Busy Book Project

I love my Singer Slant-o-Matic. It can do just about anything I want it to do. I wanted to make a project that showcases many different sewing techniques that are fun for a beginner or an expert so I put together this project: a Busy Book.

Making this project I used many different techniques and vintage Singer Slant-o-Matic feet and attachments.

Some skills and attachments used for this project are:

- button sewing using the button sewing foot

- buttonhole making using the Professional Buttonholer

- top stitching using the straight stitch foot

- quilting/stippling using the darning and embroidery attachment

- eyelet making using the Professional Buttonholer

- satin stitch using the special purpose foot

Here is a link over to my other blog, the HeartbeetBoutique, with the instructions and patterns.

Slant-o-Matic Accessory Storage

One of the challenges I came across when collecting my Singer Slant-o-Matic accessories and attachments was finding a way to store them that was accessible and organized and vintage. I came across this beautiful little storage box while thrifting and found out it was an original 401 accessories box.

Singer had it all figured out. The manual fits perfectly inside:

Under the manual is a little tray that comes in and out. Here it is:

On the left side the tray has a spot for the straight stitch plate to click in and an indent just the right size for a vintage paper packet of sewing machine needles. Then the four boxes in the middle hold the button sewing foot, the straight stitch foot, the shirring/gathering foot, and spare felt spool pin washers and a spare bobbin winder tire. Tucked in next to that is the seam guide and on the right there are four little slots to hold four spare bobbins. 

Under the tray you find this:

On the left side you have a spot for the ruffler, then under that the zipper foot and hemmer foot or edge stitcher, then the multi slotted binder. In the middle is the oil tube, large screwdriver, and the small screwdriver fits into a little groove at the bottom. The right has 2 pins that each hold 2 fashion discs. You can keep your lint brush on the right edge or you can tuck it in under the oil tube in the middle.

I love this accessory box. It is cute and functional and I love that it is original to a Slant-o-Matic. There are a couple of problems that can happen with these little boxes but they are easily fixed. One problem I have seen is that the gold Singer label on the top can come unstuck but it is easily fixed with a bit of glue. The other problem that I have come across is the hinges pop out of their place but they can be tucked back in and re-glued very easily.

I found this box for a great deal. The set of accessories was nearly complete, including a manual for a 401, at a thrift store for $10.00! A steal!

As a side note, I understand this box slides into one of the plastic carrying cases you could get with your machine. I will have to dig out my cases and see if I have the right case. I will get a picture if I find one.

Original 401 Accessories

The Singer 401 originally came with a full set of accessories:

- manual
- straight stitch throat plate
- paper packet of needles
- special purpose foot
- straight stitch foot
- button sewing foot
- general purpose foot
- felt spool pin washer
- spare bobbin winder tire
- fashion disc #1 (arrowhead)
- fashion disc #2 (scallop)
- fashion disc #3 (solid diamond)
- fashion disc #4 (domino)
- fashion disc #5 (banner)


The original accessories for the Singer 401 came with a lovely plastic box. Here it is:

Original 301 Accessories

The Singer 301 was the first of the slant shank machines. This awesome little machine came with a full set of accessories.

The box of accessories is part number 160623 and came in a green cardboard box.

Here is a list of the original accessories (with part numbers):
- ruffle (160629)
- adjustable hemmer (160626)
- hemmer foot (160627)
- shirrer (160628)
- edge stitcher (160625)
- binder (160624)
-felt spool pin washer (8879)
-black screwdriver (25537)
-small screwdriver (120378)
-extra bobbins

Additional accessories available for the 301 were:
- cording foot - left (160687)
- cording foot - right (160688)
- flange hemmer (160753)
- gauge foot (160755)
- quilter (160691)
- tucker (160692)
- zipper foot (161166)
- automatic zigzagger (161103)


If you are looking for a set of accessories for your 301 you can look for them one at a time or you can often get a good deal if you get the whole set by searching for part number 160623.

Singer Tucker

The manual for the 503 has this to say about the tucker:

"Since the beauty of tucking lies in explicit accuracy, the Tucker will contribute greatly to the attractiveness of this work. 

Tucks up to 1" may be stitched and marked in one operation.

Two adjustable scales are provided to gauge the tuck width and spacing.

Use either straight or decorative stitch setting."

Singer made two different slant shank tuckers. The first is part number 160692, the singer tucker made for class 301 machines.

Mine is a lovely blackside tucker. Here it is:

Since the 301 was a straight stitch machine, the hole for the needle on this tucker is only set up for a straight stitch so you can't do zig zag tucks or change your needle position when using it. 

The second slant shank tucker is part number 161226. Mine has a copyright of 1962 in the instructions. It was made for zig zag machines so the hole for the needle is wider, allowing you to zigzag or change your needle position. 

Here it is:

I haven't done much with either of these attachments but I had to have them for my collection.

Singer 503 Original Accessories

When I first fell in love with my Singer Slant-O-Matic I realized I wanted to collect all of the original accessories that came with the machine. Here is a list of the accessories that came with the Singer 503, according to the manual (and their part number):

- general purpose foot (172075)
- straight stitch foot (170071)
- straight stitch throat plate (174529)
- special purpose foot (161167)
- button sewing foot (161168)
- zipper foot (161166)
- foot hemmer (161195)
- multi slotted binder (161174)
- seam guide (161172)
- fashion discs:
#1 (arrowhead)
#5 (banner)
#6 (crescent)
#7 (icicle)
#8 (blind stitch)
#9 (multi stitch)
#10 (ball stitch)
#11 (ribbon stitch)

Some additional fashion aids listed in the manual that were available to purchase:
- darning and embroidery attachment
- edge stitcher (160625)
- gathering foot (161169)
- tucker (161226)

Additional fashion discs:
#2 (scallop)
#3 (solid diamond)
#4 (solid scallop)
#12 (domino)
#13 (faggoting)
#14 (comb)
#15 (thunderbird)
#16 (shag)
#17 (curlicue)
#18 (solid pyramid)
#19 (block)
#20 (walls of troy)
#21 (chevron)
#0 (zig zag)


If you are looking to get all of the original accessories they are available online. I have purchased a few sets of 503 accessories in the original green and red box. You can usually find them for pretty cheap online. I have paid as little as $15.00 to $20.00 for a set.

Retro All-In-One Apron from Singer's How to Make Aprons booklet

This is one of the booklets from the Singer Sewing Library, number 119, How to Make Aprons:

It's a really fun one to read. Some of the projects are outdated and impractical but are an interesting glimpse into the past.

There is one project that I thought was super cute, the All-In-One apron. I recreated it, following the instructions in the booklet, scaled down to a toddler sized apron. I had to make a few adjustments in lengths and sizes to make it work for a toddler but I think it turned out pretty cute:

Here are the instructions from the booklet if you're interested in making your own ladies' sized apron:

(Just a note, the instructions in the booklet were a little confusing in a couple of places so I just had to kind of go with my own methods here and there).

If you want to make a toddler sized apron, I made a tutorial for the Retro All-In-One Apron and I have it posted on my other blog, Heartbeet Boutique, if you would like to check it out.

This is a fun project to use some of your Slant-o-Matic attachments:

-General purpose foot - 

-Straight stitch foot and plate:

-Button sewing foot:

-Buttonholer (optional)

(If you aren't interested in using your buttonholer or if you don't have one, use the instructions in your manual for making buttonholes. It's one of the pages I use the most in my 503 manual. It's on page 44).

This project was great practice for a few essential skills including top stitching and making buttonholes and applying rick rack.

Anyway, if you get a chance, Singer's How to Make Aprons booklet is worth checking out. 

Singer Sewing Reference and Kit

My mom found this treasure at the thrift store. It's the book from a series of sewing classes they did at the Singer Sewing Center. The book is dated 1954.

The book has some pretty useful information in it. It's got all the things you'd need to know about how to make your own clothes and clothes for your family. It also has some more advanced information in it. Some of the techniques are so advanced I don't even know what is going on. Seriously, some of it is pretty intense.

As an added treasure my mom also found the "Project Material Package" that went along with the classes!

It's pretty beat up but it is nearly complete! It's amazing. It's still got the practice sheets and the fabric swatches and some of them aren't even used! I'll show you the inside later. 

The Project Material Package was available only to people who signed up for the classes. From the description on the kit: "Singer Sewing Skills is a comprehensive course in effective sewing machine usage embracing the secrets of beautiful sewing."

And "Fabric for learning how best to handle the attachments that are part of every sewing machine, as well as those you may wish to add to your equipment."

It sounds like another part of their plan was to have you try out all the sewing accessories in the store during your class so you would fall in love with them all and end up buying them. I do have many of these accessories in my collection but some of them are super rare and I haven't found them yet (such as the underbraider and the flange foot). But honestly I probably won't have an occasion where I need to sew a bit of braiding on the underside of something. Still, I would love to have them all in my collection!

Some day.

Anyway, another fun Singer Sewing Reference that is worth checking out.

Singer 301A

As I've mentioned before my Singer Slant-O-Matic 503A is my favorite machine. I have a confession for you. I've been using another machine.

My lightbulb burned out my my precious 503 and I was forced to use another machine for a bit until I replaced the bulb (which really isn't that hard as it turns out. The bulbs are readily available at JoAnn's for less than $3.00 and are really easy to replace). I am a late night sewing person so the lightbulb is really very key so I had to use another machine for a while. I pulled out my Singer 301A, also a slant needle machine like the Slant-O-Matics. The 301 was the first slant machine. Mine is from 1956 and he's a beauty. (I'll post a photo of him soon. Promise).

I found him on an online classified ad. The seller wanted $60.00 for him plus all his accessories. I'll admit, I was first drawn to him only for his accessories (which work on the other slant machines; you just have to remember they're made for a straight stitch machine). He was decked out with just about every original accessory he would have come with: his original trapezoid case (which is awesome in itself), a buttonholer, automatic zigzagger with the original 4 cams plus an additional 4 optional cams, all of which are in their original boxes with original instructions. He also came with his original manual, which was the old one with the black cover, his original green accessories box packed with feet, and 6 original vintage bobbins. I wanted his accessories but had also wanted to try out one of the original slant machines. And at $60.00 that can't be beat.

I gave him a quick test drive and he was amazing. Very smooth. Very quiet. Very cute. $60.00 later the adoption was complete and he was a member of my (ever growing) sewing machine family.

The 301 is sometimes called the big sister of the little Singer Featherweight sewng machine. Like the Featherweight, the 301 is a portable machine but it's a bit bigger. The 301 is a 3/4 size machine, which means it's lighter and more portable. Lighter compared to other solid metal machines, that is. It still weighs in at about 16 pounds plus the accessories and case. There are tables for the 301's but mine is strictly a portable machine; I keep him savely tucked in his case when not in use. He's a straight stich only machine, which of course means there's no zigzagging with out the automatic zigzagger attachment. I have found that my current sewing projects (mostly super small doll clothes) do not require much zigzagging and the straight stitch machine fills my needs well.

The bobbin winder for the 301A is on the front of the machine. It's really pretty genius. You push the bobbin up against the handwheel and that is what fills the bobbin.  In theory I guess you could be filling a bobbin while you were sewing. If you really wanted to.

Anyway, when theh lightbulb on Sinclair (my delightful 503) went out I dragged out the 301A, set him up, and have been using him for a while now. It's great because he's so portable I can sew anywhere in the house without much trouble setting him up. I can sew at night in the living room, which is way from the kiddies, and not worry about waking them.

There certainly are times when a zigzag machine are key. I haven't yet tried the zigzagger or buttonholer on the 301A yet but will let you know what I think of them when I do. It's so simple to switch from straight stitching to zigzag on the 503, 401, and 500 machines that I go to them when I need zigzagging capabilities.

But I am really liking my 301A.

Singer Accessories Tin

As you know, I love going to thrift stores and rescuing Singer Slant-o-Matic sewing machines but I also love picking up accessories to add to my ever-growing collection. Whenever my mom goes to her local thrift store she always keeps an eye out for anything vintage sewing related for me.

Check out this little gem she picked up for me! It's an accessory tin, about 2.5 inches by 6 inches. A real beauty! Based on its red and green zig zag design it is from the late '50s to early '60s, just like my favorite Slant-o-Matics.

It has all the dings and dents that come with being 50+ years old, which only add to the vintage delightfulness.

 

In all my research I have never come across another tin with this design!

It's a real find.

And the best part?

It only cost $1.00.

How We Met

My sister-in-law had given me a Simplicity Fashion Pro a few years ago when she outgrew it. It was a fun little machine. Simple. Plastic. Cheap. And it got A LOT of use from her and A LOT of use from me before finally giving up the ghost. With it gone, I was in the market for a sewing machine. A lot of the neighbor ladies had light little plastic machines that they could carry to and from quilting and sewing classes. And I WANTED one. But they cost $200.00 and it was going to take some time to save up that kind of money. So Mom very thoughtfully offered to let me borrow an old machine she had.

When I was about 12 we came across the old machine at a neighbor's yard sale. It was old and HEAVY in a big plastic case. There was a box with some odd feet and attachments. The neighbor, Michelle, wanted $30.00 for the lot. Thirty WHOLE DOLLARS. I remember it seeming very steep but for some reason, Mom went for it. I don't remember much about it. I used it a few times. My sister used it a few times. It was difficult to use because it didn't have a cabinet so it didn't see a lot of sewing time. It sat in Mom's sewing room, alone and forgotten.

I must admit, I was a little disappointed. I really wanted one of those new machines. But I HAD to have a sewing machine. (There's no way to live without one). So I brought the machine and the box of bits home (thinking it was only temporary) and got it out.

A Singer Slant-o-Matic 503. Very retro with its "Rocketeer" design. Very sturdy with its solid metal construction. It had lots of parts: the original attachments box, 8 fashion disks, spare lightbulb, a partial buttonholer, zipper foot, general purpose foot, spare spool pin, multislotted binder, ruffler, rolled hem foot, straight stitch plate, and case. I didn't know what any of them did or were but I began to see what a treasure it was.

I plugged the poor neglected guy in and he sewed like a dream, right off, without needing a tune up, even after all those years of not being used. I did a few test projects and I was hooked. I found a free download of the manual on the internet and began to learn more about him. Mom very generously said I could keep the machine and he and I have been best friends ever since.