On the washing machine saga..... Turns out it was a gear or something in the transmission! $190!!!! But that's half the price of a new washer, and he said this one was in such good condition should last us another 7 years or more, all it needed was this gear. I'm not in the mood to go washer shopping anyway, and I hate disposing of the old ones, so since he was here I said FIX IT.... Wash is now running....I got an email from my good friend Lucy who lives in Haarlem, The Netherlands. She drove 2.5 hours to a little sewing machine shop to buy herself a featherweight! I am so tickled for her, she has wanted one for a long time and I guess they are a rare treat there, especially finding one in working condition. She sent me a pic of her new baby, and I turned around and sent her pics of my two. I thought i'd upload them here as well.
I bought the black one first, it's birthdate is 1942. I found him in an antique mall in Boise Idaho. I have the case, but it is missing the tray that fits inside. However, he came with lots of attachments and the little oil can :c) I do use this machine when I go on quilter's retreats, etc...but you have to be careful about sewing a project with different machines....The seam allowances may vary, even if you are using 1/4" feet. I think it is safe to do things like paper foundation piecing, or string piecing or things where seams don't matter when you are switching between machines, but I get the best results sewing with the same machine through the project.
The little white one was made in Scotland in 1964! I stumbled into him in a little shop in Twin Falls Idaho. He doesn't have a case, but I keep him in a little soft sided cooler that has a shoulder strap and pockets for extra goodies. I love them both, but don't use them as much as I could....
My favorite machine is a Bernina 1080 that has been a work horse for 10 years now and I wouldn't trade it for anything. It doesn't have alot of fancy stitches, but I'm not into doing machine embroidery or using those kinds of stitches. I straight piece, I use zig zag occassionally, and don't even THINK about asking me to do button holes! :c)
I also have two treadles, and a hand crank, plus a wilcox & Gibbs treadle head that I couldn't resist. Numerous other singers in round wooden cases, and a pfaff and a viking that I just HAD to have and the price was too good to pass up, but I find myself still sticking to the Bernina 1080 as my main machine. Why have so many machines? I don't know! It boggles the mind!

























