Laptop Skins for Cricuts and Other Machines

This is an update to my 5 minute Cricut Makeover post found here.

Many of you have asked about the Butterfly  laptop skin that we used on out Cricut machines.

Unfortunately at the moment the store where I purchased this one from is out of stock. I am looking for other sources as a number of you have placed orders.

However the store has small numbers of some other designs in stock at the moment. (see below)
Cost for each skin is $3 AUD plus postage and packaging to send to you. Payment via Paypal.

These photos do not do these laptop skins justice. They are much nicer in person. Click on each image for a closer view.

Blue Metallic Paisley Design - The finish on this one is raised

Black Glittered Leafy Design

Black Glittered Leafy Design - Close Up

Ferns and Swirls - The swirls that look black in the photo are actually a silver foil finish

Butterflies and Bead - This Design has crystal types gems on it

 

Winged Guitar - This one has a metallic/ foil finish on it

Email me if you are interested in any of these skins and wish to purchase.

How To Clean Old Antique and Vintage Sewing Machines

This is my Singer 201K from the 1950’s. When I bought it, it had only been used as a hall table for many years and the machine itself was never used by the owner. The table was in really good condition and clearly had been polished regularly. The machine however needed cleaning and the power lead, pictured below, needed replacing. Thankfully after a good clean and service I ended up with a great working machine. This tutorial came about because I could not find much information on cleaning these old sewing machines. Here I will share with you how I clean my machines, no matter how old they are.

 

Things you will need:

• Newspaper - to sit your machine on and protect the surface underneath
• Rags - lots for cleaning and polishing
• Paper towels to sit cleaned items to dry
• Toothbrush or paintbrush - to clean stubborn areas
• Cotton tips
• Vacuum cleaner with a Computer attachment (it allows you to reach small areas easily)
• Kerosene
• brass or silver cleaner
• good quality sewing machine oil
• gloves to protect your hands from the dirt and chemicals
• notepad and pencil or digital camera to make notes as you take things apart

How I Clean My Old Machines:

Remember to only do one section of your machine at a time to make it easier to put back together!!!It can help to take photos or takes notes as you work. If you have a manual for your machine keep it handy, just in case you need to refer to it.

Computer Attachment for Cleaning Sewing Machines

Do Not Remove any Red Felt you find

1. Remove the needle from the machine as this makes cleaning easier and safer. Remove and the shiny parts and clean with brass or silver cleaner. I was told by my local sewing machine repairer that brass cleaner is much softer on the metal parts and will cause less scratches and wear in the long term. 
2. Remove lint from the bobbin case and under the machine. I use my vacuum cleaner with a tiny computer nozzle attached to make it easier. Some people use canned air but I don’t like the dust blowing around getting into places that may cause damage later. I prefer to get rid of it completely with the vacuum. NOTE: If you find something that looks like a piece of red felt, LEAVE IT THERE! It is felt and helps to lubricate things. It is meant to be kept oiled. Do not take it out. The model in the photo below is a Singer 66-1 
3. Clean areas under the faceplate and underneath with some kerosene on a rag, paintbrush or cotton tip. This is also safe to use on decals but I would be careful on worn areas anyway to help preserve them. Don’t forget the feed teeth. Wipe away any excess. 
4. Oil the machine on all the moving parts where metal touches metal. It also helps to refer to the manual if you have one for your model. You can find out the model number of your machine at ISMACS using the serial number which is found on the front base plate of the machine. This site will also tell you approximately when your machine was manufactured. 
5. Replace all removed parts. Worn bobbin winder tires and belts should be replaced with new ones, especially if you intend to use the machine. Keep the originals. 
6. Once you have finished cleaning, the whole machine can then be given a polish with some machine oil or a wax and polish with a gentle car wax. I just used sewing machine oil as I didn't have any car polish. Just be careful over the decals. Do not allow any oil to come into contact with the rubber bobbin winder tyre or belt. This will cause them to perish quicker, and will make them slip if you intend to use the machine. 
7. Any gears on the machine will need to be greased. I use grease from my local sewing machine repair shop. Follow your manual for application points as grease should NEVER be used like sewing machine oil and the oil should NEVER be used in place of grease 
8. Inspect any electrical wires and cords if your machine has them. Damaged ones should be repaired or replaced by a licensed electrician. A power cord that looks like this really needs replacing, even if it does work! This one has perished from being in the same coiled up position for years. I usually give this job to an electrician. 
9. Polish the wooden table or bentwood cover if you have one with a quality wood polish. I used marveer.

Perished And Damaged Cords Need Replacing or Fixing

More information can be found here my post on Helpful Links on Antique and Vintage Sewing Machines,  ISMACS  and Treadleon.

If you find this information useful or something is not quite clear, please feel free to leave a comment.

***My Original blog post on this topic has been now been restored and can be found here. *****

5 Minute Cricut Makeover - A Cheat's guide!

 I have long been admiring the Cricut Machines that you can buy with the lovely decoration on them, but really just can't justify the extra money to just so I can own one of them

A number of cricut owners have painted their machines with sprays or alcohol inks to make them pretty and many have also cut shapes in vinyl with their cricuts to decorate them. But I really wanted something that I could change if I wanted to without damaging or leaving marks or stains on my cricut. Which didn't leave many options until I found a removable gorgeous laptop skin that would look perfect! This one even has bling on it!

As you can see the skin was a little too large for the front of the machine, but I used this to my advantage and let it carry on right over the lid. All I did was carefully make a cut in the gap between the lid and front to allow it to open again.

Before

After

My DD also loved this idea and did the same to her Baby Cricut.

Before

After

So no more admiring others beautiful Cricuts for us, DD and I now have our own. If you have decorated your own cricuts please feel free to share the link in the comments below. We would love to see them.

 ***********************

I have had a couple of comments and emails regarding where I purchased the laptop skin from. I found them in our local discount store. 

If anyone is interested in this particular design and unable to find it, let me know, I can go and see if I can get more. I will only charge the cost of the item, Envelope and postage to your destination from Australia. I will accept payments via paypal only and any requests will be on a first come first served basis depending on availability.

UPDATE: On the laptop skins and availability Here.

Dating Vintage Featherweights and Other Antique Singer Sewing Machines

The Singer website has removed the detailedr records regarding manufacturing dates for their vintage and antique sewing machines. Fortunately much of this information has been preserved by others and it is now being shared over at ISMACS.

Just locate the serial number on your sewing machine, follow the link below and find your serial number to establish it's approximate date of manufacture.

Dating Singer Sewing Machines

A Little Christmas Dress - Spotty Ric Rac

Here is a gorgeous dress I have just finished sewing for my little one for Christmas and could not wait to share with you. I stitched a rolled hem wth my overlocker on all the hems and added a little ric rac embellishment. This is a size one and it seems very long, but at least my little girl will be able to get lots of wear from it.

 It is from Simplicity 5695 and I love how many different looks you can get with the one pattern. This is going to be a definite favourite. There are only 4 pattern pieces needed to make this Christmas dress (view C) and it is so quick to make up.

Wallet Money Cards

Here are a few money cards I made a while ago. For some reason I forgot to publish the post and  pics so here they are. Oops just realised a couple have the wrong watermark too!

Anyway the first wallet card was made using the template from Valita's Designs. Instead of false stitching though I did real stitching on my sewing machine which was so much easier and quicker to do. It also has the benefit of looking more realistic too. I used cling film to stamp various inks onto brown card to give it the  textured and worn appearance of old leather.

 The wallet closures are made from sticky backed velcro and coloured to match the card with acid free permanent markers.

I have since modified a few things on the template so I can make use of only one A4 sheet of card. My template also has a double closure that holds the card open and still looks like a closed wallet at the same time. These wallet cards were brighter as they were intended for children.

The recipients of these loved them so much they ended up taking the wallet shopping with them just like a real one!

New Blog Look Vintage Style

I have been trying to update the look of my blog for a while now and finally manage to find something I like. Vintage Made for You has so many gorgeous designs and best of all they are free. If you have been viewing my blog whilst have been testing out the different looks, my apologies, it must have looked like there was a gremlin or two here!

If you don't remember what my blog looked like before the new background was installed here you go...

After

Before

I am really loving the new design and I am now thinking of changing my header too, so I am working on that to see what I can come up with.