I stopped into Salvation Army mostly to check on irons. I’ve had my eye out the past few weeks, not that I need one, but you know, one must always be looking for SOMETHING, and I thought if I kept my eye out for irons, that I wouldn’t be so distracted by machines!
It was the case that got me. SO 1960s! Being a 1962 baby myself, I was tickled at the possibilities with this case alone. Many of the vintage machines have a standard bed size ---and they are in pressed wood bases and cases that are covered with icky glued on mildewed vinyl or Naugahyde.
Storage of these cases and bases has not been kind on them over time, and the vinyl covering gets dirty and shredded and cleaning it really doesn’t do any good..you just can’t get rid of the horse glue that was used to apply the covering in the first place.
This case was molded plastic. In a standard size – which means that I can put ANY of my full sized vintage machines in this base/case ((Except for the Necchis – they are long bodies!)) and have an easy way to transport them and gives me a base to use that looks better and doesn’t smell near as bad ;c)
It took some scrubbing to get this case clean though --- it was DIRTY –and that plastic is textured…all the grunge was deep down into those grooves and crevices.
Scrubbing Bubbles to the Rescue!
I thought if Scrubbing Bubbles can remove soap scum without a lot of work, that it might work on the grungy case. I put it in my shower, sprayed it down inside and out and let it sit. After a while I went back at it with a scrubber sponge and I can’t believe how CLEAN it came out! It also got rid of the mildew smell.
And for those who thought the motor looked rusty and would have said “no thanks!” Just look! Clean and shiny as new! It was mildew and grime, not rust that was on this machine.
Such a 1960’s girl!
I was tickled to get the following email last night to help me date her better:
Swakins wrote:
My very first sewing machine was a Brother, purchased at K-mart layaway with my babysitting money when I was 12 years old. It had a case just like that, what a blast from the past...45 years ago. I made my wedding dress on that same machine 15 years later.
That would place the date of this machine around 1967! And that is where the title of this post comes in. I googled female artists for 1967 and look what came up on Youtube!
Now THIS song is going to be stuck in my head all day --- but I love it. These are the songs of my childhood. I was 5 years old in 1967. Do you remember this song? Where were you and what were you doing?
Pardon my rough edges! The homespuns are a bit wobbly ;c)
Last night on QuiltCam I finally set about to sew up some “Moth in a Window” blocks. This block was featured in my Addicted to Scraps column in Quiltmaker Magazine a YEAR ago! Nov/Dec 2011. I kitted up a few blocks to sew during QuiltCam time ---and what fun, Andee from AZ was sewing them right along with me!
As for my new blue machine? I’m naming it Petula, of course! After all, I did find the machine DOWNTOWN ----High Point, NC!
57 comments:
That machine is really sweet. I was thinking of you when I was looking through the local Craigslist ads and saw a Featherweight that I thought you would be interested in. I was 3 in 1967 so the color of your new girl is a great memory for me too. I'd love to have a machine like that one.
I love the new machine, Bonnie....and Petula is a great name. I was 6 yrs old in 1967 and I remember the song "Downtown" well, but don't remember where I first heard it. Oh well. Have fun with Petula...she would be perfect for sewing something out of vintage sheets or 1960's fabric. :)
What a beautiful blue color. She just makes me smile. Before now you already had me headed into the Goodwill looking for shirts to debone, now I fear I will be peaking at vintage machines as well. It would be nice to have a back up for when my main machine goes in for cleaning. I am long overdue because I don't want to be without one.
It is such a shame Australian safety laws mean that anything electrical can't be donated to charities... Would hate to think of the wonderful machines that were thrown away instead. Love Petula! :)
Where were you and what were you doing? I was sixteen years old and singing "Downtown" at the top of my lungs with my two BFF as we cruised the streets in someone's mom's Blue Convertible!!!!!!!
love the new blue machine, and what a great traveling case! in 1967 i was graduating from HS and (of course!) going to grad night at Disneyland. it was a cold night in June and we were all bundled up in our Winter coats. i still have a cute little stuffed tiger i won there.
I loved Petula Clark! I was 13 yrs. old in 1967. I saved my money and bought a cheap plastic Singer several years later and boy was that a mistake! Wished I would've seen one of those. But with your influence and one of my quilting buddies I am now on the vintage band wagon. I purchased an Elna Lotus SP from another quilting buddy and that is now my favorite piecing machine. I absolutely love it. It weighs all of 13 pounds and makes a wonderful machine to take for sew days and retreats. I also have a Singer 99 that I love to use to sew my quilt bindings on with.
Bonnie, when you find these and clean up the outside, do you take them to a sewing machine guy to see about the "insides"? Just wondrin'. Also, can you post a picture of the GE (or other) irons you have talked about? I have a really nice one but don't know if it is full size or the 3/4 size you mentioned. Thanks from AZ! Lavinia (who is losing her memory and can't remember if I signed in as a member, so using the Google thing).
I was recuperating from having half my colon removed due to infection at 6yo in 1967. My daddy firmly REFUSED to let them do a colostomy, so they flew someone in to do the first child's colon resection. They filled the OR with doctors to watch the experiment. It worked. My bestfriend was the stuffed monkey my aunt made and stuffed with her old pantyhose.
Love the song and machine.
Lucy~
Glad to see your google id worked! I have a sewing machine guy if the machine is not running well after I clean/oil it. These machines are SO BASIC -- the manual tells you where to oil and how much. Very easy to maintain.
I was 11 in 1967 and my youngest sister was born that year. I can remember singing that song to her and dancing around the living room with her in my arms! Thanks for bringing that memory back with that song!
Now that song is going to be stuck in my head today too! I was also born in 1962 too,( I have 8 days left of being in my 40's) so that really brought memories back. I am having the girls over to sew today so we will be watching you on the iPad, I will try to remember to get a picture.
Your new machine is gorgeous! I was gifted a Featherweight but I need to learn how to use her, I have her displayed on my mantle for everyone to admire. See ya soon!
Oh my! Love that machine and case. What a great find.
Cute machine & I love the plaid moth in windows. I was 10 in 1967 and I remember singing a parody to "Downtown"...."Ground Round"
By the way , I have pretty good luck finding shirts to debone at our bulk Goodwill store. They have bins of stuff to sell by the pound. Good cotton shirts cost pennies & it is like a treasure hunt looking for them.
Bonnie, if I may ask, what do you use to clean the outside of the machines? I have an old necchi that belonged to my grandmother, and nothing I have tried has worked well. The machine guy said it could be nicotine as my grandfather smoked.
Great find Bonnie! In 1967 I was graduating from high school. In fact, we had our 45th reunion in August. Love your blog and following you on facebook.
You should send that picture to the manufacturer of scrubbing bubbles. They might send you a couple free cans! Or use you in an ad!!
Next time you're home and thrift shopping I'm going with you!! Great find :)
1967 I had just started high school :0). I didn't play the Petula Clark piece because it will be playing nonstop for days :0)in my little head!
Love your little find.....I think they look for you so they'll get a good home!
Happy sewing, are you all caught up on your Randy sow along blocks? I still have a few more to get done since I am making two of every block.........see ya at 2pm
Iw as in HS in 1967, and was confused about fashion. I remember making skirts and blouses on my mom's White.... nothing as modern as that Petula! Hope to catch you on Quilt Cam today.
You have me hooked as well. Now everywhere I go I am stopping to see if I can find a jewel at Antique stores, second hand stores as well as Goodwill and Salvation Army. Oh my! Now I must clean out that closet to hide any new machines! Bahaha! LOL!
I was 16 and in the 10th grade. Downtown was one of my favorite songs. And I drove a blue '54 Chevy.
Bonnie, I have caught the fever! I bought a featherweight on ebay last Sat., and took it to my sewing machine person on Fri. My husband also helped me get his grandmother's machine out of the cabinet, and I took it, too. It sat in our basement in our last house for about 25 years. It has sat in a bedroom for the last six years, and I have been meaning to get it going. Because of finding Quiltville and reading about your machines, I researched this one. It is a black Gimbels, so I know that it is a Japanese-made clone. I need to call DH's aunt in Montana and see if she remembers her mother getting the machine, and where it came from. Sorry I'm so long-winded. In 1967, I was graduating from high school and absolutely remember the song. Will be catching you on quiltcam this afternoon, but first need to go to DGD's soccer game. See you later.
Bonnie, love this machine, it is beautiful! In 1967, I was 6 and I can actually remember singing Downtown whenever we were in the car heading to downtown Manchester, NH :)
See you this afternoon!
I was living in Lake Charles, LA and my friend and I used to eat frozen bread, swing on the swing set and sing this song. Good memories. Lovely machine.
guess that i am the "elder" of all you young-uns...i was 19 and in college on the outskirts of a small town in the mountains of north georgia..we would ride into town singing along with petula...i was sewing stage costumes on the portable that i had received for high school graduation which had many "miles" on it when it gave up the ghost in 2006...
The magic erasers are also spectacular at getting into textured surfaces and getting out the grunge. Just an FYI. I was in junior high in 67 and I remember going to a dance and dancing to Downtown!
In 1967 I was 10 years old and starting to make my own school dresses on my mother's Montgomery Ward machine. I still have the machine, and even though it seems to be beyond repair, it had a good life!
I also meant to tell you that Scrubbing Bubbles makes the best spot cleaner for carpets. A carpet cleaning professional gave me that hint when I managed an apartment complex. It sure saved a lot of carpets from being replaced!
I was 16 in 1967 and totally into all things British. Haven't thought of that song in years! Quilt Cam was great last nite, love the moth in the window!
I was 10 in 1967. At 10 I learned to Embroidery and wanted to sew like my big sister. Mom had a Singer Touch and Sew. Wish she'd never traded it in! I am sure Petula will love her new home. She was sure Humming last night. I got my shirts all de-boned after I read someone else was doing that while Quilt cam was on. Thanks for the ear bug, "When you're alone and life is making you..."
I was 10 in '67 and remember the song well. What a treasure you found. Makes me think I should start hitting the thrift store to see what I could find! Great post....love reading all of them. :)
All your talk about vintage machines is making me think about trying to get hubby's grandmother's treadle machine in working order. I've had it since she passed away in the 80's but have never tried to use it.
Scrubbing Bubbles is what I used to use to clean makeup and hair spray off the top of daughter's dresser (it had a formica top). It is great stuff! That case is so cute.
gia gia, I've got you beat age-wise. In 1967, I graduated from college and started teaching high school math that fall.
What a beautiful doll so pretty & clean!! Love case too. Saw Singer 301a for $8 at us this am no assessories....happy quilting would hv gotten it but I collect feather weights love them...
Love the way the machine and the case cleaned up, and I think Petula is the perfect name for her. I graduated high school in 1965, and I was working as a secretary in Sears. That is where I met my now ex-husband. Got married October 7, 1967 (funny that is tomorrow!). So, 1967 was a year of starting a new job, and wedding preparations.
I was 15 and I loved Petula Clark. Can I just say, Bonnie, that you get more done in the 24 hours of each day than any three people I know? You make me feel like such a slacker! I don't know what they're feeding you, girl, but it's working. Good job - love the machine.
I'm with Mickey T. - what are they feeding you? haha - I love your productivity! I also love how you see beauty in things that many of us overlook Petual is just beautiful!
Magic Erasers (and the generic knockoffs) work really well at getting dirt out of textured plastic. I don't know if I'd have had the nerve to try it on those pretty flowers, but for kids' toys, they're my first choice.
Now I'm going to have that song playing in my head, too. It's a little before my time, but I grew up listening to the oldies stations.
She's beautiful, and I'm glad she cleaned up so well!
Yes, I remember 1967 and Petula and how endlessly that song played around in my head. Not a year I'd want to relive--although that has nothing to do with Petula!
I like the name Petula for that machine...never heard of it before, though I know that song! Thanks for making me feel like owning four sewing machines is just a step to owning five :)
1967 was graduation from HS for me. What a blast to the past! Also made me think about Andy Williams who passed away recently. What I really want is Petula's hair style. It's still in fashion. I didn't own my own sewing machine but I sewed on my mother's Singer.
Magnificent! I've rescued many an old sewing machine but admit I would surely have left that one sitting where it was. Great job! Beautiful!
Better than new!!
I think your machine is older, I had a case like this for the first machine I purchased in 1970 but it was a much newer looking, brother machine. The machine and case were seperate. Yours could just be a replacement case. I need to quit looking at the machines you find, makes me want to search for ones myself.
Romonia
Remember the song well!! I graduated high school in 1967!!! I love oldies and motown!!! I got to see the video cam on Friday night for the first time and really enjoyed it. Missed the one Saturday afternoon as had my guild meeting and outreach that afternoon. Will keep an eye out for the next one and hope I can tune in. Really enjoy reading about all your travels and adventures.
Yes us 1962 babies are Rey special I don't believe to song came to Australia til later as I can remember it when I was 6 or 7
Gee, what a machine and case. I don't remember seeing blue machines but in 1967 I was 37 and taking care of two children and getting a new house fixed up. What does you hubby say about all these machines you are saving?
So pretty. Does this mean you have a machine setup for all ongoing projects. Would love to see your room with all these machines setup. You are a very lucky girl. Carolyn
Girl, your "My sewing machines" page is out of date! LOL I LOVE LOVE LOVE your vintage machines and your obsession with them. I have the same problem, but I only have around 20 machines. I am a lightweight compared to you. I so enjoy reading your posts about these machines.
I was 13 then and a freshman in High School. remember singing that song. Petula the singer and Petula the machine...both way cool.
Hi Bonnie~~enjoyed the long quilt cam today, now the blog comes in so I can enjoy it too. As you cut off the little pieces and triangles to toss in the garbage, wanted to tell you how our group does it. We all have a scrap holder handy, put all those tiny pieces, even thread snips, in it, then when it's full, we fill pillow forms with it and donate to Humane Society, they love them! We feel like it is one more way to help out, while we are making quilts for the Nursing Home, it's like your bonus blocks, to also make something for the animals! Will miss this the next two weeks!
LOVE your "new" machine! Very "cool" looking! :)
I, too, am curious about what you use to clean the outside of your machines with, esp. that motor.
I've used a damp cloth but sometimes that just doesn't cut it and I'm afraid that chemicals might damage the finish or decals, so hoping you can educate me about what to clean them with.
Thanks in advance!
OMG!!! I have this same exact case for my brother sewing machine I received sophomore year in college. Boy is that a heavy sucker!!! I took a blue marker and made a mark at the bottom of each handle on one side and always put the cover on so those marks face forward. Got tired of guessing wrong and having to turn it around.That baby sewed a lot of clothes, etc. for a lot of girls.
I was 16 in 1967 and attending Expo in Montreal with the school , and remember that song well, loved it !! What a terrific machine , love that blue color!
Oh dear...after reading several of the posts I am feeling like one of the machines you rescue. December 1967 I married a sailor. And here I am all these years later sitting in my quilt room dreaming about blue sewing machines. Looks awesome, lucky you.
Great find Bonnie! I was 13 in 1967 and loved that song! Years later my sister and I made up a cat version of the song. Should have written it down. I do remember it had "when we're alone and all the humans have gone, we can always go -- Meow Meow! Then we made up all the naughty antics the kitty would do when all alone....
i love your machine and have just found one EXACTLY like it. problem is there is no manual. any ideas where i can get a manual? nothing on ebay or google search. not sure of the model number either. it has a great stitch and loving the vintage color. thanks Bonnie!
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