Purring Perfection

PURRING PERFECTION

I ummed and ahhed for a while, asked a friend or two (thank you!) browsed, Googled and so on and so on, until a magic lightbulb moment struck... my trusty Pfaff Select 4.0, a decent hardworking machine, had been begging for rest and tlc recently after making many, many teddy bears over the years, my previous Pfaff Professional lay disgarded in the attic gathering dust, after being jammed solid by my daughter's attempt to alter a rather saucy Santa outfit a few years ago (!) and my prize and joy, my beautiful 1928 Singer handcrank, sat gleaming proudly in my living room, way too beautiful to be employed as a teddy bear making workhorse... so, I waited and waited, mulling over all things sewing, (including my budget, which was far from open ended!)

Eventually, as luck would have it, a 1986 Bernina 910 entered my radar, reminding me of school days back in the late 1970's, when I first learned to thread a sewing machine... by coincidence, also a sturdy Bernina. I remembered feeling safe with the machine, enjoying the reliable engine purr as I stitched pieces of colourful fabric together at an afterschool sewing class. The machine on my radar had clearly been loved, carefully maintained and regularly used, so I scraped up a little 'brave neck' to ask if the owner would accept an offer... and fortunately the stars aligned for us! The owner, although sad to part with her beloved Bernina, needed an industrial machine for her business, so had the Bernina serviced, given a clean bill of health and sent off to her new owner... me!

And here she is, sat on my desk, about to sew her very first teddy bear!  She came with a lovely selection of toys, (very few of which I know what to do with!) and despite her mature years (almost forty of them) still stitches like the pro she is, precisely, confidently and with purring perfection. She is a no nonsense gal, straightforward, mechanical and very obliging, with a super little heel tap drop needle function which is so useful. I couldn't be more pleased with her and am thrilled I decided to take the plunge and buy a vintage sewing machine!

Glorious technicolour

For those of you who read my previous post, I am happy to say my little Grandson seems to be settling happily into his new school life. I collected him from school with his Daddy on Tuesday and was delighted when an excited Toby flew through the school gates to give his Nana a big ol' hug, clutching his first official reading book. He was full of beans and eager to tell us all about his day. Yes, I think he'll be just fine.

So, I can now swap my 'anxious Nana' head, for my 'busy bearmaker' head but first I should mention, I am sat at home today waiting for a very special parcel ... my vintage Singer sewing machine is due to arrive! Whoop whoop! I am very excited to receive this beautiful old lady. My poor dogs are far less excited though, as it means their walk has been delayed while we wait for the doorbell and they have had to satisfy themselves with barking at the window cleaner rather than running on the field. Sorry girls!

By the way, I plan to finish a new teddy bear this afternoon, a lovely cheerful clown bear. The black and white pic is just to whet your appetite, I'll reveal all in glorious technicolour shortly!

:-)

A vintage Singer

Recently it dawned on me that twenty five years of designing and creating teddy bears is really quite an achievement, so I should probably mark it somehow. But the question was how? Then I had a lightbulb moment...

When I was a little girl, I remember being fascinated by an old treadle sewing machine which stood behind the door of my Gran's living room. Back in those days, the living room was a place in which we kids were under strict instructions to sit politely while the grown-ups chatted, making certain to stay quiet and keep our feet off the settee. There was plenty of time to peer at the myriad of tiny glass animals held captive in a glass fronted cabinet next to the black and white television and of course, to admire Gran's lovely old sewing machine.

I have had a secret yen for a vintage sewing machine for many years, but have never really known much about them.  In view of my quarter century anniversary, I decided to invest some time researching their history, in the hope my investigations might lead me to find one of my very own to commemorate twenty five years in the wonderful world of teddy bears. I wanted my machine to have age, to be British, beautiful and interesting, but most importantly, to be working! It has been a completely absorbing study and did indeed eventually lead me to discover a special sewing machine. So, I have taken the plunge and placed an order for my first ever vintage sewing machine, a beautiful hand cranked Singer 128k, almost a hundred years old. My dream is that one day, this sewing machine will pass to my Granddaughter and hopefully help to inspire her creative journey.

Nana and Izzy

My vintage Singer hasn't arrived yet, but for those interested, I promise to share a pic when she does ... am so excited!

:-)