My newest sewing machine, purchased this morning, is a real beauty. It is a Singer Genie 354, manufactured in 1974 in France. I was so lucky, it is in perfect condition. Absolutely perfect! And soooo pretty!
After Riverside Arts Market yesterday, I came home to Matt watching college football. The Auburn/Alabama game was a must see game at the end, but when I got home, it wasn't all that exciting to me. With nothing else to do but also watch, and recover from the long day, I got on Craigslist mobile. Starting with the arts & crafts section, I immediately found a scroll saw for Matt for only $40, and texted the seller. I continued shopping and found this machine. As SOON as I saw it I was blown away by how beautiful it was. I can't believe I've never seen this machine.
I love browsing the vintage sewing machines, and as soon as I came across this baby, I knew I had to have it! I went to text the seller of this machine and immediately noticed it was the same seller as the scroll saw. Bonus! And both were still available. We set up a time bright and early this morning to go check out both items.
We woke up early this morning to drive across town, to a small trailer park tucked away off Highway One. The dude's yard was nuts! Cars everywhere, weird tools I couldn't identify, rotten card tables, toys, plastic dolls, even a hotdog stand, all covered by a canvas carport; it was honestly quite creepy and borderline hoarding territory. The man told us he is a flea market vender, so you name it, he's got it.
After chatting for a while, plugging the machine in to test the circuitry, he told me the machine belonged to a woman in the neighborhood that had just passed away, and her daughter didn't know how to sew, with the machine ending up in his hands for resale.
As I usually do when I check out a used machine, I brought with me: a bobbin, a spool of thread, a machine needle, scrap fabric, and scissors. That way, I can check the timing and tension and see how well the machine works. Unfortunately, the machine uses a different size bobbin that is smaller than a standard bobbin, so I failed on that test. But upon plugging her in, and pressing on the petal, she purred like a kitten. A nice quiet hum, timing sounding just perfect, and I said "I'll take it!"
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We brought her home after stopping for lunch in Riverside and a quick trip to an antique store. First thing I did was get out all my cleaning tools and sat down at the dining room table. After careful inspection and cleaning the machine, I don't think it was used much. Aside from beneath the top loading bobbin case, there was no lint from thread, no scratches, no real signs of wear and tear like my machines see. It had a bit of sun damage, as if it sat on a table for years as decoration.
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It's almost as if it was made to be the Singer Featherweight of the 70s, designed to be easy to take along. It's right around 18 pounds, pretty light for a portable machine. The cover slides on from the left side, and the pedal and cord store in that compartment, different from the usual machine, where you have to wrap the cord around the machine, and place the pedal near the presser foot. It was funny Googling this machine, and finding all the people that got a sweet deal because the sellers thought the pedal was missing. Silly, it's in the case!
When I buy a "new" vintage sewing machine, I always take the front panels off, clean and degrease all the old sewing machine oil, and oil it again. Using compressed air, I blow away all old dust, and then put it back together. This machine didn't need anything! It was so clean, and the grease was clear, appearing to still be the original factory grease when it was made. So I put it back together, and simply blew out the bobbin case.
This machine was advertised to be a "portable zig-zag sewing machine" with a "new stitch function" that could sew elastic easier than all previous machines. It has so many different zig zag stitches, I can't wait to try them all! Since it didn't come with a manual, I still have a bit more research to do.
And I love the way it disengages the machine to make a bobbin. Simply press the bobbin icon on the balance wheel and you're ready to make a bobbin, turn the wheel and it automatically resets to normal to get back to sewing.
First thing tomorrow on my agenda: the post office to ship off Etsy orders, and stop at a sewing and vacuum shop for size 66 bobbins. I can't wait to sew on this machine!
What is your favorite sewing machine? Do you prefer vintage or new sewing machines?
