will be.

Sewing in the News

I like to see sewing in the news. It brings honor to our art and craft when some see little value with what can be accomplished with the most humble of sewing machines.

See what this young man does with a treadle sewing machine in a needy community:

ABC7 Salutes Michael Swaine

Great pictures here:

Michael and his machine at work

Sewing Machine Repair

I just had the opportunity to take one of Ray White's 3-day Sewing Machine Repair classes. We had a small class of extension volunteers and one costume maker (engineer?) from California. Ray is a fantastic teacher and the class was well worth the fee. We had the opportunity to learn basic cleaning and maintenance procedures such as timing and feed dog adjustments that will allow us to keep any mechanical or computerized machine in good running order. Some of our class members were able to complete some challenging repairs that would have given even experienced technicians a run for their money.

2007 Quilting Camp Photos

We have eight quilts in the works. One pillowcase will be made after the quilt top is done.

June 22, 2007

Here is the result of our handiwork. Our group of girls worked hard. The queen/king is just beginning to get pinned. The back is pieced using scraps to make up for insufficient amounts of a single coordinating fabric. We didn't have time to get a picture but maybe that will happen when we finish pinning and tying. One of the girls had to leave but grandma stayed in camp so they will finish their quilt later in time for fair.

MA Thesis/Project

Abstract:

After school hours are when youths are most likely to commit crimes or become victims of accidents. After-school and out-of school program providers keep youths occupied during peak hours when working parents are unavailable and youths are at risk. 4-H has been a successful provider of after-school and out-of-school curricula that actively engages youths and develops character traits essential to maturity and positive contributions to society. The review of literature and pilot studies for this paper demonstrated a necessity for fiber arts related project materials that: 1) appeal to youth; 2) are designed for completion in limited time frames; 3) include opportunities for character development; and 4) reinforce skills and learning within typical academic subjects. This paper and resulting curriculum project reflect the need for curriculum materials for after-school and out-of-school program providers in the area of fiber arts and clothing and textiles. 4-H and Extension audience experience was background to development of the Fun with Fabric curriculum guide. This curriculum for after-school and out-of-school programs was produced on CD-ROM in full color and includes nine projects with related assessment tools for skills documentation.

MA in Apparel, Merchandising, and Textiles

This spring has been a bit crazy. I guess I knew it would be. On March 23, I defended my thesis at WSU in the AMT dept. It was one big day with the morning devoted to WSU's Academic Showcase and the afternoon presenting my thesis/project to faculty and friends.

My capstone project is a curriculum guide for 4-H after-school clubs in the area of fiber arts and sewing. The guide provides comprehensive instructions for 9 quick and easy projects plus additional activities for community service and leadership. The guide is on CD-ROM in full color.

We have the quick projects up for download at the WA 4-H site but in the near future the CD will be offered for sale. Proceeds will cover production and postage plus a contribution will be made to our state 4-H foundation that will go to the 4-H Clothing and Textiles Committee.

Graduation was on May 5. I had the privilege of meeting Deborah Vandermar, the first distance student admitted to WSU's AMT dept. I am most likely the last. Too bad! I think both Deborah and I would say that it was most advantageous to be able to do our master's from our home and remain employed and in touch with family. I hope to see others have this opportunity.