Do Vintage Machines Call their Old Friends and Tell Them to Come Join the Party?
06-09-2012, 04:49 PM
#1
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: near Niagara Falls, NY
Posts: 3,075
Do Vintage Machines Call their Old Friends and Tell Them to Come Join the Party?
I just wondered... because now we've got 4 "new" vintage sewing machines in the house in the space of 4 weeks!
First we bought a Rocketeer for my daughter because she always wanted one. I had a lot of fun cleaning her up and test sewing with the cams! She's sitting in the kitchen waiting to move to North Carolina.
Then my DH could see how excited I was with the Rocketeer, so he told me to buy a vintage machine of my own. After a lot of great advice from the folks here about simple straight stitch machines good for FMQ, I got my own beautiful Singer 301A - a black one with a short bed. I had a lot of fun cleaning her up too and she sews beautifully! I am SO THRILLED with her and named her Ginger, because she is like Ginger Rogers: classy and dances beautifully! Thank you all for helping me make the decision! I'm already halfway into a quilt and I have to say it is WAY MORE FUN to sew with a good vintage machine like Ginger!
Then my DH saw how much fun I was having cleaning up these old machines, so he picked up a Singer 15-91 in a cabinet on Craig's List for himself, so he could try a little refurbishing too.
Today the 4th one came home. My SIL was at an estate sale and spotted a machine she had never seen before... she came over, nabbed me and we hightailed it back to the sale. It was a Necchi Supernova in a cabinet for only $10! I had read about that machine here on the QB too.
Oh dear. This could get addictive.
First we bought a Rocketeer for my daughter because she always wanted one. I had a lot of fun cleaning her up and test sewing with the cams! She's sitting in the kitchen waiting to move to North Carolina.
Then my DH could see how excited I was with the Rocketeer, so he told me to buy a vintage machine of my own. After a lot of great advice from the folks here about simple straight stitch machines good for FMQ, I got my own beautiful Singer 301A - a black one with a short bed. I had a lot of fun cleaning her up too and she sews beautifully! I am SO THRILLED with her and named her Ginger, because she is like Ginger Rogers: classy and dances beautifully! Thank you all for helping me make the decision! I'm already halfway into a quilt and I have to say it is WAY MORE FUN to sew with a good vintage machine like Ginger!
Then my DH saw how much fun I was having cleaning up these old machines, so he picked up a Singer 15-91 in a cabinet on Craig's List for himself, so he could try a little refurbishing too.
Today the 4th one came home. My SIL was at an estate sale and spotted a machine she had never seen before... she came over, nabbed me and we hightailed it back to the sale. It was a Necchi Supernova in a cabinet for only $10! I had read about that machine here on the QB too.
Oh dear. This could get addictive.
06-09-2012, 04:56 PM
#2
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: Harrisburg, OR
Posts: 443
You can't say yu weren't warned, lol. My 3rd came into the house last weekend, and dh went and looked at another last night and then has been caught checking Craigslist multiple times. He also is having second thoughts on selling the 2nd featherweight... He's hooked.
06-09-2012, 05:08 PM
#4
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Jun 2011
Location: near Niagara Falls, NY
Posts: 3,075
LOL! Yes you did warn me Miss Kira!
Kris, she's moving to Winston-Salem to go to Wake Forest Law School. She and her fiance are planning to get married next August, possibly in North Carolina. Gosh it is such a beautiful state! We were actually looking at wedding venues as far away as Asheville. Is Mary Jo's your favorite fabric shop?
Kris, she's moving to Winston-Salem to go to Wake Forest Law School. She and her fiance are planning to get married next August, possibly in North Carolina. Gosh it is such a beautiful state! We were actually looking at wedding venues as far away as Asheville. Is Mary Jo's your favorite fabric shop?
06-09-2012, 05:42 PM
#5
Super Member
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: England
Posts: 5,048
I'm glad I'm not the only one so 'pulled' into this addiction! 
I only realised today that I have 3 old sewing machines, one new sewing machine and one new serger making a grand total of 5 machines. One would think that the family will stop growing now, but a treadle machine is calling to me….where it is, is still a mystery but it will show itself at the right time (6). Now my sister wants a Singer 99 hand crank machine so that is going to be number 7. We may go on to have a few more children; enough to staff a foot ball team, at the moment we have just about enough for a netball team!….what do you think? Is it us or are the machines all magnetised? Great thread. Thanks for starting it.
I only realised today that I have 3 old sewing machines, one new sewing machine and one new serger making a grand total of 5 machines. One would think that the family will stop growing now, but a treadle machine is calling to me….where it is, is still a mystery but it will show itself at the right time (6). Now my sister wants a Singer 99 hand crank machine so that is going to be number 7. We may go on to have a few more children; enough to staff a foot ball team, at the moment we have just about enough for a netball team!….what do you think? Is it us or are the machines all magnetised? Great thread. Thanks for starting it.
Last edited by BizzieLizzie; 06-09-2012 at 05:46 PM.
06-10-2012, 04:58 AM
#8
Super Member
Join Date: Mar 2011
Location: Maryland
Posts: 2,576
A few months back, I posted a note because I bought ($25!) a green Elna '50s Supermatic (aka a "Grasshopper"!) It went to DD who alas, did not learn to be comfortable with it. No matter- at local Goodwill I saw a Brother machine which works very much like the Kenmore she learned on (which is vintage like her mother!) I looked at this blue and white Brother machine and there wasn't a bobbin shuttle so I was about to pass by when 30 feet away, down on another shelf I spied the attachment box and everything including shuttle was there. Held my breath when I plugged it in, sews beautifully and for $20 DD has sewing machine again. Best of all, she was delighted because she sold the Elna for $75. I love to read the threads about yard sale, Goodwill, Craigs List finds Happy Hunting!!
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