Jun7

The Needle-Art Embroidery Guide

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No, we’d never heard of it either.  But then Elsie found a pristine Needle-Art Embroidery Guide tucked away with some other stuff we bought in a while ago, which made last Tuesday far more exciting than it would otherwise have been.  Fortunately the instructions were still with it …

Alas, neither mercerised crotcheting soutache nor baby rick-rack are things we keep conveniently to hand around here (and now that thanks to Google we know what they are, that’s the way it’s likely to stay), so were were really scratching to find something to try out this little doohickey with.  In the end, the best we could manage was the remains of a ball of secondhand black wool left over from Elsie’s last rugmaking spree.

And lo – the thing works!  It really does.  Stays in place on the standard presser foot no problem, and you get a lovely line of stitching straight down the middle of your braid or whatever.  In the picture below, Elsie’s slid it off the presser foot while still threaded so you get a better idea of how ingenious it is ..

The only other thing I can tell you about the Needle-Art Embroidery Guide is that stamped on it is 93742 USA.  And for what it’s worth, here’s a glimpse of it in action with the black wool on Elsie’s treadle 201K earlier on this cold, dull and wet English summer’s morn …

Don’t bother getting the popcorn ready for that – the run time’s only 10 seconds, mainly because the demonstrator needed to get back to her multi-tasking in the kitchen, which this morning involved bottling the second lot of elderflower champagne whilst making yet another batch of rhubarb and elderflower jam.

Now, given that we’d never heard of the Needle-Art Embroidery Guide before and Google still hasn’t, can anybody date its introduction for us?  And who is or was Jeanne Sherman of PO Box 1, Tahoma CA?  Did she make anything else?  Enquiring minds need to know …

14 responses

  1. Thanks for that Heather. I’ll do a quick blog post on it now so more people see this …

  2. This is my good deed for the day – I have accidentally stumbled upon one today when eyeing up this attachments case but as so many people want one and I already have one I promise not to bid on it myself: e-bay auction Item number: 160831922516 which ends 1st July so good luck, folks and I hope one of you wins it. 🙂 x

  4. I’m a lucky owner of one of these and just wanted to say a big, sincere thank you to Sid for posting these instructions so I know how to use it! I’ve tested it alongside my underbraider (I have a 201k) and was delighted by just how more manouevrable it is. With the presser foot pressure eased off nice and loose I can turn some deliciously tight swirls and circles with this and the stitch remains consistently true to the centre of the braid. What’s more, since the braid is applied to the top side of th piece I don’t have to work the patterns out in reverse before I can start braiding. So thanks again, Sid; you’ve enabled me to really expand on my projects and my creativity by posting this. I hope I can repay the favour soon and continue to follow your blog with pleasure.

  6. What a great little foot! Isn’t it wonderful that ‘prong’ features there on the instructions as an official part name? 😉 Which reminds me, I promised you some Singer stuff. Will rootle out and send.

  8. Wow! I need one of these for my work! If you ever find out who, what, when and where to get one, let me know!

  9. Sure, Shayla. Somebody else has asked as well, so I’ll do it before much longer. Might even share the carrot cake recipe too 😉

    Sid

  10. That is handy! I’ll keep my eye out for one. Wouldn’t want to share that jam recipe would you? Sounds yummy!

  11. I want one! It’s exactly what I need for sewing the braiding onto the military-style jacket I’m making my wife. Although knowing me it will end up more Sergeant Pepper than Sergeant Major.

  12. I love the “couching” foot. Lake Tahoe is the actual city here in Eastern California near the state border for Reno Nevada.

  13. Neat little gadget, I’ll be on the lookout for one! Great that you had the instruction sheet!!

  14. That is the handiest, dandiest gadget ever ! I think I will go look in all of my boxes of machine accessories and see if I am the lucky owner of one ! Janice