In Stitches Sewing

Back in 1906 the Boye company, maker of needles, shuttles, bobbins and all sorts of notions introduced their commodity case, which they provided to retailers to display their various wares.

This example probably dates to 1910 and was still wonderfully stocked with needles, a good number of shuttles, and a small number of extra bobbins for machines that, in many cases, have not been made for well over 100 years.

Each one of these tubes contains 3 needles and there are over 200 tubes in the bottom and top carousel.

The top is badly worn but originally had a transfer on top which listed makers and models, and all the retailer had to do was point the needle at the name and would then know what shuttle and needles a customer requires. I am in the process of having a transfer reproduced to restore the top, and to scale so that the reference marks line up.

Boye used their own numbering system and charts are available to cross reference these numbers to match specific makers, some of the needles in the case are quite rare, as many manufacturers used proprietary needles before things were standardized as they are today.

It will be quite a project to inspect all the contents… and make a list of needles.

Isaac Singer died in 1875, and did not see the massive success the company he founded, but the 12k was the machine that made him one of the wealthiest men on earth.

In it’s early days the 12k could cost a year’s wages, and when this example was made a skilled tradesman was making about .25 cents an hour, at 90.00 this was several month’s full pay so would have been bought on installments, and sometimes paid off over as much as a decade.

First sold in 1864, and when the United States was still at war with itself, it was a marvel of engineering that was able to sew everything from silk to heavier fabrics, and surely caused fits among Singer’s competition and made them run back to the drawing boards.

It was one of the first really great sewing machines that really established Singer.

The 12k was very successful and was made for 40 years and into the early 20th century, like many other Singer models it was also widely copied as soon as the patent protections ended in the 1880’s. Our 1902 Winselmann TS is an example of one of the countless copies the Germans made, and continued to make well into the 20th century.

Sewing with one of these machines is a wonderful experience as they turn so lightly and smoothly, and they do sew extremely well.

We had had a long standing love affair with Kenmore sewing machines, especially those models that were designed and sold in the early to mid 1970’s, and manufactured by Maruzen in Japan. I feel that this was the zenith of Sear’s production and although subsequent Kenmore machines are still very good, nobody will ever make a machine like this again, and if they did, it would cost many thousands of dollars to buy.

Charles Harrison was the chief designer for Sears and as he was dyslexic, he wanted to design machines that required very little need for reading instruction manuals, and were more intuitive to use.

We picked up a Kenmore 158.1941 the other day and it is presently in the getting our spa treatment, the 158 denotes that it was made by Maruzen and the model and variation follows.

The 1941 was an immensely successful model that was produced, and was placed just below the top models of the day, but offered nearly all the same features, and excellent performance. Consider that in 1975 this machine sold for around $250.00 and could compete against and even exceed the performance of Berninas, Pfaffs, and Elnas that cost three to four times as much.

The 1030 in our collection was one of Harrison’s most famous designs and believe an example sits in the Smithsonian as an example of brilliant mechanical design and American engineering.

One of my longest serving machines is my 158.1931 which is a convertible free arm model, identical to the 1941 mechanically save for the added feature of being able to use pattern cams. It is a flawless machine that, despite being over 40 years old, still performs like it was a new machine… and it was a well used machine when I bought it.

Released in Singer’s centennial year (1951), the 301 and 301A were one of the most revolutionary machines Singer ever produced, and they have developed quite the following among sewists of all kinds.

Dressmakers, quilters, and others appreciate the speed (1600 stitches a minute), perfect stitch, and power of this gear driven, rotary hook wonder… and it was the first machine to use Singer’s proprietary slant shank presser system, which brings your work forward for a better view.

It is also a remarkably lightweight machine at 16 pounds, and packs up to just under 23 pounds in it’s case with it’s pedal and accessories.

When we receive these machines in for sale, they do not last very long, and we usually have a waiting list… the rarest version is the black long bed, and they also came in a solid beige (standard and long bed versions). The LBOW only came in a standard bed version.

Contact us if you are looking for a 301 and we’ll put you on our waiting list.

Being a bit of a speed freak, and liking both power and speed I set about upgrading a Singer 306k yesterday with a .9 amp, 7000 rpm motor to replace the original .5 amp Singer unit.

The new motor is much quieter and has an electronic pedal which gives nice control, and the 306 is such an amazing machine, with a rotary hook it could probably sew even faster with nary a ripple on the water.

We carry the motor and pedal kit which fits most Singer models, price is $70.00 cdn and this will include a belt to match your machine, as the supplied belt is too short for some machines.

My friend has knee issues and has trouble sewing for long periods, so we are working on making up a new pedal system she can use with both feet, that won’t stress her knees / hip at all.

The metal pedal is great because it can be drilled and mounted to a base, and we’ll add a heel stop / riser and set the toe bar for optimum position, leverage.

I used to work in rehabilitation… just mocking things up here.

Produced between 1912 and 1923, The Singer model 115 was closely related to the Singer 15 but differed in that it used a rotary hook and industrial class 20 bobbin system instead of the oscillating hook of the 15 and class 15 bobbin. It is a straight stitch machine with no reverse, which does not really pose a problem, especially if you are quilting or doing free motion work, or thread painting.

They are most often found with the “Wings” decals shown here, although they also came with a Gingerbread decal in the United States.

At a glance the machines look identical but upon closer inspection one will see that the 115 has three holes next to the needle plate instead of two, and when you look underneath the machines look different.

In 1906 Singer bought Wheeler and Wilson, using the proven strategy of “if you can’t beat them, buy them out” and it was from Wheeler and Wilson they acquired the proven rotary hook design of the superlative D9.

The bobbin case and bobbin from a 115, the L type bobbin has a higher capacity than a 15 and is also used in many Singer industrial machines like the 20U.

One of my beloved 115’s is scruffy, worn, chipped, and bears the marks of nearly 100 years of use but still runs like a buttered kitten on glass and makes a perfect stitch. I don’t plan to change a thing save for doing a little more polishing to see if I can clean up the old clear coat, all these marks bear witness to her history and the millions of stitches she must have sewn.

She still stitches beautifully and is a wonderful machine for free motion work.

Happy sewing.

My parents were born in the depression and because I came along late in life feel more like a boomer than anything else, and had parents who repaired, re-used, upcycled, and stretched every penny, and that even applied to my mom and her sewing. She worked as a seamstress to help pay the bills before she went back to school, at 50, to become a nursing aid.

Some folks say, and maybe those are the ones that sell needles, that you should change your needle every eight hours or after every project but if the needle isn’t bent and just has a little burr, you can touch it up.

You can usually hear the needle popping when it has developed a burr before you can see it with the naked eye, and will be most evident when you are sewing lighter fabrics.

My 1902 Winselmann has an interesting bobbin winder, with an extension to the right of the bobbin tire and this was used to de-burr needles. It just takes a second to do as you wind up a new bobbin.

In the modern day you can use a needle sharpener, as these are still available, or go to a sporting goods store and pick up a fish hook sharpener with a slot, which is normally used for sharpening fish hooks.

A few light passes on the hook sharpener is all it takes and then that needle (this works on normal sharps) will be good for another day of sewing.

The commercial sharper is easy to use, just drop the needle in point first and turn the sharpener a few times.

The hook sharpener… just a few light passes as you turn the needle in your fingers works wonders. It is a diamond grit also used for putting a really fine edge on knives and also touches up scissors nicely.

Happy sewing.