Zigzaggers

HG Palmer Princess

by EmilyKate, who recently reviewed her gorgeous Husqvarna 21, and is now sharing another of her beauties!

Love it or hate it, or something in between? Ooooh, who could catch a glimpse of this beauty and not fall instantly in love? My sister snagged it at a seaside opshop, and I know she must love me because she then gave it to me! It looks like something Elvis would have DRIVEN, rather than something to sew with; but it's not just good-looking -- it operates beautifully.

When did you buy this sewing machine? My sister got it about six months ago, photographed it artfully, and then turned it over to me.

When was it manufactured? Going by the styling, I think around late fifties to late sixties. It's been difficult to find anything out about this machine, as it is what they call 'badged'-- basically, back in the days of the big department stores, a store would order generic machines from a (usually Japanese) manufacturer, and then put their store logo on it and sell it as their own brand. HG Palmer's was a Sydney, Australia, department store. I managed to find a manual online that a person in Sydney had scanned after finding an identical machine. "Princess" is quite similar in many ways to a Janome machine I have from the seventies, but I believe the HG Palmer stores folded sometime in the late sixties. 

Where did you buy it? Wonthaggi, Victoria, Australia!  The seaside opshops always seem to have the best scores!

How much did you pay for it? I think my sister paid around $15 Australian.

How many projects have you done on this machine? I sewed a shirt, and I've tried out the embroidery stitches on other projects. It came with a set of cams that are like no cams I've ever seen for other machines -- Princess's cams look like... well, they look like little nipples! A little door opens on the top of the machine and you stick them over a little knob. It's all a bit rude!

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I've used the embroidery stitches to embellish projects. I've tried it on denim and the stitches stayed straight and true, with no strain on the motor.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? Well there's nothing I hate, but it is HUGE and heavy. Definitely not a portable. It doesn't have a buttonhole. One of its funny little features that I love is that the light shines though a little grille, which has a kind of fly-screen installed in it to stop any curious moths from getting inside and gumming up the works!

Singer 247

by Karencilla, who has such a fun blog at Little Sweet Hearts -- her mix of sewing projects, photography, and pop culture criticism is really unique.

Love it, hate it, or something in between? It's my first love and always will be. It is my first sewing machine, and without a doubt my favorite. I kind of rescued it from obscurity and weather inclemency. Sometimes she (I like to think it is a she) is little bit stubborn but most of the time, sweetness.

When did you buy this sewing machine? Actually, it belongs to my mom. She doesn't use it as much as I do; usually, she uses it for repairs and fitting. She lent it to my sister and me when we began sewing classes. My sister stopped sewing, so now I'm almost the only one using it.

When was it manufactured? Sometime between 1974 to 1980.

Where did you buy it? I asked her and she can't remember -- oh, well.

How much did you pay for it? She paid around $100 in 1979. Now, if you are lucky you can buy one for $50.

How many projects have you done on this machine? A LOT! All my creations were made with this beauty. The only things I haven't sewn are jeans, coats, and knit sweaters. Originally, this machine series was not made to sew stretchy or thick fabrics. It was made to sew lighter fabrics.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I have made dresses, blouses, skirts, home décor accessories, bags, and done repairs.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? I like how easy it is to use -- no complications. I love that it has a dial that adjusts the pressure of the presser foot, and I like the configuration of the thread tension dial because it uses numbers (better than + and - symbols). The best thing about this machine is the durability; the metal body makes it almost indestructible. I couldn't believe it when my mom told me that she bought it in 1979-1980 -- it's 28 years old, and still working wonderfully. I just need to oil it once in a while. The few things that bother me are not having a zipper foot, which makes it almost impossible to sew a zipper; and the weight. 

Husqvarna 21

by EmilyKate, who collects and sews in Australia and posts about her adventures at her blog, here. (I love the bell-bottom jeans, blogged about here, that she made on this gorgeous Husqvarna!)

Love it, hate it, or something in between? I pretty much love everything about it, from the retro-tastic styling to the performance. It's such a happy shade of grasshopper-y green!

When did you buy this sewing machine? Two months ago.

When was it manufactured? The Class 21 series of Husqvarnas were made from 1955 until 1966, and there were 3 versions that I know of, called 21, 21a [ed note: see Jessicah's review of the 21a here] and 21e. In North America they are branded as 'Viking'. It was touted as having the world's first 100% jam-proof hook. So far that's proved true in my use of it. It also has a reduction gear that allows the machine to run slower but keep the full piercing power of the motor, which is great for sewing heavy or thick material like leather or denim.

Where did you buy it? I scored it at a local opshop -- that's a thrift-store to North Americans, or a cancer shop for Brits. I have another Husqvarna from the 1970s and it's a dream machine, so as soon as I saw the magic Husqvarna logo I knew I should snap up this one too. I didn't even try it out properly before I bought it, and the handwheel actually felt a little stiff when I tried to turn it but the ladies at the shop assured me it had been tested, and once I got it home, I opened it up along the arm and took a vacuum to the bobbin race area, and brushed out the feed-dogs -- there was what looked like decades-worth of compacted fabric-dust and oil in there. Once that was gone and a few drops of oil were administered, all the parts moved freely and the stitches were perfect.

How much did you pay for it? $50 Australian. There's NO WAY you would be able to purchase a new machine of this quality and with as many features at even quadruple the price. Plus they just don't make machines this cute anymore.

How many projects have you done on this machine? One so far- a pair of jeans. It handled the denim beautifully, and actually, even though it has the special reduction-gear for denim, I didn't need to use it -- it just went through like butter.

Describe the kind of work you've done with it. Aside from making the jeans, I've had a bit of a fiddle-around with the various bits and bobs it came with. It can do embroidery stitches by inserting cams into the back of the machine. As it didn't come with a manual, I've been experimenting and making notes about what combinations of settings make which patterns.

What do you like and what do you hate about it? There's nothing I hate, but in a perfect world the Fates would have put a stitch-length DIAL on my machine rather than the lever-type selector -- later versions of these models do actually have the dial. It does an absolutely beautiful buttonhole, but it's not automatic, so it could be a bit of a pain to try and get all your buttonholes the exact same size. But if you get an old Singer mechanical buttonholer attachment off ebay that problem is solved! The motor makes a nice little hum, and because it's an all-metal machine it's nice and solid-feeling, not clattery or shakey.