jlhmnj

Technology is a like a double bit axe

Vridar

I just gave one to a friend I couldn't sell on eBay for $69 with free shipping. One never knows. They are good machines if drive pulley is new and tension mechanism reworked. The rosette stitch is something to behold if a person can figure how to set it up. Mine also had full set of cams.

Cari-in-Oly

Ain't that the truth. Two years ago a friendship was ended when someone told me how stupid I am for loving my vintage machines when I should be wanting the most up to date computerized machines with all the bells and whistles, blah,blah,blah........I told him he can spout all day long, it won't change my mind because I've got something he'll never have: SKILL. I sew, I don't sit and push buttons(except for my embroidery machines) and have the machine do all the work. I can out sew him with any of my vintage machines. All the bells and whistles don't make you better at sewing if you don't have the skill in the first place.

Cari

ArchaicArcane

What is the saying? "A poor craftsman blames his tools"? I know someone who has all the latest camera toys but his photos are still soft and his composition is weak. He always wants the bigger better lens but he doesn't get that the best tool in his tool box is him...

In fairness, I believe most of my machines - vintage and otherwise - make me look better than I am.

Rodney

A good tool makes the job easier than a poor one. That said, my skills aren't any better than the tools I already own. I would need to be far more precise in my own work to justify better than I have.

How necessary are the bells and whistles? A basic zigzag machine (no decorative stitches) will handle 99% of any sewing tasks a home sewer is likely to have in clothing construction or quilting. A straight stitch machine will handle everything a quilter needs to do since quilters aren't as likely to work with stretchy fabrics. Decorative stitches are fun but not necessary. Automatic threading, thread cutting, needle up and down and so on may be nice but they certainly aren't anything the user can't do for themselves quickly and easily anyway. After about the third time doing it, how hard is it to thread a machine anyway? I do admit some of the new features are neat though. I saw somewhere a new machine where you could draw the stitch you want on the machine's touch screen and the machine would reproduce it for you. Very cool and fun but probably not necessary.
If you were to put 2 machines in front of me, one a fully computerized new model with all the bells and whistles and the other a well built but plain model machine, the choice would be simple. The well built but plain machine. We're not alone in that. Some manufacturers recognize that people still need basic quality built machines and they still produce them for that market.
Rodney

xxxxxxxxxx

I've though of putting this add on here in the past. They keep relisting this over the months. it's now at 19 days. It's hard to believe it hasn't sold.

I thinking of the people asking about prices, wanting to good all around machine and show they live while driving area of the machine. To me this is the best combination that singer ever offered.

http://salem.craigslist.org/atq/4776242731.html

miriam

"Please send me an email with your phone number if you would like to get it"
That is two strikes right there. Wanting your email and your phone number - you are supposed to use the CL reply.

Jeanette Frantz

Rodney, I have to agree with you. First, I work full-time on a computer all day! The last thing I need to look at if I want to sew is a doggone computer. I get frustrated every time the computer has a glitch (spelling?) at work. If I want to sew, that's something I want to enjoy -- I don't want to have to deal with a computerized sewing machine! I used the same sewing machine for more than 50 years -- got it when it was new -- and it still works. It's getting a little tired, but still sews like a champ!

I love to sew -- always have -- ever since I was old enough to remember! I'll still take my old machine -- I've often thought I'd like to have an embroidery machine, but I'm not sure when I'd have the time to use it! LOL! I also do hand embroidery, and the quilt depicted in my avatar was the first BIG quilt I've done, and I not only embroidered every line, every satin-stitch, etc., I started my design from a 3" photo on the internet. Suffice it to say -- the final size of the Arkansas Razorback was more than 30"! I did a lot of enlarging and re-drawing, but I don't think I'd want to do another one like that!

Jeanette

Rodney

Hand embroidery takes time and patience but I think it's worth it. Machine embroidery is beautiful stuff too.
A friend of mine described the difference between work done by hand and by machine really well. I'm trying to remember exactly what he said. It was something like this:" There's the craftsmanship of certainty and of uncertainty. The perfection and repeatabilty of work done by machine is the craftsmanship of certainty. The work done by hand where no two pieces are alike is the craftmanship of uncertainty. It depends entirely on the skill of the person doing the work."
Machine embroidery is the perfect example of the craftmanship of certainty. Once you're done setting up the machine the results are predictable and repeatable for as long as the machine keeps running. Hand embroidery embraces uncertainty where the end result is entirely determined by the skill of the person holding the needle.
Rodney

miriam

Rodney, I love that.