jenrenfieldhandmade

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Also please appreciate this door wreath I made: Seamstress Edition!

I actually bound it myself around a straw base:

Pretty proud of how even-looking it turned out! but 0/10 would probably not do again!

The antique sewing machine bauble from tk maxx is pinned under the centre of the bow so it forms the centre piece of the wreath.

I then decorated the wreath with a pearl string, various buttons, mini yarn rolls and real pins! As with the Advent wreath everything is only pinned on, so it can be removed and reused later.

Last step was adding some baubles to fill in any gaps and tie the whole look together. I also needed something to balance out the big bow on top, so I used an old pincushion at the bottom.

Happy Holidays!

#door wreath #christmas decor #holiday decor #seasonal decor #handmade holiday decor #handmade

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Merry shitcram to all who celebrate

Bf got covid and we're stuck in our little flat for the holidays, so I tried to make it as cozy as possible.

Looooong story under cut:

I couldn't decide whether to go traditional or whacky with the christmas tree. So I ended up mashing both:

Version 1: straw stars and felted dinosaurs.

Version 2: all of the above plus traditional baubles

Bf doesn't like it but that's what you get when you leave all stylistic choices to your -very tired- gf.

Last minute christmas dinner setup:

Our kitchen has been a construction site these past weeks due to a broken water pipe. We were lucky it got fixed before christmas but it left us very little time to tidy up. Also we wanted to buy a dining table of off fb marketplace but after two messages the seller stopped replying and deleted their post. So we used what we had: a folding table.

This is christmas is as chaotic as it is sad, since I can't even visit my family (who live in walking distance, so it's not like I never see them but still) This is not what I meant when I said I wanted to spend christmas with my bf.

However Santa blessed us with some prezzies anyway and in the end it's all not that bad.

Sorry for long post, here's a pic of my dog blissed out after dinner:

I wish you all happy holidays! May you spend them surrounded by people who love you and make you happy and may all your wishes come true!

Lots of love from my chaotic little home to yours! <3

#merry christmas #season's greetings #long post #personal

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

#this has no right to be this funny #sewing #handmade #diy #funny #in a parallel universe

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Thank you soooo much!!!

I am so happy! I really want to clean it and see if I can get it functioning again (all parts still move altough rusted!). It's going to be a showpiece in my sewing room!

Guys, please look what ya girl scored today!!!

Hey Pink,

so I went to a flea market today and scored a old singer machine for 10€! Now I'd like to know when it was made and probably where but I'm completely lost, maybe you could shed a little light on it?

I cleaned the serial number plate as best I could. I suppose it reads: G67875 (2 or Z, I cannot tell)

Thank you so much!

It's a Model 15!

Here's some more information on the Model 15. Note that they're calling theirs the "15K", but the K just indicates that it was made in Scotland. Yours is likely a 15 and not a 15k, unless it says it was made in Great Brittan in the text along the top.

If you're ever unsure about the date on a Singer machine, I recommend this taxonomic key, and the Ismacs serial number database.

We can tell from the bobbin threading path on the front that this is a very early Model 15. According to the serial number, it's likely one of a lot of 50,000 made in January of 1910.

I believe the decal style on that is called Tiffany or Gingerbread. The first thing that I noticed about that is the absolutely exceptional state of those decals. Usually, machines of this age have a lot of the decal work worn off. If you want to clean them, be careful about damaging them.

The best advice I've found for cleaning and restoring old machines is from Doug at treadleon.net. Here's an excerpt from one of his articles:

Now let's talk about appearance. Some folks like to see an old machine shine like new. If the basic decoration, paint and decals, is good enough, that can be done. Most machines we find in sales aren't quite that good, or may actually be very bad. I like to let old machines show their age and usefulness. To clean a machine's surface, I use first a gentle mix of diluted dish soap and water, rubbing small areas at a time with a soft cloth. Often there is old dried oil or shellac on the surface. The earlier cleaning with kerosene may have loosened a lot of that up and it will rub off, too. Often it can be scraped off with a fingernail. Don't use hard scrapers, you'll scratch the enamel. Once I have the plain dirt off, I wipe with sewing machine oil several times over a period of days, then wipe off all the oil and wax. I use Turtle Wax. Other folks have had good luck with ArmorAll.

There are folks who favor various cleaning compounds, such as Simple Green, 409, Windex, etc. Great care must be exercised here. Many of the chemicals in these compounds, especially ammonia, will destroy the gold in the decals, leaving you with silver decals, or no decals. Since the decal content and manufacturing varied over the years and between manufacturers, the fact that a product did a great job on one machine does not mean it will not damage another. Always start by cleaning a small area in back of the pillar to see what is going to happen.

I've also found that liquid wrench spray penetrating oil can get through some really nasty dirt on the machines and it pretty decal-safe. It's become my main "clean now or else" tool for when dish soap is not doing the job fast enough.

One really cool fact about the Model 15 is that any time you're looking at sewing machine parts and you see the number 15, it's likely because it was a part first used in this machine. They use our standard needle, which is the needle family 15x1. If you go out and buy a standard sewing machine needle today, it will be a 15x1. When you go buy the standard bobbin for most Singer/Janome/Baby Lock/Brother/Bernette machines (plus some Pfaffs and Vikings), it's called the Class 15 bobbin. That's because the first machine to use these needles and these bobbins was the Singer Model 15. It's that influential.

The Model 15 sits flat on a table even without a bottom case, though you can buy some really nice bottom case reproductions on etsy or get a generic flatbed machine case from SewingPartsOnline if you do want a base for it. Note that if you use a generic case, you'll have to take the hand crank off when you store it with the lid on it. That said, I have my hand crank machine in a cheap generic flat bed case and it's always quite an enjoyment when someone opens it up and expects a mid-1990's machine and SURPRISE! It's an antique!!

Anyway, excellent find! The Model 15 was hugely influential. Pretty much any time that you find a modern sewing machine thing with the number 15 on it, it's because the item was first used on the Model 15. The needle family that all non-industrial sewing machines use today is the 15x1 needle family. That needle was first used on the Model 15. If you buy bobbins for almost any Janome/Brother/Baby Lock/Bernette and many Pfaffs and Vikings, it's called the Class 15 bobbin. That bobbin style was made for the Model 15 machine. I just think it's so cool that this machine became the standard so effectively that you can just go down to your local big box craft store and buy needles and bobbins for it!

PS if anyone wants a sewing-related rabbit hole to go down, Japanese Model 15 clones that are actually improvements on the Model 15 is a good one to check out. It was cloned long after Singer discontinued the Model 15.

#handmade #sewing #diy #singer sewing machin #antique sewing machine #singer model 15 #so much info! #THANK YOU!!!!

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

I posted 94 times in 2022

45 posts created (48%)

49 posts reblogged (52%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@jenrenfieldhandmade

@20dollarlolita

@sewambitious

@jenrenfield

@craftykatie

I tagged 94 of my posts in 2022

#handmade - 63 posts

#diy - 58 posts

#sewing - 55 posts

#jenrenfieldhandmade - 35 posts

#work in progress - 24 posts

#wip - 24 posts

#w-i-p - 24 posts

#work in progress wednesday - 14 posts

#finished project - 8 posts

#vintage inspired - 8 posts

Longest Tag: 89 characters

#'if the construction is better than what you get at 'x' it's acceptable' is my life motto

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

Guess who nearly had a heart attack today because I thought my sewing machine was finally done for?! ->this girl!

All of this because a tiny piece of thread had gotten caught inside the machine. After the offender had been removed and the machine had been cleaned and oiled it's working as smoothly as ever.

She's been my reliable companion for the past eight years and even though I've been thinking about getting a newer 'better' sewing machine for a while now, replacing my trusty old lady would break my heart.

82 notes - Posted February 20, 2022

#4

Behold it is done:

109 notes - Posted April 10, 2022

#3

Uhm, excuse me while I go live in this fit for the next month or so:

Skirt and beret are handmade by me

Top is by H&M (old) and the dinosaur bag is available on etsy (mine is the blue version)

See the full post

145 notes - Posted February 25, 2022

#2

The butterfly dress is done!

It's a hot mess but I did it and I'm proud! And -apart from the hiccups here and there- it really was kinda fun to make! I love the design so much! But kinda wish I would have used different fabrics and I'm already considering making another one?!?!

149 notes - Posted May 20, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

Please enjoy this shitty meme I made to sum up my last couple of days

6,435 notes - Posted June 16, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

#tumblr2022 #year in review #my 2022 tumblr year in review #your tumblr year in review

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

#bright #shiny #sewing #sewing machine #a solid 8/10 #because I‘m questioning functionality

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Things I also did:

Decorated couch: the theme is' subtle but festive', and also 'green'.

2. Hung up stockings! You know Saint Nicholas is coming TONIGHT!

3. Put up our fake christmas tree and put fake candles on it!

We keep running into issues with this place but I'm gonna decorate the f*ck out of it and nobody can stop me!

#decor #home decor #seasonal decor #christmas decor #christmas decoration #christmas tree #christmas stockings

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Hey y'all, miss me already?!

getting ready for christmas in my new home as best I can:

The elves were a gift from my ma and the advent wreath is handmade by me! More under the cut!

One quiet evening I set out make my first very own advent wreath.

I had a clear idea about what it should look like: natural, tone-in-tone, not too flashy, and mostly green -like most of the apartment tbh.

I used mostly natural ingredients, dried oranges, pine cones, acorns, anis stars and some straw stars.

I pinned the decor on -my ma used to hot glue everything - but it's much easier to remove -and reuse! everything this way. All decor is from the dollar store, except for the wreath itself which I bought at at hardware store.

Here's the finished project!

Not only do I love looking at it but it smells amazing! it truly smells like christmas in here! Although my ma says it needs cinnamon sticks still!

*It was finished around the 1. Advent which is why there's only one candle burning in the photo!*

#decor #handmade #handmade decor #home decor #handmade home decor #christmas #christmas decor #decoration #decorating #christmas decoration #advent wreath #handmade advent wreath #jenrenfieldhandmade

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

I present to you: the aesthetic of currently-movingcore!

For Bambi another tiring day of protecting mama's precious boxes comes to an end, for me an eventful weekend of moving furniture comes to an end. The flat is finally starting to look somewhat like a home, although it still has a long way to go.

We're getting there!

#life update #currently moving #this is the bedroom at my parent's house for anyone wondering #bambi the dog

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

on this day one year ago someone sewed a fried egg to a tshirt

#almost forgoooooot!

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Today my Ma asked me if I'm excited about moving out and folks....

I'm just sad and tired at this point!

Our move-in date was pushed back twice...we ran into so many issues, had so many discussions with the landlords and things are still not looking good...They are determined to let us move in on the 1st october anyways.

But I don't feel excited at all. I'm terrified this might just be another dumb mistake I make and I'll eventually end up rotting in my Ma's basement forever...

#life update

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Looks like regular Houndstooth fabric, but when you look closely, it’s little bats. Designed by Rachel Hauer, it’s called “Batstooth.” Cute?

https://www.freespiritfabrics.com/batstooth-white-scaredy-cat/

#ooooh! #Dream fabric! #now if only it were available here :( #bats #bat fabric #houndstooth #batstooth #fabric

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

I carry a small tape measure on my keychain because several months ago some lady in the grocery store asked me if I had a tape measure on me. I don't work there, she just apparently thought I looked like someone who would have a tape measure on a trip to the grocery store and I was so flattered by this assumption that I went out and bought a keychain tape measure. I have had reason to use it almost every single day since so I guess what I am saying is Thank you, Grocery Store Lady Who Needed To Know How Wide a Baking Tray Was, you were so right and it has improved my life.

#I should probably start doing this too!

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

As the amount of sewing clutter on my table grows, so too must the number of fancy thrift store dishes. I could put a lot of this stuff away when I'm not using it, but I know I won't do that, so keeping it contained like this is the best option.

#ooooh #nice! #all the more reason to visit the thrift store!

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

Tape measure, late 1700s-early 1800s.

#I think we should bring back this mentality #why do mundane objects have to look boring? #I recently bought a sewing machine-shaped pencil sharpener at a flea market! #best 2€ ever spent me thinks

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

#oh this is very interesting #can you believe I neither knew nor do I have one! #Unacceptable! #sewing #handmade #diy #emery bag #sewing tools

[jenrenfieldhandmade]

today i found out that I’ve been putting zippers in wrong this ENTIRE TIME

#this works for both regular and invisible zips! #though invisible zips require a few extra steps #and yet I have never set in a zipper nicely #it still comes out looking like sh*t #well we live and we learn #handmade #sewing #diy #zipper hack