Dumpster save. Nelco Dressmaker
 

Heading to work and drove past an individual dumpster. Beside it, in the rain, was a familiar plastic case.

Ok prolly too new, but could I really let it have such a horrible fate? Inside was the Nelco ( ahem) Dressmaker. A few accessories. It looks to be all together except for a missing bobbin. We shall see.
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It's not too bad, worth a clean up and test sewing at least. When someone is looking for stretchy stitches I dont think there are any all metal models. Rumor has it that a few Adler models from the 50s taking double cams had all metal gears, but when this model number reached me it turned out to have a few plastic gears after all. I still like it though. I guess it's like with some of the early Touch and Sews, the same model number can turn up all metal or with some plastic gears. Does the dressmaker run at all?

nice save......

Dressmaker does run, though it feels slow. . Needle and bobbin case act right. I haven't opened it for a plastic check. Says it is all steel..yea right.

Nice toy to tinker around with. I've been guilty of tossing a sewing machine. One of my husband's workmates hear I like vintage sewing machines. He gave me a plastic Singer from the 90's. It rattled if you shook it, and it barely weighed 5lbs. I didn't want to waste my time on it as I knew it was a lost cause. Hopefully your Nelco is nicer to you!

Some of those Dressmakers can fool you. My 80s Taiwan made Dressmaker is all metal and heavy. That being said, the places to look for plastic are the hook drive gear, an upper drive gear and/or internal cams.

Cari

I have one of it's cousins, a J C Penney. Mine has more subdued coloring on the stich selection guide and is labeled Double needle to the far right of the stitch selections. It doesn't have the power of my older machines. I would never use it as a "daily driver" but it's handy for stretch stitches and the free arm.

We need to educate people that such a machine could be donated to "The Sewing Machine Project". They get them to people who have lost theirs in floods, fires and hurricanes.