This post is for Amy

Dear readers,
In addition to using my blog as a sales tool, I sometimes use it to communicate to one person.  You are more than welcome to listen in.  I know you are here for the photos of vintage sewing  machines!

For information about how I am handling sewing machine sales during a global pandemic, see my previous post about a Singer 185 that I have for sale.  

Cheryl

Amy,
I'm putting this on my blog because I can show you photos, and because I have a lot to say and would forget half of it on a phone call.  Normally I spend about an hour demonstrating the machine to a potential buyer but we will not be doing that in the middle of a pandemic.  Feel free to come back after there is a vaccine!

There is information here that will be valuable to my regular readers.  And they want to see the photos!  So this post is a hybrid--half of it for you, half of it for my readers.

I told you in an email that I had two zigzag machines and at the time I thought it was true.   However...

The one and only "zigzagger-only" that is working and ready to go is one of those "high end" machines I mentioned that will be more expensive than the number we originally talked about on the phone.  It is a Necchi BU Nova.  If you compare a Singer sewing machine to a Ford automobile, then a Necchi is a Ferrari.* I have given you the price in an email, and if you think you might be interested I will post photos and information in another blog post here.  The other "zigzagger-only" that I thought was ready to go was not in fact ready.

*I would classify this Dressmaker as a Chrysler, lol.  A step up from a Ford.

I'll be discussing my discoveries about the Necchi BU Nova in a future post

I do have another machine that will fit your needs, the white and teal Dressmaker in the photos, and now I am going to try to convince you that this is true.  You mentioned that you want a zigzagger and not one with multiple stitches because they are more complex machines and I understand.  Basic zigzaggers are the machines in most demand.

I swear it is not as complicated as it looks

All zigzag machines have either knobs or levers to adjust the stitch width and length

 

The knobs below the stitch width allow you to lock the width for sewing.  Turn to the left to return to straight stitch.

Push in the button marked "R" in the middle of the stitch length knob to reverse

Machines that make multiple stitches either have those stitches built into the machine OR they need cams inserted to make the stitches.  Cams are flat discs with indentations on the outer perimeter.  A finger inside the machine follows those indentations and moves the needle to make the stitch pattern.

Cams to make the extra stitches would be inserted here if we had then.  But we don't!

Multi-stitch machines SOMETIMES (but not always) have a built in zigzag stitch.  I have a machine like that.  I don't have the cams for it, so it is NOT a multi-stitch machine right now, although it looks like one.  As is, it is zigzag and straight stitch only.

Fortunately on this machine the zigzag cam is permanently built in

We COULD just put painters tape over the illustration of all of those stitches on the front of the machine!

LOL

It is very clean on the inside.

It was this clean when I bought it.  No build up of gunky old sewing machine oil inside

It originally came to me with a broken tensioner and I replaced it.  I think I replaced it with a brand new one (and it looks new), but that was a couple of years ago and I'm not sure.  It might have been harvested from another machine.

Tensioner

The original light bulb was burned out and I replaced it with a new LED bulb.  As I mentioned to you, the LEDs are a nice upgrade because they are brighter and they don't get hot.

New LED bulb

It came with the original manual.  This is unusual for a machine from this era as most have been lost long ago.  I estimate the date on this one to be from the 1970s and it is an all-metal machine made in Taiwan.  Having the original manual is a big advantage.  There are manuals for many but not all vintage machines available online for a fee.

Originally $339.95.  That translates to about $1600 in today's money.

There is a threading diagram in the manual but I will leave the machine threaded so that you can take photos of the thread path if you feel that would be helpful.

Threading diagram and instructions

I cleaned and oiled the machine and tested it thoroughly.

I will include the test strip of stitches, all of them labelled, and with notes about the two things that went wrong during the test.  At one point when I was rotating the fabric, the thread got caught on a screw next to a thread guide and as a result the thread broke.  Just a fluke, not a problem with the machine.

Thread caught on a screw and then broke

The other problem wasn't a machine problem either, just a good reminder of why we should always test stitches before putting the real project under the needle.  l was testing the "triple stitch" function (more about that in a moment) and the thickness and build up of the stitches meant that I needed to adjust the presser foot pressure.  All of that is covered in the manual.

Presser foot pressure needed to be reduced for a very dense "triple stitch"

So, to summarize so far:

Needle position:  left, center, right

• The machine will straight-stitch, and there are three needle positions:  center, a bit to the left and a bit to the right.

Built in zigzag cam

• The machine has a built in (and not removable) cam that creates a zigzag stitch.  You can adjust both the length and the width of the zigzag.

 

• Although originally this machine came with additional cams that would create several other stitches, those cams are no longer with the machine.   

Lever to select regular or triple stitch function

Triple stitch function.
This machine will use the straight and zigzag stitches in a two-stitches-forward-one-stitch-back method that makes a thicker stitch that can be used decoratively.  The straight version in a long stitch length has a bit of stretch to it which is useful for topstitching knits.

You can, of course, choose to ignore this stitch!

I only sell machines that I am confident are in good working order and that I can stand behind.  The cost and warranty information are included in the email I am sending to you.  This machine sews very smoothly and should be a workhorse that will last you for many years.  Probably decades, as is true of most of the all metal vintage machines. 

regards,
Cheryl