Jones Sewing Machine

In October of 2018, I purchased a Jones Swan Neck Sewing machine from France, on eBay. The purpose of selecting this machine is that when restored, it is quite beautiful. I intended on taking a class from Ray Elkins of Sew Purty workshops, in Elkhart, Indiana. Ray teaches you to tear down the machine, soak off rust, clean and polish the paint, clean and polish metal parts, oil parts and put the machine back together

Here are the before photos:

Here are some after photos, after taking the weekend retreat with Ray Elkins:

Close up of the cleaned up logo

overall machine

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Vintage doll restoration

March 2020 I received a doll from an estate, that was dear to one of the beneficiaries. The face and clothes were extremely dirty and the elastic in the pantaloons had lost the elasticity. I soaked the dresses in enzyme laundry solution (Shaklee liquid L and nature bright) until the lace brightened and the water was clear. The face was washed with the same but I stopped scrubbing when I noticed some of the cheek paint had faded. I then shortened the overdress/ the top layer to expose the hand-embroidered initial of the decedent, then added lace and elastic to the pantaloons, and added the headband with roses made from left over fabric from the overdress. Close up of the hand-embroidered initial on under-dress. Close up of cleaned face and headband I created with leftover fabric and added roses.

Custom LV Birkenstock’s

So my next big project in 2018 was a pair of Birkenstock’s for my friend in Australia. Nannette has size 43 shoes; she is a tall woman. She was in a bad car accident at 18 and has suffered problems to her feet as a result This was exacerbated by an accident on a train platform in Australia, so comfortable shoes are a must. And what is more comfortable, than a pair of Birkenstock’s? But they couldn’t be just any Birki’s. They had to be Louis Vuitton Birki’s because Nannette is an LV nut. I started with a used pair of Birkenstock’s with good platforms from eBay. I took them to our local cobbler who deconstructed and separated the leather tops from the platform. I then used the Birki leather as a pattern. I had an LV purse to deconstruct, but there was not enough leather for the necessary 4 straps. I needed another 2 pieces of leather for the sides, so I shopped at my Goodwill for a red purse with gold buckles. However, upon in...

Singer 319w Do-over

I fell upon this Singer 319 "typewriter" or "piano" sewing machine at a local estate sale. The cabinet had been repainted into a very cool deep striated turquoise blue. The seat, however, left much to be desired. It was smelly but actually comfortable. I removed the bathroom rug cover, and am in the process of adding memory foam and a custom fabric to pull all of the mid-century colors together. It came with ALL of the cams for specialty stitches, I am so blessed to have found it. I'm excited to start using it. I have read that this machine was a "bust" for Singer because people thought it was too difficult to use, something I can understand, however, I think it is a cool piece. It was the top of the line in its day, all aluminum and all metal inside. Enjoy the photo progress.

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