This is for the “MY MACHINES” page. These are machines not yet on the website.
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Singer Electric SewHandy
I found my British electric Sewhandy model 50D on a road trip passing through Schulenburg, TX at an antique store. Everything Singer jumps out at me. It is in great condition and works. You turn the knob on the right of the machine to turn the motor off and on. There is a lever that you push upwards to sew and downwards to stop. It makes a chain stitch just like my other Sewhandy. I hope the little girl who owned it enjoyed many hours of playful sewing.
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Pfaff 30 Treadle
My Pfaff model 30 treadle machine was made in 1955 in Kaiserslautern, Germany. It was an estate sale find and came in a very pretty parlor cabinet. It came with only a couple of feet. Since it is purely a straight-stitch machine, that is fine with me. However, I probably have feet that will fit it and just don’t know it. A friend has brought me and relatives have sent me attachments from Germany. This machine makes a beautiful stitch. It has a wooden treadle and makes a little thump when treadling. I will have to figure out if that thump can be eliminated. Never-the-less, I love this machine.
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Singer Phoenix Class 15
This Class 15 Singer machine sports the beautiful and fully-intact Phoenix design decals. It was manufactured in Elizabeth, NJ on September 1, 1937. It is waiting for a good cleaning and rewiring. I found this machine at an estate sale. Even more exciting than the machine and it’s cabinet (which needs refinishing), it came with a Singer Fashion Aids attachment case full of attachments. Regretfully I sold the case, but I still have most of the attachments. The most unusual of the attachments was a Singer two-thread embroidery attachment for a back-clamp Singer Red Eye model 66 machine. It was in the original box, original instructions and even had the original tissue-type paper in the box.
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Singer 66
This is my Singer model 66 Godzilla crinkle-finish machine; manufacture date March 8, 1938 in Elizabeth, NJ. This machine was rescued from going to the dump. A man getting a divorce saw no value in it. My then-husband snatched it up for me. That was in 1981. From 1982 to 1992 I used this machine to sew specialty items for an interior-decorating firm. It allowed me to work at home while my son was growing up.
This was my first vintage machine. What I love most about it is that it is simple and so easy to sew on. The only thing that has ever happened to it is the carbon brushes wore down because I used it so much. This machine and I are one. I love a lot of different machines, but this one is part of me.
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Singer Sew Handy
My sister and I received this Singer Sew Handy as a joint Christmas gift from our paternal grandparents somewhere around 1957. Even at a young age I was interested in sewing. I never could get the machine to sew. So it was tucked away for many years. Once I got an interest in vintage machines, I figured out the tension mechanism was missing from the machine. I can’t remember how or when that happened. I got a replacement and it is such a joy to have the machine in working order. It makes a chain stitch rather than a normal straight stitch. It came in a nice grass-cloth case, clamp to attach it to a table top, needles and an instruction manual. Unfortunately, as a child I wrote on everything. In crayon is my name, address and phone number on the grass-cloth case.
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Singer 401A
My Singer 401A was purchased at an estate sale and manufactured in Anderson, SC in 1958. I love this machine! It is the second generation of slant-needle machines meaning the needle bar is slanted so you can see what you are sewing on easier. Unlike its predecessor, it is not just a straight-stitch machine. It has built in stitches plus cams to add more decorative stitches. It is a heavy-duty workhorse. You can use two needles in it, which is another big plus. Even though it is cast aluminum, it is pretty heavy. Mine came in a case that automatically latches when you set the lid down on the machine. If a person could only have one vintage machine, this would be my first choice.
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Singer 301A Long Bed
My Singer model 301 long bed was manufactured in Anderson, South Carolina in 1951. For their 100th anniversary Singer introduced the first slant needle machine – the 301. The angle of the needle bar makes it easier to see what your are sewing. Some say this is the “big sister” to the Featherweight machine. It’s really not, as they are not much alike. However, like the Featherweight, the 301 is easy to move around and carry to classes. It is made of die cast aluminum and weighs just over 16 pounds. In addition, it has a handle on the top that flips up to lift for carrying. The machine I have pictured is a long bed which will not fit into a cabinet. It came in a trapezoid-shaped case covered with grass cloth. There is also a short-bed 301 machine that will fit into a cabinet. The 301 is well sought after, as it sews very nicely. It is a straight-stitch machine, so extremely popular with quilters.
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Singer Black Sew Handy
Singer toy machines first appeared in the 1920’s as a Singer model 20. In the 1950’s they changed the design and they were then named the Sew Handy. They came in different colors. My sister and I got one for Christmas in the 50’s that is beige crinkle paint. I found this black one at an estate sale minus the clamp that holds it onto a table. Fortunately, a few years later I came across an orphan clamp that was made for this machine. A lot of little girls learned to sew on these. It makes a nice chain stitch which came in handy for little ones learning to sew. I know I appreciate a chain stitch when I am taking something apart. To make it easier to thread this machine, the places the thread passes through are numbered. it is a quality machine and makes a quality stitch even though it is a toy. Now us older girls collect them.
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