The Singer Custom, or How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Entropy


Here it is, the Singer custom paint job after the last clear coat was applied. Looks good for the most part, but there ended up being a little uh-oh in the process and I very nearly started all over again with this project.


Although the clear coat did its job over most of the machine, there was one spot where an unhappy accident occured. Oh no! My heart totally sank when I saw this - and, of course, it is right on the front of the machine.


Undoubtedly my fault, the clear coat was too thick in this area and caused the metallic paint to start to feather and spread.


You can see a little more right behind the bobbin winder. I was so sick when I first saw this, and wanted immediately to strip all the paint off and start all over again. (Wait, I know what you're thinking! No, I can't just cover the streaks with the blue because I actually used layers of different colors of spray paint to get this color, so there isn't really any way to achieve the very same color again.)


My husband told to put the machine aside for the weekend and not even look at it or think about it for two days. This morning it doesn't look quite as bad, especially since this was never a perfect machine in the first place. The whole purpose of painting this old machine was to be able to use it, and having a bit of smeared paint sure doesn't affect how it works! I think I can live with it.

The positive side to this project was a great feeling of accomplishment - not only that I could finish painting a sewing machine, but that I could put the whole thing back together again after being in pieces for 6 years. Now that I know I can do it, will I do it again? I don't know, I'm a little burnt out on painting - time to get back to sewing!

Comments

Anonymous said…
Wow! That is incredibly detailed. So very cool.
Donna said…
My little featherweight is positively drooling over Little Miss Fancy Featherweight! Absolutely beautiful.
Roslyn said…
Wow. It looks amazing! Don't let a little blemish take away from what a masterpiece you've created. Hope it brings you lots of enjoyment!
Carol said…
Erika it looks beautiful, even with the uh oh. Could you maybe use qtips to gently take off only the clear coat and the metallic paint?
Mary Keenan said…
Okay, this machine is stunningly beautiful. I personally love the old machines' styling and was a bit bug-eyed when you first hinted at what you were up to, but by the second hint it was all YES, this is AWESOME. And then all the hand-painted scrollwork??? Please. You are brilliant. And I will tell you something else: if you hadn't revealed the smear as an accident I would have wondered how you got that effect. It may be different from the other scrolly bits but isn't that the point of sewing things - to be able to make lots of different things? I think what you've got there is the All of Sews-It-All. (there you are, three days of bottled-up comments in one go, heh.)
raebethriv said…
Your skills, talent & vision never cease to amaze me! This is absolutely gorgeous!
Emily said…
Oh it's beautiful!! :) Great work! I wouldn't worry about the little rough spots. :)
smazoochie said…
I am sure the smears broke your heart -- but just briefly, I hope. It is BEAUTIFUL! I gasped when I saw it.

Erika's Top Trending Posts: