I took the kids grocery shopping, which means the "big city" (50k people, lol) and K wanted to browse at
goodwill. I agreed, though I must say that their prices have gotten outrageous. We never seem to have any good finds there either. I went through the normal routine - glassware, old sheets for muslin, toys, wood stuff, books, and then furniture/electronics. I saw out of the corner of my eye this dingy, nasty sewing machine case.
Let me tell you, i'm not afraid to dig open to see what is under that nasty exterior. Much to my shock and delight I found a 1974/75 Sears Kenmore 19410. What? No way! And it was in perfect condition! Like new looking. I quickly snatched it up because another lady was eyeing me sideways. $19.99 later and she was mine. Now if it was only green tag day.... Anyway, grocery shopping took forever because I wanted to get home and see exactly what I had. (we only shop once every 2 weeks so it is a big trip).
I'm happy to report that she is in excellent condition both outside and inside. All her parts are metal and beautiful looking with minimal dust. I downloaded her manual from online ($4.99 but worth it), looked her over from head to toe, threaded her up and gave her a whirl. Dreamy. Seriously, sewing on my plastic Brother just doesn't' compare to the solid metal of this one.
After a bit of researching I found that this is a pretty sought after model due to reliability, ease of use, and I guess perfect buttonholes? Sadly my gal didn't come with any attachments except her zig zag plate and foot. But you can expect that I've already placed my bid on a few sets on ebay. Oh, and keep me away from ebay. I've been very bad this last week, buying up a bunch of sewing patterns and books. I'll share when they all come in.
the top and bottom come off easy too as well as this side (they are just as clean inside - can you believe it?)
So I'll be keeping my new machine - forever, and I'll enjoy her as much as I can. I'll still be using my brother for many things, but I find myself using my regular machine less now that I have the coverstitch and of course my serger. The brother is very fun and has a ton of options, but it bounces around my table when I sew. The Kenmore is HEAVY and solid. It has 9 stitch settings, too! (Straight, Zigzag, Stretch, buttonhole, blind hem, satin stitching, zipper stitch?, mending/darning, button sewing/bar tacking).
nice big free arm
Do you have a thing for older machines? Do your thrift stores have machines often? This is only the second time ours did - sewing isn't very big in my area.
This brings my machine count up to 5.
Brother CE8080 - regular
Brother 1034D Serger
Brother 2340CV Coverstitch
Brother XL2600I - for K to learn on
Kenmore 1941 - for fun!
~ Happy Sewing! ~ Kristin ~
