GREAT FALLS TOOL BUS — CELL SHEET
SEWING CELL
A shared tool library on wheels for Lewiston-Auburn, Maine.
This is a bus — the shop comes later :)
CELL CAPTAIN — one person who knows the kit
Captain:
This cell still needs a captain — it could be you. Ask a keyholder.
THE KIT — check it in, check it out
| Item | In kit? | Condition | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| SINGER Heavy Duty 6600C Sterling (computerized) | The working machine — 100 built-in stitches, six one-step buttonholes. Manual linked below. Manual: https://cdn.poconosewandvac.com/web/products/instruction-manuals/pdfs/singer/hd6600c-hd6605c/hd6600c-hd6605c-instruction-manual.pdf | ||
| Treadle Singer sewing machine (1800s) | Restoration in progress — honestly framed: not yet a working machine. | ||
| SINGER ProSeries scissors bundle (8.5″ bent + 4.5″ detail + snips) | The kit shears. Bent shears stay dedicated to fabric. Manual: https://www.singer.com/products/singer-8-5-proseries-scissors | ||
| FIVEIZERO seam-ripper set (2 large + 2 small + snips) | In kit — the most-used tools in any alteration. | ||
| BulingBuling bonded-nylon upholstery thread kit (8 × 210D/3) | In kit. Heavy repairs only — too stiff for fine seams. | ||
| Newkita 2″ T-pins (100, E0106) | In kit. For blocking and heavy layers — too thick for shirting. | ||
| Singer sewing machine oil | In kit. Oil only, never grease. | ||
| Small cutting surface | In kit. | ||
| Small handheld rotary cutter | In kit. |
Kit last checked: by
MARK THE BITS
Every piece — bobbins, feet, rippers, snips, pins — is marked as part of this set. If you find an unmarked bit, mark it (paint pen, engraver, or tag) before it goes back in the box. You should always know this tool belongs to the sewing kit it came in.
CARE RULES
- Oil only, never grease — especially the 1800s treadle Singer. Singer sewing machine oil is in the kit; grease gums the old works and ruins the restoration.
- The treadle Singer is a restoration in progress — not yet a working machine. Do not sew on it.
- The bent ProSeries shears stay dedicated to fabric. Paper kills shears.
- Bonded-nylon upholstery thread is for heavy repairs only — too stiff for fine seams. T-pins are for blocking and heavy layers — too thick for shirting.
- Repack test: Machine in its case, notions boxed, every bit marked as part of the set. If the kit cannot be repacked and rolling in ten minutes, something is missing — tell a keyholder.
WHO TO ASK
- The cell captain (named above) — anything about this kit.
- A keyholder — access, borrowing, and the bus location. Reach out, a keyholder answers: https://greatfallstoolbus.org
- Machine trouble — the model manual first (links in the table), then the captain.