The green Kenmore was ugly until I cleaned it up. Now, I'm amazed at the pretty color of the green under all of that yellow staining.

I sat down with the box of attachments I also got along with the 3 machines. Some fit my current, "modern" Kenmore and I think the rest of them are high shank and will fit the new "vintage" Kenmore I just acquired. It was so fun to go through them and see what they do...with my current machine. The ruffler was fun, the tucker, the rolled hem, the binder. I have a vintage Singer instruction booklet that I used to identify all of the gadgets and how they work. So, now I have rotary attachments for the circular shank, others for the square shank kenmore types. Fun.

I don't know if I should be excited or really discouraged...I found what my White Rotary cabinet, a Martha Washington cabinet, should look like. [ATTACH=CONFIG]361898[/ATTACH]

Unfortunately, this is what she really looks like....[ATTACH=CONFIG]361900[/ATTACH]

Oh, I have so much to do. I want to do it all, sew, fix sewing machines, quilt...clean my garage, find room for the 6 machines that are out there so they can come inside for the winter and so the car can get into the garage for the winter

Yesterday I was supposed to be quilting. I have 5 quilts that need to be quilted...so, what did I do...went to the garage and cleaned my Dirty White Boy Crinkle. It's not so dirty today...but the cord is a mess, so no way I'm plugging that puppy in. It was stiff and dirty and now it spins like a dream...it wants to SEW! Funny, I was thinking the machines are like race horses. They just want to RUN!

[ATTACH=CONFIG]362762[/ATTACH]A sweet little baby....reconditioned? And this one in a cabinet[ATTACH=CONFIG]362763[/ATTACH]

heehee i just read through your entire thread. loved your daughter's quilt! that's the best - to pass along such a fun hobby to the next generation. i think you're a few months ahead of me in your addiction. i bought a Singer Slant-o-Matic (503a) for my youngest daughter that is exactly like mine about 3 weeks ago. i got it from a guy on craigslist and he had his house full of vintage machines. that's all it took. i've bought 2 more vintage black singers since then - a 66 and then a 15-91, and in the midst of this passion i took my grandma's treadle out to have the cabinet restored and the black parts repainted. it's a redeye 66 from 1917, similar to the pic you've posted.

the good thing about the cabinet above is that you can't really lose. it's in pretty rough shape as it is. did you see the directions for how to restore the finish? Glenn/skipper posted the directions somewhere, but i can't tell you where, and someone posted before and after pics using his methods. it was very impressive. i copied the directions and am going to try it on the Queen Anne cabinet that the 15-91 came in. you might be able to make that cabinet look pretty nice again if the wood is sound.

thanks for the sharing & pics - i enjoyed all of it.

It really is an obsession...a cheap one though, so far. I haven't paid more then $50 and that was for the Necchi, which is in perfect sewing condition for a 50+ year old machine. The most I've paid for a treadle is $25, and that was for the White in the Parlor cabinet, sight unseen and much improved since she's been here. The others have been free. I just love taking something that barely moves, dirty, dusty and ugly and making it sew. This little Singer in the case has me a bit confused, but I think, and I am not as informed as most of the people here, the little Singer is a 128 built in the 50s...but it just doesn't seem possible. It looks like it's never been used. Such a mystery.

A while ago, before I knew much about sewing machines except how to use them, I bought what I thought was a machine what I thought was the equivalent of a rusted out beater of a first car. A Kenmore 158.177 from Goodwill for $4 in the cabinet. My daughter wanted to learn to sew, and I didn't want her using my machine. That machine has surprised me over and over again. Turns out it's a great machine. Sews like a dream...needed oiling and a tension adjustment....but works really well. She really doesn't use it much.

Today, I realized....it's been sitting here in its cabinet for a while...it takes CAMS! I don't have them, but now, now..........you know what I'm going to say..........now I have something to SEARCH for! I would love to see what this can do with a set of cams!

i have about 8 cams for my 1961 Singer Slant-o-matic (the Rocketeer) and have used them for various decorative stitches. i'm sure they came with the original machine because they fit inside the box of bobbins, attachments and screwdrivers. my latest fun thing is to use the cams is in decorating ATCs - Artist Trading Cards. just run some fun design down one side of the card. when my eldest daughter was little i made a lot of clothes for her and i finished the edge of a blouse collar and cuffs with the scallop edge cam then trimmed the fabric off even with the stitching. it turned out really cute.

gee, how awful, something sewing machine-ish to search for! :)

On the Vintage Kenmores group page on Yahoo, someone replied that they may have a set to sell. No, it's not a need, but it would be fun to search for. From the Sears web site I found that they are C-cams and are orange and green(?) I think.

Today, I played with the 99 in the case, the 128 in the case and the 66 Red Eye Treadle. I am happy to report that 2 of the three are in working condition. The 128 has something that is making it run a little rough. Seems like something is not moving very smoothly, but the motor runs well, I've got the tension adjusted. I had to use my older treadle to wind the bobbin because I'm missing a wheel on the bobbin winder. I borrowed the clutch washer from the Kranky Kenny I have in the garage. It's not running anyway, so I didn't think he would miss it. So, it SHOULD be working. A little more oil everywhere and we'll try again in a few days.

I was having an issue with the treadle belt for one of my machines. It had broken off at the staple hole and it was just a bit too short. Someone suggested getting it damp so it would stretch. Another suggested a spring...and it got me thinking...It really was only about a quarter inch too short when I really looked at it, so I took embroidery floss, doubled it, used a crochet hook to pull it through the belt and tied it to the staple, wound it around a few times and tied it. It works!

OK...I'm done for a while. Really. Today I brought home a Kenmore 158.523. Cool old machine. Cams, attachments, cabinet. $15.00 I cleaned it up, oiled it, plugged it in and it runs! Stole a bulb from what is becoming a donor machine and it's great. Tried out most of the cams, organized the attachment box...Sewing by Color. Nifty. The only thing that seems to be missing is the zipper foot. All of them should fit my normal machine. I really bought it because I wanted all those groovy attachments! [ATTACH=CONFIG]364736[/ATTACH]

I sure like the color coded attachments box. It sure beats the jumbled mess that my attachments reside in.Hmm, I might consider purchasing a 158.523 for the groovy box of attachments also.

It's called Sewing by color. I did a search and found some others out there on Ebay...truthfully, I bought the machine because of the attachments, but now I fell in love with the machine too!

I spent a good part of the day cleaning the garage yesterday. Ideally there should be room in the garage for the car AND the lawnmower, but right now, because of the sewing machines, the lawnmower spent its first night outside. Should I make room for all the machines in the house, or do I just tuck them in, cover them up and let them spend the winter outside? I've gotten rather accustomed to going out the garage and visiting them, but it's going to be too cold soon to spend much time out there. I could bring them all in the house, but then there may not be room for the rest of the family.

I joked that we could move out the kitchen table and each person can just eat at her own sewing machine cabinet...funny...they didn't seem to love that idea.

I have a Franklin with a parlor treadle cabinet. It basically fell apart as the seller was trying to put it back together to sell it to me. She felt so bad about its condition that she gave it to me. Great machine. I'm sure I've posted pictures before and I will again when I have the cabinet reunited with its machine. It has some wooden, decorative, raised doo-dads that have basically crumbled and most of the bits have fallen off. I think I just want to remove what remains and stain to match the rest of the cabinet. I don't expect it to be perfect, I just want it to be usable.

The bottom had split into three pieces and there wasn't much to hold it together and its wooden "wheels" on the bottom had gone "flat" or were missing. I took a piece of wood and screwed it to the bottom to both raise it and reinforce it. It raised it a bit higher than the wheels, so they won't be scraping along the floor and it secured the split bottom pieces. Once I get it into the house and back together with its machine, we'll see how it works. Photos to follow.

I'm such a goof. I have all the machines into the house now. Franklin and his cabinet have not yet been reunited. I imagine myself sitting at my treadle, in the living room, sewing along quietly while the family enjoys a movie or TV show....isn't it funny how our vision can clash with reality?

I've been thinking about quilting lately. I have seen some AMAZING quilting and think to myself that I will NEVER be that good. I take a deep breath and go on. I had a thought. Some quilts are masterpieces from the beginning, others become masterpieces after a lifetime of being dragged around, cuddled in and loved. I'll work on the latter. I just want my quilts to be used, loved and dragged around.

I reconnected with a boyfriend from college. I made him a quilt back than. Nothing special, big blocks, tied, thick batting. When I talked to him after about 25 years, he said that he had just given up his quilt. He used it all those years, much to the dismay of his wife. It had finally gone to the dog's bed. Somehow, that made me very happy. When I heard that, I made him a new one. I hope this new one lasts as long and is loved as much.

Oh neato, those are GROOVY attachments! ;) Really cool, never seen anything like this.

Our high school has a computerized fabrication lab for making 3D copies of things...wondering what they'd say if I asked them to make duplicate cams for one of my machines. How cool would that be?

You are so funny! I hate to tell you this, but when you say you're done, you really aren't! My DH asks me to stop bringing home these orphan machines and doesn't understand the need to "help" the poor babies. We won't be done until they are all fixed and happy!!!!!

I actually denied myself the last one I saw. A pretty blue Mongomery Ward machine with attachments and cams...and I'm kicking myself. Wondering if I stopped at the house and left a note...maybe they might still have it. I really do just want to rescue them. I love making them work and I'm learning so much about the different machines.

You sure got a beauty!!

I finally moved my Franklin back into its parlor cabinet yesterday. I had needed some repairs after I brought it into the house. The cabinet has been in my living room, next to the couch for a while and I finally decided they needed to be reunited. It looks so charming sitting there next to the couch.

The tension check spring (is that right?) was stretched out and I wasn't sure I could fix it, but with the help of a tutorial I found online, I took it apart and looked it over. I was told it couldn't be done, but I wrapped it around a pen and used pliers to bend it back into shape. Put it back together and it works!

I love the scarab designs! I have one, but not so pretty. Yours actually glows. How does it sew?

It sews very well, but its treadle is kinda clunky. I think someone tried to repair it and didn't do such a good job. I can tell some of the parts are newer than others and ball bearings have been removed and replaced with some sort of teflon "tape" or something. I could switch this one into the RedEye's cabinet and it would do much better. To get it so shiny, I just wiped it down with sewing machine oil and let it soak in before wiping it off.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]380081[/ATTACH]
Here's what I know about this one. It works great. Left needle. High shank. Button holes. Zig Zag. Able to lower feed dogs. DeLuxe Emporium Japanese made machine, DeLuxe 146B. Late 60s?.

A friend needs a machine. I told her she could try this one out and see how it works for her. I don't have any accessories, but I think any high shank Kenmore parts should fit. Bobbins from my Kenmore fit this one. Sews a great stitch. I was surprised. I got it for free and I really had no hopes for it and it's turned out to be a great machine.

I just finished doing a complete Wirewheel to bare metal, repaint, and reassemble/adjust to a 1922 Singer treadle. I read the following link about 4 times and then ran with it...

The base is now done and it moves silently and smoothly.

http://www.treadleon.net/sewingmachi...gtreadles.html

The Franklin sits in a parlor cabinet. The Pitman rod is the one that looks like it's newer than the rest of the mechanism and the ball bearings are gone from the lower end. It could be too long or just loose. It does work though, and I've had it set up in my living room off and on and have used it. I'd like to try the Franklin in the RedEye's cabinet, just to see how it works there.

I think the Necchi was a great deal! I paid $10 in case for my Necchi Lelia 515 and I know I got a great machine. According to the yahoo Necchi site, a Necchi Supernova Julia is the "best" Necchi ever made. Congrats

Thanks Leolady. Yes, it's a great machine. Heck, they're all great, in their own way.

what a beaut!
 

I just acquired one like this with the scarab design in the cabinet with all original accessesories :) yet I am finding it quite difficult to find a manufacture year. All i can pin down is that it was made somewhere between 1877 and 1910 - I've only found two pictures online of the "exact" style I have..one is listed as 1877 the other 1910. Yet their asking prices are FAR more than I paid. ( thankfully!) any information you or anyone else may have would be appreciated! I have managed to get the serial number off it..but cannot find a database to research it.