Kenmore 158.523 (1966)

So my new rule is (except for the coveted) no more than $15 and I have to like the design of course. At the local Church rummage sale this Kenmore (made in 1966) was calling me.

Another outstanding Japanese made machine with a 1.2amp motor, ZZ, and multiple cam options that are loaded thru the top door.

After a couple hours of clean-up it came back to life; the motor could not move it because it was so gummed up and packed with thread dust around the hook. Sometimes it takes a lot of oiling and turning to get it free!

For a test project I decided to make Bertie a blanket with integral pillow.

Bertie has adopted a spot on the floor next to my side of the bed and because he loves to cop a lean on what ever is adjacent I added the pillow. Being a brat however, it may be some time before he will use it.

Update: he loves it... took to it the 1st night!

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Singer 353 Genie (1973)

The Genie from 1973 is my 1st venture into plastic covered machines. Part of a select group of vintage portables the Genie is a great little machine. Classic 70's styling; straight lines and orange flower motif.

Very cool; the cover slides on from the left.

Here she is naked. She needed needle bar and timing adjustments; that was straight forward but I had never seen a thread tension mechanism like this so it took a little time to figure that out.

When the cover comes off you flip it over; it stores the clam-shell foot pedal and accessories. 

There are some places that a flower pattern just should not be.

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Brother (Capital)

The Capital is a straight stitch version of the Select - O - Matic. It's called a Super - Streamliner... so 50's. Brother seemed to make many machines for others to market but never hid the fact that it was after all still a Brother.

It cleaned up beautifully and I learned a few new things about timing a machine. strangely enough what appears to be a top cover is actually just a paint line; the designers kept the theme while making a much simpler machine to manufacture. This one has beautiful Art Deco styled decals that the  Select - O - Matic does not. 

The sews as well as expected and stitch length indicator is cool. The reason I wanted a straight stitch machine is as I learned that having the small hole instead of the ZZ slot makes sewing stretchy leather possible since the material does not get stretched down into the hole and mess up the lock stitch.

Nice toupee!


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