-
Singer 6215C Sewing Machine Showcase
How to Thread the Singer 6215C Sewing Machine According to the manual, the Singer 6215C sewing machine is from 1984, so it was one of the newest sewing machines in my vintage collection. According to the International Sewing Machine Collectors’ Society, the Singer 6215 models were produced in Brazil between 1985 and 1989. It features the free arm sewing machine bed option, 8 built-in stitches, buttonholes, and a drop in bobbin. I won this item in an auction for 1 whole Canadian dollar – approximately $0.70 US. I couldn’t resist when no one bid on it. It was described as functional, but it turned out that it had timing issues.…
-
Bunny Sawtooth Star Quilt Block and Baby Quilt Tutorial
Today I’m going to show you how to make a sawtooth star quilt block featuring an applique bunny. I’ll include a link to the bunny template that you can download for free for your personal sewing projects. This tutorial is a two parter: first, I’ll teach you how to create the sawtooth star quilt block. Second, I’ll teach you how to assemble 6 oversized blocks into a quick and easy baby quilt with sashing and corner stones. The Sawtooth Star is a traditional quilt block that’s easy to assemble with half square triangle units (HSTs). It’s composed of 3 different elements: 1 large central square 4 corner squares 8 half…
-
Husqvarna 1070 Sewing Machine Showcase
Most of the sewing machine information I’ve been sharing on this blog are more “traditional” vintage sewing machines – gorgeous, all metal machines. However, this machine has grown on me, and I’ve come to choose it out of all my machines when I’m looking to do a decorative stitch. This is my first Husqvarna sewing machine, although I did share a Husqvarna serger with my mother when I was younger. I purchased this machine from the thrift store for $20, and over the years, I’ve invested in a new foot pedal, new standard feet and 1/4″ seam foot. A new walking foot attachment is actually tracking to arrive in the…
-
Cutting Fusible Web with the Cricut Maker
If you own the Cricut Maker, you know that you can cut a variety of materials, including fabric. But can you use it to cut out shapes from fabric that is already backed with fusible web and the paper liner for your applique projects? For some background, I was working on a baby quilt for my daughter who is due to be born next month. I wanted to applique some bunny shapes in the centre of my blocks. I couldn’t find anyone online talking about using my favourite applique supply: Double Stick Fusible Web. I’ve filmed my experience using my favourite double sided fusible web from The Warm Company: Lite…
-
How to Sew a Lined Christmas Stocking – with free pattern!
In this tutorial, I’ll teach you how to sew a lined Christmas stocking. I’ve created a free pattern that you can download to make it easier to follow along, but it’s easy enough to make your own pattern as well. Before we get started, let me tell you a little story. For Christmas 2019, I planned on making my family a set of matching Christmas stockings with our names embroidered on the cuff. I wanted to make stockings for me, my husband, our son, and even our unborn baby – really planning ahead so that I don’t procrastinate on the fourth stocking and so that all four stockings would exactly…
-
Eaton’s Viking 788P Vintage Sewing Machine
This is the Viking 788P sewing machine. Recently my husband was passing through Value Village when he spotted this machine in the electronics section. He texted me immediately and told me it was a retro Viking sewing machine for $19.99. The bobbin case, cord and foot pedal were all there. It operated well – and did I want it? Of course, I had to try it out. Both of us figured it was an older Husqvarna machine. But no! These two Viking brands are totally unrelated. After doing some research online, I found out that Viking was the store brand of the Canadian department store chain, Eaton’s, which went bankrupt…
-
Video: How to Sew Quilt Binding 100% by Machine
This tutorial will show you the method that I use to sew my quilt binding in place – 100% sewn with sewing machine stitches. I rarely hand sew, only when it’s absolutely necessary. I’m someone who wishes she was a neater stitcher. However, I haven’t been able to force myself to practice more. If I had to hand-sew my quilt binding in place, I think my work-in-progress pile would be even worse than it is now! Meep! Typically, the binding is sewn in place from one side, then folded over to the other side and hand sewn in place with neat, almost hidden stitches. As much as I admire those…
-
Video: Singer 127 and Singer 128 Threading and Identification Guide
In this video threading guide, I’ll be showing you how wind the bobbin, how to prepare the shuttle, and how to thread the Singer 128 and Singer 127 sewing machines. If you have a knee pedal version, I’ll also show you how to to install the knee bar lever. I’ll perform the demonstration on my model 128. The model 128 can be considered the little sister of the model 127, which is the same machine except at ¾ the size. There are another pair of similar machines, model 27 and model 28, which are often confused. If you’re not sure which one you have, scroll to the bottom of this…
-
White ESP Model 4000 Computerized Sewing Machine Guide
The latest sewing machine in my sewing machine collection is the White ESP model 4000 sewing machine. What attracted me to it was its small size – it’s no Featherweight, but while this sewing machine is in its case, it measures only 6 inches deep and 12.5” inches tall. After doing some research online, I learned that it was one of the first, if not THE first computerized sewing machines made by the White Sewing Machine Company, produced in the 1970s. This isn’t the type of sewing machine I usually seek out (I usually want them older), but I was pleasantly surprised with the smooth operation. I was walking down…
-
How to Use the Autopunch Feature on the Singer Quantum Futura Embroidery Machine, CE-200
I’ve wanted an embroidery machine for years, but the cost of these fantastic machines had always prevented me from taking the plunge. That’s why when I saw this Singer Quantum Futura Embroidery machine pop up for auction on a local buy and sell group on Facebook with a starting bid of $150 back in October, I knew I wanted to get in on it. I heard that this was a good beginner machine, but the reviews were mixed online. This was the listing photo that pulled me in: After the 24 hour auction with $1 increments was over, I won the bid at a whopping $152. Whoohoo! Getting the machine…
-
How to Thread the Singer 66 and Prepare to Sew
I’ve written about my Singer 66 before, but I wanted to share some videos I prepared about this fantastic, reliable vintage sewing machine. If you don’t have the manual, it can be tricky to thread the machine and wind the bobbin. I’ve created a video series that showcases the steps required get the Singer 66 vintage sewing machine up and running, from opening the cabinet, to threading and operating the machine, to winding the bobbin. I shared the threading video on my channel five months ago and finally finished up the bobbin video today. Video 1: Opening and Closing the Singer 66 in Cabinet 40 (with knee pedal) This video…
-
Video: Diagonal Slice Quilt Block Tutorial
My go-to baby quilt for gifting is the diagonal slice quilt block. I love that this quilt looks so complicated yet comes together so quickly. Here is an example of one single block: I’ve created this tutorial as a video to show you just how easy it is to make your own diagonal slice quilt. However, if you prefer written instructions, you can view my text and image only tutorial here. This video will teach you how to create the diagonal slice quilt block and how to assemble it into the quilt top. I’m using a slicing technique that turns simple fabric strips into a complicated design. This baby quilt…
-
Pillow Pals Spoonflower Cut & Sew Project Sewing Demonstration
Earlier this week, I posted a video on the Craftcore YouTube channel demonstrating how easy it is to make cut-and-sew projects from fat quarters purchased from Spoonflower. So fast! So easy! You can order the cut & sew fabric that I used for this project from Julien & Emily on Spoonflower – the specific design is Red Fox but there are many great designs to choose from in their shop. When you order one of the Pillow Pals project fat quarters, the fabric features the pieces you’ll need to make one pillow pal, plus a few mini pals too. Watch how easy it is to put together a cut-and-sew project in…
-
How to Identify Simanco Singer Sewing Machine Feet
So you’ve just picked up a vintage Singer sewing machine from a thrift store, and you’re lucky enough to have all or some of the original attachments that came with the machine. But wait. What are all these things? If you are a new sewer, some of these won’t be familiar. How can you determine what they are? If the machine is Singer and if the attachments are authentic, they will have a Simanco part number on them. How to Identify Simanco Sewing Machine Attachments Video: After you find the number, visit the Accessory Part Numbers page on the Singer Sewing Info site. Match up the Simanco number from your…
-
How to Sew Bar Stool Slipcovers Tutorial
To fulfill my dream of renovating my kitchen on a budget, I tried my hand at making custom slipcovers for my new-to-me bar stools for the breakfast bar we are creating. I didn’t buy a pattern to make these. Instead, I used my handy measuring tape and dove right in and figured things out as I went along. Each chair took approximately 2 infant nap times to cut out, sew, and staple – nap times are how I count time in my life now, apparently. Overall, I’m pleased with the results and am happy to share my process with you. This tutorial will show you how to recover a bar stool that has a…
-
How Much Fabric Do I Need To Buy for Cutting Out Rectangles?
I’m trying something new on the blog. I get a lot of questions from readers that I answer privately, but they are often very similar to each other. I’m going to start answering questions that are not private in nature publicly on the blog so that everyone can learn from the answers. Let’s share the wealth! Have a question? Come ask me over on my contact page. Today’s question comes from DJ: HELP!!!! how much fabric would I need for 20 squares that measure 15″ x 16 1/2″? THANK YOU How Much Fabric Do I Need to Buy to Cut These Rectangles? The way I calculate this is very similar to the…
-
How to Sew a Heart Mug Rug Quilting Tutorial
In this tutorial, I’m going to teach you how to make this super cute heart mug rug. I’ve made mine in red, white and pinks, giving off a major Valentine’s Day vibe, but you could easily swap up the colours for a totally different look all year round. You can watch my video tutorial or read the transcript below. I’ve included a few photos for reference but the main tutorial is on the video portion of this posting. How to Sew a Heart Mug Rug – Video Tutorial: This is a great project to use up fabric scraps. You’ll need three fabric prints in total: one dark for the background and…
craft projects, tutorials, and reviews
