My wife got back into sewing a few months ago.
She’s been working on sewing projects, improving, learning, and finding some limits. Namely, her current sewing machine has been a little underpowered. It likely needs to be serviced, but it could also just be old for a newer machine.
She’s wanted to start a new project - something light, that she doesn’t have fabric for at the moment. Michael’s is a joke for textiles. Hobby Lobby has a good selection, but an ethical reputation that we aren’t comfortable with. Looking around for another option, we found Fabrictopia, and hot damn did they deliver. It was great!
On the way back, near our home, I saw a sign for an estate sale, and on a whim, decided I wanted to go. We got home, I searched for it and found the listing, and saw… a lot of stuff. But what caught my eye was a mounted sewing machine that looked old.
Now, I’m not someone who sews. It’s a thing I’d like to learn to do, and I may have my wife help me learn, but it’s not something I’d be doing regularly. I do, however, know that the phrase “They don’t make ‘em like they used to,” applies very strongly to sewing machines. Modern ones have a lifespan of about seven years, maybe ten if you’re lucky. If you can get a sewing machine from the seventies, though, death grip that heirloom. Vintage sewing machines will never break and are deceptively simple. You could run over one with a tank and I’d be more worried about the treads. You could probably sew through the head of a hammer if wanted. They will outlive generations of your family if they’re not just left to rot.
So, you can imagine that I turned my phone to my wife and said we needed to go, because it was three o’clock, and the estate sale ended at four. We hauled ass over there, walked in, and feared the worst. How much would they be selling it for? Would someone else have picked it up already? Our hopes should remain low.
You can probably assume that it was there. This thing was ~~60 with a 25% discount! The table part is laminated hardwood! We’ve opened the machine up to inspect it, and it’s solid metal, not a piece of plastic in sight. It runs smoothly, beautifully even. It just needs some calibration, as it has some trouble picking up thread from the bobbin and currently has trouble sewing, but there’s a place surprisingly nearby where we can get it serviced.
Folks, it’s a beauty from a brand I’d never even heard of. Our best guess is it’s from the mid-60s, but from the condition you couldn’t tell. A Nelco S-700 B (or J-A38?). Online documentation is scarce, but it came with the original manual and a few notions!
I feel like I did a great job at being a husband today.
