Not-So-Ugly-Betty

First let me explain Ugly Betty to non-US readers (or US readers who don't follow all the TV shows).  Ugly Betty was the name of a TV show, one I never watched. Since I never saw it I don't know if my following comments are relevant to that particular show.

In the American film industry if you put an actress in glasses she is therefore classified as "ugly".  The glasses are your cue to view the actress as ugly.  She may later in the film remove the glasses and then a miracle occurs! Now she is attractive! Who knew?  And once she becomes attractive she can now become a love interest!  Isn't that just AMAZING?

Or maybe, just maybe, it is NAUSEATING.  You decide.

So what does all this have to do with that cute little Elna Lotus SP shown at the top of the page?  Not much.

Apparently the Lotus was filthy dirty when Barbara got it from shopgoodwill.com and she named it Ugly Betty.  By the time I saw it she had cleaned it up and I like it.  She's still not crazy about it but we had a good time looking it over.

The obvious comparison is to a Featherweight or those mini Kenmores we talked about a while ago.   Today we're comparing the Elna Lotus SP with the Kenmore 1040 and its cousins with just a brief mention of the Featherweight.

Stitches

Featherweight:  straight stitch only
Kenmore 1040, etc.:  have a variety of stitches, click on the link to see the earlier post
Elna Lotus EC:  straight stitch only, the economy model
Elna Lotus ZZ:  zigzag.  We don't have an EC or ZZ to examine
Elna Lotus SP:  the top of the line model

• straight stitch
• zigzag
• buttonhole
• "elastic blind hemstitch and edging stitch".  Imagine that a blind hemstitch and a multistitch zigzag had a baby
• "overcasting stitch and special zigzag".  I saw this on Tuesday.  I'm writing this on Friday.  I  have no memory of what this stitch looked like.  Probably because I was so enchanted by the offspring of blindhem and multizig.

Barbara explained the controls to me.  On Tuesday.  My takeaway, on Friday, is that I would be heavily reliant on the manual for a while.

There is a big difference in how much this matters depending on whether you own one machine or multiple machines, and whether you sew frequently or infrequently.  

Gears

Kenmore 1040 etc:  Metal
Elna Lotus SP:  Plastic

Belts

Elna Lotus SP:  Cleated.  Now we know nothing about Elnas but experience with other brands suggests that replacements for these are difficult to find. If you know otherwise, please chime in.  It is also tucked away in the interior of the machine, probably not easy to reach.

Kenmores 1040 etc:  Two easily accessible belts.

Case

Kenmore 1040 etc, click and scroll to the bottom to see the case:  All but the last model had a plastic rose-embossed case.  Barbara and I agree that it is kind of a pain to finagle the machine into the case.  If this were your main machine I'm sure it it could be easily mastered.  Also, plastic breaks, duh, and of the three rose embossed cases that have gone through my hands, one was broken and there was no way to fix it.  On the other hand, they are quite cute.

Elna Lotus SP:  There are metal flaps that fold up and click in place and that creates the case.  They are not removable and when they are folded down they create ramps up to the machine bed.  Barbara and I both think this would be an odd and uncomfortable way to sew.  And because they don't come off we can't envision any way to get the machine bed level with a larger surface.  She also thinks that fabric might snag on the metal edges.

Portability

Kenmore 1040 etc:  No handle on the machine itself.  Weighs 15 pounds, 17 with case.
Elna Lotus SP:  We didn't think to weigh it.  The Google machine tells me it weighs 13.6 pounds.  And it has a built in handle.

Accessory Storage

Kenmore 1040 etc.:  a small rectangular plastic box that slides into place on the front edge of the machine bed.
Elna Lotus SP:  a molded tray with slots for each accessory, located at the top of the machine and accessible by flipping the top back.

Bobbin Winding

Kenmore 1040 etc.:  The usual method.  Turn the clutch knob to release the needle from moving.
Elna Lotus SP:  This is an unusual feature of this machine.  There is a knob underneath the hand wheel with three settings.  One for stitching, one for bobbin winding mode, and one for something else which Barbara DID explain to me.  On Tuesday.

I often think that it would be fun to blog more frequently, with shorter posts, rather than being the George R.R. Martin of the blogosphere.  (If only...)

This post is about as quick and snappy as you can expect though.  Obviously I could have called Barbara and gotten clarification on all the things I had forgotten between Tuesday and Friday.  My normal procedure would have been to do that, and maybe even go over to her shed and take more pictures, especially of that cute accessories tray on the top of the machine.

But I am a hopeless night owl and calling Barbara at 2:00 am would NOT have been a good idea.  And by now it is Saturday morning, the Saturday before Christmas, and I'm just going to send this off to you with my cheeriest holiday wishes.

Happy Holidays!  A salutation meant to be inclusive and embrace everyone.

Merry Christmas! if that is what you celebrate and do NOT believe the culture warriors who have tried to make you believes that anyone finds this offensive.  No one does!  And never did!  That was a cynical ploy to divide us.

So let us not be divided but enjoy the season and embrace all humanity in love.