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A Tale Of Two Sewing Machines

I’d like to tell you about the two sewing machines that I own: one old, and the other much older!

The Elna 2004SP

First up is the younger one that I bought 25 years ago. It’s an Elna 2004SP, a mechanical machine that I paid around $300 for at the time. I bought it on layaway and I was so proud to own it. I’ve sewn countless things on it – it’s the machine that’s powered my blog! Its given me no trouble the entire time, aside from not always being able to handle layers of heavy fabrics easily. I’ve always been conscientious about maintaining it: brushing away lint often, regular oiling, and I think that helped contribute to its long life. Would you believe I’ve never taken it into the shop for any reason in all that time? It’s true.

Why It’s Broken (With Video)

The main problem it’s having lately is that the presser foot/bar won’t lift all the way up. This is a deal breaker for me, I can’t work with it in that condition long term. It takes a lot of hand strength to pull the foot up manually, and to do it every time I need to stop and start sewing is out of the question. You’d be surprised how much weight is actually being lifted every time you move the presser bar up. I’ve opened the machine up and looked at it and my conclusion is that it’s an old part that needs to be replaced. Its a spring driven pressurized mechanism that isn’t lifting to the correct height. The following vid shows the what happens because of the problem, and btw it’s the first time any of you have heard my voice!

The presser bar mechanism – as you can see, it ‘s powered by a long spring:

Another view of a different part of the presser bar:

This is the part that’s directly attached to the presser bar lever. That silver piece may be a pressure adjustment pin, but getting to it would mean removing the light bulb, which isn’t easy. Then I would have to figure out how to remove the presser bar assembly, which is under pressure and might require a special tool. Not sure but my best guess. It isn’t something I’d want to do, and even if I did, I don’t know if I could find a replacement.

I’ve decided to give the Elna away to Goodwill. It still runs, and maybe someone who has the resources and time can fix it.

The Singer 404: It’s History In My Life

Meanwhile, I still needed a machine to sew with while I figure out what to do next. Enter the vintage Singer 404. It belonged to my parents and it’s the first machine I ever sewed on. One day when I was around 7 yrs old they sat me down at the machine and taught me how to sew. The project they started me with was sewing pillowcases cut from old flat sheets. It was a great idea because the seams were easy, long and fun to sew which gave me good practice at learning to use the machine. I remember being amazed by how the sewing machine worked and how fast it was. I was blown away by the new experience. It’s for those nostalgic reasons that I keep it, and honestly, it’s a great old machine. It’s solidly built and still runs well.

The 404’s Functions, Uses & Limits (With Video)

Problem solved, right? Just use this one from now on? Nope. I can use it to tide me over, but not for long term because it’s limited in what it can do. It’s a straight stitch machine only, it has no other stitch types. It’s very industrial in that sense – it has one function and does it well. Also, it was built to handle mainly woven fabrics. It can’t handle knits, even after using a ball point needle and adjusting the tension. It doesn’t have the right kind of feed. Lastly, it doesn’t have a free arm like many modern machines do. I do mostly garment sewing, and a free arm is a must for sleeves and hems. I hemmed a pair of pants on this machine the other day and it was definitely more awkward without a free arm. I got it done, but I did note the difference in ease of completing the task. Here’s a couple pics of it: it’s around 70 years old which is pretty awesome:

Back in the days, these machines were often bought with their own sewing cabinet. The cabinet has a fold out table and sewing chair with storage:

It’s a complete set…pretty cool huh? It’s great for sewing large items like quilts because of the extension table. As I mentioned earlier, it runs like a champ for it’s age:

Round Up & What’s Ahead

And those are my 2 sewing machines….1 unusable and off to charity, and the other usable but too limited in function to serve my sewing needs. One I’m saying a fond farewell to for all the years it served me, and the other I’ll eventually be folding down and putting away for the vintage heirloom that it is.

I’m now in the market for a new machine. I’m doing my research and shopping around, and I’ll soon be making a purchase. There are still mechanicals available, but the majority of machines are electronic/computerized, so I’m most likely going to buy one of those. I’ll be a total beginner at learning to use it because I’ve never had one before, but I’m sure that with some study I’ll catch on.

And those are the latest goings on in my studio. I’ll be rearranging my sewing room soon, and hopefully be getting back to some summer sewing soon. How do you feel about sewing on a mechanical machine versus a computerized one? Let me know in the comments.

Liberty Fabric Haul Amazing Deal on Lotus Lazenby Cotton!

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Quilt Completed!

I finished this twin size quilt for my son recently,  and just in time for the snowy weather we’re having in Seattle right now.   I pieced the top together and quilted it (just the top), to some thin batting (80 cotton/20 polyester).

The quilting pattern I chose is simple: I followed the lines of the blocks.  This is the 2nd time I’ve quilted this way, and I’m happy with the results.  It allows me to actually quilt a  large item like this comforter without needing a long arm machine.

I then added another layer of fill, this time medium loft Mountain Mist (80 wool/20 poly).  I think it’s a new blend that’s being offered, and a very nice one at that.   The wool smelled fresh, and it’s good at regulating body temp.

I basted the wool layer onto the top, then sewed the back onto the top and turned the whole thing right side out.

Next came the process of tying/tufting.  Since the 2nd layer of batting wasn’t quilted to the top, it had to be tacked down via tufting in order to keep it from shifting.

The method I used for the top is free form piecing.

Its amazing how the individual blocks work together to become something different!

Thanks for reading 🙂

January Sales Shopping HUGE Silk Savings!

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#PrideQuiltParade 🏳️‍🌈 June 12

Queer T Shirt Quilt
Janet Salsman for Arnold Zwicky
2019

More info:
https://arnoldzwicky.org/2017/07/30/the-queer-quilt/

#Quilting #Pride #LGBTQ

I’m loving these pretty colours, that I get to add to my embroidery floss collection. 👏🪡
I believe it’s time to move my beads to a different storage container, so the floss can grow. 😁
They’ve been sharing space in a cabinet with plastic drawers, that are the perfect size for my floss cards.

Now I’ll have to puzzle out where there’s a new area for the beads. 🤔
Nice problem to have… 🥰

#quilting #sewing #thrifting #embroidery #slowstitching

Amazing Bargains £10 meter Fabric Deals!

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1. My original Hexie Flowers (Green & Orange Mini Quilt - 2025)...
2. Those flowers turned out so lovely I had to duplicate them for my Bits & Bobs quilt.

#quilting #sewing #handsewing #slowstitching #embroidery #hexies

Tiny People Parade Adorable Picnic Scene Revealed!

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