So Far I have been reviewing a mixture of new and vintage machines, so I have decided to dedicate this week to vintage machines only. Not antique machines - that will happen, I promise, but vintage, as in 20th Century; 1940s-1970s (maybe 80s if it comes up.) I would love to make it a more specific challenge and limit it to American manufacturers, but that is tricky, because many machines in the 70s were made overseas. I'll see what I can muster.I learned to sew on a converted Singer treadle machine, meaning it had been converted in the 1920s or 30s from a foot pedal to a knee pedal. I loved sewing on that machine, but it was far from modern. Then sometime in 1977 I went shopping with my mother. We brought this fancy Kenmore 158 16250 home and embarked on a world filled with zig-zag stitches and blind hems! I still have this machine and have used it with my students. It is a solid, mechanical machine (remember this means all pullys and levers and gears and such) and my only complaint is that the tension knob seems to be useless.
I plan to scour the web for interesting vintage machines with stories attached. If you have one, send me an email! I hope to find some great stories about machines and their humans to blog about. I am looking forward to what else comes up in my quest.
It's a sad day for me when the machine I bought new is now considered vintage. :-)
ReplyDeleteWhy is that sad? If you bought a Dior suit from the 70s wouldn't you say you got a "vintage Dior suit?" Or maybe you found some cool 70s vintage wallpaper, now that wouldn't be sad, and it would be cool! How would you describe this machine?
ReplyDeleteSad because I'm OLD. This model? I would still refer it as an older model. But the word vintage is just another adjective. "used, old, really old, retro, etc.
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