I'm just curious, how many of you use an older sewing machine for you quilting/piecing?
I have 3 old singers(electric), a Dressmaker(1960s) and a Necchi (1960s)
I love the power on these machines and they're made of metal not plastic, although plastic is nice and lightweight.
What are you're thoughts?

I have been quilting two years now, and also only have old sewing machines.... I am watching this thread because I am trying to make up my mind if i should buy a new machine........automatic needle threading sounds good , I have a bad eye so this would be nice, also that blanket stitch for applique., so what should i do :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?: :?:

I own several and use them all for one thing or another. I have two old Kenmores and one new Kenmore, an old White, two old Singers (soon to be 3 I am hoping!) and also my MIL just gave me her old Viking Husquavarna. I have a few other machines that are in shapes from not working at all to just need a few parts... I guess you could say I collect them! LOL

But I use the ones that are working for different things... one of the old Kenmores is the one I use for machine quilting in the ditch, I use the newer Kenmore for most of my piecing but have used a couple of the others for this as well. I have an old Singer I am "training" to use for free motion quilting.

And my MIL's machine is the one I use for the blanket stitch applique as it has the best stitch for this!

I guess you could say I collect machines too. I use my late MIL's Bernina for piecing. It must be 40+ years old? I know she had it a long time before I came along. I reciently aquired my grandma's featherweight made in 1948 that is portable. (Thanks Mom!) Just had it cleaned and it would be a nice one for taking to classes-just need to sign up for some! I bought a lightweight Kennmore when my Bernina and Featherweight were in the shop for their cleanings. It is a cheap machine but works well for piecing. I have 2 older Kennmore machines that have cams just in case I need to do a fancy stitch. I machine quilt on a grace frame with my new Juki that Santa brought. I stuffed the serger under the table too just so DH will forget about how many I have :D I also have my other grandmothers treadle machine. It is in an oak cabnet and used for display in the familyroom. It used to work but needs cleaning and a new belt. Nothing computerized -Yet! :wink:

I use my old 1975 Kenmore for doing my piece work. It has cams for special stitching (probably the same vintage as 2 Doods). I would like to "collect" another machine with a blanket stitch for applique if I could find one at a yard sale for a reasonable price. :-)

I use a Viking Turissa, which I THINK is from the 60's. I use it for everything from quiltmaking to sewing bridal gowns (and everything in between!)

I love my singers, I piece on my 99K, do other stuff on my Dressmaker with the cams, freemotion quilt on my 201. I'm trying to get my DH to let me buy one of the new fancy wonderful ones that do all the fancy stitches, but no luck yet.

I have an old Kenmore and it sews a straight stitch beautifully. I made several tied quilts on it that just consisted squares sewn together. It isn't a speed demon.

I did purchase a new machine because I needed more than the ability to do a straight stitch.

I have a newer Necchi, but I find that I really like to use my Singer Featherweight 221. I had two of them and gave my daughter one. I have a Necchi that is about 50 yrs old and still works great. I also have an older singer, a Montgomery Wards Signature was my first one, and I stil have that and that was about 35 yrs ago that I got that one. My mother had a Brother and that was a good machine. I also have had a Dressmaker.

If I am quilting on my home machine I like to use the Necchi. But stitching I love the featherweight. It sews such nice nonpuckering stithes that some of the machine do at times. My other quilting I use my longarm which is from Nolting.

I do upholstery work so I also have those machines. One is industrial for clothing and it sews really well also. The other are Consews and for heavier sewing. All together I have over a dozen sewing machines and each and every one of them gets use.

And the thing is.......even if I don't need another one. I still look at them. With all the new bells and whistles on them nowadays, I wish I had the newer ones, but I have restraints on to keep me from getting one.

grrrrrrrrrrr.
Barb

My kenmore is 40 years old. It works great, but i cant seem to do free motion quilting on it. It has a darning feature, and i can drop the feed dogs, but i dont have a darning foot. I am thinking of trying to buy a darning foot for it. I've tried it without a darning foot, and wont work. I wonder if i can buy just a darning foot and what they cost? Maybe i wil look online.

I have a new Janome computer etc. and a 50 year old Pfaff. I love the Pfaff because it has more power and is not stuck on thickness on my quilts. they both have needle threaders neither one works. I would love to have the new Pfaff that is coming out but since I just got my Janome a year ago there is very little chance, besides the price not pretty. I think the Jamome is too touchy.

Ha ha, me too!
What model number is it? Mine is a 1774, it came with a little table unit, so it's not really the portale kind. I use that one for most of my sewing, really, but lately I've been sewing at my boyfirend's place and I use his mothers old Singer Genie 354. It's decent, does a couple of different zig-zag stitches, but nothing compared to my other one I have at home. I've mentionned before that there was some water damage in my basement a couple of weeks back and it ruined my 1949 featherweight (GRRRRRR) I SHOULD come out on top with the insurance claim and buy something decent, like possibly something not older that I am, lol!

Ruth, I have an New Home (janome) MX3123, $279. Really like it has 23 stitches, several different feet. I just purchased a walking foot for it and got a 1/4" foot too.

I have 5 old singers. I love them. Its the only thing I use now. I paid $400 for a brand new Necchi and can't even give it away. I only wish the old singers had different stitches.
Judy in Ohio

I have two singers that take cams and do decorative stitches....late 50's :D

My Kenmore is a model 1730 & it is portable. Hope you can find a machine that you like. Too bad about the water damage in your basement. The bright side is you will get to go shopping for a new machine. :D :D :D

When I learned how to sew, I used my moms Singer Touch and Sew. Since she is gone, I now have it and need to get it cleaned so it can be used again. I also have my grandmothers Singer, no clue what model, that she used back in the 20s/30s to sew sails for fishing boats. It's an electric model. Both of those Singers have/are in cabinets. Original cabinets. I was looking for a machine to make clothes for my daughters and my mom and dad bought me a $100 Singer. I used that for a long time and took it in for servicing. The man was going to charge me $125 for cleaning, etc. That's more than what the machine cost! So, I went out looking for something. Wandered into Sears and saw the Kenmore Ergo3 and bought that. I fell in love with the embroidery function.
I got that home and a friend of mine dropped off her portable Kenmore to me saying....she didn't know how to use it, wasn't going to learn and wanted it out of her house. Just wished she had brought it over a few days before! So...I have 2 usable machines and the other 2, I call "decorator" machines.

I have a 40+ year old Singer with all the bells and whistles, at that time. I sewed all my 3 kids clothes on that. Got a Kenmore when I started quilting, 8 years ago. Now I have a viking Designer 2 with the embrodery attachments. Love all of them. I use all of them for something special. Really like the needle down and the sensor foot for quilting on the Viking.

I had a singer (do not know what model) that I got when my daughter was in high school ---quite a few years ago. Loved it, sewn many a stitch on it. When I carried it back in for repair a few years ago the man told me he could not fix it again. I was sick loved that old machine. So I just went to walmart and bought me a Simplicity very basic. At that time I was not into quilting but it has served me well. I have done all my piecing and some machine quilting on it. Sure would like to have a fancy new one and I'm just waiting for DH to buy new golf clubs or golf cart and that will be my time--I do try to keep up with his golf buying. LOL

Beverly

I have a Singer 1425, cost $1400, 26 years ago!! It was an amazing machine and it sewed its way through everything from baby clothes to high school musical costumes for my children. But it just didn't have the power that I needed for stippling and other things. So I am the proud owner of a Janome 6500... $1800.00. I call it my early retirement gift and quite honestly? I LOVE it.

My sister fought the urge to upgrade. Said her $400.00 20 year old Kenmore was just as good as my Janome. She just bought the 6600 and sheepishly admitted... newer is better! She's in love too!

I have a singer 660. I don't know how old it is, but my ex-mother-in-law had it for a long time and had it reconditioned and gave it to me about 10-15 years ago.

It has cams and stuff, but really I only use the straight stitch and zigzag.

I really like it though. It's very dependable.

I have a 25 year old Bernina 930 that is so heavy (solid metal) I can't lift it! Love the machine and it does not compare to the computerized machines of today that are all plastic.

I have a Singer 316, over 50 years old. Very solid and dependable. The only thing that I may have problems with sometime is the motor, when you run the thing really hard for a long time it starts to sound kind of unhappy. But, I know a guy who rebuilds small motors! :) So, if it would break I wouldn't have to replace the motor and have it be another color, it can still match my lime green machine! :D The thing is heavy though, yikes! What I love about this machine is that the moving parts will never break as long as it is maintained well and the parts that could break can be repaired fairly easily. :) I loooove older singers!

I see that many, many of you have Kenmore machines...was that made or sold by Montgomery Wards years ago? Before I quilted I had a Mont. Wards machine that I thought was Kenmore that worked like a champ on the clothing construction I did alot of. It was a true work horse. When I got my New Home 8000 about 20 years ago I gave the Mont.Wards machine to our daughter and she loved it until she let our granddaughter make doll clothes and something happened to it. She got rid of it and I was sick as I would have loved to get it back. Good machines.

I think my machine came from Sears, my mother bought it before she was even married.

I have a 1951 singer i use all the time. A 1943 featherweight i take with me on trips. A 3/4 weight singer which i have never gotten out to use.

It seems we all are fanatics. Sewing machines galore, gadgets of every kind, quilting magazines by the dozen, fabric stash in drawers, in closets, under the beds, in boxes, bags and wherever else we can keep it (yes I'm speaking for myself). LOL. I have a 1998 Viking 1 + that I love. It has a beautiful stitch. I do most of my quilting and all my sewing on it. I also have 2 Featherweights in the top of my closet. I love the beautiful stitch they produce. Actually for piecing I really wouldn't need anything but the Featherweight. However, it needs some minor work done on it, so it is in the top of my closet along with the other Featherweight which needs much more work done on it. Additionally I have an old school quilting machine, a Desigh A Quilt in storage because my husband wouldn't let me put it in the family room after a friend and I bought it. I've never used it but I want to so bad. I had a 70's Kenmore which I never really liked. I might still have it, but can't find it!!! Can you believe that? Probably under some of my stash.
Linda

Pfaff has a neat needle threader for their sergers - but it works on any sewing machine needle. They sell them separately, too. Great for 'older' eyes like mine!
JoanneS

:wink: Kenmore is Sears! I have an old 1952 and a new embro. Sears Kenmore , Have the older Singer's and they are real WorkHorses. Have new High speed Quilting Brother Machines. Yes I'm a collector too. The older ones are easier to fix by yourself. Clean and oil her up and she goes, Got 4 Treadles as well ,1 is a White 1907. 1 a Singer 1895 and yes they Work!!!

:wink: One of my old Singer is a 1923 Electric and she's a WorkHorse as well!!!

My friend has a Necchi and a serger. I imagine she bought it in the late 80's or early 90's we did some monagreaming on the Necchi when she lived in the States. I loved it. Now she has parkinson's disease and can't sew anymore. I'm going over for a visit in May and she want's me to take both of t hem home with me. I'm not sure how I'm gonna do that. I imagine the shipping is outrageous. I think it cost me $28 to ship her a throw size quilt. Can't imagine 2 sewing machines and I know that Necchi must weigh around 60 some pounds. I'd love to have them but only time will tell if I can afford the shipping.

Connie

I have been given a Turissa ultrmatic which I ould like to use for quilting. It has all parts and accessories but needs new belt does any one know where I may be able to get one?

Melva

oh my, I do my piecing and stippling on a Singer 301 - I have two of them..
and a 15-90
and a treadle 66
and a godzilla 66
and a 185
and a 237
and a 401 (lots of stitches)
oh and don't forget the featherweight....

and my Bailey for quilting.....

and for occasional drag it out and use it I have a Brother 2003D and a Singer XL1000 :lol:

here is my baby 1953 15-91

I have a New Home Memory Craft 7000 bought new in about 1988 for $1500. I used it hard all these years. I was planning to buy a new Janome when a friend told me to take a look at eBay. Oh my gosh, there was the twin. And it appeared to be in great conditions So, for $150. I bought it and indeed it runs great and is barely scratched. I think it was owned by a little old lady who hardly ever used it. Daughter came from Seattle to visit. She had always said "some day will you give me your machine?" so that day had arrived and I let her pack it up and sent it home for her to use. Second generation now and it is going strong. They just don't make them like they used to.

When you find a good one, a twin can be a good one to have. I love this machine.

Several people in this group also own this machine.

June

I have 2 old Singers(1948), 1 Montgomery Wards(1950), it needs a cord, 1 Husky probably 70's, 1 Kenmore probably 70's, 2 Elna's, one is a Quilter's Dream, I think that's it. LOL

How wonderful to see what kinds of sewing machines we have. And it is terrific that so many of us have older machines which we love. They just don't build them the same these days

I have a Singer 221 Featherweight Anniversary Edition named Ethel (after my grandmother) that was my mother's. I have been using it forever for piecing. It is a great machine , beautiful stitches, but it needs to be babied along.

In June I got a Janome Heart Truth and I love it My "Red" as I like to call her is pretty much perfect and has never given me a problem.

My third machine is a 30 year old Viking which is still running well, but the feed dogs are just not great for the 1/4 piecing.

Here is a place to post a free ad for sewing machine parts or anything related to sewing. I have found this to be a helpful place. Also check out the things they have for sale.

http://sewingwishlist.com/


There are other sites where you can order parts, which can be found by going to Google, but this one is great and also fun to read.

I hope someone here finds this one helpful.

June

Pro:
I'd sure be interested in info on your 1907 White. I have one about that vintage that my grandmother gave me in 1964. It works but I have no instructions so am afraid to try using it. Do you have any idea where I might be able to go to get info? I have tried White Co., Library, sewing shops but nobody seems to have much or any info. I wish I had a book but that also seems to be lost forever. The motor on my machine folds up and down for storage. It is in a rounded oak case and is very cool. I love it but just wish I had more info about it.