A dear friend, who turned 86 yesterday, gifted me with this jewel. She purchased this baby in 1950 and has taken very good care of her ever since. She made many garments and curtains on this baby.
It's a Singer 201, straight stitch only. Back in the 60's, she purchased a 2nd machine, a Singer Touch a Sew that served her well until just about a year ago. Yep, those plastic gears. Not worth saving in her mind. The T&S, of course included zig-zag which her beloved 201 was not capable of performing.
As a birthday gift, one of her friends came across a machine that was for sale at a nominal fee. This friend purchased and gave the used machine to her as her 85th birthday gift. It also, was a Singer Touch and Sew, but a different model from what she had had. The poor thing needed a good cleaning. I offered to do that for her, and we got the old gal working. I downloaded and printed the manual for this one. She's a bit temper mental, but as long as you make sure she is threaded properly at the tension spring, she sews just fine. My friend loves her, even with her little idiosyncrasies.
My friend is trying to "declutter." She gifted me with the 201 to gain some space in her apartment. As she put it, "I want you to have her because I know you can/will really appreciate her, take care of her, and treat her well." I was flattered as I've been on the "look out" for a 201, even though I have no need for an additional machine.
And what is the icing on the cake? the knee pedal. I learned to sew on Mom's old Kenmore that had a knee control. Oh how I missed that knee control (see the red circle) when Mom purchased her Singer 403. I adapted, but am excited to get to sew on this baby with a knee control.
I think she's a real beauty. These photos are the day we unloaded her in the garage. She now has wall space in the living area (no room right now in the sewing room). It will be nice to have a machine accessible on the ground floor. She may never make it upstairs; she's too heavy for me to carry.
I have that exact same cabinet in a darker wood that came with the German made Singer 401 that my dad bought when we lived in Germany in the 50's. My mother was never interested in sewing, so it was meant to be mine. I still have it and sewed exclusively on "the greatest sewing machine ever made" as it says in the front of the book until I bought my first computerized machine in 1995. The book has my drawings and doodling from when I was 6 years old all over it.
ReplyDeleteOH What a gem you have there. Reminds me of my teen years when my mother taught me on just such a machine.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you for finding my blog again. I'm so glad you did and I hope others will as well!
I bought a 201 and cabinet and had it serviced as it had been sitting for years unused. Fabulous machine. My friend had her mil's machine in storage and she had no idea that is what it was as it had been there for a long time. I went with her on a road trip to the singer fellow that does them and he put fresh wiring and restored it for her. She was using a cheap portable that was pitiful and she is beyond thrilled with the 201.Hope you enjoy yours. mssewcrazy
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