All he said was lol

You know you’ve got a good one when his only response to the following text is LOL.

Honey

I accidentally bought a sewing machine

Oops!

And, it really was an accident.  And, testament to the fact that I cannot resist a $20 sewing machine.  Parts on a sewing machine are worth more than $20 and I’m really good at getting the actual machine back into serviceable condition and haven’t had to sell one off for parts yet. 

This time, it was an Elna Supermatic.  I saw it in the morning, did  a quick research, found out the most common problem, read reviews, learned about the machine and the company and I bid $21.51.  And, I won.  The shipping was more than the machine…although I think I got cheated on the shipping, but I’m happy enough with the machine to let that go to the universe to reconcile.

Main attraction?  Color.

See the silver metal bar folded up against the machine?  That’s a knee control.  No pedal.  I actually like that and Sydney was fascinated and couldn’t wait to try the machine.

Dare I hope she will decide to sew?

Love the green.  And, this machine was made in the same time period as my Grandmother’s Singer 15-91, but technologically, it’s miles ahead, using cams to create decorative and zig-zag stitches. 

I already bought my first cam.  The machine only came with the zig-zag cam and I bought a blanket stitch.

The cam cost a dollar and offered free shipping.  I feel like I’ve gotten in on a well kept secret.  These machines are cheap, but they’re supposed to be pretty good.

The tension is built into the nose cone of the machine and it’s going to take some getting used to threading, but eventually I won’t need the manual anymore.

The machine case folds down to a convenient extension bed.

Please note that I have not started cleaning the case and it is as dirty on the outside as the machine was when I opened it.  There was tape residue everywhere.  This extension bed was hard to put on the machine, so I probably am doing something wrong or something is bent and I wasn’t ready to try to force it and scratch any paint. 

The whole thing is aluminum.  The machine, at 13 pounds, weighs two pounds more than a featherweight.  The case feels heavier than the machine.  Together, 31 pounds for shipping.

The seller described it as “not too loud”, but when I plugged it in and gave it the juice, it sounded like a volkswagen without a muffler.  The handwheel skipped and jumped and things wouldn’t turn. 

I brought out the oil bottle and started bathing, first the places indicated by the owners manual, which I printed for free off the internet, and then any place I saw metal moving.  And, slowly, it got quieter.  It took a while to clean out all the lint from the feed dogs.  Cheap machines are always dirty.  And, the bobbin case had surface rust that a cotton swab and some oil took right off.  It’s quieter, but it’s not as quiet as my Grandmother’s 15-91.

Unfortunately, I value quiet over many other features of a machine, so the 15-91 keeps pride of place in the sewing room for piecing.  But, I’ll keep working on the Supermatic. 

Hey, it gives me something else small to take to classes and bee.  Another novelty. 

And, it’s cheaper than collecting shoes.

This morning, I pieced the corner sections for the mini quilt. 

At first I was nervous about the change in background color, but I’m feeling pretty good about that now, after walking in on the quilt a few times with these pieces in place and the more I see it, the less jarring it feels.

Be well.  Have a great friday.  It’s Rob’s b-day weekend and he has asked to go hear a band.  I love life music and Austin is the live music capital of the world, or, so we say.  So, it should be a good one.

Lane