Originally Posted by MrsBoats

Hey, all-thought I'd drop by for a cup and a chat, if you don't mind. It's nice to have found someone that isn't me or my osmg that's got a kink for old machines. :-)

I have a White (Betty the Backup) that I bought new in 2003 or so, but the older she gets, the finickier she is about bobbins.

So I started looking around for a replacement, and ran into Noriko at the local Salvation Army. Noriko is a Riccar, built in Japan in the mid-60's.

Also from the SA (that place is a goldmine for old sewing machines, definitely!) is a nice little Singer Spartan I found. According to Singer, Fenella was made in 1949. She was frozen when I got her, but a healthy slopping of oil and some patience has got her working again. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of her yet.

My most recent acquisition is a New Willard treadle in a pretty little parlor cabinet from the mid-20's or so. Mrs Willard came from an antique shop, and was still threaded and sewing. The story I got is that she'd been in regular use by the daughter of her original owner until just recently. She's actually the one I have the most trouble with; she sews beautifully, but I forget to keep my feet going, and can't treadle with both feet anyway. That and stopping without letting the treadle rock. I'm working on it. :)

Anyway, thanks for letting me natter. I'm slowly reading my way through the read, but I keep getting hung up on admiring everybody else's pretty machines!

Originally Posted by Lostn51

Hello gang I have to catch up on the postings here in the shop but low and behold we had a round of storms come through (tornadoes included but none of them touched down around me) but we have been with out power for the last 2 days. It just came on tonite about an hour ago and boy it feels good to have the house up and running!

The nice thing is we didnt have any damage at all except for a few small limbs in the yard.

Billy

Originally Posted by Kitzone

Nancy your clutch purse is too cute! I really like the colors and the fact you did it all on a treadle is pretty impressive. ~ Kathie I am sure yours turned out wonderful too :thumbup:
I promised myself that I would take time this weekend to figure out how to use the binder attachments on my 66 treadle and quilt batting to the backside of some fabric that I want to make into a sling purse. I am not sure about making the purse on the treadle but will definitely use one of the other VSM's that has a reverse. Wished I had a Davis treadle to use... one of these days I might find one needing adopted.

Judy

Originally Posted by Crossstitcher

Nancy love your purse and the mini quilts. Oh! heck I like everything you all put on here.

So want to show you 3 bags I made using my vintage machines. I used a 319 for the quilting of the material and a 301 for making the bags. I use the big bags when we go flea marking and carry things to my quilt club. The little bag carries my cross stitch project. Next time I quilt the material for another bag I am going to use one of the treadles I have and learn to use the machine by making straight rows.

Originally Posted by emmah

Thank you. What we got was just a bunch of wind and some hail, but nothing bad. I guess I would rather the weather service be cautious than have no warning.
Yard "sale-ing" today produced 2 vintage sewing machines-$3 apiece-a 15 clone in blue and white named Ambassador, and a green Kenmore that was my first machine--now used by my non quilting sister for mending.
Someone had used some terrible stuff to "oil" the Kenmore, it was slopped all over the machine and was like orange chewing gum. After trying kerosene and liquid wrench to no avail, I finally remembered that ammonia cuts grease very well, so toothbrushed it all over the place. Took hours to get the gummy stuff out and loosen up the machine. Now to oil the machine and put it all back together.
It is so fun!!!

Originally Posted by Glenn

Hello fellow members of the the VSMS. I an back from camping and had a great time. Just my luck we had a tornado warning. Got to stencil my bent wood case and do other customer work. Glenn

Originally Posted by sewbizgirl

I've been out of the VSMS for a few weeks and will never get caught up with all your posts!

Today I stopped at a moving sale and she had an old Kenmore godzilla finish machine. The cabinet was really raggy, but the machine wasn't too bad. It had some rust but with the godzilla finish it wasn't obvious. She only wanted $20, but as it really wasn't one I was looking to collect, I passed. Now I'm thinking I should have bought it so I could say I own the ugliest sewing machine ever built. It's one of these, but in much worse shape: http://cgi.ebay.com/Vintage-1948-Ken...item43a732933e

Originally Posted by BoJangles

Geeze Louise! That machine looks like a tank!

Nancy

Originally Posted by SewExtreme

Guess what I got today? A tan Singer 301A with oodles of attachments, a desk it fits into and some extra bonus attachments. I am in the process of researching the attachments to see what I actually have. The machine has to be thoroughly cleaned though because it has been living with a smoker.

OK, to begin with what is the safest thing to soak the attachments in? Don't know if I will be able to get the odor out of all of the original boxes and manuals but hope so. I am so excited to get it cleaned up so I can sew, sew, sew! Got the zigzagger attachment too! Whoo hoo... :-D

Trust me... photos will follow as soon as I get her cleaned up. Might even name this one. Not normally my habit to. :-D