The Holy Aprons!!!

I have been sewing like crazy lately on my "new" vintage sewing machines. 

Part of the reason is that I want to use up a lot of my huge stash of fabrics I have accumulated over the years.  Storage is getting to be a real issue for me. 

The other reason is that I want to be of service to the community.  So, I have gone back to making my design of aprons.  Why, you ask, do I sew aprons?  Well it is one item that I know will be appreciated by my area's church kitchens!  And with the scraps left over, I can make matching potholders. 

Over the last few years I have made and donated aprons to my home church.  This last weekend, I donated another 9 aprons that I made with gray cotton twill fabric and white cotton ties.  I donated these to another church -- the one my grandmother was instrumental in starting.

I have 10 yards of a nice 100% cotton chintz drapery fabric that I am thinking of using for the next church on my list.  I am planning to give them to my girlfriend's church by Christmas.

All Aboard the Viking Express Part Two

 

 

Well, I only thought it fair.  I had gotten all the bells and whistles for my beloved Necchi Lelia 515 sewing machine, so I had to do the same for my workhorse Viking 6030!

 

 

 

 

 

I have never seen a full set of these particular cams, and when I saw them on Ebay with the cam holder, I bought them immediately.  It has the rare I cam -- $80.



 

 

 

Cam K is apparently rare and hard to find, so it will be the next cam I add to my collection.

 

 

I found this information online, but I don't know how true it is, except I HAVE found B1!

 

"Not all Cams have the same decorative stitches even though they may have the same letter.

I have found so far: A3, A4, A5, B2, B13, C1, C12, D3, D4, D12, E, F, G, H, I, J, K

(on the side of the Cam in the middle is stamped with a letter and sometimes a number)

So there are more possibilities than you probably realized! "

 

I will sell the duplicate cams on the Yahoo Sewitsforsale site and get my money back -- keeping the camholder for a few of the rarer cams that I know are still out there!

 

 

 

My next purchase was this Viking 6000 series instruction handbook.  I think it completes the collection nicely.  The Viking 6030 will be my dedicated cam embrodiery machine. 

 

 

 

I hate those clip on low shank feet that Viking has!  So instead I bought Pfaff feet instead!

 

My Viking 6030 had to wait for several years to get these goodies, but he managed to get far more expensive goodies than my Necchi Lelia 515!

 

 

 

 

NECCHI LELIA MY LOVE PART TWO

You know by now I adore my "new to me" Necchi Lelia 515 sewing machine.  Therefore, I decided it needed all the jewelry and accessories that it had when it was a new machine. 

Joyfully, I discovered by looking on the Yahoo Necchi site that the proper cams for the Lelia were the same cams that the Necchi Nora used and memorized their outward appearance, then I immersed myself into the search.

First, I found the decorative stitch cams on Ebay.  Here is the ad:

"These cams are for an older Necchi sewing machine. There are 11 cams inside the cardboard tube. They are marked made in Italy. Part #'s are 9661400, 9661410, 9661430, 9661440, 9661980, 9661990, 9662020, 9662060, 9662070, 9662080, and 9662100. I know that they fit in the Necchi Nora because these part #'s are listed in the instruction manual."

 

 

On the Yahoo Necchi site I found out that the chrome rimmed hole to the right of the Necchi name on the front of the machine was actually the mechanism [when fitted with the proper dial and foot] to create buttonholes.

Then, I found this ad on Ebay, and decided I had to have it.  Right before my eyes are the needed feet, buttonhole dial, and buttonhole foot.

"This is a nice Necchi sewing machine parts set. I am not sure if the set is complete, but the case and all of the parts seem to be in great shape. Please see pictures.  A SET OF 9 FEET, BUTTONHOLER KNOB."

 

 

This auction features a removable dial key for the unique 5 step buttonhole.  The dial is removed or installed from the 0 position and the buttonhole is made via a unique 5 step process.  I have found a photo of a copy of a page from a manual showing the procedure for inserting the key dial and then forming the buttonholes and then removing the dial for normal sewing.

 

 

 

The white nylon lever below the slide plate controls the feed throw out.  Push down the lever to drop the feed dogs and raise the lever to place the feed dogs in the normal position.

 

 

 

Numbered presser foot tension indicator, Turning the chrome pressure adjusting knob moves the indicator on the face plate.

 

 

 

My Necchi Lelia 515 will now be my dedicated buttonhole machine, and I will install it in the "new" sewing machine cabinet!  I went to my friendly neighborhood thrift shop yesterday. They gave me free a Sears Kenmore sewing machine cabinet -- 1970's era!  It is not the most beautiful piece of furniture I ever saw, but it isn't the ugliest either.