The Hand Pinker

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Fashion Accessory Skill Series - 

Thank you for coming to my Fashion Accessory Skill Series! There are thousands of us who love our little 221s but need or want a little more "know-how" on using them to their fullest potential. I hope my posts and videos will help you get more know-how and confidence in using various sewing accessories with your beautiful Featherweight. This series will be different since I will be showing parts that may not even need a 221! Enjoy the classes!

Class #1 - Hand Pinker

Class supply list:

The hand pinker and a strips of fabric. 

Let's get sewing!

The hand pinker clamps into the edge of a table and cuts through all types of fabric leaving a gently pinked edge. This accessory was priced at a whopping $5 back in its hay day. It was also included in the Singer Fashion Aids box. If you love ric rac, this is the must-have accessory for you!

Let's take a better look at it. The base is cast iron with a cutting mechanism on the left side, a crank on the right to make the cutter turn. There is an adjustable width guide on the front of the unit so you can get evenly cut strips to the size you want. There's an oil hole on the center of the unit and one on the crank.

This unit must have a clamp to hold it steady as you turn the crank. Mine had the original crank with it but if yours doesn't have one, you could buy one since that design hasn't changed. The arrow tells you which was to turn the crank.

Set the base near the table edge, put the clamp as far in as it goes and tighten it firmly. There's a lot of movement in the upper part of the unit while cranking, so you don't want it to loosen as you're turning the crank.

Determine how much of a width you want for your finished strip. The lines on the guide are 1/8" apart. Tighten the set screw gently. If it's too tight, the arm of the guide near the cutter will lift and your fabric will slide under it causing uneven edges.

Line up the edge of fabric along the arm of the guide and slowly start to turn the crank. Use your left hand to keep the fabric from wobbling around or straying away from the guide. I found it was best if I didn't rush through the cutting.

After a few turns, take a look at your pinked edge!

If you run the fabric through the cutter twice, you have ric rac!

It's helpful to do practice cuts so you know how wide the finished results will be. The green strip was cut with the guide set on the 2nd line from the right. The strip on the right was with the guide fully opened up.

There was an "electric" version of the pinker that would attach to the motor belt of your sewing machine. Do you have one?

Homework: Take your fabric and pink them into strips! If you don't own a pinker, be on the look out for one. You never know where you might find it!

I hope you have been encouraged to use your amazing sewing machine accessories.  Please share your pics on our Facebook group page, Featherweight Skill Series, so we can see your creations! 

If you like the series, share the link with your friends, pin it to Pinterest, join my Facebook group... Most importantly, "Let's get sewing!"

See you next time!