I Heart the 40s / Sewing up the Fun-Shus Fabric

I have been sewing steadily along as I always do- tank tops, a bathrobe for the little one, a halter top pdf pattern that I am testing, etc. I enjoy it, but sometimes sewing practical items really starts to grate on my nerves. Yes, I probably need more knit tops, but what do I want? I want Fun-Shus.

A few days ago, upon receipt of the final part I needed to get my lovely 221-1 Centennial Featherweight actually sewing, I decided to do something a little bit frivolous and to bust out some of my prized stash fabric. I chose the Fun-Shus fabric I found at a thrift store January of 2012 (what? over a year ago?).

 I chose this pattern, thrifted within the last few months.

And, I made it up on this pretty, thrifted long distance, which hums like a bee.

And I came up with this...

Don't fear the shoulder pad, my dears. And can I just say it? I love a wing-y collar. I do. 

I love the blouse-y effect of the tucks. No, you can't see it here. My arm is totally in the way.  

It's so stinking gorgeous here right now, and I love my deck! I love lots of things! Love is good!

Innards. Collar and button placket interfaced with an old cotton bed sheet.
Edges serged. A fair amount of hand-stitching. Me-made shoulder pads using Casey's tutorial.  

Here's another close up of that FAB-ric, and the vintage yellow buttons I chose to go with it. 

This was so fun to make- it has me feeling all jazzed up about sewing again. That's right. Jazzed up. You thought "jazzed up" was just for little old ladies with cat applique sweatshirts? Well, it's for Fun-Shus too. How about you? What are you jazzed up about right now?

Edited 5/25/13 to add: This project was featured on Sew Country Chick's Sew and Tell Saturday! Thanks Justine!

My Minions

Friends and family have caught on to the fact that I am totally obsessed with vintage sewing related goods, and they either like to tell me way after the fact about the great thing/s they saw (not nice) or let me know when they have found something good and offer to pick it up for me (very, very kind!) This has worked out well for me a few times in recent history, as my sis posted this pic to Facebook a couple weeks ago, and when I called her blubbering, she went back and picked the li'l beaut up for me.

Okay, ok, so it doesn't look like a beaut here. Admittedly, it looks a bit of a dusty wreck, but the price was right. Even if I couldn't get it running, I had no fear that I could pull parts and sell them to recoup my investment. My sis gave it a general inspection that was guided by me over the phone, so I knew the light switch was broken and the wiring for the pedal was cracked and dry rotted. Still, the decals were in very good shape, she said, and there were only a few chips to the handwheel with the paint otherwise nice.

When I pulled it from the box, it looked like this...

But in just an hour or so, it was shined up rather well...

It was frozen and the handwheel wouldn't move. But a good oil bath and some gentle turning got it spinning along free and smooth. My husband rewired the pedal for me (thanks Sweets!). When he tested the motor, it wouldn't work, but a quick motor inspection showed that one of the brushes was not in contact with the copper. This is my second time going into a Featherweight motor- I am just too foolish to be afraid of messing anything up!  

Notice my trusty coffee can on the right here. If you ever decide to start pulling parts of a vintage sewing machine (and I absolutely think you should, unplugged of course) you must have a container right next to you in which to put every little piece and screw and thing-a-ma-jig that you remove. This is my best tip. Other than that, I kinda wing it....

I ended up needing to purchase the light switch, a bobbin case, some bobbins (I sold all mine with the white green), a spool pin spring, and a belt. All ordered from eBay, I expect all of my parts to arrive in the next few days, and I am very excited to try this new machine out. For those who are counting, this brings the total to 7 plus a serger :) But what a beautiful addition!

Now to get my hands on the box of 100 vintage sewing patterns a friend picked up for me at a yard sale this past weekend!