Zigzaggers

Slacking

a note from Krista, the editor of Zigzaggers:

Hello, fellow sewing machine lovers!

I've neglected this site terribly over the past year -- paying work and other obligations have kept me from it, but I don't like letting it languish. I have been sewing on my trusty White 614, though -- here's a photo of me in my homemade silk evening gown (that's my handsome husband, Jim Meddick, in the tux -- I didn't sew that, though I did hem the pants).

Thankfully, you can't see the dress's zipper issues or the not-perfectly-straight hem (that's how I roll). I've also been working on a superhero costume for my 5-year-old, who's designated himself "Wind-man," but it still needs a mask and gloves. Let's just say the shirt has a hurricane symbol appliqued on the front.

I don't have room to buy more sewing machines, but I want to hear about yours if it's old and useful, and particularly if it's beautiful. So please send me an email at kristacarothers(at)yahoo(dot)com if you're willing to fill out a questionnaire! Hopefully, we can get the ball rolling here again, and build out our collection of reviews (in place of a collection of vintage machines).

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!