Two New Sewing Machines!

Readers, great news: yesterday at the Chelsea Flea Market, I acquired not one, but two new sewing machines.

The Brother model up top, while it piqued my interest and I actually went to the trouble of plugging it in (it seemed to work), was one machine I decided to pass on.  It's not a particularly valuable model (it can be had on Amazon for about $150) and, since it's computerized, there are so many things that might be wrong with it that I couldn't test on site.  For my money, I'd rather invest in something less complicated.

As you probably know already, I often see vintage sewing machines at the flea market, but usually I pass on them because I'm not in the sewing-machine-acquisition mindset.  But yesterday I definitely was (and I'll have more to tell you about why that is in the weeks ahead), so it seemed incredibly fortuitous that at my first stop, I saw this:

This is a Singer 128, an early domestic model that operates with a shuttle bobbin.  The decals, called "La Vencedora" (my friend Johanna identified them via a text while on a family vacation in Montana) are darkened with age but in remarkably good shape.  As any savvy flea market shopper would do, I immediately asked the price and when I heard "twenty-five dollars" I knew this baby was coming home with me.  Isn't she lovely?  She's also is a very smooth stitcher.  You'll be seeing more of her soon.

Using her serial number and the Singer website, I've dated her to 1910.  I believe this makes her my oldest sewing machine!

I also love the case: it's a little beaten up but hey, it's more than a century old.

 Watch the Singer 128 sew here.  Watch me wind the long bobbin here.

The sewing gods were clearly smiling on me because not two minutes after snagging the Singer 128, I saw this:

I'm sure most of you can identify this highly coveted Singer model.  These often go for inflated prices even at the flea market, so when the vendor told me he was asking just $48, I didn't think twice.  Now she's missing her bobbin case, but I've already purchased a replacement (via eBay).  She needed some TLC but nothing out of the ordinary: de-linting, oiling, a new belt (which I already had on hand) and she now purrs.  (You can hear her here.)

Lots of lint around the feed dogs!

Based on her serial number, she's from 1934 and was manufactured in Elizabethport, New Jersey.  The Singer Featherweight debuted in 1933, so she's a pretty early model, though the design stayed virtually the same into the 1960s.

I picked up a few other things at the flea market as well: yards and yards of two beautiful linens from the same vendor who sold me the Singer 128.  Not sure if these are called ikats -- anybody know?  (The designs are woven into the fabrics, not printed.)

A beautiful barkcloth pillow:

All in all, a very successful morning!

In somewhat more sobering news, a block from the Chelsea Flea Market was a wonderful quilting shop called The City Quilter.  It closed earlier this year (though it maintains an online presence) but the awning is still up.  Stripped of its wares, it's currently being used as a pedicab garage.  Sad!

In happier days.

And that's it, readers!

Stay tuned for updates on my two new sewing machines and lots more fun stuff.

Have a great day, everybody!