Last week I found a vintage Singer machine on Craigslist that looked to be in good condition. The person was asking more than I wanted to pay so when she said her price was firm I decided to just leave it at that. A day or two later she emailed me again saying she would take $20 less than the original price. I wrote to the hubby and he gave me the go ahead. I emailed her back and settled on a date and time to meet.
That’s great everything is set right? No, not so much. I have a small case of stranger danger. As I was showering and getting ready all of these crazy ideas kept popping into my head. What if it's not a woman and it’s some creepy man trying to lure women in with vintage sewing machines? What if it's a thief and they are going to beat me up and steal my money leaving me for dead? These are actual thoughts that ran through my mind. I have a very active imagination. My solution to my fears was to write back and ask if she could meet me outside because I was bringing three kids with me. Obviously I believe that the line creepy craigslist stalkers won’t cross is hurting someone that has kids with them.
I have sold and bought things before on craigslist but always had my husband with me. I was nervous the whole ride there. Turns out she was just a normal person with a young daughter nothing scary at all. Once I came down from high alert I was too excited about getting my first older machine to really check it out. I had an hour drive there and the money in my pocket so I bought it without making sure that the woman hadn’t lied to me.
That’s great everything is set right? No, not so much. I have a small case of stranger danger. As I was showering and getting ready all of these crazy ideas kept popping into my head. What if it's not a woman and it’s some creepy man trying to lure women in with vintage sewing machines? What if it's a thief and they are going to beat me up and steal my money leaving me for dead? These are actual thoughts that ran through my mind. I have a very active imagination. My solution to my fears was to write back and ask if she could meet me outside because I was bringing three kids with me. Obviously I believe that the line creepy craigslist stalkers won’t cross is hurting someone that has kids with them.
I have sold and bought things before on craigslist but always had my husband with me. I was nervous the whole ride there. Turns out she was just a normal person with a young daughter nothing scary at all. Once I came down from high alert I was too excited about getting my first older machine to really check it out. I had an hour drive there and the money in my pocket so I bought it without making sure that the woman hadn’t lied to me.
Turns out she fibbed quite a bit but that's fine because I am learning a lot about how to clean and service the machine myself. The only thing that really upset me is that I found out she paid about half as much for it than what I paid. You live and you learn I guess. I am happy that I bought it and I’m really looking forward to quilting on it. This will also be the machine I use whenever my husband needs anything fixed or added to his gear because it is definitely a workhorse.
It is a Singer 66 from 1928. These pictures were taken after I had done some cleaning to the shiny bits. I will be polishing, greasing, and oiling her up this week as well as replacing her motor and belt to be on the safe side. The wires are looking a little sketchy and I'm not looking for a fire so I decided to replace it to be safe. It is actually really easy and cheap to replace the motor on this machine since it is belt driven all I have to do is screw the motor on and put the belt on.
Look at all the space for quilting!
Once I have finished cleaning her up I will post some more pictures. She also needs a name so if you have any suggestions leave them in the comments. Just remember she is 87 years old so her name should reflect that. I'm apparently very technical on how I name inanimate objects. Do you have a vintage machine? I can see this turning into an obsession. I already have a list of machines I want.
Congrats on your beautiful machine! I think it is wonderful that you are taking the time to learn how to fix it yourself. I recently had both of my machines cleaned and fixed a couple problems I was having...120 dollars later, there was no way to fix one of the problems on my Kenmore. The part is plastic and I wore out the part, to replace it would cost more than the machine did brand new. But, I have decided to try and locate a couple of back up machines for parts to use for both of my sewing machines. I may even learn to do it myself, who knows. Sorry that the woman lied to begin with. Yet it is great hearing you already love the machine and will take good care of her. I am not good at names, so no suggestions from me. Good luck with the machine and the name. I hope that you have many years of stitches together.
ReplyDeleteCongrats! I bought my first vintage machine a year ago and now I have four that I regularly use and two that I plan to sell. You can read their stories on my blog. My first was a 15-90. My favorites are my two 301's. I keep one with a standard foot and one with a 1/4" foot. My 15-90 usually wears a walking foot. My Featherweight is my travel machine. There is an okay Yahoo group and an incredibly active FB group for vintage sewing machines. They are very helpful. I have become quite adept at servicing my machines. Enjoy your new toy!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your purchase! I got one for about 50 euro a few months ago from France that a woman inherited from her grandmother. I don't about refurbishing, so I'm jealous of your skills ;)
ReplyDeleteThere a quite a lot of videos on You Tube regarding the maintenance, operation, troubleshooting of vintage machines. Hope this helps you.
DeleteJanet Leigh could be the name for machine. She was born in 1927 and she screams in the shower.
ReplyDeleteI would sooooooo name her Eunice....I loved Carol Burnette growing up...and seriously, the rigmarole you went thru, with the stranger thing...too funny! Mean totally see Eunice doing this skit!
ReplyDeleteThe most popular name for girls in 1928 was Mary. Mary + a family middle name like Mary Ruth or Mary Elizabeth?
ReplyDelete