I've just spent a few hours researching old singer machines and tracking down the dates of the serial numbers of our latest machines. This site is good; the pdf links on the right contain the models as well as the dates, so I was able to identify a couple of unmarked machines in our collection. I'm going to have to make a file card for each machine so I remember what it is and where we got it.

As soon as I bring a machine home I give it a good oiling, replace the needle and clean off the dirt. Some of these machines are filthy when we get them. At an antique shop last week Mereth dredged a 99k out from a sea of disgusting debris, and the dealer was so appalled at it's appearance that she got it for $10. It's covered in spider webs and bodies, plus pet hair and years worth of dirt. I'm going to have to be brave to tackle that one. The domed cover will clean up well though, so it was worth it for that alone.

Just to be safe, I always use a ShockSafe powerboard to plug these old machines in; their wiring can be a bit erratic, and I don't want them blowing fuses or worse.

Once the machine is clean I tweak the stitching until it's sewing nicely, then go through my collection of feet from lots of different machines, trying to find one that is a perfect 1/4" seam. I bought a 1/4" foot for my Featherweight here, and that has proved just right for several of the 99k machines. If I can't find a foot that's perfect, I have lots of these seam guides, so there can be one for each machine if I want.

I also acquired this beauty of a 201K, in a very sturdy table. She must have been well looked after, because she sewed the most perfect stitch without me having to change a thing. I can't wait to sew some piecework on her. The feed dogs drop down too, so I could free-motion quilt on this if I wanted. We're lucky that only one machine, the $10 99k, has refused to sew; all the others have been coaxed into producing impeccable 1/4" seams. The old Singers are fantastic machines.

What are we going to do with all these machines? Some of our beginner patchwork students don't own a sewing machine, so they can borrow one of ours to use while they learn. If they decide they don't like machine sewing they haven't gone to all the expense of buying a machine they won't use. And meanwhile Mereth and I have 18 machines to choose from when it comes time to piece our own quilts.

And just to prove that I still do piece, my Jacks On Six top is almost finished. It needs one final border at the bottom, but because the material was cut crookedly in the shop I couldn't get the required number of strips from it. So it means yet another trip back to the quilt shop, but that's no hardship. We are planning an excursion with friends, so I'll just wait patiently for this one to be completed.