Mr and Mrs Rat
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact

Fairy Tales

6/29/2017

2 Comments

 
1946 was a good year for fairy tales:  World War II had ended in the late summer of 1945, and celebrations of life in the new year of 1946 mixed with bitter memories of the lost.
Picture
In 1946, Jean Cocteau’s Beauty and the Beast made its debut in movie theatres.  The computer generated effects of today still don’t match the magic of his cinematic artistry and the mysterious delicacy of his style.  Who could interpret the famous French fairy tale written by 18th century writer Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve better than he?
Picture
Antoine de Saint-Expurey, the famous French aviator-writer who wrote so eloquently of the beautiful and dangerous lives of the first pilots in Wind, Sand, and Stars, wrote about a different flight of the imagination in the fairy-tale The Little Prince, a tiny volume that was destined to become his most famous work, despite being published without his knowledge after his disappearance (and presumed death) on a reconnaissance flight over the Mediterranean a year prior.
Picture
Fashion in 1946 reflected the fairy-tale relief of a newly peaceful (and for America, newly prosperous) life with growing luxury: longer hem-lines, fuller skirts, and more fabric than had been seen in years. 
Dior's 'New Look' was yet to debut in 1947, but as this evening dress by Lucien LeLong shows, the taste for fairy-tale beauty was already strong.
Picture
And in June of 1946, with the burgeoning post-war economy driving a new burst in American production, our Singer 15-91 sewing machine was made in New Jersey.  And that is the stuff of fairy-tales for me and Mr Rat, because somehow it traveled to northern California and 71 years later turned up in the gutter across the street from our apartment.  And in a fairy-tale appropriate turn of events, we rescued it from the doom of being left out for trash, cleaned it with care, and spent the last month sourcing parts to refurbish it, and now it runs beautifully again, and we are as pleased with it as can be.
Picture
Our main sources of information for refurbishing the machine came from a the book How to Select, Service, Repair and Maintain Your Vintage Sewing Machine by Connie McCaffrey, the very-comprehensive Singer 15-91 manual (which Mr Rat sourced and printed for free from the internet), and You-Tube tutorials.  Our parts were mostly sourced from Ebay and we bought any tools we didn’t have but needed to repair the machine from Harbor Freight.   Altogether, we estimate that it cost about $60 to fully refurbish the machine and make it work again, even the lamp.  Luckily the cabinet was still in pretty good condition, just rather scratched and cobwebbed, so all it took was a thorough washing with a barely damp clean rag and a gentle application of wood oil to make it look good again.
 
I’ve already sewn Mr Rat some pajamas on our new-old machine, and I’m pleased with how well it stitches.  It came at just the right time, since my seven-year-old Singer Heavy-Duty was wearing out and skipping stitches, and I wasn’t sure how we’d manage to get it fixed or replaced.  Now we have a machine that is known for its durability and skill at stitching through just about anything, and best of all, we can care for it and repair it ourselves.  A fairy-tale ending, indeed.  Or perhaps a fairy-tale beginning.


Picture
2 Comments
Nicole link
7/4/2017 10:45:56 pm

I love your new old machine. It's so pretty, and that's even better that you fixed it yourself, as now you know it inside and out.

Reply
Mrs Rat
7/5/2017 08:23:30 am

Thank you, Nicole! I agree---it makes me feel more confident sewing on our new machine knowing that we can fix it if it has any problems.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Mr and Mrs Rat

    Mr and Mrs Rat like to sew

    Archives

    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016

    Posts

    All
    Blouse
    Cape
    Closet
    Crochet
    Dress
    How To
    In Detail
    Inspiration
    Jacket
    Jewelry
    Jumper
    Me Made May 2017
    Me Made May 2018
    Mending
    Nightwear
    Patchwork
    Patterns
    Plans
    Rats
    Reading
    Sewing Machine
    Shirt
    Skirt
    Smock
    Suit
    Thoughts
    Thrifted
    Trousers
    Useful Things
    Variation
    Vest
    Vintage
    Work Space

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Blog
  • About
  • Contact