2017 Update

So it's been awhile since I have posted anything. I sure do have quite a bit to share in the coming weeks. My sewing machine collection is taking over my little garage workshop. I even picked up a Bernina Record at a thrift store recently and I have acquired a basketcase Viking model 20. The most interesting might end of being the Riccar that a sewing friend gave me. It had been found by a road. I'm thinking of repainting it since it's really not worth much so if I screw it up no harm will be done.
In more personal sewing machine news I finally got myself a Necchi machine. A Supernova Ultra Mark 2 in pink. At Christmas I splurged and bought myself a nearly complete set of cams and accessories for it. If you know that price on those you know that can be a pretty penny. I'm only missing one of the Zero cams. The machine came in a desk style cabinet. That machine makes the most perfect embroidery stitches. I've been inspired to try to learn how to do free motion embroidery or thread sketching on it.

A Closer Look: Singer 404

There is often a list of sewing machines that vintage sewing machine collectors love and you'll hear all about the 301 or the 500. The Singer 404 is often one of those machines but is also sometimes overlooked for the ones that can do more. The 404 is a straight stitch only machine but it is in the class of slant needles machines with other ones like the 401, 500, and 503. It is truly a great machine in it's own right. It may seem at first glance to be so very basic because all it does is that straight stitch. There are no cams or zig zag features. It does a perfect straight stitch.
You might be asking what sort of person uses just a straight stitch. The answer is quite a few people. If you are a quilter it's pretty rare to ever use anything but that straight stitch. Sewing clothes again many items can be made with just a straight stitch and there are different seam techniques that don't rely on a zig zag. They made slant needle buttonhole attachments and they are relatively easy to find.

This 404 was made in 1959. It features a two tone color scheme. It uses class 66 bobbins. You can raise the needle plate.

A Closer Look at the Singer 215G

Yesterday, I posted about the sewing machine that a friend gave me. if you haven't read about that story check it out here. I thought today we might look closer at the Singer 215G.
The Singer 215, 216 and 218 G models were made in Germany in the 1950's. After World War II Singer had taken over what was once Haid und Neu in Karlsruhe, Germany. Singer operated there from 1954 until 1982. These were some of the first machines they produced under the Singer name. I've seen pics of very early 215 models with treadle bases.
Mine is electric and has it's original motor. What I like about this machine is it's almost industrial style. The light is rather cool being sort of out there at the front and it can be adjusted around a bit. It is a straight stitch only machine but you can drop the feed dogs. Mine is in a two tone brown color scheme of mocha and chocolate brown but I believe it, also, came in black or beige.
Mine was in it's original suitcase style case. It has a heavy wooden base that had these little slots which I soon realized allowed the accessories box to attach to the machine to extend the bed. The wooden box was just a basic box with no dividers so I asked my dad if you could make dividers and a lift out tray. I hate it when things just sort of rattle around.
This machine is heavy. It would not the first one I would ever choose to take to a sewing class. All in all it's a good machine. Fantastic heavy feel to it with nice industrial styling to it. I haven't really tested it with bulky and thick fabrics yet but it seems like it could be a real workhorse.

That time I went grocery shopping

Picture it an average weekend day. I had just been telling my mom that I wish I could luck into a free vintage sewing machine something that would need a bit of work. I belong to a vintage sewing machine group online and people often post about their free finds. To be honest I had a few pass through my hands a few years ago but I hadn't been interested in learning about actual repair until recently. I let those go because having a basket case machine overwhelmed me at the time. Anyway, I was going about my errands when I ran into a friend at Safeway.
We were chatting and the subject of vintage sewing machines came up and she says "I have an old singer that I got at an estate sale but it's too much work for me do you want it? I have it in the car!" The answer to that is of course yes and lets go get it. Luckily the grocery store provided carts because I needed a cart to haul what I lovingly called the "boat anchor" to my car.
It was in a grubby suitcase style case. The first time I had seen this type of case. I open the case up to find a frozen, dirty Singer 215-G. The 215-G was made in Germany in the 1950's. This one came in what was once a snappy looking suitcase style case. It came with a wooden accessories box filled with a light bulb, a dirty pincushion with rusty pins, bobbins with vintage thread, some wooden spools of thread, several sewing machine feet, and a seam guide.
I spent several hours working on getting the old oil off the moving metal parts since old sewing machine oil is like shellac. I added new sewing machine oil and then plugged the machine in. I hadn't plugged it in at all. I like to move vintage machines by hand at first until I know they are suitably workable. Plugging in the machine there is always that moment where the question is will the motor work or not. As luck would have it the motor purred.
I've done some general cleaning on the machine but nothing really detailed as of yet and I have done some sewing with it. It's a great machine. The bobbin winder is still frozen though.

Lavender Project: Kenmore Model 51 Part 2

How about a little update today?
A couple weeks ago I picked up this lavender and cream Kenmore sewing machine at Goodwill. You can find all the before pictures here.
It was covered in a good layer of dust about an 1/8 inch thick in some places. It had masking tape stuck to the needle plate and the bed of the machine. It also had a v belt that was so poorly I just cut the thing off the machine. It's now free of dust. I spent a long time getting the masking tape off. Masking tape is the devil's tape when it comes to sewing machines. It tends to harden and become difficult to remove. If you need to tape a seam guide on your machine please use a low tack painters tape and remove it when you don't need it. I took a v belt from another machine to use temporarily while I worked on it. I got the machine cleaned and oiled inside. This motor needed a drop of oil per the instructions on the motor housing. It runs and stitches well. Although there is a squeak which is driving me batty as I try to track it down.

The cabinet was my other hurdle to work on. It wasn't shabby due to water damage. It looked poorly due to sun damage. Some of the finish was gone. I liked the Danish Modern style which sort of dictates a wood finish not painted. I had thought of painting it. if someone else wants to paint it in the future that's on them. I ended up using Howard Restore-A-Finish in mahogany. Some parts of the very top had to be stained because the sun had also caused the original stain to fade. It's not 100% perfect but it looks nice.

During this time I also found a set of B cams for it and an original manual.

The Lavender Project: Kenmore Model 51

These days I often wander into Goodwill to see what they have. After weeks of finding nothing but Singer Touch and Sews, I found this Kenmore. What first drew my attention was the machine which looks like it was pretending to be a Necchi with it's two two pastel color scheme. This machine, under all the dust, is a lavender and cream color combo. It can do zig zags and even has a spot for cams but sadly no cams or other accessories with this machine. It does move but needs a new motor belt. Best of all it's mid-century style cabinet has a lift assist. I can't wait to get started. I promise to do better with taking pictures during the process.

Review: Still Stitching documentary

A couple months ago I heard about this documentary on antique and vintage sewing machines. Heard about actually means I saw a clip on facebook about it and it looked cool. You can either rent it for online streaming or buy it on dvd. If you really like vintage machines then you will probably want to buy it.
It starts off a bit slow with some of the earliest machines. It quickly picks up and starts covering the more modern machines that most of us may know.
I loved hearing the stories from the participants such as the woman who worked on a machine and ended up getting it stuck in reverse. I actually had that happen with a Viking sewing machine that I was once given but it turns out it had a major issues going on and couldn't go forward. I enjoyed the story about the man who bought 50 dismantled sewing machines from another person and he spent a year putting them back together.
There was plenty of sewing machine eye candy such as those 1950's Japanese imports that looks like they belong to a 1950's car. Of course, I now have a desire to own a Necchi Supernova.
All in all it was a great program for someone who likes vintage sewing machines. There is actually a coupon code for a discount on the dvd if you want the entire Necchi clip.
You can watch more clips here http://stillstitching.com/video-clips/ and you can also order the dvd or find out more about online streaming.