Glossy Vintage Singer 99 for sale

Once again I am using the blog to provide information to anyone interested is buying a machine that I am selling on CraigsList.  Because I am selling more than one straight-stitch-only machine, some of the text has been cut and pasted from other posts. All of the photos, including of the test stitches, are of this machine.  So regular readers are encouraged just to look at the photos of this lovely machine!

The pandemic porch pickup plan has been working very well for sewing machine sales.  The machine will be on a small desk on my front porch, plugged in, threaded, and all ready for you to test.  Stitch samples and accessories will be laid out on a table.  I will be able to see you and talk to you through my video doorbell, so you do not have to worry about personal contact during a global pandemic!  You can leave the money on a table on the porch, cash only please.  The price is listed in the CraigsList ad (which will disappear once the machine has been sold).

This machine has a glossy black paint job with gold decals in excellent condition.  It is an all-metal straight-stitch-only machine manufactured in Great Britain in 1953 during the golden age of sewing machines.  It is a Singer Model 99, which is a 3/4 size machine.  That means it only weighs 30 pounds instead of the hefty 40 pounds that a full size vintage all-metal machine weighs.

Just look at that shine!

Don't let the smaller size fool you into thinking that this is for light duty work though--it can handle anything a full size vintage machine can handle, as you can see in the stitch sample below.  Singer marketed these as being "portable".  30 pounds is still quite a lift though when compared with modern plastic machines.

It has been thoroughly cleaned and tested and is in excellent working condition. One of the ways I test a machine is to see how well it will stitch through multiple layers.  I take a long length of fabric and fold it in half.  I stitch a few inches down the length through 2 layers.  I fold it in half and stitch through four layers.  Fold it in half again and stitch through eight layers.  For this machine I was able to fold it in half again and stitch through sixteen layers, with perfect stitches and no problems with the tension (perfect stitches top and bottom).

A mirror-like glossy finish is showing the reflection of the light on the back of the machine

This machine should be able to handle anything that will fit under the presser foot.  I used a size 14 needle and quilting cotton weight fabric for the test.  For denim or canvas I would use a larger size 16 or 18 needle.

I also tested the bobbin winder.

It filled the bobbin smoothly and tightly (which is important).  It began by filling it evenly side to side but about half way through started loading it a bit more to one side.  Gently guiding the thread with my finger solved this.  It is always my policy to give complete information about any machine that I sell.

Several things lead me to believe that this machine was not used very much.  First of all, the extremely glossy paint job.  There are a few scratches in the finish, but none of the wear patterns that develop when machines are used extensively over a period of years.

This Singer decal style is known as "paperclip"

 Perhaps the most convincing piece of evidence that this was very lightly used is the condition of the motor controller (foot pedal).  It looks almost new.

 The 67 year old case is also in very good (although not perfect) condition.

This style of Singer case is known as "grasscloth" and as you can imagine  can get pretty grubby over the years.  This one is remarkably clean.

 Not perfect though, as the photo below will show. Along this corner the glue has failed.  You can also see some wear and discoloration along the bottom edge.

Also included in this sale is a vintage Singer accessories case, although it is not as old as the machine.

Inside the case you will find tools and accessories and an original manual.

The manual includes detailed directions for the operation of the machine.

It also includes detailed directions for the use of several attachments.  All of the vintage attachments described in the manual are included with this machine.

Attachments, top row from left to right:  ruffler, binder, adjustable hemmer.

Bottom row, left to right:  adjustable zipper foot, narrow hemmer, shirring foot, edge stitcher

The ruffler makes tiny pleats as you sew and has settings that allow you to vary the spacing of the pleats as shown in the photo below.  "1" makes a pleat with every stitch, "6" makes one pleat in every six stitches, and "12" makes one pleat in every twelve stitches.  There is another setting shown on the rufller as a star which makes no pleats at all, which means that you can go back and forth between regular stitching and straight stitching without having to remove the ruffler from the machine.

 

This machine has a standard low shank attachment for presser feet, which is still the most common configuration with today's modern machines.  This means that you can buy additional modern presser feet that will fit this machine, such as a Teflon foot or a roller foot.

And although I love having all the vintage attachments and presser feet, you will find that the straight stitch foot and the zipper foot will meet 99.9% of your needs with this machine.  So don't feel that you will need to master all of these!  

Tools and accessories shown below are also included:  Tri-Flow sewing machine oil, vintage Singer lint brush, needle threader, nine sewing machine needles in three sizes, set of two sewing machine screw drivers, four new class 66 metal bobbins and one plastic class 66 bobbin.  Another plastic bobbin is in the machine.

 All of the tools, accessories, and manual will fit into the vintage Singer accessories case.

Also available, upon request and for an additional charge:  a vintage Singer zigzager which will fit this machine.  It will allow you to create a zigzag stitch, a blind hem stitch, and a couple of purely decorative stitches.

Contact me through the CraigsList ad if you are interested in seeing this machine.

Local sales only, I do not ship.

* * * * * * * * * * 

For my regular readers:  I have read that the powerful torque of this particular model makes it a favorite among leather workers.  Obviously a leather needle and roller foot would be called for.  Can any of you confirm it's popularity among leather workers?  I have certainly experienced that it has the torque to sew through several layers of upholstery fabric and webbing straps when making tote bags.

(and yes, this is a not-so-thinly disguised attempt to plug the power of this machine.  But I really do want to know about the leather workers.)

Pearly Green 15 Clone

Here's another machine I am selling on CraigsList.  This post will highlight it's features for anyone interested in buying it.  Regular readers of this blog are welcome to take a look too.

The pandemic porch pickup plan has been working very well for sewing machine sales.  The machine will be on a small desk on my front porch, plugged in, threaded, and all ready for you to test.  Stitch samples and accessories will be laid out on a table.  I will be able to see you and talk to you through my video doorbell, so you do not have to worry about personal contact during a global pandemic!  You can leave the money on a table on the porch, cash only please.  The price is listed in the CraigsList ad (which will disappear once the machine has been sold).

This machine is a lovely pearly green color and is an all-metal straight-stitch-only machine manufactured in Japan after WWII, the golden age of sewing machines.  It is of the type known by the nickname "15 clone" because it is a line-for-line copy of a Singer model 15--with improvements.  For one thing, all the Singer 15s were made in black.  The Japanese made them in a variety of colors.

The paint job on this machine is very glossy as you can see by the reflection in the photo above.  The paint is in good but not mint condition,  There are a few small scratches and some chips along the edge of the bed, not at all unusual in a machine 60 to 70 years old,

It has been thoroughly cleaned and tested and is in excellent working condition. One of the ways I test a machine is to see how well it will stitch through multiple layers.  I take a long length of fabric and fold it in half.  I stitch a few inches down the length through 2 layers.  I fold it in half and stitch through four layers.  Fold it in half again and stitch through eight layers.  For this machine I was able to fold it in half again and stitch through sixteen layers, with perfect stitches and no problems with the tension (perfect stitches top and bottom). 

This machine should be able to handle anything that will fit under the presser foot.  I used a size 14 needle and quilting cotton weight fabric for the test.  For denim or canvas I would use a larger size 16 or 18 needle.

The photo above shows the bobbin winder.  Although I don't have a printed manual for this machine, I will send the buyer a digital copy of a manual by email.

The stitch length lever is shown above.  The locking screw is missing but this doesn't affect the functioning of the lever.  

The motor that came with the machine was in bad shape, but it is an easy matter to replace the motor.  I added a motor from a green Singer 185.  The color is not a perfect match, but it looks closer in person than it does in this photo.

 

The other improvement that the Japanese made to the model 15 (in addition to pretty colors) was to add a feed dog drop, shown above.  "Norm." is for normal stitching, where the feed dogs are their regular height above the bed of the machine.  The "Silk" setting lowers the feed dogs a bit for use with very delicate fabrics.  The "Embr." setting is for embroidery or darning, where the feed dogs drop entirely below the bed of the machine and the fabric must be moved by hand.  This setting is also good for machine quilting.

This photo shows some of the small chips in the paint along the edge of the bed of the machine, and also shows its glossiness.

I don't have a carrying case for this machine.  If you need one, they are available on amazon.com.

This machine did not come with a light built in.  I am including an Ikea Jansjo light.  This is my favorite because you can position it to shine the light exactly where you need it.  I use these in my studio even with machines that originally did come with lights.

Below I have positioned it in front of the machine just so that you can see what the light looks like.

 

Other goodies will be included in a vintage-style sewing box in good, clean condition. 

Below, from left to right:  Tri-Flow sewing machine oil, a lint brush, an assortment of nine new sewing needles in three sizes, and an extra half a dozen class 15 bobbins, three metal and three plastic.

Also included are several presser feet and attachments, some of them vintage

Top row:  Ruffler, zipper foot, edge stitcher, seam guide.  All tested and easy to use.  I can send you a copy of a vintage Singer manual for using the attachments, including those in the bottom row:

Narrow hemmer, shirring foot, and binder.  The vintage narrow hemmers and binders work ONLY on the thinnest of fabrics, which were much more common in the past.  Modern hemmers and binders are available online if you are interested in doing this type of work.

The ruffler makes tiny pleats as you sew and has settings that allow you to vary the spacing of the pleats as shown in the photo below.  "1" makes a pleat with every stitch, "6" makes one pleat in every six stitches, and "12" makes one pleat in every twelve stitches.  There is another setting shown on the rufller as a star which makes no pleats at all, which means that you can go back and forth between regular stitching and straight stitching without having to remove the ruffler from the machine.

This machine has a standard low shank attachment for presser feet, which is still the most common configuration with today's modern machines.  This means that you can buy additional modern presser feet that will fit this machine, such as a Teflon foot or a roller foot.

And although I love having all the vintage attachments and presser feet, you will find that the straight stitch foot and the zipper foot will meet 99.9% of your needs with this machine.  So don't feel that you will need to master all of these! 

All of the extra goodies fit into the vintage-style sewing box.

The straight stitch foot is installed on the machine.

Also available, upon request and for an additional charge:  a vintage Singer zigzager which will fit this machine.  It will allow you to create a zigzag stitch, a blind hem stitch, and a couple of purely decorative stitches.

Contact me through the CraigsList ad if you are interested in seeing this machine.

Local sales only, I do not ship.

* * * * * * * * *

A question for my regular readers:  What pretty colors do you have in 15 clones?  I have had this one, a blue one that I sold to a student (whose name will remain private) and a pink one that went to Barbara.

EDIT:  I forgot to mention my favorite apple-green-and-white ModernAge 250, in my permanent not-to-be-sold collection, which I believe was made by Toyota.

Mask Choices for Art and Bill

Derita from Star Choices, Inc.   Copying and pasting the photo from my phone squished the image in an odd way so don't blame Derita for the photo quality!  Photo used with permission.

Like many of you I have been making lots of masks for friends and family (231 so far, to be precise).  And for the staff and clients of the non-profit my niece works for.  Star Choices, Inc. "has been supporting individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) since 1954. Over its many years of service, Star Choices has grown and developed into a leader in the I/DD sector, currently providing critical supports to over 85 individuals."

Having something useful to do has been very helpful to me, mental-health wise.  In other words, I would have gone bat-sh*t crazy if I had to stay inside my house for months with nothing useful or productive to do.

The masks are two layers of quilting cotton with three pleats and bias tape for the ties.  I have tried using t-shirt knit fabric and elastic ear loops and I just don't find the ear loops comfortable.  And going into this pandemic I literally had THOUSANDS of yards of bias tape on hand.  In a sense I have been preparing for this pandemic for decades.

Yes, you heard that right, thousands of yards of bias tape.  I live in NC, where remnants of our once great textile-and-related-business industries linger, and over the 30 years I have lived here I have hoarded many giant industrial size spools of bias tape which I found at thrift shops.  Some of it in great shape, some of it clearly discarded because of poor quality.  The poor quality tape has a lot of badly folded spots which I have been able to correct by ironing it flat and then running it through a bias tape maker.  The bias tape maker is a handy metal device that creates the folds and then you iron them in.  At the time of writing this you can get a set of 5 sizes on amazon for around $10.  As always, no one pays me to tell you about the products I use, and the link is just provided for your information and convenience.

So the fact that I have about twelve lifetimes supply of quilting cotton and thousands of yards of bias tape on hand has meant that I can make hundreds of masks without giving any thought to money.  I have written before about the moment I realized that the way that DragonPoodle Studio was going to work was to pursue the avoidance of money.

And that's been a hard sell, believe it or not.  It's hard to explain without going into a lot of detail and even then it is just hard for me to explain because it is such a gut level feeling.  Some people are just hard wired to think about transactions in terms of money.  It took me a while to come up with the perfect way to convey this regarding the masks.  "You don't need to pay me" suggests that perhaps you really should.  "I don't want you to pay me" also suggests that maybe you should.

"I am not accepting any money for these masks" finally did the trick.  For most people.  For the real die hards I finally just told them to donate whatever they wanted to give me to a local food bank.  And I got a thank you note from a food bank, so that worked at least once.

From the very first sets I made back in March a few went to my friends Art and Bill and they recently asked for more.  They are wearing them every time they go out and then running them through the washer and dryer.  This is great and I am glad to send more.

One of the original masks that I sent came apart where the tie attached to the mask.  I asked Art to send it back to me so I could see what had gone wrong.  As I suspected, the problem was that I had used the very narrow 1/4" double fold bias tape  Sorry, didn't think to take a photo.  I thought it would make a nice tie because of the small width, and it probably did, but that's useless if it pulls away from the mask itself.

So I just cut the narrow tie away and put on new ties using the standard width.  I cut 1-3/4" on grain ties to run through the bias tape maker to make a standard 1/2" width double fold tie.

Refurbished cloud tie

I also keep some masks on hand to meet any needs that come up, such as for the guy who takes care of my yard, etc.  So I made a bunch more.

And I absolutely love the decorative stitches on my modern sewing machines and am always looking for an excuse to use them.  That excuse rarely comes along.

Choices for Art and Bill

The next part of this post is for you, Art and Bill.  I made some of the masks both with and without decorative stitching and as I ran out of some colors of bias tape I got creative with the ties.  You get to choose which ones you want.  I am NOT assuming that you will want the cutesier ones.  But its up to you.

Crescent moon

Crescent moon with star stitching

Crescent moon without and with star stitching

Snowflakes

Snowflakes with pseudo-snowflake stitching.  This my favorite one!

Snowflakes with and without pseudo-snowflake stitching

Galaxies

Galaxies with star stitching

Galaxies without and with star stitching

Clock faces with brown ties

Clock faces with polka dot ties

Choose polka dots or brown ties

Swirly with gray ties

Swirly with dots

Choose swirly with gray or dots

African Fabrics

The African fabrics came from the time I made Andre's quilt.  His wife brought me a laundry basket full of fabrics and garments and I got to keep all the leftovers. (Some of the African fabrics may have been printed elsewhere, but all were purchased in Africa.)

Green African fabric

Green African with and without geometric stitching

Many of the designs aren't apparent until they open up for wearing.  

Anna modeled one with a large fish.  This fabric is from Namibia, the only one of the African fabrics that I am sure of the origin.

By the time Art and Bill receive the masks it will have been over two weeks since the masks were on Anna's face.

Namibian fish:  choice of  black or green ties

I don't think I prewashed this particular fabric, so I recommend tossing them in the wash before wearing so that you are not breathing any dye residue.  The rest were prewashed.

You can choose umbrella or geometric or you could have both of course.

African red geometric, red ties

African red geometric, black and white ties

The one with the black and white ties has the most dramatic motif placement.

African red geometric: choose red or black and white ties

African teal and gold with sparkly teal ties

African teal and gold with black and white ties

Choose black and white, sparkly teak, or solid black ties.

Art and I will be discussing his choices on the phone soon, and it will make a nice break from discussing our despair over the utter failure of our current government to govern effectively.