Sewing Machine Nostalgia

One half of us here at Helter Skelter Kids has been muddling through on some rather old equipment of late.  Me.  So this past Saturday, I finally found a chance to leave the family at home and give my full attention to the matter of sewing machine shopping.  My new machine was delivered today, but I've become a bit sentimental about the one I'm putting back on the shelf.

Elna Lotus ZZ

Many moons ago, when I complained to my mother how nice it would be to have a sewing machine at hand to take up hems and whip up cushion covers, she kindly bought me an Elna Lotus ZZ.  Its a funky little number with sides that fold down and a lovely tan hue.    Produced between 1968 and 1977, it is roughly the same vintage as me (along with some of our dress patterns).  It has a aluminium handle and when it is all folded up, it may well pass for a handbag.  You can't say that about many modern appliances, can you?

Style aside, it has been a real trouper of a sewing machine.  I've expected it to sew more volume than it was probably ever designed to and as long as I take it for a regular service and kept the lint out of its innards, it kept on going.  

Sadly for the Lotus ZZ (which stands for zig zag, one of "4 practical stitches" it can create) it isn't up to the task of producing large quantities of sewn goods and so an upgrade has been organised.  Don't feel sad for it though, because after another service it will stand ready and waiting to stitch as my reserve machine.  The Lotus is a long way from broken and still has a long life ahead of it.  It will be the perfect machine to start my children sewing, should either of them show an interest, as it is beautifully simple and all its functions are easy to understand.

Lets not forget that this is a sewing machine produced by the masters of machinery - the Swiss.  In recent years, Elna has been bought out by a Japanese competitor and although I have every respect for Japanese manufacturing (my new model is made there) I'm also nostalgic for a time when Europe manufactured excellent machinery.  Indeed, I puff up with pride and announce "It's Swiss made!" whenever anyone inquires about it.  Alas, manufacturing goods like these in Europe has become cost prohibitive.  My salesman on Saturday assured me that if my new machine has been manufactured in Switzerland, it would have cost six times the price.

Elna Lotus ZZ, I salute you!  You have served me well to this point.  Helter Skelter Kids has benefited from your diligent stitching and for that we are grateful.

xx
Jane

Sewing Mania and the Craft Fair

Before Sliz and I joined forces I'd been talking to friends and family, trying to gauge whether my sewing ambitions were sensible and if other people thought I might be able to make a living out of it.  One kind and supportive friend suggested I participate in the local fair she'd been helping to organise at our local toy library.  Preparations were underway at the time, but the fair was still months off and it seemed like a great motivator to kick start this little business.

And so our first deadline was set.

Teaming up with Sliz was great because it simultaneously gave the business focus, while broadening its horizons.  Now Sliz had other stuff to keep her busy, over and above caring for her family.  She was already sewing to supplement the household income, plus she was (and is still) managing a pile of duties for an exciting pop up restaurant at the Glastonbury Festival later in the summer.  So she offered to make a start to our partnership by helping out on the day of the market and manning the stall.  That didn't last for long because she was fabric shopping and assuming the sewing position behind her machine. 

Two weeks before the fair we were confident that we had enough time and stamina to get all our stock sewn and our stall looking good, but that's when the universe started throwing obstacles our way.

To begin with a nasty tummy bug hit Casa Sliz, leaving all of her family laid up in bed (including their visiting grandparents).  There were teething babies, explosive nappies and needy toddlers.  Both our husbands left town on pre-arranged business, while the volcanic ash from and Icelandic eruption threatened not to bring one back on time.  A great piece of marketing for the Glastonbury restaurant meant that Sliz' admin work mushroomed overnight.  Then the tummy bug came to my house.  Our fabric was delivered late.  My sewing machine broke down.  I cried.  All the while, our nights saw us sewing late, late into the night and our days were spent on short fuses for having gotten by on too little sleep.

The night before the craft fair we gathered around the kitchen table, amazed that we'd reached our goal of sewing 30 of our lovely little apron dresses (more about them in another post) and matching bloomers. 

The fair was a success!  We made a few sales, but more importantly, we'd been able to to talk directly to our customers and understand what they'd like from a label like ours.  So far, what we'd produced were pretty dresses for baby girls, which garnered lots of admiration.  What we found, though, were plenty of parents saying "What about something for boys?".  Then some said "I have an older daughter who would love to wear a dress like that" or "Do you have a website?".  Not so much food for thought, but more of a feast. 

After a week of intense sewing and stressing we decided to relax, or at least that was the intention.  We couldn't stop ourselves brains from whirring in fast forward though, so much to plan, so much to do!