r/vintagesewing

Beautiful sewing machine that was my moms! Excuse the mess. Also found an old iron while packing my dad to move! Where can I get needles?

My wife and daughters were gifted a few of these Mini Trader Joe’s tote bags, and I thought it would be a nice touch to add a lining. But instead of stopping there, I decided to make them a little more functional.

Each bag got a zippered top closure, an interior zippered pocket, and a slip pocket. A couple are lined with custom-printed ripstop, while the others use a generic 70D ripstop. I was surprised by how straightforward the project was, and it made these little totes much more practical for everyday use.

As a bonus, it gave me another excuse to sew on my recently restored Singer 201-2. I own several other vintage machines, but this one has quickly become my favorite. It’s smooth, quiet, and somehow always ends up being the machine I reach for first.

What do you all think?

I snagged this beauty from fb for $60 with the table and she gave me the button hole maker and lots of bobbins. She’s my first personal machine, but I learned how to sew on this machine because it’s what my grandma uses.

The dial to change the stitch is stuck so I’m planning to get some sewing machine oil tomorrow to get her back to fully operational. I was hoping for some guidance on getting her back to fully operational because there’s quite a bit of dust build up on the inside and I’m not sure how to best clean the dust out. Any tips will help! Thanks in advance!!!

Hello 👋 I was gifted the machine in the title, years ago, and lost both the pedal and the instruction manual after several moves. It's from an artisan family member, and so I'd like to find out more about it, clean it up, get parts, etc.

Does anyone here have experience using this machine? All my family member remembers is that she used it for everything back in the day, so I'm hopeful.

Thank you!

We hebben deze vintage Pfaff 31 naaimachine geërfd. Jammer genoeg hebben we niet de ruimte om deze bij te houden maar uiteraard vinden we dit veel te mooi om verloren te laten gaan. De machine is in uitstekende conditie, werkt nog perfect, heeft een mooie houten afdekking en schuifjes waarin hulpstukken zitten. Kan iemand ons tips geven over waar we hiermee terecht kunnen? Alvast bedankt!

I just brought this little beauty home. I was able to buy it for next to nothing at a flea market. It needs a good cleaning and a lot of love, but it’s in very good overall condition. However, the electrical components are in pretty bad shape. Some of the pedal’s components are broken, and I’m not sure if I can trust the motor. Also, it’s designed for 110V, not 220V (I live in France).

Does anyone have any advice on how I can give this beautiful machine a second life?

I’ve been told I’m getting the family heirloom treadle Singer (unknown model at this time but I hope to fix that soon). So before that I’ve wanted a practice machine and finally found this one. 1922 99k with knee bar. With a little cleaning it works beautifully! I think the biggest things will be a little wood work and rewiring the electrical components with Chicago pins.

Biggest question I haven’t found online… is even the longest stitch length ridiculously short by today’s standards? It looks like the feed dogs move through their full range but the stitch length is still short compared to my modern machines.

Made it for someone, but it turns out they wanted an industrial machine. So I’ll get rid of this one but thought I would share some pictures first.

I'm trying to get my grandmother's old Singer 15K88 to work, but the needle doesn't move.

The treadle works well, but nothing in the machine past the treadle moves when pedaling. The presser foot moves up and down as it should, especially after oiling. I've oiled the machine with sewing machine oil and tried to use CRC oil to remove grime inside the machine. I got lots of grime out already but it's still very stuck. I can't open the bobbin area as the needle is stuck down there. Also the bobbin seems to move well, when pulling on the yarn.

Has anyone encountered the same problem and has any tips? Is the machine even saveable? Thank you!

The needle does go up and down when I turn the balance wheel. Any idea what might be causing this? The rubber belt does seem to be loose.

I've inherited my Nanas sewing machine. It was stored somewhere by my Dad for several decades and was absolutely filthy! I've starting cleaning it up and have plugged it in to try out. The light works, and the motor sounds like it's working, it just doesn't make the needle move up n down.

Grateful for any tips thanks

Machine itself is in pretty good condition. Motor runs but belt needs replacing and the whole machine needs some good TLC but I think it'll turn up nice.

Also for anyone wondering I got it for $60NZD (about $35USD)

I’m breaking up with my modern machine! looking for a mostly/all metal retro machine that can handle heavy fabrics, do zigzag stitches, and can back track. Doesn’t have to be light, but does need to be fairly portable. Would this be a solid pick?

Bought from the original owner, came with a box of goodies and the manual. Made in Japan.

Gave it a good cleaning and oiling and it seems to run nicely. I love these vintage all metal machines.

Was given this old girl but we need help restoring her to working condition. Model MZZ 11005 or 77005? Only name is Super Zig Zag and “made in Japan”. Would love help identifying age and manual. Bobbin case was intact. Appears to run very quietly but obviously needs cleaning and oiling. Needs a new rubber wheel to wind a bobbin. Cabinet is in awful condition and she doesn’t have a pedal—only a knee power bar in the awful cabinet. Hubby will assess electrical situation carefully and replace wiring. Can anyone tell me about this girl? Does she even sew a straight stitch? I don’t want to run it until he works thru the electrical stuff. Thanks!

I got a singer 99k sewing machine for free. I searched on Google and it said to use sewing oil but then I found a YouTube saying not to and use car wax, specifically one with carnauba. When I tried to find ones in my area, it was like 40 dollars and one of comments gave recs so I searched and it was 70 something dollars. So I wanted to ask what other people use for the exterior of the sewing machine. YouTube link: https://youtu.be/MDcqXGqYy04?si=T72L5Ts2TEfo4dEW

I tried buying a manual online and got scammed lol so if anyone has the manual to this it would be greatly appreciated!

Just inherited my great grandmother's sewing machine (second pic), and here's all of the things in the drawers that I couldn't identify. Any ideas?

Hello! I was gifted this Stretch & Sew E-76 machine from my grandma. The top of it is off as my husband is trying to fix it and see what can be done. But, we went to try it out and it is completely seized. To be transparent-I am a beginner sewer-my grandma just wanted to gift this to me when she heard I was taking an interest in sewing. My husband and I cannot find a manual online ANYWHERE. After reading and researching, my understanding is that this machine is rare and was only manufactured for a brief time. And because of that, it seems finding online manuals or even copies for sale on eBay are not options. My grandma unfortunately isn’t able to find the manual either. When the machine turns on and the pedal is pressed, it hums, but nothing moves. The hand wheel cannot be moved at all, and the sewing needle is currently stuck in the up position. I’m just wondering if anyone in this forum happens to have a copy of the manual digitally, or if you have any advice as to what we might try? My husband is generally pretty good at fixing most anything, but he’s running into troubles not being able to find anything about it online to read more into what might be the issue. Thanks for reading!

Hello,

A while back I thrifted this centennial badge Singer 66-16. It was in near mint condition, all I really had to do was replace the bobbin winder spring and clean and oil it. However, it has these rash marks on the throat plate and I’d really like to seal them before they spread to the decals.

I previously tried using canned shellac on a Singer 15 that I restored that had the same issue only more severe, with mixed results. It did seal off the chipping areas, however I was not able to get a smooth glossy finish.

Wondering if a few coats of spray shellac would be the better option to get a more even finish on the throat area. Of course I would completely mask off the top of the machine and the throat plate / bobbin area.

What are your thoughts?