Don't Judge a Machine by Its Cover

After reading my previous post, a couple of readers wanted to see what the ugly plastic case looks like, so here it is....(click on the photos to see larger versions).

When I first saw the case in the Goodwill store, I was worried about what the machine inside would look like, but was very pleasantly surprised when I saw that it was shiny and brand new (see the photo in my previous post)! When I got it home, I quickly washed my hands; I'm sure you can understand why. Except for the rusty closing thingys, I don't think I'll have much trouble getting the case clean, although I don't plan on hiding this gorgeous machine in the case. She will be out on display somewhere in my quilting studio, that's for sure!

Bargain Find

I had some time to kill while running errands yesterday, so I dropped by my local Goodwill store for a quick browse. I found a really ugly plastic sewing machine case, but when I opened it up, this is what was inside. A shiny vintage sewing machine. No, it's not a Featherweight or other coveted machine, but it has a gorgeous shine and smoothness to it, so I couldn't pass up the $3 price tag. The color is hard to describe -- it depends on how the light hits it, but it has a light army green tint to it. Nice shiny chrome wheel. It looks like it was barely used. I plugged it in, stepped on the foot pedal, and the needle went up and down. So at least I know the parts move (I didn't have it threaded -- that may take me a while to figure out -- no manual).

It's a (Montgomery) Ward Signature machine, model UHT J285E and from what I can figure out from a little online research, it was probably made in Japan sometime after WWII (I understand that a lot of sewing machines were manufactured in Japan after the war and sold under brand names, usually with a J in the model number. There's no "Made in ____" label anywhere.

This machine weighs an incredible 40 pounds! The only plastic parts are the base and case. I'll give the case a good cleaning, but the machine itself looks brand new -- no scratches, no worn areas, nothing. I may try to see if I can get it to sew, but believe me, I won't be using it as a travel machine, that's for sure. I'll probably just find a place to display it in my house (without the ugly case, of course).

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Last summer, my husband and I took a quick trip for a couple of days up to Alexandria Bay, NY, which is in the Thousand Islands area on the U.S./Canada border. While we were there, we took a boat ride over to Singer Castle, which was owned by one of the presidents of Singer Sewing Machine Company (you can read more about Singer Castle on their website).

The castle contains lots of old Singer sewing machines scattered throughout the building. I took a photo of every single one -- I think the other people on the tour were quite puzzled as to why I was more interested in the sewing machines than in what the tour guide was saying. You should be able to click on the above collage photo to see a larger version.

The castle really did have the look of a castle inside....

And here are a couple of shots of the outside....