Singer 403A - Oil Drip Pan and Mock Wrap Tunic - Transforming to Wearable

The expected oil drip pan arrived and has been attached to the bottom of the Singer.

Curious to know how the felt pad was attached to the pan, I lifted a corner and it separated into my fingers.  The pad has a slightly damp feel and if you put your nose to it, an unpleasant old oil/grease smell.  It is not noticeable when the cover is attached to the machine.  Even so, first impressions have prompted me to order a new pad.

I also found a boxed accessories set.  It has eight embroidery cams and a few presser feet.  I will show them to you once they arrive.

I haven’t decided yet how to house the Singer.  Yesterday, at Target, one of their plastic sewing machine carrying cases went into and out of my shopping cart several times before I finally left the aisle with the empty cart.  It just didn’t seem sturdy enough.  I have looked online and found a plastic case that would work, but it costs close to what I had paid for the machine.  The vintage ones that I find are in bad shape or ridiculously expensive.  I wish I had room for a vintage cabinet.

Linda in TN – Thank you for your comment!  You are correct – I shouldn’t give up too soon!  I have pulled the tunic from the fabric stack and made a few changes.  Adding ribbing is a great suggestion.  However, I don’t have any ribbing and if I were to trek to the fabric store, they probably don’t either in a color that would match or coordinate.  Besides, I want to revamp this tunic using bits and pieces I already have.

An easy fix would have been to cut out a new front.  The scraps left are small - so that can't be done.

After removing the side seam stitching, I could see where the needle had left a trail of punctures in the fabric. Steaming would probably remove most of it but some of those holes are large.  That is why I didn’t change the neckline.  Instead, I added a row of stitching, creating a casing, and then inserted ¼” elastic to draw up the extra fabric.

The front bottom layer was removed and its bodice was attached to the upper layer at the casing.  It no longer sags and droops.  The asymmetrical front hemline was leveled and the tunic could be few inches longer.  The removed layer will be used to extend the bottom of the tunic.  I am still deciding if it should have ¾ or short sleeves.

The objective is to end up with a wearable garment.  Well, maybe not wearable in public, but wearable enough for Sunday brunch at home.  I can live with that.