Newfound Hobby
 

I have only sewn one thing in my life, a felt star for the top of my Christmas tree this year. In the last two months I have come to appreciate vintage Singer sewing machines and discovered that working on them is a relaxing past-time for me. It started two months ago when my MIL and FIL that live with us brought home a stray 201-2 abandoned and out with someone's garbage. Initially, I didn't like this old machine in a beat up case that found itself in my garage. I thought my FIL was crazy for playing around with the machine. Then, as I helped him, I fell in love with how well it was made and its elegance. I knew I had to have one, so after some research, I bought a $15 Singer 15-91 in nice shape once the chrome was polished up, but the cabinet is in bad shape. I cleaned it and got it running and it made some beautiful stitches. I also began glutting the local market and after being able to identify machines better, I bought 3 more 201-2s. One as used as a part machine to get my MIL's machine and the other two running beautifully. I kept the nicest one in a nice cabinet. I gave the other one to my MIL to keep at one of her residences. The problem was that I got hooked, though. I paid a total of $45 for the three 201-2s that I had gotten. So, I wound up with my very own 201-2s and a 15-91. I was in potted motor heaven! But I was not done. Over the last month, I have gotten a mint Singer 404 and 403A in nice condition (and with all the feet and discs). I also got a beautiful black Singer 301A. Mostly due to limited space and my wife not appreciating the finer art of Sewing machine obsession, and because a family member was in need, I gave up the 15-91. So now I have a 403A and a 404, a 301A and a 201-2. My favorite is probably the black 301A, but I love the 404. I paid a total of $120 for those 4 machines and have put about $50 into them Now I want to clean them up and find nice cabinets for them. I almost got a $40 Featherweight but it was gone before I could go and pick it up. I guess I wouldn't mind one, but I think I would favor another 301A rather than it. Mine reminds me of a locomotive. I could have gotten a 401 over the 403 but I liked the looks of and the ultimate simplicity of the 403 over the 401. To round out my collection I would like to lastly get a 500 or 503 Rocketeer. I'm in no hurry. I would like to do more work cleaning them and restoring them. The 404 and the 201 have been used by my MIL and have worked flawlessly. The tension seems to be a little off on the 301A and I haven't tried the 403 until I clean it a little better. It is freed up and the motor does work though. I would also like to get better cabinets for them. Eventually, I would like to put the 201 in my living room and keep the 301 downstairs in my family room, and with its ability to be removed from the cabinet. Not sure what do with the 400s, but looking forward to the varied stitches the 403 can make. I am hoping that my MIL teaches my 9 year old how to sew. I guess I would be interested in using the 201 or the 403 with its double needle ability to help me make a couple of bushcraft-type backpacks. And, I have the option of getting another 15-91(a centennial-marked one) for $20 to replace one I gave away. I miss the one I let go,but how can i break away from this obsession? Anyway, I am looking for some coconspirators as my wife is not on board.

Not likely to find anyone here or on my forum that would try to discourage you. SMADD is real.

Be careful that you do not find/use a good treadle, it will be all over but the shouting at that point. The quality of the 1800's machines is second to none.

Welcome to the club!

i think you are incurably infected with the vintage machine acquisition condition. :shock::p

We were going to start a SMAA (sewing machine addicts anonymous) group, but all anyone wanted to do was check craig's list to see what was new. So, we just gave it up.

bkay

Craigslist, ShopGoodwill, Ebay, OfferUp, Facebook market place, I was spending more time looking for machines than actually using them. I had to go cold turkey, deleted all my links, didn't look for a machine for months but they still kept jumping in my car every time I turned around. Friends with hearts in the right place kept sending me links to good deals, oh why?!? You know I'm trying to quit!!!! There is no cure I'm afraid, once people know you have sewing machines they become your enablers, always telling you where they saw this one or that one, it's almost come to the point a couple times where my kids thought about doing an intervention. :D

Cari

I doubt you will be able to break away from this obsession. I started with a beautiful 201 and was so impressed with the stitches, the quietness of the machine and the fact that it could plow through 7 layers of quilt sandwich without so much as a pause that I became addicted. I have around 100 of these beauties from Singers, Brothers, JC Penney, Montgomery Ward, White, Bernina, Elna, Viking, Atlas, Universal, etc. I only use the ones now that I can lift onto my sewing table but I still love them and admire their workmanship. Good luck with your new hobby.

I love the old machines but probably won't have much time to spend with them until I retire. However I figure they won't be in any worse shape 10 years from now. I still love just looking at them when I go out into the Machine Shed.

I cleaned ONE machine for a friend, got hooked and now own 15 machines. They really need to find a new home. The ladies I sew with just want the lightweight ones. Hard to give away once they show up in your house.

Let your local 4-H groups know about your addiction. I give away about 4 - 5 a year for new sewers. They think I am well versed in sewing machine repair, but my most valuable tools are Q-tips and tri-flow. Some of the machines were given to me by women who's idea of cleaning it out is to just brush away a bit of lint from the feed dog area. Enough lint builts up in there that at first glance it looks like a dead mouse. I've been trying to cut back on acquisitions, but the last one was a 201 in a cabinet that I looked at in Goodwill and told my enabler husband that they were asking too much for it at $43. I came home and did an online search for information on it, then went back the next day and bought it, probably paying the same amount for gasoline for the car.
There is no cure.

elnan - that reminds me - this summer DH gave a 401 to our neice (she's a registered nurse). She sent a text last week saying the machine froze up and would not move.

I texted back and asked if she had been oiling it - she said no. I asked if she had read the manual we sent with the machine - and she admitted she sort of skimmed through it.

So I passed her off to DH so he could help her get it running again. He came and showed me a text she sent - she asked if it would be ok to use a rag to put the oil on the machine. Guess she thought it was sort of like oiling the butcher block cutting board!

BTW - she did get it up and running, sounds like it was thread jammed in the bobbin case. She does love that machine though!