A Sewing Machine Update

A little while ago I posted Here that I had bought a little vintage sewing machine on eBay from a hospice. 

It was sewing a straight stitch well but I did notice that it was difficult to quilt using the walking foot as I realised the needle wasn't in the middle of the foot plate. I guessed it was something to do with the fact it wouldn't do a zig zag stitch & that the needle bar was stuck in the wrong place. The alternative was that something had broken off but everything seemed to move when I turned the levers.

I contacted Helen Howes who runs a great website with lots of advice about restoring vintage machines.  She's a textile artist & designer & also sells lots of parts & I got my replacement Singer stitch lever from her. 

Her advice to me was "oil, heat & wiggle".
So I oiled it yet again, blew the hairdrier on it a few times & eventually after about 15 minutes & wiggled the needlebar. Yes it released it & now it does some lovely special stitches including a lovely overlock stitch. Amazing!

So I now have a lovely little machine that works perfectly, I contributed to a hospice and I'm helping to save the planet by not buying a plastic throwaway sewing machine. 
Feel a bit of a Heather Small moment coming on! Love this song.

Still not used to that bobbin being under the needleplate though! Absolutely daft!!!

A Little Frister & Rossmann Cub 4

Well here it is! A lovely little vintage sewing machine, a Frister & Rossmann Cub 4. It seems a bit like a toy one standing beside the Singer but it isn't. They were made in Japan in the 'seventies.

It's a 3/4 size machine which despite being an all metal machine only weighs about 15 pounds compared to my lovely old Singer which weighs in at 27 pounds. 

I love the case it came in, you can just see it behind the sewing machine. It's is very lightweight compared to my wooden Singer box. The whole thing looks quite modern despite being made in the 'seventies, looks a bit retro with those cream & brown colours & the little band of orange logos around the case.

It didn't come with any attachments other than it's foot control & the zig zag foot. That's not a problem as all my Singer attachments fit it. 

There was a little box missing from the front (you can use it to hold accessories) as you can see from the photo below.

However that wasn't a problem as I got one really cheap on eBay so it's complete now. The box lid unfolds to extend the sewing area & there's a dinky little shelf that lifts up on the left side. 

It's all really sweet & a clever design.

The only thing I really don't like is the bobbin loading. It doesn't load as easily as the Singers do with their top loading drop in bobbins. With this you have to take the little box out from the front and poke about to remove the metal casing which holds the bobbin. 

I find I have to tilt the machine backwards & lie it down to see what I'm doing. Another problem is that you have no idea how much thread is on the bobbin when you're sewing as it's completely hidden inside the casing & under the machine. What a pain! Never mind I'll get used to it, quite a lot of the more modern machines have this too.

It sews a lovely straight stitch but it doesn't do any zig zag stitches. No idea why as it's been oiled and all the bits move except the needle bar. Maybe something is jammed in which case it may unjam as I use it. However it's very clean inside so it's more likely something has broken off somewhere inside. I've taken the base off & all that dropped out was a pin. I suspect that's why I got the machine cheap.

I've looked inside but compared to the Singer the gubbins are packed in there tight & you can't see much, unlike my Singer where you can see all the parts. Also with Singer because they cornered the market with sales many people collect & repair these vintage machines & kindly share their knowledge by making videos & posting on blogs which help you to sort any problems out. 

Not so with the little Frister but I don't mind as I really only need a lightweight machine to take to the quilting group & to do a decent straight stitch. Any of the fancy stuff like zig zag & a few embroidery stitches can be done on my old Singer at home. I also really don't need the bells & whistles that come with a new plastic machine so will see how things go.

There was a bit of a feelgood factor about this purchase. I bought the machine on eBay from a hospice so apart from being environmentally friendly & giving a lovely old machine a new home, the money was going to a good cause.


UPDATE

This post was updated as I managed to fix the zig zag problem! Take a look Here