Sewing Machines: Vintage vs Modern
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- Опубліковано 17 січ 2021
- Vintage sewing machines are well designed and fit well into the design of a retro or vintage home, but is a vintage sewing machine right for you. In this video I'll share some pros and cons of both vintage and modern sewing machines, how to choose which is right for you, and some advise before you buy.
Do you have a machine preference? Let me know in the comments!
Text from the opening sequence is from "Singer Sewing Book" by Mary Brooks Picken, published in 1949. - Навчання та стиль
The intro, excellent! Very good seeing machine information as well. 👍
Thanks 👍 I thought it was funny. I'm glad you thought so too.
I just bought a Singer 401A. I paid $85. That included a really nice cabinet, all the original presser feet and a few more, the original book in perfect condition, 10 Cams, and the original box for the Cams and feet. The machine was a toss of the dice because it had no cord. We bought a cord for $12 that arrived in two days. Amazingly, the machine works like a dream. All the decorative stitches are perfect. The only minor issue is that the foot pedal squeaks. My husband will fix that because he loves that kind of challenge. I do have several other machines, but this one is going to stay in a place of honor upstairs in an area off the kitchen. Such incredible engineering needs to be displayed and used.
I feel like I'm borrowing my machine from history. Stradivarius level of craftmanship. I recently got a 1915 hand-crank Singer 99K with the bentwood lid. The 1 mm stitches leave me speechless - and, I think, make me look like a better sewist than I actually am. She gives me waaay more control than I have with my Misuser Heavy Foot routine on my Kenmore 22. She can go through denim with the mostly lovely Georgian clack-clack and the occasional sound of the needle puncturing the fabric.
The only parts that will need an occasional replacement is the rubber ring for the bobbin winder and that piece of red felt that oils the thing-y around the bobbin. Bonus points for no plastic parts to disintegrate.
I got a 1960 Jetson-style buttonholer to work on it (love other people's downsizing Grandmothers). Thing has all 9 cams and The Featherweight Shop sells a cam for _eyelets_. As you can clearly see, I'm just emerging from the etsy rabbit-hole that is presser feet. I even found an affordable zig-zagger from a lovely man in Athens.
I've been getting maintenance tips, presser feet lust and general history from the Vintage Sewing Machine Garage on The You Tubes. Honestly - a big part of why I went for the hand-crank was the idea I could service it myself without creating a fire hazard.
I only started sewing just over a year ago (have a Brownie Badge, but it was never my thing). And, thanks to Miz Bernadette, I started sewing again was with just needle and thread (I also have another persons Grandmothers Victorian silver thimble... her name was Ethel). By mid summer I had dragged out the Kenmore. And a month ago I got the hand-crank. My preference is the slow speed of hand sewing and the hand-crank. The electric is for mock-ups.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
Lovely thought, borrowing your machine from history! I love that! I'd like a treadle machine, though I have no idea where I'd put it.
@@SaucySeamstress Same. That's why I jumped at the hand crank. Somebody along the way serviced her really well. I'm the fourth (known) owner.
Great comparison. I have always had a vintage machine in the background. But recently I have switched to the computerized sewing machine on the back ground. I now prefer to use the Ena SU blue top machine and the Singer 319k as my main machines. My greatest disappointment was that spares for a relatively new machine of between 5 to 10 years is not available. The after market spares is just not cutting it. But selling an over priced machine to you as replacement is the way they roll now. I have taken myself out of the modern sewing machine throw away cycle.
I prefer my hierloom singer sewing machine from the late 50's. It was my mom's. It has manual reverse stitch and inserts for several common stitches. It can also sew through two layers of denim. It's definitely what I learned on lol, and I do think people get biased that way. It feels hearty. I've only ever had to replace the little rubber tire that winds bobbins for a couple dollars. The only downside is that its foot speed pedal seems to be all or nothing with only slight variation in between. I'm thinking of trying a dimmer switch adapter for that though.
My dad has an industrial vintage machine he modified with a motor. (It's so heavy!) I've used it for belt loops when my machine won't work on 4+ layers of denim. It's much more complicated to put a bobbin into than mine and has no reverse. (You needle down and twist the fabric around to back stitch.)
At first I thought older machines would be worse than modern, and was using my hand-me-down machine temporarily until I could afford to buy one. However, the more often I see how lightweight and fussy some people's modern (cheap) machines are, the more I'm happy with mine. It's a quality machine.
Your petal may need to be rewired. I've been binge-watching Vintage Sewing Machine Garage (spot the new owner of a vintage Singer - side benefit, no beeping). The petal may have been dropped one too many times or something has worked its way loose?
Have you discovered... the world of presser feet (including buttonholers).
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
It's true! My pink lady is having some bobbin issues right now, I might need to take her in, though I'm confident it's an easy fix, I just can't see anything amiss.
@@stevezytveld6585 Interesting I might check out that show. I did pop open the pedal to see if it had anything to adjust and it just has some contacts that connect with the press of the pedal. I did try loosening them, but it barely seemed to make a difference. It's not new enough to have the speed adjuster that some have that can be adjusted with a screwdriver.
I do have a bunch of presser feet, including ruffle and hem. But I tend to leave on the zigzag capable one. I tried to get a walking foot, but it was short & sat too high for my machine. (I have a slantomatic. I think its 403*.)
@@SaucySeamstress Before you take her it - it may be the bobbins. Vintage ones were machined to be without lumps and bumps to catch the thread.
- Cathy (&, accidently, Steve), Ottawa/Bytown
@@ReinaElizondo My answer at this point, is inevitably etsy. My search engines were variations on "vintage low shank presser feet". You're version will be on 'slant' or 'slant-o-matic'.
The parts are out there. Maybe an etsy seller will be open to the idea of trading for a walking foot (because those babies ain't cheep and the quilters are ga-ga for 'em).
Check your Singer serial number with The Google Machine. It should pop out an answer for what model you have.
I remember Vintage Sewing Garage having a few videos on the power petal If you don't have one of us repair/sewing nutters in your area, you can pepper them with questions. Lord knows, I have.
Because it's the slant - you'll be keeping an eye out for the red box for buttonholers - because The Featherweight Shop sells a replica cam for... _eyelets_.
Right now my ruffler attachment is sitting in the Athens sorting centre. Le sigh.
I can strip down and rebuild a vintage machine and know it will work. Modern machines, not so much. Even though I'm a microelectronics engineer, the electronics they put in modern machines are designed to prevent easy repair and it's a challenge.