WANNABEE

Anyone ever hear of a Woodward & Lothrop sewing machine? Check out Letgo using the zip code 33436, Boyton Beach FL. Search sewing. I can't figure it out.

bkay

Woodward and Lothrop appears to be a department store from my Google search. So, without looking up the machine, I would guess that it's a private label machine made for them by a sewing machine manufacturer. If it's an old machine (black, usually), others might be able to determine who made it by looking.

If it's a newer machine, then it was probably made by a Japanese manufacturer. If you had the machine in your possession, you might be able to determine who actually made it, but unless it's labeled on the bottom with an identifiable number, the manufacturer would be unknown.

If it's made by a Japanese manufacturer and is new enough to have a zigzag feature, it's probably a great machine for sewing, but not very valuable, as there are a lot more sewing machines out there than there are sewers.

bkay

WANNABEE

I too tried googling it and found the dept store. It is definitely old and black. Couldn't figure out how to give a link therefore the directions.

sewvicki

Woodward and Lothrop was a big department store in Washington, D.C. that closed many years ago. My high school
(an all girl's academy) was right across the street from the store. I was never aware that they had their own brand of sewing machines though....long before I became interested in sewing. It has been closed for at least 20 years, probably longer. You evoked some old and good memories for me. I hope you are able to learn more about the machine.

bkay

I looked but didn't find it. What you do to post a link is go to the item, click on it to bring it on screen and then copy (control c) the URL (the line in the address bar at the top of your browser). Then come back to your post and click on the blue round icon just above where you type (when you hover over it it will say "link"). Once you have that box on your screen, it will have a line that says, "URL". Copy the URL from the sewing machine page into that line (control v). The link should show up in your post.

You can check it that it works by clicking the "go advanced" box at the bottom of your post. Your preview will show which you can use to test that you have done it correctly. Then hit "submit reply".

WANNABEE

Thanks bkay. Here goes https://img.letgo.com/images/4d/2e/0...policy=img_900

19cats

I found it, but for some reason couldn't copy the link. It's a very old leaf tension vibrating shuttle machine, possibly made by National. It's missing a bobbin cover plate, shuttle and bobbin.

bkay

I know nothing about those old machines, but it looks like it's a hand crank.

Leon will show up soon. He is the hand crank king. There are lots of people who know the really old machines. They'll be able to tell you how hard it will be to get the bobbin cover plate, shuttle and bobbin.

bkay

This kind of looks like it. http://needlebar.org/nbwiki/index.ph...edgegrand.jpeg

Macybaby

Yes, that is made by National. They seem to be the number one provider of badged machines. I've read that they put between 600-1,000 different names on machine over the years (though the number of models made was very, very much smaller).

In my research, I discovered that one of the best ways to figure out the Mfg of US machines, was what attachments fit. With the top clamp, there was no standard like the side clamp, so they are all a bit different in some way or other.

The other item, with leaf tension, most had a unique design, though there were some changes of the years.

WANNABEE

Thank you for all the info. I assumed it was badged, but never heard of Woodward & Lothrop. In my neck of the woods everyone thinks their machine is worth a fortune.