Originally Posted by
KalamaQuilts
Good afternoon, I'm on light duty for a little while so thought I'd take advantage of the time and read this thread. I'm up to page 217... before my list gets too long I thought I'd pose a few questions for the group.
#1. RE: the knee bar for the 128 La Vencedora. Mine doesn't have the knee hole. When it was given to me it had been electrified in the 40's, I took that off and converted it back to a hand crank. Does the knee lever hole indicate a later production that was electrified? I can't picture how a knee lever would work without electricity.
#2. re: Pin rash, any good ideas on a clever replacement wrap? I made one with a flexible plastic insert to protect from more rash but it doesn't make my heart sing.
#3. I've seen the comment a number of times that hand cranks are harder to find than treadles. A possible reason is many church and civic groups have got the word out they are collecting them and then shipping them to places with little or no electricity.
#4. I'd like to find a Singer 15. From what I can find it is a rather plain machine with several badges.
Is there a way to KNOW one if I run across one? What are it's identifiers?
In August 2010 Billy said he would be selling new 15's. Any comments on those machines?
#5. Needlebar.com There were several comments about not hearing back if membership was approved. I registered not long ago and noticed in the introductions forum there were new people every day. So today on a whim I checked to see if my registration letter had showed up in introductions like Alan says they will. Sure enough there it was, the day after I registered. But no notice in my email. So if you've been waiting for that perhaps you've been registered all along? Sign in and see if you can access any of the forums besides introductions.
If not, there are 5 or 6 questions they want answered in the registration letter so check FAQ's
Anyway, I'm enjoying seeing all the machines and hearing about the finds.
Happy hunting, and stitching
Sharyn in Kalama
Featherweight
LaVincedora 128
New Home Treadle 1914
The 128 with the LaVencedora decals were made up until the 1960's, so yes. The machines with kneebars were electric from the get-go.
Pin rash. Cover it with whatever makes you happy. Glenn showed us how to fix it, if you want to go to that degree of refurb.
Hand cranks aren't rare here in the States, but are less common than they are in England/Europe, where space in a home is/was at more of a premium. We have always had a tendency to build larger homes here in the US and treadles were the machine of choice over a handcrank.
The new Singer model 15's are ok, some like them, some don't. Go for a vintage model 15 instead. You get better value and a bit of nostalgia for your money. I don't think Billy ever got into selling them, and you're better off to buy locally anyway, in a transaction that you don't have to pay shipping on.
Needlebar rocks. Yes, you can find information elsewhere on the web, but Needlebar has a high concentration of information, with experts to answer questions.