Ok, I was on a quest for a new older machine, found it, and I'm very happy with it. However, every time I turn around now, there is an awesome older sewing machine waiting to be bought! I saw the coolest old Kenmore - looked like it was made of cast iron - today at the Salvation Army, complete with the original manual, a box full of feet, a knee pedal thing, and in a nifty little cabinet for $15!!!! It took every ounce of willpower I had not to walk out with it, because I knew my hubby would not understand! I saw a neat little older Janome at a yardsale for $25. There is currently a Necchi on Craigslist for $20. And, speaking of craigslist, look at this beauty for $75...


How beautiful is that?

The list just goes on and on! The sad thing is, I think I am now more obsessed with the sewing machines than the actual sewing! Please tell me I'm not alone...and that I do NOT need 50 old sewing machines cluttering up my house.

Mary

On this thread - http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=254739.0;all - I included a picture of my "new" Singer 404, and mentioned a sewing table. I went back to the thrift store where the table was with my sewing machine in hand to check to see if it fit. The sewing machine has these little round things with pieces that stick out that appeared to line up perfectly with the ones in the table, so I assumed it would fit and drug the surprisingly heavy table home.

Now, once we got it home and started fiddling with it, it appears that when you put the bolt thingies into the back of the sewing machine, the machine sits approximately two inches lower than the top of the table. Everything seems to fit, but the bolts are oriented so that the machine is too low. I know I'm not explaining it terribly well, but does it sound like I'm just out of luck, and even though everything lines up it still won't work, or is it possible that I'm just doing something wrong? Here are a few pictures to try to illustrate what I am talking about.

Here is a picture of how the machine sits a bit too low:


And here is a close-up (though a little blurry, sorry) of one of the actual pieces that fits into the machine...


Thanks for any ideas that you might have.

Mary

Here's my latest find; I got it at a garage sale for $5 today! I just uploaded a pic to ask about it on another thread, and found out that it's a Singer 404 (thanks, fellow craftster!). I'm excited - it's supposed to be a heavy-duty workhorse! The tiny bit of other sewing machine on the right is a Pfaff 482, my first machine.

Ok, ladies, original poster here. Well, I went to see the Singer that was pictured in the first ad (the Singer Golden Touch and Sew - thanks for all of that info, btw, pp). By the time I got to the thrift store where it was, they had the table only, marked down to $10, but no machine. I asked, and they said that they couldn't get it to work so it was tossed. I walked out empty-handed.

Today, we happened to stop by a yard sale, though, and I struck craftster gold! I found an older Singer (older than the one that was in that ad, but not as old as those old black ones). Anyhow, it is a heavy-duty metal one. I asked if it worked, she said it did, and so for the whopping price of $5, I bought it!!!!! Now, I'm thinking of going back to that thrift store tomorrow to see if that lonely table will fit my "new" machine. I may just wind up with the table and machine for $15 total! I plugged it in tonight, and it does seem to work fine, however, I didn't notice that it is missing the bobbin case, so I am going to have to buy that. I don't know if that is just a standard, universal thing, or if they are different for each machine?

Anyhow, my next question is this - I would like to get a manual for this machine, but I don't know what model it is. I'm not sure where to find that information. Can anyone tell me where on the machine the model number is located? I'm trying to upload a picture of my new machine, so here goes:

Thanks for any info you can give me!
Mary

Whew! I started this bag when Steph first posted her great tute a couple of weeks ago, and then got sidetracked. My dh kept pestering me to finish it, so here it is. I didn't have D rings, so I just used some rings I had on hand. I also didn't have much interfacing, so only the exterior got interfacing. I changed the pockets around - the idea came from an accordian wallet I saw on Craftster somewhere. I really like how the strap is attached, it's very cute and just a little different. I had never done a lined bag that had a zipper before (just button closures), and I really loved it, once I finally figured it out. Thanks for your tute, Steph!








Here is the link to Steph Blue's tutorial:
http://www.craftster.org/forum/index.php?topic=243097.0

I love how quick these bags are to make. These are just your basic Jordy bags. I got some random material in a box on Freecycle, so these aren't colors I'd normally choose, but were good for practicing with. The only difference I did was on the blue one, instead of sewing the outside and lining right sides together and then flipping it inside out, I put the sides how they should go and then folded over the seams and stitched together. It's nice to not have to flip it inside out with the interfacing on the fabric, but I don't think my seam was as tidy on that one. Oh well.



Mary

Thanks, everyone. For those of you who don't tune in to too many toddler shows, this is Oswald:



The voice is actually Fred Savage, the boy on the Wonder Years.

Mary

My almost 3-year-old son loves the show Oswald. I thought about getting him a little stuffed Oswald for his birthday, but they apparently don't make them anymore and the ones on ebay were going for a ridiculous amount of money. So, with my very novice sewing skills, here's the end result. Fortunately, three-year-olds aren't too critical.



Mary