Tuesday Thrifting. Top Hat Trade.

On Mondays my favorite charity shop, motherlode of sewing goodness, is closed for restocking.  I'm usually there on Tuesday mornings.  I wasn't going to go this week, but when a lunch date fell through at the last minute I hit the road.  And the sewing trinkets jackpot.

If you are just willing to wait, almost anything will show up in your price range. If your price limits are low, this just keeps the thrill of the hunt going that much longer!
  

My price limit for boxes containing feet, cams or attachments is $5.  I knew that sooner or later I would find the pink Jetsons slant-shank buttonholer and this was my lucky week.

No modern machine with "automatic" buttonholes can match a good Singer buttonholer.   Ask anybody who has tried both.

This one has 5 cams, but they are interchangeable and I have several other Singer buttonholers, and all the cams.



Here's the find of the week: a zig-zagger for the Singer 301, in the box, with the manual, and discs 1-4.  The 301 is a straight stitch machine and the zig-zagger moves the fabric back and forth.  Do you know if this is the device known as "the penguin"?  If you know, please leave a note below.

This is an example of "I want it because it is just so cool" rather than "I want this because it works so well" (like the buttonholers).  The general opinion on the boards is that this object is a waste of time.  But just so cool. 


I bought a bag of miscellaneous feet for $2 because there was something in there that I had never seen before, and I am a total sucker for presser feet.

The mystery object is a Chadwick zig-zagger.  I also bought another Chadwick ZZ in a box.  From 0 to 3 zig-zaggers in one fell swoop.  The Chadwicks are for low shank machines. 

I have big plans for one of these Chadwicks.  Watch for an upcoming announcement from DragonPoodle International.

Turns out the rest of the bag was a nice set of snap-on low shank feet.   The triangular object on the left is a mystery.  It has the letter "R" on it.  Any ideas?

I adore feet and attachments of all kinds, whether I use them or not.  I do use a surprising number of them, but I am even fonder of the oddball ones. 

Finally, I bought a box of Singer 638 attachments mostly in the hope that the bobbins would work in a 603E that I am hoping will chainstitch for me one day.  Nice slant shank feet too.  And a bunch more top hat cams, which are threatening to take over the studio.

So, if you need a set of top hat cams, Nos. 1-7 (you can google the patterns), feel free to offer any sewing related trade.  I'm looking for the rare 0 (zero) zig-zag cam, and the 23 basting cam (don't know if this is rare or not).  You would be crazy to trade a rare one for the very common set I have.  So make me an offer!  anything sewing related.  The odder the better.

I'll even throw in half a dozen class 15 metal bobbins if you need them for another one of your machines because I am suddenly wealthy in class 15 bobbins.  All this treasure from one unplanned visit to the thrift shop.

The Fine Print
Offer expires July 31, 2011 or later if I don't get any offers by then. 6 class 15 metal  bobbins and Singer top hat cams Nos. 1-7 only (no box or other cams or attachments).  If you don't know whether your machine takes Singer top hat cams, then it doesn't.  If you don't know whether your machine takes class 15 metal bobbins or not, then put down the scissors and step away from the sewing machine.  Offer that appeals to me the most will be accepted (dollar value is totally unimportant).  Postage paid for by senders (you and me).  Second place winner will be offered Singer top hat cams Nos. 1-6.  Told you I have a boatload of cams!