Saturday, July 17, 2010

Sewing at Home

Machine is marked "Patent November 30, 1866". A bit more about the machine over at Retrotechnocracy.
This old sewing machine occupies space on our landing/hallway on the second floor.


BBBH is quite adept at sewing, and in fact in her younger day, she taught sewing and worked as demo artisan for Singer. She uses a rather elderly Singer to this day. This piece of decor pictured here was an antique shop find several years ago, and it serves its function as decor quite nicely.


The spouse and I took a jaunt to a machine outlet a few years ago to evaluate the new equipment, with an eye to updating the home sewing room. After studying the offerings, she concluded that had she wanted a computer, she would have gone to the computer store. What I want to do, she said, is sew. I don't want to have to master computer technology in order to do what I already know how to do quite well, thank you.


She still uses the old Singer 401 Slant Needle DeLuxe.

5 comments:

Lin said...

Oh, but those machines are wonderful! I have a Husqvarna that is computerized and I love that machine. It has a plethora of stitches to use and all you do is pop in this card or that. It's kind of cool. Intimidating at first, but cool.

I think you can get a nice machine without too many whistles and bells, but you have to fight the salespeople to pare it down. I don't do machine embroidery or quilting, so I don't need the big machine with ALL the gadgets. I have a basic machine with a few upgrades and the computer features do help a bit--with stitch width, length, needle-down feature, and some other helpful necessities like automatic buttonhole maker.

Go look again, pally. Let me know if you get her something.

Anonymous said...

Sew, that's that.

Bob

Anonymous said...

Sew, that's that.

Secondary Roads said...

My grandmother had a Singer similar to that. Sylvia has an ultra portable machine that went to Ecuador and back with us. Nothing fancy, but it does use electric.

Hey Lin, I thought Husqvarna made chain saws. Any trouble with torn fabric? :)

vanilla said...

Lin-- Oops. I would have looked in the barn for the Husqvarna. You're right, though, the machines are really cool. I think BBBH is loyal to the old Singer, and feels at her age that investment for new one would be frivolity. Anyway, I'm pleased to see that a member of the "younger set" is using a sewing machine!

Bob-- Sew it is!

Chuck-- Those little portables are quite handy. We had considered sending one to college with a g'daughter. But good judgment prevailed: we suspected it would never get used.