No Sewing Only Treasure Hunting

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Hi friends! I took a little summer break so to speak. Lots of family events and little local fun things here and there. That hasn’t allotted me with much sewing time, but plenty of time to treasure hunt.

My husband recently started a new job, so we had a little down time to hit garage sales and thrift stores around our area. I picked a couple machines and tons of vintage sewing notions. I added some examples of my in the wild finds.

With my life into a new groove, I’ll be working on some new projects ASAP.

xo-Thea

Recent Finds & What To Work On Next

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Tis’ the season for deals apparently. I’ve had a little lucky streak at thrift store and garage sales recently. Unfortunately, I haven’t really been motivated to actually sit down and sew much in my hot sewing room. (As an old timer PNW gal - we just don’t have A/C). Projects are lining up and I’ve hit a bit of a hump of what to work on next.

Here’s a closer look at the 401A’s cabinet.

I tried in vain looking for the model number on this vintage MCM Singer sewing cabinet that came with the 401A.

Sewing machine cabinet knowledge is a struggle bus for me. While there are some resources and groups out there. I haven’t found one really comprehensive spot yet. So, if you’re wondering what cabinet model this is - I don’t have an answer. Mahogany wood, side door swing, MCM style for a 401A cabinet thingie. Hahaha.

So far, folks want me to tackle that 401A first. I’ll probably do that. I do intend to have videos on all four of those items I show in the video, as well as a couple more already in progress. Once I get over my heat aversion that is.

Stay cool friends, xo-Thea

The Un-stinkening of the Super Stinky Vintage Sewing Machine Case

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My recent dream machine purchase came with an unwanted surprise. A super stinky case. I have never in my vintage sewing machine collection come across something so horrid smelling. I mentioned that unfortunate bit in a recent video and I got a few recommendations on what to do.

I took that advice after trying a couple easy things first. See the video below to see what I did.

How to fix a stinky vintage sewing machine case.

What I used: https://tinyurl.com/msn3fyrp (not an affiliate link).

Thanks to a couple subscribers who recommended this blog post that has deep dives into the problem: https://tinyurl.com/2hk849as

I appreciate you and I’m just sharing the wealth of knowledge. And boy is it nice to not want to barf every time I walk by that case now. :)

xo-Thea


Sewing With and For Chickens | A Chicken Crop Bra

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A little while back, I needed to show the portability of a couple of my sewing machines. Since I am a proud homesteading homebody these days, I had to get creative with showing how one can take the machines to places. Rather than the norm of being fixed to a cabinet in a sewing room.

Piggy and I sewing on my Singer 301A. She’s my little velcro chicken that loves to be cuddled and held.

My husband built a beautiful chicken coop and we have an area where we have a table and chairs to sit down at right in front of the coop. Obviously that was a brilliant spot to show a sewing machine’s portability.

The unfortunate thing is that area is in the “chicken zone”. Fellow chicken tenders (lulz) know what I mean. Chickens can be cute, cuddly and just overall amusing. However, they do poop on everything. So, to sew anywhere near them is a little risky.

I mention it in my 221K vs 301A video that I set a brick/paver down under my foot pedal when I sew in the chicken zone. What a nightmare it would be to clean off any ick off an original bakelite foot pedal. Aside from that protective measure, I don’t do much else to protect my machines from them. I do wear a pincushion on my wrist when I sew, which makes me a little nervous. I have one chicken in particular that likes to be held and I worry she might try to get my attention by nipping at me and accidentally grab a pin. So, I’m very cautious with that.

While they are interested in my activities (hopeful I have treats) and are definitely familiar with the sounds that my machines make. They just do their normal exploring of the yard while they are out. My girls are not free rangers, they are only out freely when we are out with them as well with our two large dogs.

Sewing for chickens - I’ve known for a long time that there are “extra” chicken people out there that make clothing for their chickens. I had a friend that wrote a book on free range chickens over a decade ago and I got to meet some very fanatical chicken folk while attending some of her book signings. But there are practical items that chickens do need sewn for them. Saddles from being picked on or mated with too much by roosters. Or in my case, I have a girl that had continuous sour crop issues. (A pendulous crop.)

Red Chicken (Her name - long story.) Wearing the second iteration of my homemade crop bra.

I decided to sew her a bra. While I was worried about my girl and desperately wanted to do whatever I could to relieve her discomfort. I did find it completely comical that sewing a chicken bra has been one of my more difficult sewing projects to date. I had three iterations before I got it just right for her. I sacrificed a couple old bras for the elastic straps and closure and a twill skirt to construct it. She hated it for one whole day. She hasn’t had sour crop since.

Honestly, that was something I never thought I would ever have to do. Thankfully I had machines, supplies and patience to make it happen. However, I prefer to have my girls flock around me while I sew rather than sewing for them.

xo-Thea

Singer Featherweight 221K vs. 301A | The short bed versions.

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When I started to get into collecting vintage sewing machines, I immediately heard the word “Featherweight” as a machine I needed to check out. A quick Google search gave me a plethora of information about it and more importantly a noticeable higher price point. Granted, I thrift 90% of my sewing machines and prices are in the $14-$125 range and “higher price point” is relative to what you’re looking for in your area. I personally rarely pay over $100 for my machines. I am an avid thrifter/secondhand buyer so I am constantly on the lookout for deals and often spot them in the wild. I know not everyone is as passionate as I am about that so I might see a higher content of price ranges than the average person.

Want to skip my post and just watch the comparison video? Click here.

My immediate question was why were they higher in price? Did they perform better than most machines in the land? Do they do something special?

I had a bout of luck when a neighbor gifted me a Singer 221K. (I did a whole video on that and you can watch it here on my channel. I know how lucky I am with that gift and I am extremely grateful. It is such a cute machine. Since, it is a 221k rather than the standard 221 I know there are a few differences. I have yet to compare those personally aside from the searchable price. The 221K and the 221J tan colored models are higher priced here in the United States. The 221K (White/Celery/Teal) models were made in Scotland so they are harder to come by here. I understand the same is for the 221J, which were made in Canada. With all of that said, they tend to have a price that is in the $1,000 - $1,400 (USD). Whereas the regular 221 black short bed Featherweight made post WW2 is typically $200 - $400 in my area. Condition, original bobbin housing, accessories, original box, manuals are considerations to the price as well.

After price consideration, does it perform better than my beloved 301A? The 301 model is often called “the big sister” the Featherweight. Or a “Featherweight on steroids”. That second one really made me laugh, but I don’t personally agree with either nickname. I thrifted a 301A at my local Goodwill awhile back. Fixed her up and we became best friends. You can watch my video on that on my channel too.

I absolutely love my 301A. Excellent stitches, the slant needle shank for more viewable area, the general oomph, of the motor. I love, love, this machine. So, when I had the opportunity to compare the two models personally I was extremely excite about it. Please watch the video below or watch it here on my channel.

Singer 221k vs Singer 301A (the short bed version).

The battle of the smalls. The wee ones that sew really well. The little sewing machines that can do it. It was fun to talk about them side by side as a user and not just a wannabe repair lady.

Let me know if you have both models of the machines and which one you prefer and why. Or do your machines serve specific needs for a type of sewing/project you do. I feel that is also an important consideration too. I’m still deep into my apparel sewing journey, but I am beginning to dabble very lightly into quilting. My love affair with fabric just gets bigger and bigger.

Time to sew and more from me real soon.

xo-Thea

PFAFF 262 - Stuck to sewing within a week!

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Hello, hello, hello!

Hopefully you all are following me over on Instagram, YouTube or even Flickr. Obviously I am still terrible at blogging. But I am pretty hyped about this little project I did.

Recently while out thrifting with John, he spotted this Pfaff 262. (I have him on the lookout for me for older Singers & Pfaffs.) When I put my hands on it at the store, I couldn’t get anything to move. It was seized up and pretty dirty. It looked like it lived in a garage previously. Pfaff machines are my favorite. I have been sewing on one for the last 20+ years. With a price tag of $25 and hope in my pocket, I decided to take a chance on her.

Since I am in the deep rabbit hole of vintage sewing and vintage sewing machines, I decided to document what I did to just get her in a functioning state. Many videos and tutorials are geared to those with a bit more experience. I am a newbie. I need to take hands on baby steps and want to encourage others too.

*I do have small machine repair experience from when my dad was still alive. He ran an auto body shop and a small engine repair shop. Guess who got to tear apart a bazillion chainsaws and lawnmowers before the age of 13 and into high school.

This was a bit beyond a simple cleaning. That glue like varnish from the gasoline and Vaseline mixture was no joke. I did have to use a bit of physical force too. John only assisted me with reinstalling the pressure spring that I popped off when I took out the cam assembly.

I had to take this out to access points to oil to get rotation inside the machine.

Above, aside from the mandarin orange is everything I used to work on this. I stick with using only sewing machine oil to get things clean. I did use some 91% isopropyl alcohol to take off the stuck residue from the maintenance service company sticker on the front. Two soft head toothbrushes, lots of Q-tips, a couple napkins, a couple toothpicks and a rag for cleaning. Long bent nose tweezers, a flat head screwdriver that came with my “modern” Pfaff machine and John’s iFixit kit were the tools I used. The wire cutters and pliers were used for another machine I am working on too.

In the future I want to attempt retrobrighting (John will handle this process) some of the dials and hand wheel that have yellowed with age.

I am taking a brief break from fixing things to sew. But I am going to dive into getting the embroidery stitches working and I will post and update video when I do.

My hands are dirty but my stitches are good.

If you’re feeling handy and run into a situation similar to what I did. Give it a try! I’m feeling really good about bringing this gal back to life. I named her Diane after my sister (now known as The Living Miracle) who recently survived a very serious accident. (She was hit by a car at full speed while on a walk.) I feel naming this machine after her is appropriate.

That’s all for now friends. Be sure to connect with me on the outlets I mentioned above for more consistent updates.

xo-Thea

Halloween 2021

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Happy November to you. I hope you all had a very nice Halloween. We had a fun Halloween season. (That I started decorating for in August.)

I unfortunately, didn’t have time to release all of the products I wanted to on our Darkness Drive collection. We’re still adjusting to just one of us being a full time maker. I still plan on releasing those items in the coming months.

I documented my Halloween Week wardrobe. Many of the items you might recognize from previous posts, others were just some casual wear for sitting on my buns for the AdobeMAX conference.

I shared our annual laser engraved pumpkin video on YouTube. It’s just a fun thing that we’ve done every years since the inception of our business.

Trick or Treating was still a little weird this year. We saw a lot of neighbors asking questions and saw suggestions of how to do it safely. I came up with a little self service display pictured above. We always do something away from out front door due our beloved rescue dog who isn’t fond of little children. We had more trick or treaters than we did in 2019 and our little display (which looked much cooler in the dark with the battery operated candles glowing) seemed to work out really well.

Now onto fall projects. I have a stack of thrifted wool that will be skirts and jackets soon. I also have to clean up my Christmas ornament designs. We’ve already sold quite a few over the weekend.

xo-Thea

Vlog: Pumpkin Patch Trip and Small Business Setbacks

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Over the weekend my eldest daughter rallied us up to make an annual pumpkin patch trip. It was rainy, muddy and loud. (The patch that we went to has an apple cannon.) Despite all of that, we had a great time. Check out the video below to see what it was like. Tune back in the last week of October for our annual pumpkin carving session.

In this vlog, I also talk about a couple set backs. With life adjustments and not being full time makers any more, we’re simply just not creating/releasing products as fast as we used to. To me, it’s a 100% frustrating and I hope to magically find extra hours in the week. I’ve been sleeping less and doing more - but I still can’t get to things I want to. However, we are creating a bigger network of vendors for our established products which is great. We’re just trying to streamline a balance of everything and the creative in me just wants to create more. Ugh.

I am sad to not be able to release the two clothing items i wanted to. That particular issue came down to cost of materials. I intend to use dead-stock fabrics for my limited releases. I also intend on offering inclusive sizing. The math and materials just haven’t worked out in my favor so far. I am hoping for spring and summer 2022 to do that.

Despite my personal frustration about work, I’m really enjoying my favorite season. We’ve had cozy fires, soups and set plans for family time. Fall is my favorite.

I hope all of you are well and I appreciate you all! - Thea

On Our Menu - Vegetable Pancit Bihon

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This is an accompanying post to a video on my channel linked below. (Available May 19, 2020 12pm Pacific.)

I loathe big stories before the ingredients list when I am looking up a recipe. So, I’m going to give you the details right up front.

Basic recipe ingredients:

  • 1 8ounce package of Excellent Brand Rice Stick (We used 2 packages in this video.)

  • 2 carrots julienned

  • 1 medium yellow onion sliced

  • 4 cloves of garlic (at minimum) chopped (We used 8 cloves.)

  • 2 stalks of celery sliced

  • 1 cup of snow peas sliced

  • 2-3 cups of cabbage or bok choy sliced (We used bok choy.)

  • 2+ tablespoons of soy sauce (to taste)

  • 1 tablespoon of Filipino fish sauce (optional)

  • 1 small lemon sliced and seeded

  • Ground black pepper to taste

  • A neutral oil like canola for the pan.

  • Water if needed. (Traditionally, chicken stock is used.)

  • Optional but traditional (chicken, pork and shrimp) small bite sized pieces cooked after the onions and garlic. Or as Jina says in the video use leftover meat.

Basically follow the steps in the video and you’re good. This a very tasty easy side dish or meal to make.

Substitutions:

  • If you cannot find the Excellent Brand of Noodles at the store or on Amazon like I can. Maifun rice stick noodles also can work.

  • Tamari. I get asked this a lot from my gluten free friends. Yes, you can substitute tamari for soy sauce.

  • Also, as stated in the video I cannot confirm whether or not if the noodles I used are gluten free or not so I will leave that up to you to discover.

“A person I know makes it differently.”

Ahh yes, that is one of the greatest joys in life isn’t it? We all add our own personal touches to dishes that make it ours. I personally have never tasted to lasagnas that are the same.

This is a tried and true version for us that I learned to make from my mom and stepmothers. (All of my stepmothers were Filipino too.)

Are you sure you’re Filipino? You don’t look like it. Also, should you be making a Filipino dish if you’re only “half”.

I have laughed in someone’s face when I was asked am I sure that I am Filipino. If you knew my mom, you’d know she’s undoubtedly my mother. I just happen to look like the other parent that created me.

I am proudly Filipino with a sprinkling of another Asian heritage. My children (who are a quarter Filipino with darker skin than I have) and I are white passing. Genetics are wild like that. However, as many biracial people will attest, we are whole people with blended heritages. This is my cultural experience and I get to claim it. Just like I get to claim my German heritage from my dad.

Left - Thea’s Mom. Right - Thea’s Lola (Grandma) 1970s.

Left - Thea’s Mom. Right - Thea’s Lola (Grandma) 1970s.

I did not have the “typical” white American childhood. My mom suffered from culture shock when she came to America and I witnessed a lot of that. I also went to school with “smelly” lunches and other “typical” “my mom is from another country and speaks another language” stuff.

My children have a Lola (tagalog for grandma) and got to experience very Filipino things too.

Like with many cultures, I, and now my adult children get to express their appreciation for our heritage through the dishes we make. Sharing a meal with your people, friends or family is the best way to show fellowship for a lack of a better term. If you’ve ever met a Filipino, you’d know there’s nothing more that we like to do. Share a meal, sing, dance and have togetherness. I am proud to share this little of togetherness with you.

Mabuhay.

Thea

Some favorite thrift finds and my first button down blouse.

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John and I had a vintage hard to find Legoland Castle set(s) to share this week on my channel. So, I thought it would be fun to share a couple of our favorite thrift finds too.

TheaStarrButtonDownBlouse3.JPG

In other news, I made my first successful button down blouse. I’ll be dedicating a post to this in the future as I am currently making more. I am genuinely surprised that I got the fit right in the bust, but boy howdy - I am stoked about it.

TheaStarrVintageSewingPatterns1

In other sewing news, a neighbor in my local Buy Nothing Group offered up a big box of vintage sewing patterns. I was on it and was lucky to be selected.

TheaStarrVintageSewingPatterns3

There are so many goodies in there, I can’t wait to try a few of them.

Sorry to those of you who follow me for my kanzashi work. I just haven’t had any new projects that are completed to share. I still do make them. Also, I am indulging this sewing bug that I have. I really do appreciate the support and encouragement on my sewing projects.

Tomorrow’s blog post will be a long awaited one and it’s a recipe. So come back tomorrow for that.

xo-Thea