Sewing

I have a cousin who, for several years, worked as an interior designer. Her husband was a builder, and she helped make his houses look lovely and up-to-date. We always enjoyed visiting her and seeing what kinds of interesting and beautiful things graced her home. She knew all kinds of trends. Once when we visited, she showed us a long, narrow box which was actually a drawer from an old sewing machine. People were using them for storing small items or displaying a variety of things, such as a few small picture frames with photos or other pictures in a drawer that was lying horizontally on a desk or cabinet. A drawer displayed vertically might have an arrangement of leaves or flowers in a little vase.

I ended up with one that I use, even now, to hold spools of thread and a pincushion, in easy reach of my sewing machine.

Around the same time, my mother was interested in refinishing pieces of furniture, and she was poking around in a little “antique” store in Hillsboro, the town where she grew up. She saw an old, treadle sewing machine. All of its pieces were intact, including four, nice and sturdy drawers. Mother asked the owner if she could buy a couple of those drawers. He said, “Fine,” and she left the place all satisfied with her purchase. And, since sewing machine drawers were such a hot, valuable item, she went back the next day and bought the other two drawers. Then, a few days later, she asked me if I’d like to have the entire sewing machine cabinet, itself. My sewing machine was just sitting on a kneehole desk that I’d used as a young teenager. I thought it might be a nice addition to our home, and I said, “Yes.” She went to work refinishing the whole thing, taking it all apart, and then putting it all back together.

That old sewing machine sat in a hole on the top of the table part. The treadle itself was still on the machine, as well as the belt that moved the needle on the machine. Seamstresses would pump the treadle up and down with their feet. You can see the treadle, here, at the bottom of the cabinet. And you can see the wooden piece that was attached to the wheel (on the right side) to make it turn.  There had been a belt (rubber, I think) that went from the large wheel under the machine to a smaller wheel on the side of the machine itself, that would then turn to make the needle move up and down to create a seam.

My mother’s very modern sewing machine had a hinged part that would allow her machine to be lowered down into the cabinet. Then there was a lid that would cover the machine, so that it just looked like a small table. My mother used her machine often, so it rarely got to the table part.

My new/old machine had this lovely box to protect the machine when it wasn’t being used. The original sewing machine sat nicely under this box. I think the first machine I used on this sewing cabinet also fit well. The next machine was a little, tiny, bit taller, and, when I cleaned up after sewing, I sat the box on that machine and it swayed a little bit, not reaching all the way to the surface of the cabinet.

Recently, I had to get a new sewing machine. A part on the machine that holds the bobbin (lower part) of the thread, came apart. I went online to order a new one and found that my machine was so old, they didn’t make that exact part any more. But, they suggested another part that should work. I ordered that part, and it finally came, and, Ta-Dah!! It didn’t work at all.

Now, the truth is, I don’t sew very much any more. But, I do sew some. So, I went to the giant fabric/notions/patterns/trim/pillow forms/yarn/thread/sewing machines store and bought a new machine. Not the cheapest one, and certainly not one of the extra fancy, extra ordinary, extra large, extra expensive ones. It’s a plain machine, and it does what I need doing.

The hole that the old, original machine rested in is, of course, not at all usable. I’ve put down a white rectangular piece that was originally a metal, sort of, cutting board. It does a fine job of covering the hole and supporting the machine.

You can see, on the floor, next to the old treadle, a small, black, rectangular thing that has a cord attached to it. That’s the foot control. It’s what I press, with my foot, which delivers the electricity to the machine and causes the needle to go up and down. Pressing slow means sewing slowly, like sewing in a sleeve. Pressing harder means faster sewing, when sewing a long, straight seam.

This machine is a little bit taller than my previous machines, and the piece that holds a bobbin when I’m winding thread on it, is not removable, causing the box to wobble, quite a bit, when I place it back on the machine. So, I glued small wooden spools onto the bottom of the box, which keeps it sturdy and secure.

I do like my new machine. I’ve made a pillow cover and done some repairs to clothes, and am in the process of making a new Christmas tree skirt.

Maybe I should consider broadening my sewing skills. And, while I’ve certainly not done the kind of sewing that Dorcas did, there are a few dolls in the Preschool classroom at church that have extensive, handmade wardrobes.

And, because it’s that time of year, Peter has recently had a birthday and is now eight years old.