Addiction

I will spare you the tales about my addiction to 14 other machines (and counting). This is about a Wheeler Wilson W9 with the pre-D9 model 8-style bobbin case.

What, you say? Intermediate W9? No, it is not a Singer. And it is not a parts machine. Apparently the early W9's used the model 8 style bobbin case and a swinging "gate" that holds the bobbin case in place. I got this machine from my parents, who said it was my great grandmother's machine. And alas! It had no bobbin case.

I tried a WW bobbin by itself. No go, the top thread wrapped around the bobbin. I tried feeding thread through the hook race, a la a thread stand--no go. I bought a bobbin case off eBay for too much money, only to realize it was for a later D-9 machine and didn't fit. But I did have two bobbins.

After searching the web for weeks, I found pictures of the intermediate machine and the model 8 style bobbin case. It looked a lot like a half sphere with the top cut off and a tension arm added. There are NONE of these on eBay--trust me, I've watched for six months. And then, I had an awful Grinchy idea: If I don't have a bobbin case, I'll make one instead.

Long story short: I cut the handle off a plastic teaspoon, ground it down to size, drilled and sanded it narrow enough, and drilled a tiny hole for the bobbin thread. After a lot of cut-and-try and fiddling with the top tension, I added two small squares of felt INSIDE the case for bobbin tension. Two hours later...the old WW is stitching again, with a 50-cent teaspoon for a bobbin case.

Since I have haunted quiltingboard (among others) in search of a solution, I thought someone might appreciate the easy fix--and even better, the resurrection of this quiet, smooth old machine.