Adding to the 'stuff'

[pyoor_excuse]

So, freecycle Slough finally came up trumps, and in our kitchen sits a sewing machine. I've been trying to find one for *ages* - mostly for Kathryn, because frankly my sewing is laughable. But occasionally it's seemed like we could do with a machine. I was hoping to pick up an ancient singer with the hand-crank. This would be easily transferable to Canada but after countless lost auctions (and annoyingly never by much) I'd kind of stopped poking. And then this came up.

The Alfa 50 sewing machine. I've no idea of it's exact age, but it's an external motor/belt driven whatsit. It's in need of a thorough clean but after lord knows how many years in the shed I checked it all turned over and moved okay - plugged it in, and pressing the foot pedal spurred it into life.

I'm quite impressed. It does, however, weigh the same as an African elephant.

I'm hoping that Kathryn knows how to thread it too, because to me sewing machines essentially look like a way to generate a cat's cradle very quickly. She, however, is possessed of clue on the whole 'sewing machine' issue, and therefore there is a possibility that she could just by the power of her mind discover the correct routing for thread.

Otherwise it seems to be about a fiver for the manual - downloaded...

Anyhow, Kathryn's home now...

Comments

[quercus.livejournal.com]

Can't trust those Alfa sewing machines, full of rust, never sew straight in the Winter...

The Haynes manual for them is a little yellow thing from TAB Books, called "How to fettle your entire sewing machine, no, really, you've got an MZ and a bunch of Dafs, how much harder could it be?" As most maintenance is basically cleaning away fluff and only ever oiling with the _lightest_ of spots of oil (also fresh needles and good quality thread), it's really not that scary.

Which I why I have nearly as many half-fettled sewing machine projects in the shed as I do cars. Hmmm....

[wibble-puppy.livejournal.com]

cooooooooooooooooool :D

There was a hand-cranked Singer on our local Freecycle today. I think it's taken but I've emailed just in case...