Ken,

I know I started this thread so I guess I asked for it. But........

Your living room is your sewing room!

Two Necchis!

"Nice and roomy with plenty of light. Thanks to my wife for letting go of the living room we never use".

Your wife is a real keeper. :-)

You're a lucky man. Does she hike too? ;-)

Party On,

Newton

"Your wife is a real keeper. :-)"

+20 lovely years together. The joke is now I have kept her for so long she has no resale value. Me, I was worthless from the get go.

She does not hike. Car camping only. Nobody is perfect...

Edited by kthompson on 02/13/2011 18:37:11 MST.

I've got a Necchi BU head just like that mounted in an industrial table+motor. Gifted to me by Judy Gross at Lightheart Gear. Awesome machine.

I bought this "Style Elements" mini sewing machine from Big Lots for $15. It came with a ton of extras and has an AC adapter and even a foot pedal control. You'll see in the picture the Singer hand held which is total junk for the same price. I sew through denim jean seems with it no problem. I came here looking for some ideas to sew with it.

Here is a list of what came with it. Yes it say's 20 threaded Bobbins and I bet there is enough thread on the spools to refill them each twice.

I opted for a new machine, but covet some of those vintage beauties



Juki HZL 35Z, so far so good with light materails all the way up to canvas, And yes if you were wondering, the glitter glue is super cool.

Edited by rperks on 02/14/2011 21:24:34 MST.

Solar powered and runs on Beer!

Like many people here I have a couple of machines that I've collected over the years. Presently my favorites are an old Brother industrial zigzag (a clone of a Singer 107 machine) and a Consew 226R walking foot for really thick stuff. I'd like to point out that no matter what you use it's important that you learn how to adjust and maybe even repair your equipment. I bought my machines used and they usually had some sort of issue. That's probably why people got rid of them in the first place. However, by looking at repair manuals and slowly working the problems out, I got all my mechanical machines working quite well.

I inherited this from my nan, i think she bought it second hand and put the motor on it . The oldest so far at 1898 however its so simple even I can use it.

Edited by j21a2t89 on 02/16/2011 16:10:07 MST.

Singer Model 15, Manufactured in Elizabeth, New Jersey in 1955. I am the second owner. I haven't mastered the many attachments.

Edited by lagibson on 02/16/2011 17:53:47 MST.

The machine I first learned on was my mom's 30+yr old viking, really nice machine. I have borrowed it on and off over the years, she did make me give it back to her though. I had a $60 special brother that was a piece of junk. Should have gone to the thrift stores instead of buying that one.

The machine's I have now are a 1972 kenmore. Thanks again Ken its sews really nice, your machines are beautiful.


And a seiko needle feed/ walking foot machine, I love this sewing machine.

Chris,I really need to get over to your place and see the new machine. Very nice. Glad you are putting the Kenmore to good use.

I've been using a bombproof 1946 Singer 15-91 and just picked up an early 1960's 503A. The two cost less than a cleaning and tune-up of the more modern machine they replaced.

When I was a little kid, my father taught me how to fish, and my mother taught me how to sew with her Singer. It had a foot treadle and a wooden console. No motor.

--B.G.--

Kenmore convertible freearm machine 'borrowed' from my mom:

Edited by erdferkel on 02/23/2011 03:12:03 MST.

Bob,

"...my mother taught me how to sew with her Singer. It had a foot treadle and a wooden console. No motor."

I've got one of those also. It is still in 100% usable condition and looks great. It was my Grandmother's. I used to watch her sew with it. She could make that machine hum with just her foot on that treadle.

Good memories. :-)

Party On,

Newton

For Christmas I bought my wife a Brother xr9000: http://www.amazon.com/Brother-XR9000-Sewing-Machine/dp/B002ROVEY8

At the time, I wasn't even thinking about doing MYOG. But that changed last month and I've been using her machine as much as she has.

It seems to do the job. But I have no idea in what to look for in a sewing machine. In fact, it is shocking to hear how old some of your machines are. I wasn't even aware they had sewing machines back in the 50's! ;)

Chris, they had a few sewing machines in the 1850's. Singer machines became popular a little after that. By the 1930's, many modern homemakers owned some kind of sewing machine or at least had access to one, because commercially sewn clothing was sometimes too expensive. For nearly all of the stuff that we do here, all you really need are the straight stitch and maybe a zigzag. I think I had to pay $75 for a new one a year ago.

--B.G.--

Same thing here

My wife bought a sewing machine - Janome Excel 4014

She never used it

I have made many tarps, shirts, jackets, vests, sleeping bag/bivy,...

I'm interested in getting into MYOG and am thinking of making a flat tarp for my first project. I'm reading up right now and came across this thread. My daughter has a fairly new Brother and I thought I could probably use that for silnylon. But this thread reminded me that we had at least one in storage that my wife (who doesn't sew) got from her aunt when she passed away. I just went looking for it and found it. It's a Necchi BF that has hand writing on the case saying it was purchased in January 1953. It appears to be in good shape. Now I just need to learn how to use it. I looked it up and read that BF means straight stitch only but I guess that's good enough for now.

Edited by rlnunix on 02/26/2011 13:11:11 MST.