Which are your favourite vintage machines and why?
 

Reading Mimibug123's recent thread about machine names, prompted me to ask what is/are your favourite vintage machines and why? If you could have only 2, perhaps 3 machines which ones would they be?

Clare

Great question, Clare! Well, let's see. I love my centennial Singer 201 for its beautiful stitches and the Singer 15-91 for the way it makes FMQ so much fun. Both are great straight stitch machines. In addition, I know I could not get by without my Bernina 830 Record which never gives me a moment's worry about tension and produces lovely stitches. It can do a few utility and decorative stitches too. And my ruby red Viking 6570 is equally reliable and worry free with a few more stitches. It's also portable which is a great advantage. But wait, that's four, isn't it? Honestly, that's as low as I would go -- and only then in case of dire necessity!

I'm eager to see what others say.

Singer 201, and Singer 401.

My Singer 201K hand crank. I have others, but that is the one I use 98% of the time. Beautiful stitches, so quiet. Absolutely love it.

for daily sewing, right now I seem to gravitate to: Pfaff 130(for heavy stuff), new Bernina(for fancy stitches), 201(for silks/delicates). I tried to have the Morse 4400 fill all roles, and while it does all of them ok the Morse doesn't do any roles better than the machines I have listed. And the FW for classes.

I would have a Singer 201, a Singer 15-91, Singer FW and I would need a 4th Singer 301. I keep a walking foot on the Singer 201, I keep an FMQ foot on the 15-91 and I use the FW and the 301 for piecing.

Clare,

Right now I have many machines. But I only have two specific machines I can call favorites and one brand model as a favorite.

The first specific favorite is my mom's old HOTHER. A 50s vintage Japanese 15 clone made my JUKI. Beautiful machine, she had it for as long as I can remember. Sewed with it until not long before her death when she got a Kenmore in a cabinet.
The other favorite machine is my Alden Model SUZ-2. Probably 60+ pattern combinations and it sews so nice.

The machine model that's my favorite is the Singer Model 66. They are big machines with a large arch, will sew threw most anything within reason and they are simple to maintain and fix. They have big parts, nothing flimsy and week in them.

Joe

Good question! I would have my 15-91 for FMQing. I would have my 1907 27 treadle for piecing. I'd have my featherweight for ruffling, tucking, and everyday sewing. I'd have my 66 treadle for sewing anything I could get under the foot! I'd have to keep my Janome 10001 for embroidery. That's about as thin as I could get my herd, I'm afraid.

My Lizzie{Singer 127} just because she's easy to sew and maintain. Sweet Baby Jane{ Singer Redeye} name says it all, she's just so sweet to sew on and so beautiful to look at! Lastly, Lil Bit, my Singer 66, just because I love her and she was my first machine!

Singer 301 for piecing and FMQ with the Elna 62C for everything else. It'd be hard to give up my pretty black clone badged MW, but the 301 wins. The others are extraneous. In fact, I'm getting ready to sell the 128, the Leader treadle and the Admiral.