ThayerRags

Here are two of my 1:1 handcrank machines. A 1943 Singer 29K70 and a 1957 Singer 221.

The boot patcher is nicknamed “Cope”. He has a Copenhagen Snuff can lid for his front inspection cover decoration. I’ve painted the lid gold since this photo was taken. I seldom use the hand knob on the 29K70 except for winding bobbins. I crank it for sewing a lot of stitches using the rim of the wheel, but rarely use the hand knob, and it has a treadle for long runs which I seldom have with my kind of sewing (repairs). My other 29K70 was missing its hand knob when I got it, so it doesn’t even have one.

The Featherweight is my hurricane-ravaged “Hurkie” machine that I sew quilt blocks with at Quilt Shows. Hurkie has done a bunch of block piecing. I wind its bobbins on it with the crank as well. An index finger can spin that crank pretty fast! To make the bobbin winder work without a motor belt to ride on, I put an O-ring in the belt groove. (Some kind of tractor filter requires the O-ring. Ask your local NAPA Auto Parts Dealer about his rings.) The needle has to go up and down while winding a bobbin, but I usually unthread the machine to take thread off of the spool that I’m sewing with anyway. I’ve used rubber bands in the groove too, but the black O-ring looks nicer.

I take Hurkie traveling with me, but I don’t recommend taking Cope along, at least not for short casual trips.....

CD in Oklahoma