Friday, August 4, 2017

Spa Day for a 69 year old

     No, it is not me. I am not 69. It is a Singer Featherweight that I was asked to clean and make sing. I love cleaning and adjusting vintage machines. The craftsmanship and attention to detail on these machines are awe inspiring. The straight stitch on these are superior to any new one. The Singer Featherweight, the 221, is slightly underpowered compared to my 301 or 15, but it sews fantastic. I just gaze at the stitching sometimes in wonder. Any bells and whistles new machines have hold nothing to the quality of the straight stitching of the vintage. To me, it is all about the stitch. I could care less about thread cutters (I have snips), knee lifts, or automatic threaders- as a quilter is all about the stitch quality. Because of this I crave to fix and clean vintage ones to restore the glory to machines that truly revolutionized women's lives in the home. I get referrals to clean and give the spa treatment frequently and especially love restoring the 221s.
     This 221 has mold and moisture issues. The cord had to be tossed. It was so gross, I ran it out to the trash with no time for a photo. The machine had mold on the bed and inside. I was able to clean it all out and it ran like a champ. Perfect stitching.
Before

After
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Befores
After

4 comments:

Debbie said...

Such a beauty when you finish with it! How do you get rid of the mold in the case?

Cheryl's Teapots2Quilting said...

Sew pretty! I love my featherweight. The only thing I care about with my modern machine (needle threader broke years ago) is the needle down, for machine quilting. Well..maybe some of the cute stitches, but, I don't use those very often.

Kevin the Quilter said...

Boy OH Boy do my girls need a spa day! Great post! And you have been so productive as of late with the many beautiful quilts you have posted!

Mystic Quilter said...

What a difference you've made!! I have a 221K with all the original oil, needles, feet and so on. No problems with condition of the actual machine but the original rubber coated lead from the machine to the plug and foot pedal has just rotted away so I'm hunting here in New Zealand for a new wiring set up.
Hope I can find one as they are a lovely machine.