Moving

After trying Blogger for a little bit I find that we do not get along well.  Going forward all future posts will be published at https://stitchnerd.wordpress.com/.  Hope to see you there. 

Green Sears Kenmore 1751 Sewing Machine

A friend asked me a while ago to find them a good, simple to use, preferably a straight stitch, low- shank sewing machine for under $30.00.  In my area of Los Angeles, it is nearly impossible to find this type of deal.  I have been looking for months and recently I stumbled upon the "good and cheaply priced" sewing machine:  a great vintage green Sears Kenmore Model 1751 made between 1968 to 1969 for $20.00.  

This machine is h-e-a-v-y, 40 pounds of all metal gears.  It is in great cosmetic shape and everything on it works. 

It uses Kenmore C cams but the machine did not come with any accessories except for this one sad zig zag cam.  

Overall it looks really good with very minor wear and scratches, it came with the foot controller and the cover for the case.  I believe the previous owner gave up on this machine because when plugged in, the machine appeared to be frozen.  However, the problem turned out to be a simple one -the ring of the clutch-disengage mechanism on the hand wheel was put on backwards. 

Even though I have a few cam-using sewing machines, I generally stay away from buying these types because the cams are made of plastic and they will eventually wear out.  In addition, finding a replacement set can be difficult and sometimes expensive.  In this case however, she will not care about the cams as she is a beginner sewist.

I just need to give it a good exterior cleaning before I contact my "lucky" friend.  I am calling her lucky because I would love to keep this machine.  Why?  First reason is that the harp seems to be slightly larger than on some of my other machines, second, it is a very well-made and sturdy  sewing machine, and third, the stitching is just fabulous.

Flea Market Shopping

I headed down to the local flea market early yesterday morning to buy some brand new rolls of 5/8 inch wide ribbon.  I did not find any seller carrying the colors I needed but I did not come home empty-handed.  I took these photos with my not-so great camera phone but still want to share.

This seller carries both items for industrial and domestic sewing machines.  Brought home some Class 66 bobbins for my little green Singer 185 J, they were only 5 for $1.00.  I also purchased an invisible zipper foot for my straight stitch industrial for $6.00.  A steal really.

Look at all the vintage machines this seller has rescued and repaired for sale!  The prices start from $80.00 and up but I think they are a great deal considering that they will last a really long time due their metal gears.  In addition, mechanical sewing machines can easily be maintained by you if you clean and oil them regularly.  An added bonus to purchasing a vintage sewing machine is that you prevent them from ending up in the landfill.

I visited other vendors to have a look at fabric, zippers and buttons.  Buttons were $1.00 for 2 dozen, there were 18 inch long zippers for a quarter each.  All items were priced rather cheaply but I resisted buying because I have plenty of buttons and zippers, enough to last me a few years.

Those large thread cones were being sold here for $1.00 each.

Buttons - 2 dozen for $1.00

Home Decor Fabrics

Zippers, Thread and Velcro

Sewing Machine Repair

This vendor will fix your sewing machine on the spot for almost half the price of a brick and mortar Vac & Sew.
He also sharpens scissors.  He found a very hard-to-find foot controller for one of my Singer sewing machines for $20.00.  A deal compared to the $75+ prices I came across online.

Lining

I was glad to see that there were many fabric and notion customers which means that somewhere, people are sewing but I have yet to meet a fellow sewist in my immediate area.

What To Make With Your Old Leather Mini Skirt...

A handbag!  An old leather skirt and some ivory colored lining (both from my stash) were used for this project.

I carefully cut the waistband off the skirt so that it could be used as the shoulder strap.  I also used the existing lining and zipper to create a small zippered pocket for the inside.  The long brown zipper used for the top is one that I had on hand from a previously deconstructed jacket - the color matched perfectly.  I am pretty happy with the results but this bag was given away to a relative.  Anyway, I took some photos before it left my hands.  Here is a slideshow.

The Endless Project - My Re-painted Sewing Machine

Not too long ago I obtained this old Japanese made Zig Zag Edison for a few bucks.  My intention was to fix it because I wanted to get better at maintaining my machines.  This machine needed a new band, the tension needed re-assembling, oiling/lubrication and a good cleaning.  A few months later, it was up and running fine but not perfect.  Still, I was not happy with the overall color.  So I considered giving it away or selling.  I soon realized that no one would be interested in this is old, heavy (40 pound) machine without a base and without all the bells and whistles you can get with a new lightweight machine.

Stripping process

I am sure that this was a very nice light pink sewing machine when it was new but now the "pink" just looked like a boring salmon-y color.  I had some epoxy paint remover in my garage and decided to strip it and repaint it a color you do not normally see on sewing machines.

All pieces coated in primer

I had to basically take the machine apart as much as I could and cover everything with plastic and masking tape.

Almost done

I know.  Red.  What?  Well I have not seen many red sewing machines except for the plastic Hello Kitty sewing machine and older Husqvarnas.

I did not paint the motor or motor bracket and the inside of the fly-wheel because the front of the machine still has some pink on it.  And the base?  I  purchased the base from an eBay seller for a different machine but that machine now has its own case.  The base was brown but I repainted it as well. 


The upper tension and bobbin tension are just not agreeing with each other and nothing seems to work; it just keeps puckering up the fabric.  I have checked everything, oiled every required spot, replaced the needle, changed the thread, checked for burrs on the needle plate, and still nothing. This is the only high shank sewing machine that I own.  Taking it to the local repair shop is out of the question as the service would cost way more than what I paid for the machine.  So,  I guess this will be my on-going project for a while.  I think I love the color.  What do you think?