I've written about Brown Betty before. She is my 1948 Kenmore (brown crinkle finish hence her name; made by White) that is a straight stitch rotary. She does one thing and does it well: stitches a perfect 1/4" seam and pulls fabric straight through. As I've become enthralled with the simple elegance of the Hunter's Star Pattern, I have really appreciated the efficacy of Brown Betty's service.
I want to give you 5 reasons for considering getting a vintage machine:
- They are simple mechanically and will last forever.
- Parts are easy to find to include feet and motors.
- Straight stitch machines have the advantage of a single hole (v. purchasing a patchwork/straight stitch plate for your new machine.)
- They can serve as a backup for your more modern machine that has more bells and whistles
- The seam guides that come with these machines allow for a perfect gate--no more futzing about with sewing ledges etc.
My Brown Betty has 3 feed dog traction points in front of the needle v. 2. That means that my fabric does not get pulled out of kilter. While not seen in the pic below, there is a feed dog on the left, the right and a small dog just in front of the needle. See that seam guide? That thing works perfectly. It stays put and guides fabric perfectly. The work underneath the needle is part of a Hunter's Star block. That block, like many, needs perfection.
My quilt skills have evolved over the last 24 months so that my cutting, piecing and pressing skills are muscle memory. I'd like to share a few of my learnings and preferences:
- Perfect Piecing (mostly)
- Perfect 1/4" seams: I use Brown Betty (mostly) OR my Bernina gated foot. The cheap gated feet don't roll over seams and they bend--at least my purchase did. The Bernina foot has no shortcomings. But my preference is to piece on Brown Betty because she pulls fabric more straight due to the 3 feed dogs in front of the needle, perfect 1/4" foot, single hole needle plate and stable seam guide.
- Glue Basting: I do not use pins. Rather, I glue baste using Elmer's School Glue in a precision tipped bottle. Does it take more time? Unsure on this. What I am sure of is these things (which is why I don't pin):
- more easily stage your work by glue basting
- easily stack up with seam side toward you glue basted piecing. Once you start sewing chain piecing is a cinch because the fabric will not shift.
- no pins to attach to other pieces or get in the way of your seam guide.
- fewer mistakes
- no fabric distortion--yes, pins distort.
- glue stabilizes biased edges
- perfectly align your seams and edges securely glued and stack pieces for batch sewing. You can sew faster with NO shifting of edges. Just sew straight and true. This saves time and allows you to better control your work.
- no pins to prick you, eliminating bleeding on your work
- Perfect Cutting: There are many methods out there. Find one that makes sense for you. I am right handed, but I work on the right side (v the left) using a two ruler method for cutting mainly because I don't care to keep turning my fabric after making a cut. Further, the "power cutting" method espoused by some, requires too much math. I find the Quilter's Slidelock to be a perfect companion for this method and highly recommend it.
- Prepare fabric for cutting.
- True up the bolt fold. It is true that it is easier to cut a shorter amount of fabric. True up the fold on the fabric by shifting the selvedge right or left until the fabric falls straight. You will likely get a very uneven line on the edge of your fabric.
- Starch and iron your fabric. I think that it matters.
- Fold the fabric again just over the selvedges. If your bottom fold and your top fold edges are parallel, then all will be well. By taking a small amount of time to do this your results will be well-rewarded. Of course you can just cut with a single fold toward you and selvedges away.
- Cut your left/right (lefty/righty) edge true. With prepped fabric with parallel folds in front of you, cut a clean edge. You should now have a perfectly square edge from which you are working. For my two ruler method, I measure my cut with the ruler on the right and use my left hand to hold the left ruler down. It is an easy way to keep your cut always square.
- Here is where finding your comfort
- Use a ruler weight for the left ruler for long cuts. Best ruler weight? I use small, antique iron. I put felt on the bottom so my rulers are not scratch. Easy to grab, and dense center of gravity. Hand weights work well too.
- Dry erase markers: These work well to mark your ruler lines so that you don't forget what size you are cutting. Quilting can be hard work, and when you are tired you can forget. Markings simply wipe off and don't get on your fabric.
- Good rulers: I have many rulers. I have my Olfa Olipfa ruler that is more than 30 years old. With my Slidelock to serve as my cutting edge using the two-ruler method, I don't use it as much. Worth noting that markings matter...so ensure that the ruler that you are getting has the markings that you need. These are the rulers that I have that I would not be without:
- Slotted Rulers: I have only one: I love Gudrun's Stripology ruler (XL). It makes short work of cutting strips and sub-cuts more quickly and accurately than any other method. Yest, it is expensive, but will save time and frustration. Fabric is expensive, so wrong or crooked cuts cost time/money.
- Creative Grids Diamond Dimensions ruler: This ruler excels in it's marking for 45 degree cuts. If you like to make bias cuts or work with stars, you will enjoy employing this ruler.
- Triangle ruler: I have the OmniGrid 6". Get one that has regular markings (in addition to those specialty rulers with markings that work with finished sizes) for your regular work.
- Square up rulers: I have just a few square up rulers, though they come in many sizes. Easy to overdo here.
- Corner Clipper: A corner clipper ruler is a nice to have, and I use BOTH these frequently. They save you time because you are cutting BEFORE you are sewing. That means the 1/4" seam allowance is already accounted for in the cut. No marking then sewing then clipping. You will need a scant and perfectly straight 1/4" seam.
- Corner Clipper...it is small and great for binding strips.
- Folded Corner Clipper (Antler Designs)... larger with great markings.
- Specialty Rulers: Depending on what you like to do, specialty rulers can make short work of complicated blocks. Some rulers are for a single thing only...and you can quickly build up an inventory and investment in little-used rulers.
- Rotary Cutter: find and use one that is comfortable for you. I have my original Olfa in 45 mm and 60mm and have 2 Martelli's as well. I find the Martelli 45mm to be my favorite ergonomic cutter--particularly with my current finger injury.
- Cutting mat:
- Large Mat:I have my original Olfa 24 x 36 mat on my cutting table.
- Small Mat: I bought a smaller, inexpensive mat for placement by my sewing machine. (It sits to the left of my sewing area along with my ironing station.
- Rotating mat: These are not necessary, but will save time and frustration. Note that a square mat needs more rotating room than an circular mat.
- Perfect Pressing: Oh geez was my first quilt a mess--poor cutting, piecing, pressing and sewing. When it turned out so badly, I had to deep dive. I realized that my pressing surface was a mess and my technique was flawed. That small fold that you didn't press out will come back and bite you in places that hurt.
- Pressing surface: Wool pressing mats are great--and I consider a must have. I had an unused wicker 24 x 48" 2 shelf book case that was table height that I repurposed as an ironing station by my sewing machine. All I have to do is swivel my chair. Rug pad USA has perfect solution (wool rug pad) at much less cost.
- I had a 5/8" plywood cut to size.
- I purchased 1/2" thick wool rug pad (from Rug Pads USA) and placed on board. (Much less expensive than specialty pads).
- I upholstered a covering over top of it and it sits on top of the wicker bookcase. It is right by my sewing station. It is firm, large, and I love using it.
- Use med weight duck table cloths at thrift store. I put these over top the covering. They stay put, and I put them in the wash to remove glue/starch.
- Pressing aids:
- I use homemade starch in a bottle. I'm not going to use expensive aids. I love sizing, but I find that I drop the can and snap the top too often that I end up with wasted product. Having said that, I spray starch/sizing...the cheap stuff. I'm never going to buy expensive products as I don't think them necessary...but mostly because I'm cheap.
- Teflon coated fiberglass sheets: These are perfect pressing aids. I bought mine at Amazon. These are a recent addition, and frankly the results are so wondrous I would never be without them. Why?
- They are inexpensive.
- Can be cut down to size.
- Works perfectly with fusing, pressing (they are permeable), and glue basting. They give you very flat block and protects your iron from any fusibles' residue.
- They both conduct and retain heat, so you can iron your block, place a book overtop and have your block incubate in the heat.
- Eliminates shine on raised seams.
- Protects your fabric from iron gunk
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