I wish I had pictures of the "before." I found him in a basement. I had stopped at a rummage sale and there was a machine there but it was above my price range. I asked the nice lady if she had any other machines. We went downstairs to this overwhelming huge space full of "stuff." It
was all dirty. She told me that this building used to be a brake shop and my body immediately went into asthma mode. Purely psychological I'm sure but I didn't reach for my inhaler because I didn't want that dust to penetrate deeper in my lungs. She led me to this machine, It was so dirty I had to find a rag on the floor to mop it off a bit to figure it out. I found a plug and tested it to see if the motor turned it over. I must admit this was a pity purchase. I couldn't bear to leave this machine here. There were other machines there, as well but they were older and I am on a very limited budget. I told her what I would pay and she wanted more. I told her that I get that. She could clean it up herself and get more money. I wasn't trying to rip her off, I just have my limits. When I got ready to leave she decided to accept my offer. She even found the case and gave me that, as well. Bless her heart, she helped this poor little machine live to sew again.
It took me half a day to clean and oil it up but it came out fine. The free arm is what I needed right now so here we go. I had two jackets to do so I snapped some pictures.
I have no idea how the professionals do it. I have no claim to that status. My mom started teaching me to sew when I was four years old. Except for home economics, I have had no formal training. From doing this I learned to bast the patch on. The jackets are stiff and there is a slick backing on the patch. At first I tried to pin but when you are trying to wrestle it through the machine you sometimes run a pin in your hand. Rule #1: Don't bleed on the fabric. (doing my Leroy Jethro Gibbs)
Try to flatten the jacket out as much as possible, starting at the front edge work your way towards the sleeve. When you get down the sleeve a bit make sure the free arm of the machine is going down the sleeve. You might have to grab the armhole opening and work it over the free arm like dressing a reluctant child.
I aim for a a starting point at the upper left side of the patch and then work my way to the bottom right. Be sure to back stitch at each end. Sometimes I only get three or four stitches before you have to re-position and flatten your work, I use a fairly long stitch, why torture yourself.
Half way there!
Starting again at the upper left corner, work your way to the bottom left and leave that needle down as you gently turn to come across the bottom. As you sew you may may to stop and rotate the sleeve around the free arm. Take your time.
Ta-da!!! Now clip those stitches and pull the basting stitches out. No blood was shed.
Don't forget to turn the sleeve inside out and get those threads clipped as well. As you can see. I'm not the only one who had a thread ball or two. Mine is on the left. Don't beat yourself up. As long as you slip a fingernail under the edge of the patch on the front side and it seems tight, don't sweat it. There are probably 10 years of patches on this jacket. All have thread balls and none have come loose or have fallen off.
This is the foot I SHOULD have used. It's clear and I could have seen what I was doing better.
Five more years and the patch sewing will have to move to the front or rear of the jacket.
If you have patches and a free-arm machine give it a try. If it's on the front or rear of the jacket a free-arm is not necessary. A size 16 needle and slow is all you need.
May the force be with you!
Sue
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