BEST HUSBAND EVER, really this time . . .

While on our Christmas travels, we found this beauty at a Goodwill for $30 (because, duh, it’s blue!). It has all the original bobbins, feet, and the manual. I oiled it, and it works great. It has the cams for decorative stitches and everything. I was especially excited because none of my machines has a blind hem and that’s a stitch I really actually need. This little blue baby DOES have the blind hem so I was excited. And this blue color, *swoon*. The cord is even the same teal color. My husband was really interested in it and was asking lots of questions. He was trying to figure out what exact stitches I wanted, needed, and what I hoped for. I sure thought he was asking a lot of questions, but I’ll talk machines with you ANY DAY. ANY FREAKING DAY. So, anyway, I probably talked his ear off. I don’t remember. I probably blacked out because I was so excited someone wanted me to fill them with information. I think I literally went into what each stitch does and he sat there and listened. I probably had wine. Isn’t she pretty???

 

THEN, when we got home (at 4am after missing a flight), he pulled me into the sewing room and there was a box sitting there. A large box. A new and shiny box. He bought me a BRAND NEW VIKING 965Q. He knew that I loved Vikings and this is like the Cadillac of Viking sewing machines. This baby does EVERYTHING!! I’m still getting used to it and it’s AMAZING! Blind hem? You bet your ass. And over 300 more!! I haven’t done much with it, but I already LOVE the needle down position and the automatic cutter. This is fully automatic and it’s buttonholes are lovely. I’ve been going back and forth the past couple of years about getting a nice all mechanical machine versus a nice computerized machine. I guess my husband has been listening when I talk. Is he amazing or WHAT??!?

I want to spend all my time with her and cuddle her.

Viking Huskylock 936 v. Pfaff Coverlock 4872 and Flatlocking v. 4-Thread Overlocking

So I’ve some time to play around with the two machines. I thought I would give you guys a little comparison between the two. Remember that the Pfaff is new to me and the Viking has been mine for several years. Is it sad I only use about 4 stitches on my serger? I have used the others, just not often. When I did this little experiment, I tried to make the stitches as close to each other as possible.

I should backup for a minute and tell you about these machines. These are both combo machines meaning they can do numerous serging stitches (3-thread overlock, 4-thread overlock, rolled hem, 3-thread flatlock, etc.) and also coverstitches. These both do narrow, wide, and triple coverstitches. The only downside of these machines, in my opinion, is switching them over between the the two different functions. It really doesn’t take that long and it’s not that hard.

	Huskylock 936	Pfaff Coverlock 4872	Click to enlarge!
Stitches
Wide Coverstitch on heavy fabric	Worked well with no adjustments. (Great job, Dawn, making the sample black thread on dark fabric!)	Worked well but had to tighten right needle thread.
Wide Coverstitch on thin fabric	Left thread broke about 2” after starting (I know from experience this stitch is not great for anything other than thick fabrics).	Worked with no adjustments. No broken threads. Some tunneling and a couple skipped stitches. Machine is too fast to be accurate.
Narrow Coverstitch	Worked well on all fabrics.	Worked well on all fabrics.	Oops, no picture!
3-Thread Flatlock	Makes a sturdy flatlock. Adjusted needle tension to zero.	Makes a nice flatlock stitch. Tension at zero was looser than the Viking which makes a flatter flatlock stitch.
4-thread Overlock	About the same.	About the same although I couldn’t seem to tighten up the stitches on the needle thread.

 

Options	Huskylock	Pfaff
Differential feed	Digital, easy to adjust, pretty accurate once you tell it what kind of fabric you are using.	Manual knob on the side. Works fine, but I forget to change it sometimes.
Stitch Length	Digital, easy to adjust.	Manual knob on the side. The panel tells you what it should be and you manually adjust it.
Thread Tension	Manual knobs you turn to adjust. Easy to use.	Automatically set by machine and then you push buttons to adjust tension. Easy to use. Worried they might break, stop functioning.
Random Thoughts
	Seems more difficult to thread even thought I’ve had it longer.	Super fast and I can’t seem to slow it down! Makes it hard to coverstitch accurately. (big honking annoyance!) There is a speed control on the right side, but it’s slowest speed is my Huskylock’s fastest speed.
	You have to scroll through all stitch options if you accidently pass by the one you want. (minor annoyance)	You have to lift up on the carrying handle every time you want to thread it. (minor annoyance)
	Free-arm, although I think I’ve only used it a few times.	Brighter light for the sewing bed area.
	More color-coding inside the machine to help you match threads to holes.
	More room under the foot. Easier to slide in bulky seams when coverstitching.
	Tension on thread is released every time you lift the presser foot.	Tension on threads is released with a button.

Overall, the differences are minimal. Mostly, I forget to change the differential feed and stitch length because my Huskylock does it for me. I think I will set up the Huskylock for coverstitching right now, and set up the Pfaff for the other stuff. It’s going to so nice to have a full-time overlocker and coverstitcher! I’m all squeeeeeeeeeeeeee about it.

 

Flatlocking V. 4-Thread Overlock

I love the look of flatlocking, but have always heard that the stitch isn’t that strong. I did a few little tests to see if that was all true. I’m a sucker for data collection. Turns out the flatlock did much better in tests than I had imagined. I used the same fabrics, the same thread, and I tried to keep everything controlled.

Test 1) Pull the two pieces apart widthwise as hard as you can (very scientific). Neither one of them popped seams, shredded seam allowances, or pulled apart. I was trying to see if the flatlock stitch would change inside the stitch itself, but no banana.

Test 2) Pull the pieces lengthwise. The 4-thread overlock stretched from 7” to 14” before the threads popped. The 3-thread flatlock never did break. It went from 7” to 17” and the fabric wouldn’t go any further.  

I’m going to make a few garments with the flatlock stitch and we’ll see how it does in real life. It seems to be holding up fine so far.

 

Both of the machines made nice looking flatlock stitches. The Pfaff was a little looser in the needle thread which makes the stitch a little flatter. I did this flatlock using the knife so the edges where even. My directions for my Huskylock say not to use the knife and to have the stitched go over the side of the fabric, which give it some extra wiggle room. My Pfaff book says you can do it either way.

New Machine! Pfaff Coverlock 4872

Sooooo, I have this (Huskylock 936):

Which does all this:
4-thread overlock, 3-thread overlock, 3-thread narrow overlock, 3-thread flatlock, 3-thread rolled edge, 3-thread narrow edge, 2-thread wide overlock, 2-thread narrow overlock, 2-thread flatlock, 2-thread rolled edge, 2-thread narrow edge, chainstitch, cover stitch wide, cover stitch narrow, triple coverstitch, and 5-thread overlock.

 

I may have just bought this (Pfaff 4872):

Which does (don’t bother reading, the list is the same): 4-thread overlock, 3-thread overlock, 3-thread narrow overlock, 3-thread flatlock, 3-thread rolled edge, 3-thread narrow edge, 2-thread wide overlock, 2-thread narrow overlock, 2-thread flatlock, 2-thread rolled edge, 2-thread narrow edge, chainstitch, cover stitch wide, cover stitch narrow, triple coverstitch, and 5-thread overlock.

Why, you ask? Why would someone need two really nice combo coverstitch/serger machines that do exactly the same thing? Well, because I’m lazy. That’s why. I’ve had my Huskylock for a while and love it. The stitches are nice and consistent, I know how to change the tensions and I can get it to sew nicely on just about everything. One thing I dislike is having to change it over from the serging to the coverstitching mode. Yea, I know it only takes a few minutes. No, it’s not that hard. I’m that lazy. Don’t judge me. I picked up this Pfaff for less than $300 and it’s in excellent condition. I plan to keep my Huskylock set up to coverstitch and the Pfaff set up to serger and flatlock. I’m loving the new machine.

Keep I mind I haven’t used the new machine very long, really only a few days, but there are some big differences between the two. 1) The Pfaff is faster, much faster. 2) The machines are oppositely (if that’s not a word, it should be) digital. The Huskylock is digital when it comes to the stitch length and the differential feed. You manually turn the knobs to adjust the tension. On the Pfaff, you manually adjust the differential feed and the stitch length, but the tension is set electronically with buttons. I’m planning on doing a few experiments to test the 4-thread overlocking stitch to see if it’s better on one machine over the other. I’m a sucker for data collection. I also want to test the coverstitching abilities of them both too.

One of these days, I need to do an overview of all the machines I have set up in my “studio” (read: spare bedroom). There are six now.

Excuse me, is that a skirt on your butt?

Boy: Hey, check out my new pants!
Littlest Sister: WOOOOOOOWWWWWW. Those are nice.
Twin Ghouls (Think: Annoying Orange): Mom, mom, mom! Hey, mom! Mom! Hey. Mom! Did we get new pants? Did we? With other fabric?
Me: Uuuuuuuuhhhhhhhh . . .

I pick my kids up tonight and I know that as soon as I show The Boy his new pants, the three sisters will be all over me about their new pants. Because, of course, he can’t get something without them getting something. The conversation above is totally made up, but I know in my brain of brains, that this is what tonight will sound like if I didn’t make them something too.

So, I made them pants with skirts attached. The black fabric is the black Nike Dri-fit fabric. I still have about 10-15 yards but I’m keeping it all for myself and the kids! I know it’s only July, but it is already starting to get chilly (48 degrees this morning!) and these pants will be perfect for this weather. I used my KwikSew pajama pattern 3234 and I extended the legs just a smidge to make up for there being no cuff. Then, I made a circle skirt and attached it with the pants.

 

This is for the littlest one. She wanted a longer skirt with pink! Mom! PINK!

 

When I got my new (old!) Kenmore, I realized there was a stretch straight stitch on it. I have used this stitch in the past but haven’t used a newer machine in forever so I had forgotten about it. It’s a great strong stitch and you can use it for knits because it stretches. I used that stitch on the hems, to reinforce the crotch, and the waistband.

 

Here you can see the reinforcing stitches. If I don’t stitch an extra seam here, I find that my vertical serger stitches (CF and CB seams) start to unravel. I assume it’s because the horizontal serger seam cuts the threads on the other two seams.

 

Here’s the skirt for one of the twins. It’s glitter pink animal jersey knit. She’s gonna go ape.

 

Here’s the skirt for the other twin. She’ll love that it’s a sassy mini-skirt. But, of course, mom would only let her wear this with pants underneath.

 

This is a gray sparkle sweater knit. This is what I used on the inside of the Jalie cardigan I made a while back. I just used the natural tendency of the knit to roll to make the hem.

I have something fun coming up. But, and it’s a big but. We just had a lot of family fly in last night so we’ll be busy for the next two weeks or so. I’m hopeful that I’ll get some time to sew.

p.s. Someone a while back asked me to put a “Subscribe by Email” link on my blog so they could follow along. I done did it for You People.

Two new (old!) machines!!

So you guys know that I seem to be a sewing machine magnet (my Necchi Bu Mira story here and Pfaff 230 story here). I acquired two more machines and I think they will fit into my flock of machines quite well.

The first is this 1970s Kenmore. It’s a straight stitch and zigzag machine with a few other stitches built-in. It’s not nearly as old as my Pfaff 230 and Nechhi Bu Mira but it’s still hefty. I set her up and she sews really well. I’m not sure if this is a nice machine or not. I need to do a bit of research. Do any of your guys know about this model?

 

It’s the 158.13250 model. Made in Taiwan makes me a bit worried, I won’t lie.

 

I love the other stitches too. I have been keeping my newer Viking Madison only because it does the blind hem stitch. I swear to you, that is all I’ve been doing with it for the past three years. This Kenmore does the same stitch plus the stretch stitch. Don’t get me wrong, my Viking Madison also does these stitches but I’ve grown to love these older machines and I have had some problems with my Madison not being strong enough to go through things and the tension on it always seems to need tweaking. This machine will also do buttonholes but I have two buttonholers for that.

 

It comes with the booklet and I actually read it because I’m a nerd like that. I like reading manuals. See these short lines that a perpendicular to the seam guides? They are 5/8” corner marks. Bam. Really?? Duh, what a great idea! This way, you always know where to stop to turn a corner and get the perfect 5/8” corner seams. Okay, I can hear you right now laughing. Really Dawn, you’ve sewn for how many years and you’ve never seen this before? Uh, yea. This is a great idea and apparently, they had the idea in the 70s. Hmmmm. My newer Viking Madison doesn’t have it and my two older machines don’t even have seam guide markings.

 

See? Here are the directions.

And see the blind hemming? Super excited about that!

 

 

The other machine is the Viking Model 60 20. I believe it is also a 1970s machine? This one has not been tested because my gift-er forgot to give me the foot pedal that goes with it. I can spin the wheel and the dials seem to do the right things when I turn them.

 

Anyone have one? Want to share information?

 

 

 

I do know this model uses cams that makes all these stitches available.

 

Sadly, my cam-hole is empty. Say that quickly a few times. Go ahead. I know you are doing it in your head.

 

I assume this is for bobbins? There is no way to disengage the engine like on all my other machines. Like I said, there is no foot pedal so I can’t try it out.

 

I also got two bags of assorted stuff. Most of it is new in packages.

 

I also have a huge bin of bobbins. I’ve have to figure out which bobbin is for which machine.

 

 

Again, I’m super happy people know I love to sew!!!! Soon, I’ll have to start storing the machines instead of using them. I do have some sewing to show you, a dress! It’s also my June Burda Challenge.

 

I’ve been out of town which is why you haven’t “seen” me in a while. Some pictures from our trips below (gotta use those new cameras!). Feel free to skip this part!

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Every summer, I try to get a picture of the kids jumping in front of the Denali Park sign. I have yet to get all three in the air at the same time. My best is still only two out of three.

Squeeeeeeee. I love being the “crafter” in the family!

I love, love, love when people give me things because “I’m crafty” or because “I sew.” I’ve acquired two machines this way and lots of fabric and trimmings. My Necchi is my go-to machine and the Pfaff is a close second. Well, imagine my excitement when I get a Facebook message from a friend’s mom (truthfully, she’s been a mom to me too) asking if I want a bunch of old patterns. Um, yea. Look what showed up on my door step last week. Three boxes of patterns and the best part is that they are my size! There are a ton of kid patterns too but the women’s patterns are a size 8 or 10 which is what I typically make in McKwikVogueRick.

 

I randomly pulled some out so you can see a few of them. They are all from the 60’s, 70’s, and 80’s.

 

Most of them are Buttericks, Simplicity, McCalls, Vogues, etc but there are a few of these pre-KwikSew pattern. This one isn’t even opened.

 

Pretty!

 

 

Most of the patterns are size 8 or 10 but there are a few 12s sprinkled in there.

 

I like the warning on this one. Upper right: Coat cannot be worn over jacket. Oh, dammit! That was my plan!

 

Grrrrrrrrrrrrr.

 

 

I love this hairstyle from the 60s. I could never do this with my hair. It’s too fine and too wavy.

 

Two out of three boxes are little kid patterns. I’ll be putting these on Etsy probably. I have no use for them because they are too small and there are so many of them. It would be fun to have a wall of pattern covers though.

 

Okay, this might be my favorite one. I have to say I love the butterfly collar and the ascot. Hee Hee, I said ascot.

 

This one is really cute and I would make it for my kids if it was a larger size.

 

Ra ra! I didn’t look but I wonder if these are for knit fabrics. If not, they would be pretty restrictive. Well, for a cheerleader.

 

Aaaaaaauuuuuhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.

 

I think it’s funny that the kid pants are so high up on their little torsos.

 

I’ll let you guys know if I post any of these to Etsy. I know there is a market for adult vintage patterns. Is there any market for kid vintage patterns?