Pfaff Tiptronic 1171
by Feed Dog, who writes a funny, charming blog at Feed Dog about quilting (check out this link to see one of his "ransom notes") and other crafts and anecdotes
Love it, hate it, or something in between? Unabashed love.
It's my new best friend. I learned to sew and quilt on a White 2037, definitely
not a quilter's dream machine, and this Pfaff walked into my life right when I
was really starting to hit the wall with the White.
When did you buy this sewing machine? A couple months ago.
When was it manufactured? I have the warranty certificate that says it was
originally purchased on
March 3, 1986
.
Apparently the machine was a 1987 model, so they must do model years ahead of
time like cars. This wouldn't be my period of choice aesthetically, though I
like the little atom symbols by the model number and the "Made in West Germany" Cold War relic, and
I'm not after her for her looks anyway.
Where did you buy it? At a thrift store in the San
Francisco Bay Area. The machine and cabinet were pretty dusty,
and it looked like they hadn't been used in a while, though whoever had used it
was pretty fastidious about keeping all the pieces together. My mother sewed
for years on a Pfaff that's about the same age, and even after upgrading she
swears by it as her workhorse machine (that is, until my brother commandeered
it). I called her on the spot to check that it was a worthwhile purchase;
in hindsight I can't believe I considered turning it down.
How much did you pay for it? For the machine, a great sewing cabinet with an electric lift, 3 manuals, hard carrying case, all the original feet and attachments, and drawers full of thread and miscellaneous notions: $40. A complete steal, even consider the $80 for repairs and $50 for a replacement pedal (which only as I write this do I realize cost more than the machine itself. Sheesh). You'd spend more for the cabinet alone.
How many projects have you done on this machine? Only some preliminary practice
work. I just got it back from the repair shop after a month and a half of
taking it there, explaining what was wrong, getting it back, finding the same
problems, reexplaining.... Initially the needle wouldn't always swing to the
left, stretch stitches fed in reverse, and the fancy satin stitches just made a
straight stitch, but a thorough cleaning and tune up got everything working and
found an "intermittent pedal problem." (Definitely test every kind of
stitch before taking machines home from servicing.) Oil apparently can gum up
machines' innards if they're not used frequently, so I would always factor the
cost of service in when buying a secondhand machine to use and abuse.
Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I'm primarily a quilter, and the
machine sews like butter when piecing fabrics together. Seriously, it's
delicious, and the machine doesn't seem to mind heavy fabrics either. After
hearing horror stories about free-motion quilting (and attempting it on my
previous machine), I was shocked at how pleasant it was on this machine.
What do you like and what do you hate about it? LOVE the integrated dual feed, which eliminates the need for a walking foot when doing straight-line quilting or even just piecing. Having a needle-down function is a delight. You can also press a button to halve the top sewing speed, which is great for free-motion quilting, zigzag appliqué, and other detail work. I'm looking forward to trying out the machine basting stitch, which is different from a long straight stitch--you seem to guide the fabric manually and tap the pedal whenever you want to tack. Being able to wind the bobbin from the needle or from a second spool is also great, and when I run a bobbin of thread down, we'll see if the bobbin sensor works. Before I got this machine, I didn't even know there was such a thing! Each foot has a specially formed cubby in the work support/accessory compartment, which avoids the jumbled boxes of feet my other machines have.
There's only one thing I hate: the zigzag only has a few predefined widths, and other stitches have even fewer width options. For most purposes this is fine, but for blindhem appliqué, I'll have to drag myself back to the White.
I have the same machine but purchased in 1989 or 1990. It has sewn everything from camping gear to lace dresses and I have never found a thing to complain about. I agree the hemming stitch is it's Achilles heel but a small problem I can work with. Perhaps you are already aware that you can half the width of any of the zig zag stitches by engaging the straight stitch button at the same time as the stitch setting button/s. This usually gives you enough options that it's not so painful to switch from a machine that had infinite stitch widths, like my old Singer, which I also loved. You are right, though, the built in walking foot is the bomb and a big reason why I chose this machine when I upgraded. Glad to see there's another fan. I was also told by the repairman last time I had it cleaned and tuned that they seldom see this machine in for other than annual cleaning and preventative maintenance. Workhorse indeed!
Posted by: pfaff fan | May 24, 2008 at 01:18 AM
Oh, does this bring back memories. Christmas 1986, I got a Pfaff 1069, very similar to this machine, but with no IDT (built-in walking foot). The 1069 was one or two models "down" from the 1171. The original suggested price of the 1069 was $900, although I paid about $700. The Pfaff 1171 would have been priced higher. The set-up you have, with the cabinet and machine, was probably priced in the $1300 to $1800 range when new -- in 1986. Your $170 investment was well worth it.
Pfaff Fan has it right, that pressing the straight-stitch button in conjunction with a wide stitch button (hem, zig-zag, etc.) will halve the stitch width. Experimenting with various button combinations can reveal hidden talents in these machines.
I have newer Pfaffs now, with IDT (love it) and have passed the 1069 on to my daughter. I couldn't bring myself to trade it in.
Posted by: Claire-Marie | October 29, 2008 at 01:03 PM
Thanks for the tip, Claire-Marie and pfaff fan! I've played a bit with halving the width but I'll give it another go.
I just yesterday found a book from 1988 called Know Your Pfaff, which is mainly geared toward the Creative 1471, but I'm learning some tricks for my machine too. For anyone using secondhand machines, it's definitely worth checking libraries and used book shops for books about sewing machines published around the same time as your machine was made--it's great information that's current to your machine rather than making you feel like you're stuck with an old machine.
And just as a general update, my Pfaff is still going strong, and I still love it after six months of heavy use. Though the needle often keeps sewing while I'm winding a bobbin--might be time for a servicing....
Posted by: Feed Dog | October 29, 2008 at 03:32 PM