another Necchi! This one comes from Tammy, who also reviewed her lovely Bernard Stoewer treadle machine for Zigzaggers in November 2009 (here); check out her sewing/quilting/machine-collecting blog, Tammy's Craft Emporium for more pictures of the Necchi Lelia and the rest of her collection
Love it, hate it, or something in between? I absolutely love, love this machine.
When did you buy this sewing machine? November 2009
When was it manufactured? My Lelia was manufactured in Pavlo, Italy, between 1963 and 1971.
Where did you buy it? In Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. A lady posted it for sale at Kijiji in Winnipeg.
How much did you pay for it? I paid $50 Canadian. I had to replace the bobbin tire ($2.75), which was rotten. When Lelia arrived at my house she was so starved for oil that the felt pads were bone dry and the needle bar and feed dogs were solidly frozen up. The machine would not zigzag or change needle positions. The feed dog switch moved freely back and forth but the feed dogs remained up. Many thanks to Ed Lamoureaux, who is a Necchi expert -- he advised me to use a screwdriver, hair dryer, and sewing machine oil to fix the problems (see how at Ed's blog).
How many projects have you done on this machine? About half a dozen. I made a polyester/nylon laptop case using ½-inch foam covered in polyester with velcro closures. Lelia sewed through one inch of foam with four layers of polyester like butter! I tested free motion quilting on a sample and sewed some tea towels. Lelia purrs like a kitten and she sews like a Ferrari. It is so smooth, and her stitches are precise and perfect.
Describe the kind of work you've done with it. I haven’t used Lelia as much as I would like because I have so many other machines. I plan to use her for sewing heavy fabrics like denim and leather. I will most likely use her for piecing quilts while watching television because she is so quiet.
What do you like and what do you hate about it? There is nothing I hate about Lelia. In fact, she sews perfect stitches on cotton, polyester, nylon, denim, and leather. I love everything about her, especially the way she looks. Lelia came complete with her manual and all her accessories. I think the cabinet is a homemade job as it is solid wood. The cabinet is well designed with four good-sized drawers on the right hand side. Lelia uses standard bobbins, high-shank feet, and standard needles. The machine is very heavy. At Christmas-time, when I was sewing with Lelia in the TV room downstairs, which is about ten feet from my grown up daughter’s bedroom, she and her fiancé were sleeping. Neither one of them heard my sewing machine. I love it tons! Lelia is a most excellent toy!
