How to Find a Vintage Sewing Machine: 5 Steps

How to Find a Vintage Sewing Machine: 5 Steps to Happiness

By Dee Chapdelaine

Finding a vintage sewing machine is not as easy as just buying a new one--but there is the thrill of the hunt! And, at the end of your hunting trips, you are rewarded by having a machine that will last a very long time--you can will it to your great-grandchildren. It is unlikely that a brand-new machine will last that long. I will be your hunting guide to help you find the machine that fits your needs. Here are Dee's 5 Steps to Finding a Vintage Sewing Machine:

1. Determine Your Needs vs. Your Wants

What kind of sewing will you be doing? Quilting? Clothes? Do you need or want decorative stitches?

How you answer these questions will determine the kinds of machines you will be happy having in your home.

• Is quilting the main reason for your machine? Then you must focus on getting a machine that is strong enough to sew through layers of fabric. Look for a vintage machine made before 1960, if possible. Most of them were made with very little plastic, and the metal gears were designed to keep on going for years and years--as long as you oiled your machine. You can probably do just fine with a straight-stitch only machine. If you want zig-zag, there are attachments to help create that stitch on your straight-stitch machine. Of course, if you want to sew quilts on a machine that has built-in zig-zag and other do-dads, you can.  But, you do not really need them. Get a straight-stitch machine and save yourself some money--the vintage straight-stitchers were heavy-duty worker bees and most were very well-made.
• Do you want to make clothes for yourself and your family? Then you will be happier with a machine that has some built-in stitches, such as zig-zag, hemming, and a stretch stitch (for knit fabrics). Although you can sew clothes on a straight-stitch machine (our great-grandmothers did), you will find you can save time by having built-in zig-zag and other stitches at your fingertips. And, for knits, you really should use a zig-zag or stretch stitch to avoid the stitch-popping syndrome.
• Do you want to do both? You can make quilts and clothes on one sewing machine--or you could get two machines. I give you permission! Really, it would not be too difficult to find two different vintage machines to satisfy your different sewing needs. 

2.  Find Out What You Already Have 

Before you search for a machine to BUY, find out if there is already one waiting for you--for free! You (or your mother, aunt, uncle, grandpa, neighbor or best friend) may already have a vintage sewing machine. Ask around. Someone may give one to you--someone who does not sew now. And, as my mother says, before buying anything new "shop the basement."

• Look around your own house. See that desk in the corner of the basement? The one you have not looked at or used in years? Find out if that desk is hiding a sewing machine. See if you can open up the top of the desk, where you may see a nice surprise--a vintage sewing machine that you already own, just waiting for you to use it. That is precisely how I found my Singer Touch and Sew 630--by looking at that "desk." Other places where sewing machines often hide are: the attic, the garage, the guest room, the junk room, your mother's house, your MIL's house, your grandma and grandpa's house, and/or the off-site storage space you pay for every month. Hunt everywhere before buying.
• Found one? Does it work? If yes, proceed to clean it and oil it. (Go to these websites for tips on how to clean your vintage machine: International Sewing Machine Collectors Society ISMACS The Care of Machines and Old Singer Sewing Machine Blog Thoughts on Cleaning) If you run into some difficulties when cleaning, take it to your nearest OSMG --Old Sewing Machine Guy or Gal.
• CONGRATS! You took only two steps to find a vintage sewing machine. Read on for fun, or go sew now. 
• If the sewing machine does NOT work, set it aside for now and proceed to step three.

3.  Research the Brands and Models to Recognize Quality When You See It

• Look at sewing machines that were made no later than the 1980s. This is a general guideline to help you avoid the drop in quality that occurred as manufacturers struggled to make machines for a low price, to satisfy the demands of big discount chains (such as Walmart).
• Find out what year the machine was made. How? If it is a Singer or a Kenmore, the model numbers are the key.
• For Singers, you can usually find out where and when it was made by looking at a small metal plate attached to the front or side of the machine. It has letters and numbers, such as AC142065. Click on the ISMACS link (Dating Your Singer Machine) and follow the links to get the date and place of manufacture for almost any Singer machine.
• For Kenmores, use this link: Sears Archives Dates of Models PDF  The model numbers are usually six or seven digits long, separated by a decimal mark. For example, 158.1680 was the model number of a machine I recently found on Craigslist, and it was a fantastic deal--never used, all the attachments, the manual, the carrying case and a cabinet--for $50. Wow!
• Read about the models you are seeing during your hunt. Become a member of the Yahoo Group and get expert advice from people who already own the brand you are interested in. I have provided links to some of the major Yahoo Groups dealing with various brands of vintage sewing machines. If you don't see the brand you are curious about here in these links, just search for it under Yahoo Groups. Necchi,  OldKenmoreSewingMachines VintageKenmoresSew Viking Pre-1980 Sewing Machines About Vintage Italian-Made Necchis Vintage Japanese Sewing Machines :
• Which brands do I recommend? After hours online researching, and after talking to my local OSMG, these are the brands of VINTAGE Pre-1980 sewing machines I think are good bets: Kenmore, White (supplier to Sears for years), Singer (avoiding the Touch and Sew models), Viking Husqvarna, Necchi, Bernina, Elna, and the so-called Japanese Clones. The Clones were made after WWII in Japan and were generally very well-built. They have many different brand names, such as American Beauty or Fleetwood so they are difficult to research.

4. Where Can I Find These Vintage Sewing Machines?

Once you start looking, they will pop up so many places. Here is a list of how to find a vintage machine. The order is from best to worst sources, In My Humble Opinion: 

• Word-of-Mouth (Tell everybody you are looking--this is often overlooked, yet goldmines await you.)
• Special Charity Sales (Our Textile Center recently had a sale with several great deals on machines--the lowest prices I had ever seen for quality vintage machines, due to minimal interest by the crowd for the Silent Auction bids.)
• Garage Sales
• Estate Sales (You can sign up to be alerted via email when the estate sale company has a sewing machine in one of their upcoming sales.)
• Thrift stores, such as Goodwill, Salvation Army and others.
• Craigslist (Some very good deals possible, depending on your locale.)
• Goodwill online auctions (Goodwill Online Auction Website )
• Ebay (Watch out! They may not pack it properly and it arrives in pieces. Sad stories abound.)

The list order also represents price points, from low to high. You will most likely pay more for your sewing machine as you go further down the list. Of course, it does not always work that way. Your experience may differ, and happily so, I hope.

5. Overcoming Overwhelm: Can You Just Tell Me What to Buy, Please?

Yes and no. You will be happier if you go through the process of looking at various machines from various manufacturers and allowing yourself to try them out.  Test drive them! 
Or, skip this advice and jump to the "Buy a vintage Kenmore" paragraph.

• Seeing the Machine for Yourself: Bring a spool of thread and a piece of fabric when with you when you are hunting for your sewing machine. Always see how the machine feels to YOU, when you are sewing on it--don't just watch the owner demonstrate it for you. If he or she wants to show it off to you, fine. But you are next to be in the driver's seat--or is it the sewist's seat? 
• Negotiating the Price: So many people have an inflated idea of what their vintage sewing machine is worth, the price they feel they should get is often too high. Unless it is a coveted model (such as a Singer 221 Featherweight, routinely sold for $300-$500), a fair price for most vintage machines in average condition is under a hundred dollars. Of course, this varies tremendously across the U.S. because of supply and demand. I am in a major metro area and there are many vintage machines available. So, even though some people are posting high prices ($300 for a Kenmore?), I doubt they are selling them at that price point. I think you can often find a good vintage machine for $5 at a thrift store. Or, you could spend $60 on a good Craigslist ad for a clean machine with all the attachments, manual, and cabinet. In the Midwest, the vintage machines are often sold with their sewing table or cabinet. It can be convenient to have this dedicated piece of furniture in which to store your machine. When you open the top and flip it over to the left, it becomes an extended table for your fabric to rest upon as you sew.
• Still overwhelmed? Just buy a vintage Kenmore with the either of these prefixes: 148 or 158. Those machines were manufactured to last, with high-quality components, often made almost entirely of metal. The parts are easy to find and most can still be ordered from Sears. They are not as well-known as Singers, and they are not as pretty, but they are reliable and easy to care for. They are a kind of best-kept secret--everyone knows Singers, but not many think of vintage Sears Kenmores when they think of finding a sewing machine. Bonus: the tension is not fussy on most Kenmores, which makes me so happy. I grew up with a fussy tension control on the Singer we sewed on at home.

Here's hoping this was helpful for you,

Dee

Please tell me stories of what happened while you were hunting for your vintage sewing machine in the comments section.

Happy hunting!

New Blog--New-Old Hobby

Do you like to sew? Do you like vintage sewing machines? Welcome!
Sewing is my new-old hobby.

It has been many years since I sewed my first project: a red and white tote bag in junior high.( I wish I had a photo of that tote bag I made years ago--but I don't, so just imagine it.)

During that Home Ec class, I went on to sew a jumper with a peach-colored cotton, a smock with complications (pockets, pointed collar, gathers) and a pair of shorts with a waistband AND zipper.
Sometimes it was not easy. Sometimes my fabric raveled or my sewing machine tension was off. But, no matter how much time or trouble it took, I ended up with something practical and pretty--something that I had created. Creating something was exciting, and so I continued to sew--at least until I graduated from college. Then, I moved away from the sewing machine in my mother's house--and became busy with other pursuits.

Years have passed. I now have a daughter who is in eighth grade and she is excited about sewing. For her birthday, I gave her a Kenmore 30 Stitch machine (Model 385.1884). It was a good choice for her--easy to use and came with the case, the manual, and the presser feet. Here is a photo of what it looks like:

There's more to tell. Stories of finding vintage sewing machines for sale, boxes of free fabric, etc. But that's enough for the inaugural post of this blog.

You all have your own stories--would you be kind enough to share them here? What were some of your first sewing projects--and how did they turn out?