OMG, I can just picture the extreme cuteness in the shop! Thanks for telling all about it! I know what you mean about the pristine machine. OTOH, a lot of people felt that all young brides needed a sewing machine and not all young brides agreed! My Auntie has one that she has never even plugged in- her MIL gave it to her, and although she now likes her MIL, she says that on the way home from MILs future funeral, she will drop that machine off at the goodwill! (and no, it's nothing special)
I had a tube of Singer brand lube, bought in the last year, that turned gunky black, Ray White said he'd never seen anything like it. I know it didn't look like that when I bought it, so maybe that's what happened to the 401.
I'm pretty jealous of the girls night out- wish I lived closer to Miz Kaki et al. Anyone down in the SF Bay area want to get together to sew?
Laura in Alameda, CA
Originally Posted by
miriam
You all remember Glenn came to Indianapolis? Well, we went antiquing and sewing machine shopping. I found a PINK sewing machine that he tried to wrestle away from me....
It is a very pretty machine barely used. I thought I would look it over before the GDs showed up yesterday. It
always scares me to see a nearly perfect machine. Why did it not get used??? This ones' tension spring was in the wrong place - would not move. I took it apart and adjusted it - the machine works fine now. It is a dandy. I took pics but left the camera at the shop. Oh and I found a 35 cent can of unused oil and a new pair of scissors under the machine but no lint.
When the GKs came they caught me working on a Singer 401 so they grabbed a box of Qtips and 'cleaned' the machine. Every time Miss L got a tiny smudge she threw out the Qtip - whole box used up... I shot pics of them standing on my bench cleaning the machine - did I mention the camera is still at my shop??? Oh, back to the 401. I have never seen a mess like that one. First it looked like someone greased it with a black crayon. The oil was very waxy like and EVERYWHERE. Then the place where the motor comes up through to the balance wheel looked sort of like it had an oil bath - it was full of waxy oil. I got most of it off the machine - Qtips are in the can... Wilbur figured out where all the screw drivers go and put them away - all of them... Then he discovered a box of hinges - he loves my shop. He says only one word when he comes - kind of scary - I think he is just absorbing - his one word is 'AMAZING!' Miss L comes in and talks my ear off and just digs in with the Qtips. She loves lint and old waxy oil and Qtips. I need to keep them in a smaller box from now on. I tried to switch her off to a brush to no avail. Wilbur was happy with a brush for a while. I let him go at it on a parts machine. Oh and he was not impressed with the pink sewing machine for some reason.