Using A Vintage Sewing Machine: Presser Foot, Seam Guide, and Seams

A lot of things to talk about today. I was going to start on feet, also known as attachments, but decided before anything fancy to take a look at the basic presser foot and a seam guide. Also I want to cover seams when using a straight stitch only machine.


The foot pictured is the general purpose presser foot from my Singer 15-91 and in some books is called the hinged presser foot. It also fits the 201 and many other Singers as well. If you're not used to a straight stitch sewing machine the foot might look small and skinny to you--like you're sewing with a zipper foot.

This is because it fits the narrower feed dogs of a straight stitch machine. You can see these in the next photo. If you have a zigzag machine your basic pressser foot will be wider for the wider feed dogs and to accommodate the back and forth movement of the needle when zigzagging.

Once you use the narrower pressser foot on different projects you might find you prefer it--I do. I find seams and curves, as well as topstitching, to be so much easier with this foot. Small seams like those with quilt piecing or doll clothes are especially easy to sew with this foot.

Remember how I said I replaced the unmarked throat plate with a marked one? Originally the unmarked plate would have been used with a seam guide or cloth guide. These are readily available today whether you want a new one or a vintage one. The two holes in the bed of the machine are where this is supposed to be screwed in. Use whichever one you need. The first time I tried to attach my seam guide I couldn't get the screw in. The hole was too full of old dirt. I took a thin skewer with a rag over it and stuck it in there with some oil on it and cleaned it out. It works now.

Measure over from the needle hole to where you want your seam guide and screw it in as in the following shot. Of course, my plate is marked and I don't need to do this--I'm just showing you.

I do like to use the seam guide on some projects. It helps with keeping things straight. When I needed topstitching an inch in from the seam line once, this thing was indispensable. I simply adjusted it the right distance and ran the fabric right by it.

If you have long curves to sew, angle it.

Now, seams. First, staying a seam or reinforcing it at the beginning and end. If you have a machine that reverses then it's not a problem; you reverse to reinforce it. But what if you have a machine that doesn't reverse? I know of two methods. I've never read about either of them in a book. I picked them up from older seamstresses. The first one only works if the item you're sewing isn't very big. You start backwards--instead of the fabric being right in front of you, put it behind the machine with the bulk of the fabric to the right (not the usual left) as in the photo:

and starting close to the edge take two or three stitches to the edge, leave the needle down--turn the fabric around as shown here:

lower the presser foot and sew as you normally would. The next photo shows the end result with the reinforced stitches at the beginning. At the end you would reverse the fabric and make another few stitches.

I prefer this next method myself and used to use it as a teenager on an old sewing machine my family had. (Only because my mother didn't tell me there was a reverse button for years!!!) Make a stitch or two, stop with the needle up, lift the presser foot slightly and pull the fabric back to the beginning, put the presser foot down and start sewing. You are sewing right over the first two stitches you made. Do this again at the end.

Next, how to make seams that aren't zigzagged or serged on the raw edge. You have several options. And yes, these clothes will last. I've handled many vintage clothes made on straight stitch machines that were much better made than most of what I see in stores today. The favorite seam of many, including me, is the French seam. Also, there are flat felled seams, stayed seams, bound seams, and more. Don't forget the simple pinked seam. This is one point where I'm not going to show you how to do all these seams; there are other places that can do all that. Any good sewing book will have it. Here's four popular methods at craftstylish. I also found this one at Sew-Classic where she has a 1930's booklet for download showing more seams than you will probably ever need--and using a straight stitch machine.

In the next photo I'm showing the seam edges of a 1940's blouse. The edges are turned under slightly and sewn. This must have been done after the blouse was sewn together. The seam edges are not perfectly even, but the seams are. This was not a homemade blouse either; it still has its tag.

Following is the inside seam of a 1930's housedress which would have been worn for doing chores. The top seam has no edge finish. The bottom one is the selvage of the fabric. Now I don't recommend using selvages in your seams since they can sometimes shrink, but it works on some clothes. This dress was washed repeatedly--even by me after I found it in a trunk that smelled musty--it's still holding up fine.

Here is a quick easy seam my mother used to use on some play dresses for me when I was little. Sew your seam as usual and then sew again about an 1/8 of an inch away in the seam allowance. My dresses were made of firmly woven cotton. You've seen cotton edges after they've been washed a few times probably--they fray, then fuzz up and don't ravel. These dresses lasted through me, my sister, and her daughter and are packed away for whoever else will want them. They are more in danger of the fabric wearing out than the seams giving way.

So, yes, you're clothes sewn on a straight stitch sewing machine will last.

As if this post wasn't long enough here is a practice lesson from my Singer reference book of all the things you should know now:

1. You should know how to oil your machine.

2. Remove and replace face plate (if it's a removable one) and throat plate.

3. Remove and reset needle.

4. Wind bobbin.

5. Thread machine.

6. Stitch a plain seam making sure you follow the basic steps (take-up lever at highest point, etc.)

7. Know how to stay seams at each end.

8. Understand tension. Change the upper one and see the results if you like. Make sure and put it back to normal when you're done.

9. Get some scraps of different fabrics (corduroy, wool, cotton, chiffon) and practice sewing on them.

10. Try out some different seams.

Next week I'll start showing some of the fun attachments that came with a vintage sewing machine. If you don't have any, they're all still available--even new. Plus, they're for all sewing machines, not just straight stitch.