miriam

I remember having to cram myself into a girdle back in the 60s and throwing up when I got to school. Never did like those beasts - glad for pantihose

ThayerRags

I guess you can blame the girdle partly on one of our little town’s most famous residents.

N.O. Brantly developed a knitting machine to produce elastic in 1931. A decade later he revolutionized the girdle industry with a more sophisticated loom that turned out two-way-stretch elastic. Soon after that, 85 percent of the world's girdles were being made by Brantly machines.

He moved here in 1955, and some of his other inventions included a Sports Bra for well-endowed women (Cameo), a personal helicopter (now owned by Leer Jet), backhoe attachments for small tractors, and an oil pump jack for the energy industry.

To bring this back around to vintage sewing machines, I was at the 2006 liquidation auction of his last lingerie factory (FryBrant Inc) here, and bought a couple of old H-frame butcher-block industrial power stands that were part of the equipment....

CD in Oklahoma

Crossstitcher

Can you see sewing all that material into a dress on the older machines like Wheeler Wilson with the little sewing area.

misseva

Don't know how much sewing area on a W&W but remember in garment sewing the bulk of the material was almost always on the left side.

blueheavenfla

I remember those days well. However, I never wore a lace up corset (my gm did until she died at age 92), I wore Playtex, floor length dresses with 5-6 petticoats (my gma did), mine were only long mid calf, and didn't ever get rainsoaked or "frozen" in a wet dress with all those petticoats dragging in the puddles and/or snow. We didn't get a/c until 1977 and my gm never did get a/c and died in 1983. Aren't we lucky that life has changed as far a clothing and a/c goes?

Glenn

Yes I can. I make all my wife's period dress(day dresses and ball gowns on) on my Grover and Backer and W&W. I also use a Weed Sewing machine. I am making one dow for my niece and will post a pic of it when done on the using vintage machines thread.
Skip

blueheavenfla

I look forward to those photos Skip. I don't want to miss it so be sure to let us know when and where you posted it.

redmadder

A friend's 1953 Featherweight has a broken gib hook. Luckily the screw is still there. I think the best way to fix it is to find a bobbin assembly, take the whole thing out via the set screw and replace. My skills probably aren't up to replacing just the gib hook.

Anyone got a source for parts? So far I'm seeing 'out of stock', no longer available', and 'are you kidding'?

redmadder

My friend's 221 has a broken gib hook. Not sure that my skills are up to replacing just the hook but the entire case can be removed via the set screw on the shaft. Now just to find a bobbin assembly. Sheesh, mostly I'm finding 'out of stock', 'no longer available', and 'are you kidding'?

redmadder

I'm trying to edit my post, it just disappeared when I hit edit.