This is a picot/hemstitching attachment. You need a specific needle plate for each model of machine that you want to use it on and you need a special screw to attach it to the machine.

It has a fabric piercer that punches a round "hole" in the fabric then pushes the fabric around in different directions to stitch in a wavy line along one side of the line of holes. Then you turn the fabric and run it through again so that the piercer goes through the same holes again and stitches the other side on the second pass.

It's a beautiful effect on linen, but trying to run it on an electric machine is like trying to catch a jackrabbit. I finally bought one that goes on one of my treadles so that I can run it much more slowly - one stitch at a time lets you be more precise about keeping a straight line and putting the piercer back into the same holes on that second pass.

Draw your design onto the WRONG side of fabric. Braid or yarn is threaded through the attachment, which feeds it directly in front of the needle, which is then sewn through. Then you turn your fabric right side up and your design is there.

I don't think so - I think all of these are "top clamping" attachments except the one on the right side that looks like a regular low-shank, "side clamping" attachment.

I have a set of these that came in a black tin box with velvet lining and it says "Rotary Attachments" on the top.

My bronze embossed White Rotary machine takes this type of attachment, too. The White Rotary was sold in a smooth and embossed version for quite a few years, so there are apparently lots of these sets floating around.

There were other companies which used this top-clamping system and the height between the top of the fork that clamps onto the presser bar and the bottom of the foot are different, so not all top-clamping attachments will necessarily fit a machine made with this system.

These are both tuckers or tuck-makers - they're wonderful toys if you like fine vintage sewing. :)

While you're sewing beautiful little tiny pleats, the tucker is marking the next line of sewing with the automatic equivalent of a hera marker.

Tucks are a great way to put some fullness into a garment - at the shoulders of a blouse or nightgown or on baby clothing. You can also tuck yardage before you cut out sections of a garment and have a nicely detailed yoke on a shirt or skirt, for instance.

It appears to be an adjustable hemmer with one of the pieces missing.

It used to be a standard attachment, and is supposed to do folded hems. It wasn't as easy for me to get the hang of this one as it was to learn how to use the narrow hemmer.

I've always found it easier to me to press in a hem and then use a blind hem stitch. But, it still might be fun for you to play with this attachment, too. :)

Here's a copy of the booklet that came with one of my Kenmores from the late 50's - interesting to see that (just like today) there were a fair share of gadgets that didn't live up to their press back then, too. :)

Most attachments were made by the Greist company - for just about all the sewing machine companies.

re: Your zigzag attachment. Did you cover your feed dogs? The way these attachments work is that the presser foot moves the fabric back and forth. If your feed dogs aren't covered, they interfer with the process. The same goes for the buttonholer, blindstitcher, and embroidery feet...

Thank you!

I don't quite have it pictured in my mind but I will work on it. Not sure that I have an underbraider in all of my myriads of attachments. It is so interesting to learn about all of these vintage attachments. :-D

http://www.quiltingboard.com/t-110571-1.htm

I wonder if the underbraider could be used for stained glass applique, running black yarn for the braid as demonstrated in the attached link.

If so, I'ld love to get one for my 221!

The Underbraider per ISMACS:

http://www.ismacs.net/sewing_machine...erbraider.html