Singer Sewing Library

In the '60s Singer put out a line of sewing reference books. They were 25 cents or 29 cents and were available at the local Singer Sewing Centers. The first was dated 1960 and the last one was dated 1962. They were available with a staple binding or comb bound:

I have been collecting them from yard sales and thrift stores and online. I just need one more to make my collection complete.

The series is pretty fun. I love to look through them. Part of the delight is the snapshot of the past that they give you about life then. Another part is that there are actually some pretty fun projects, techniques, and ideas in some of them.

Here is a full list of the series and their numbers:

101 - How to Make Curtains
102 - How to Make Draperies
103 - How to Make Valences
104 - How to Make Bedspreads
105 - How to Lay Out a Pattern and Cut
106 - How to Measure, Alter and Fit
107 - How to Make Seams and Finishes
108 - How to Make Sleeves
109 - How to Make Buttonholes and Pockets
110 - How to Make Collars, Finish Necklines
111 - How to Make Zipper Closures
112 - How to Make Belts and Hems
113 - How to Make Slip Covers
114 - How to Make Café Curtains
115 - Things for Little Girls to Make
116 - Creating Charm When Sewing for Girls
117 - How to Mend and Refit
118 - How to Do Dressmaker Tailoring
119 - How to Make Aprons
120 - How to Make Cushions, Pillows, and Bolsters
121 - How to Sew for Babies

Really it seems like some of these are essentially the same: Curtains, Draperies, Valences, Café Curtains. But some are super fun like the Aprons, Creating Charm When Sewing for Girls, and especially Things for Little Girls to Make. 

I will be trying some of the projects and techniques and I will let you know what I think. 

I do recommend the series though. It's a fun read if you are into sewing techniques and the past. 

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 Some of the projects are outdated and impractical but are an interesting glimpse into the past.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.

Slant-o-Matics are the BEST - Even the Pied Piper of Sewing Knew It!

Check out this awesome thing my mom found for me:

It is a vintage sewing booklet from 1965, by Alfred Bach, "The Pied Piper of Sewing," (which I think is hilarious). 

On the back of the booklet is a picture of him teaching a bunch of ladies his techniques in the '60s.  

But look close! There he is, the Pied Piper of Sewing himself, using a Singer Slant-o-Matic 500A!

I have found many times that if you look close at the photos of sewing machines in vintage instructional booklets and manuals you will see that they are using a Slant-o-Matic. I love it.

The Slant-O-Matic Special

I was reading the manual that came with my favorite machine, the Singer 503A, and came across a lovely list of reasons to choose that machine, the Slant-O-Matic Special.

I'd like to go through some of the points on the list and explain.

• "Double Easy Threading. Face plate swings open to reveal threading chart. Handy "drop-in" bobbin located in front of the needle where it's easy to reach."
 It is very handy to be able to just swing the face plate open and see how to thread the machine. The drop in bobbin is what I really love. It's not under the machine and you don't have to put the bobbin in a removable bobbin case and then into the machine; you just drop it right in. Love it.

• "Slant needle and gear drive...seeing is easier, sewing smoothest ever. Gear drive ensures trouble-free operation at all speeds without slipping or stalling."
I do like the slant needle because of the added visibility. There is so much space between the machine and the throat plate that makes it easier to see what you're working on.

• "Built-in, eye level stitch chart for easy reference while you are sewing. Information at a glance, that lets you select the fancy stitch you want."
Sure. Quick reference is always good.

• "Elevator Type calibrated throat plates, lever operated. Easy to remove and replace."
This is one thing I really like. You don't have to find a separate cover to cover the feed dogs, you can just raise the plate and they are out of the way. I also switch to the straight stitch plate and it's super easy to make the change.

• "Hinged Face Plate houses threading charge and swings open for easy access to oiling points."
We already talked about the threading chart but the bit about easy access to oiling points is great. I love being able to get the oil in there just by popping the door open and not having to remove any screws.

• "Superfine Control of stitch length ensures perfect satin stitch adjustment."
I really like the number system Singer uses. If you set your stitch length at a 12 that means you are getting 12 stitches per inch. It's not vague like some machines with their scale from 1-4.

• "Perfect straight stitching."
Seriously. I love it. I sew a lot of super tiny doll clothes and it's key to have really straight, even stitches when you are doing 1/32" top stitching. I love being able to click the straight stitch plate in without taking out any screws or having to access the underneath of the machine.

• "Built-In Light focused on sewing area."
Pretty straight forward. It's in the right place. It does get hot, however and I have burned myself on it a time or two.

• "Needle Clamp holds one or two regular needles--same or different sizes for exciting two-needle stitching."
This is something I am looking forward to trying. I have never used the two-needle set up but I will be trying it and I'll let you know what I think.


• "All Mechanism Completely Enclosed for maximum safety."
I like that there are no exposed belts to catch hair or anything; keeping all your fingers is important.

• "Aluminum Construction, durable and light weight."
I'm not sure I'd call twenty-ish pounds light weight but it was pretty light for a good sewing machine back in the day. It's not light weight like the plastic machines of today but that's a lot of what I love about it; it's sturdy. It's not convenient for a portable machine but the functions and design simply can't be beat.

• "Interchangeable Fashion Discs, one piece and easy to handle."
The discs simply click in and out for fun fancy decorative stitches, no additional attachment necessary.

• "Peephole Bobbins show thread supply at a glance with bobbin in place."
It hadn't occurred to me that they did this on purpose. The holes on the bobbin make it so you can peer in there and see how much thread is left on the bobbin. Nobody likes running out of thread in the middle of a line of stitching.

• "Automatic Thread Control ensures a smooth flow of thread from spool to needle for uniform stitch setting."
Yep. Easy to adjust tension, too.

• "Concealed Automatic Bobbin Winder."
The bobbin winder for the 400 series is on the outside of the machine but starting with the 500s they enclosed the winder. The tire is still there like on the 400s but it's on the inside of the machine. The bobbin winding latch clicks in place easily and I love it that when the bobbin is full it automatically releases so it can't get over filled.

• "Dial-Operated pressure adjustment, calibrated to eliminate guesswork in duplicating settings.
This can be changed to keep your machine to feed the fabric smoothly. The numbers are right on there so you can set it to whatever amount of pressure you need and return it back to your normal setting when done. According to the manual "Generally heavy fabrics require heavy pressure; fine fabrics require light pressure." You can just turn to a higher number to increase pressure and turn to a lower number to decrease pressure. Pretty user friendly.

• "Stitch Length Regulator with double pointers for easy, accurate stitch length adjustment."
I assume they're talking about the numbers to the left and right of the regulator, which makes it clear how long your stitches are. You can tighten the thumb nut to hold it at your selected stitch length so you don't have to fuss with it after back stitching.

• "Hinged Nylon Spool Pins, self-positioning and self storing."
These little guys fold themselves flat when you close the door on the top and pop back up when you open it. They are also easy to replace if needed.

• "Thread Cutter built into presser bar for added safety and convenience."
This is helpful for a quick cutting of the threads at the end of a seam when you don't have your scissors handy. It's right on the presser bar so it's not in the way and doesn't break off.

There you have it. So many reasons to fall in love with the Singer Slant-O-Matic!

Singer Student's Manuals

As I mentioned before, I love Singer's Teacher's Textbook of Machine Sewing. There is a companion set of student manuals that went with the Teacher's Textbook of Machine Sewing. There are 6 of them, published around 1962. I have been wanting them for some time. They are available on eBay from time to time and I have been drooling over them.

My husband got me the whole set for me. Yay for birthdays!

Like the title says, they are the student manuals for the Singer sewing course. The six manuals are short, from 4 pages to about 20. They cover everything from maintenance of your machine, sewing simple projects, and how to use the fashion discs, feet, and attachments. And there is a little quiz on the back of a couple of the to see if you've been paying attention in class. It's awesome.

Like the Fanatic I am I did a side by side comparison of the Teacher's Textbook and the Student Manual. Interestingly enough, they are very close and if you get all six of the Student Manuals you just about have all the information in the Teacher's Textbook, although the Teacher's Textbook goes further in depth in some areas.

I will be posting a comparison in the future. Nerdy, I know. But I love it.

-Sugar

Singer Teacher's Textbook of Machine Sewing

Maybe you have heard of it: Singer's Teacher's Textbook of Machine Sewing. This edition (the best edition) was published in 1960. It's the holy grail of sewing machine manuals, particularly if you have a Slant-O-Matic from the 400 or 500 series.

It was the manual they used to teach the courses at the Singer Sewing Center. It covers everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) you want to know about your sewing machine, attachments, sewing techniques, maintenance, and even history of the sewing machine.

The tricky part is it's rare and usually costs about $150.00 to get a copy.

But lucky me! My husband got it for me for Valentine's Day. So romantic. :)

And it is amazing. Seriously amazing.

I have spent hours reading it and re-reading it. It's super fun for a Slant-O-Matic Fanatic like me.

I will be sharing some of my favorite bits and some of the most useful information from the book in future posts.