My first sewing machine

[Headfry]

Hi folks,
After 30 odd years of wanting my own sewing machine ....I have one
It's really basic, and I love it!
It tells me how to change double needles....
Why and how and when would I use double needles?
complete beginer here!

[lynda66]

my mum gave me my first ever sewing machine when they moved to spain, it's so old it's hand operated by a wheel, dunno about double needles though, is it for doing something like the seams on jeans??

[Headfry]

Thats about all I can come up with too
Thanks

[Alison]

I inherited my nan's about 15 years ago. It's older than me (we think about 45 years old) and hasn't worked well for a while. Got around to taking it to the old fashioned machine shop in town the other week and have now been told that it's officially dead and as it's so old they can't get parts - apparently the electrics were VERY dodgy so am quite glad I've not had any accidents. Am going in on Saturday to buy a new second hand one off them, which I'll get a bit reduced for scrap. Is likely to be loads better than the old one but am still sad at it going - reminds me of holidays at my nan's and it's the one I used to make my bridesmaid dresses too.

Re double needles, it's just when you want a twin line of sewing, you can use it round collars or similar if you want and as they're tied together the two lines are perfectly parallel. Not had this feature but think it's on my mum's machine.

[kirsty b]

I got mine (or rather Steve got it for me) at the local dump. I had been wittering on about one for ages and when he saw it, he got it for the princely sum of £3. Works perfectly, despite a complete novice working it. Even had all the attatchments and original instruction manual with it.

[Polly Fouracre]

I have a very old Singer hand machine that I bought at an auction twenty years ago for four pounds. Inside the little box thingy on the side was a silver Victorian thimble that my sister sold for me for twenty pounds!!
This machine has done me very well indeed. It doesn't go backwards or do anything clever but it and I am well suited (I don't do anything clever either!)

[Headfry]

Mum has an old Singer too, it had a foot pedal that would send blue sparks leaping forth!
All mended now after we threw rule book at her! It is a beautiful old machine and weighs at least a ton, maybe two in fact! It is really part of the family sounds a little daft but this machine made curtains for the house Dad built for Mum (before we came along) made baby quilts and clothes (for us) school stuff, outfits for church plays, ballet exams and shows, brownies and guide stuff etc. going out clothes (not much spare cash in our house) then curtains for my first house. Throws for my second house....wedding stuff for my Sister and baby bits for her little girl so you see she really is part of the family!

[pigletwillie]

The title edit is a mod only function i am afraid.

Tis all sorted now.

[Percy T]

I inherited a sewing machine from my mum an old singer in a cabinet, I remember when I was little mum making dresses for us girls we looked like the von trap family clothes from curtain material tee hee.

Anyway havent really used it as I cant seem to get the tension right an the understitching is loose.

But I would love to make better use of it.

anyone have any ideas of how to get tension correct i would be grateful. ps I have twiddled all the nobs

[willowstar]

I got my mums old one when she moved abroud a couple of years ago...I made curtains for my house and a skirt (sort of) and I loved that it was such a piece of my childhood...but alas I got rid of it in the summer and bought a new second hand one from ebay because I just couldn't get the tension to work and the stitches were miniscule etc... anyway, have fun with your machine...I have little talent but lots of enthusiasm and manage to make quite a lot of things by just having a bash. enjoy :-)

[thyme]

Hi Percy T if you have tried adjusting the top tension on the machine (when you do that it is best to make small adjustments then test the result as even minor variaitons can alter tension quite a lot) if adjusting the top tension does not help then sometimes it is the lower thread that needs adjusting on the spool or boobin/shuttle case. If you decide to attempt this make very tiny adjustments usually by tightening or loosening the screw that is on the shuttle/bobbin case. Sometimes it is something much simpler that is wrong like fluff around shuttle case, the wrong thread, or the bobbbin/shuttle is not threaded through the tension spring correctly. When you thread a bobbin or spool before you put it into the machine pull a piece of thread through gently by hand and check it is running smoothly, as some machine need the thread clockwise some anti-clockwise. Hope that makes sense a internet search for singer sewing machines may be helpful if not.

[Two_Sheds]

Good for you!
I've always had a sewing machine, and make my own curtains, cushions, duvet covers etc. I also attempt to make clothes, but they never come out quite right (except these trousers that I'm wearing, which are great).

wait till you get really good and you can try Free Machine Embroidery ... you drop the teeth and have free rein over the needle; you can "draw" with your thread, going any direction you like, not just in a straight line.

[Stacey Steve]

That means you can sew garden fleece now, put a turnover (or what ever the technical term is) to have draw strings for the ends of cloches

[shirlthegirl43]

I inherited a sewing machine from my mum an old singer in a cabinet, I remember when I was little mum making dresses for us girls we looked like the von trap family clothes from curtain material tee hee.

Anyway havent really used it as I cant seem to get the tension right an the understitching is loose.

But I would love to make better use of it.

anyone have any ideas of how to get tension correct i would be grateful. ps I have twiddled all the nobs

It might be worth taking it to be serviced, places that sell sewing machines usually offer the facility. Once it has been overhauled, they will re-set the tension so it should sew correctly. You can also search on-line for a user manual - if you want a website to get one from (they charge but it isn't much) PM me and I will let you know.

[Headfry]

Thanks so much, It's great to hear that so many have machines that have become part of the family awwww.
I don't have any skill and only very little knowledge but I am really very chuffed to have my own machine!