Montgomery Ward - Post WWII Japanese Clone

Before

After

It was looking pretty to begin with so you probably won't notice much difference in Before and After. 

It was just a bit dusty inside. After cleaning and oiling, it's making some beautiful stitch. Another gift from Jeri who also gifted me the beautiful green Janome/New Home machine.

It's a Montgomery Ward badged Japanese clone of Singer class 15 machine. Made probably in the 1950's. 

Looks just like the Singer 15-91 I have. 

Even over here. Almost exactly the same as Singer 15-91  

One difference is that the bobbin cover plate is hinged and pops open rather than slide to open. I like this. 

Also, presser foot pressure adjustment is literally a snap. 

Feed dogs drop. Handy for free motion or darning. 

There's no mention as to which Japanese sewing machine manufacturer made this machine. But there's a sticker underneath that days "RSMCO Model R100".  I wonder if that is Riccar Sewing Machine Co. 

I never thought I'd be interested in a 15 clone since I already had a 'real' Singer 15, and the real thing us better than a copy, right?

Well, I was pleasantly surprised. It's mighty strong with the 1.5 amp motor. 

Test run revealed a strong steady sew going from a flat two-layer denim over the jean seam on both sides (so that's like eight ~ ten layers total) and back down on the two-layer. No problem. (Note: the yellow thread is the original jean hem. Red and white from this machine, upper and lower threads) I didn't even have to adjust the tensions. 

I love these beautiful stitch these vintage straight stitch only sewing machines make. This one is as beautiful as the stitch my Singer 15-91 makes. 

Here is more about post WWII Japanese clones.   It's from Ed Lamoureux's Vintage Sewing Machines blog. I agree, this is an amazing machine. By the way, when I first started collecting vintage sewing machines, I read and learned a lot from Ed's blog.  I still do. 

 

Do you have one of these Japanese clone machines? How do you like it?

Elna Supermatic

This machine came to me last summer. I cleaned her right away when I got her and test sewed a little, then I put her away and didn't take her out until this month!

Elna machines weren't part of my growing up.  I didn't know this brand until I began collecting vintage sewing machines. There is the popular Elna Grasshopper, but I was never attracted to its shape. This one, Elna Supermatic, on the other hand, has a bit more round shape and has just as good a reputation. This one is green all over. I believe there is also a cream colored version, and a lighter green two-tone version.

It takes cams. They are called Elnagraph. Single discs and double discs. You need them to make decorative stitches. Here is the little lid which flaps open to insert a disc.

This machine came with all these accessories!

The original manual.

It belonged to the seller's sister. The seller, Judy, herself is a quilter/sewer and it sounded like the entire family was into sewing.  This Elna Supermatic was a well-loved machine. I LOVE it when I encounter a machine like this. Someone really loved and used and maintained the machine well. Now I get to take it over and take care of it, enjoy it, and make things with.

Judy also showed me her creations, these fantastic colorful original handmade wallets. You can find them on Etsy, JDKWallets!  When I went to pick up the machine, she was having a garage sale. I ended up buying some fun fabrics (fat quarters) she had out.  Some of which I've already used to make stuff with. Aloha bag I made for Pineapple Sam was one of them.

Look at all these feet. There are some I don't know what they are really for. I wonder I would ever use all these feet.

Lots of cams, too! I had so much fun making all kinds of different stitches. The machine makes wonderful stitch.  The motor sound is both smooth and strong.

Now, these little metal plates with a hole in the middle. What are they?  Also, just above them, white and blue plastic things. I don't know what they are either. Does anyone know?

The smart thing about this generation of Elna is that the case turns into the sewing extension table!  This is actually not the only Elna machine I have.  I will someday introduce my other Elna(s)......

It gives you quite a bit of sewing space.

See~?  Oh, and it is knee lever operated. You can see the knee lever on the lower right of the machine.  Not my favorite way of operating a sewing machine - mostly because I'm used to using the knee lifter for lifting presser foot, but it works fine. 

The knee lever folds up like this.  By the way, do you see a couple of black strips attached on the machine? One right above the knee lever is attached, and one above the ELNA logo.  These are magnetic strips Judy's sister put on the machine for pins!  I'm not going to strip them. I'll just keep them there.

The whole machine and the accessory box goes neatly into the box. The box is metal. The whole thing weighs a ton.

I used the Elna Supermatic to sew this test run of the top I recently made.  She is a fine sewing machine, quite a workhorse.  But I probably won't take her out to use for my garment making, mainly because I like to have a foot pedal and a knee lifter (for presser foot).  I think I'll use her mostly for decorative stitches, because there are just so many fun discs for that!

Aldens Sewing Machine: Mighty Alden

I found this Aldens sewing machine a while ago. A loooong while ago, at a local thrift store. I plugged it in, it worked, the price was right, so I took it home. I didn't have a green sewing machine, and it looked pretty cool. So, that was that. 

The day after I got it, a friend gave me this sparkling clean, mint (in color and in condition) New Home machine, and so this poor Aldens just sat on a shelf until this week. Since I really didn't need two green machines, I was going to clean him up and either sell or give it away.

 

My research resulted that "Aldens" was a department store in Chicago area. Many of you recognize this sewing machine as one of the badged Japanese sewing machines from the 50's~60's. Yes, it's made in Japan. Does not say who made it, however. My other green machine was made by Janome.

Cool looking. I know.  It has three feed dogs settings, "Normal", "Silk", and "EMBR" which I take it to be free motino embroidery - just drops the feed dogs.

There is a few minor scratches, but the machine is in great condition.

The actual color is brighter than it shows here in these photos, and more green than blue.

It had a Singer belt on. The belt was a bit worn.  I happened to have an extra belt that I originally ordered for my Singer 99K, however, it turned out to be a wrong size belt : (  (therefore, my 99K remains unfinished... I'll grt to her pretty soon...)

The belt fit perfectly!  Now he has a bright orange belt. And, Wow. This motor is 1.5 amp.  I think I previously said that my Pfaff 30, at 1.3 amp, is probably the most powerful sewing machine I have. I was wrong. My neglected Aldens had this 1.5 amp Westinghouse motor.

The underside was pretty clean. It had some lint and dust I cleaned out, and i could tell that the machine was used some but not much. It was definitely kept in a nice & dry environment.

After adjusting the tension a bit, he sews beautifully and quietly.

He is very responsive, too.

Ha! I'm very proud of him. Pretty impressive.  Hmmmmm.  I was going to sell or give him away.  Now I have a second thought.  I think I will keep him for the time being.  He is a much stronger and smoother machine than I'd thought.  I'll definitely take him out when I need lots of power.

This VERY heavy machine came in a flimsy plastic carrying case. (What were they thinking?!) The top cover was cracked, so I tossed it.  The base is O.K.  I made him a dust cover with some leftover fabric. (ok, so I didn't iron the fabric. Forgive me, or shoot me.)

When I began collecting vintage sewing machines, I wasn't very much interested in Singer 15 clones or badged Japanese machines. I was more interested in 'stylish' or truly classic looking (like the old black Singer) that are also true workhorse as far as practicality was concerned. So, I went straight to old Singers and European made machines such as old Necchi, Elna, and Bernina.  

I somehow ended up with a couple of these Japanese badged machines, and they both surprised me. Totally exceeded my expectations.  

These are abundant, inexpensive (unless it's pink!) vintage sewing machines that I highly recommend to any sewers who don't feel the need for a free-arm. Especially to newbie sewists who have a limited budget for their first sewing machine. Rather than buying a new cheapie plastic machine for $100, why not spend $30~$50 and get a very solid, reliable, straight forward, easy-to-operate, zigzag machine that will love you and encourage you to sew? Nothing fancy. No decorative stitches or automatic embroidery function - but who needs them, really. 99% of my sewing is straight stitch and a variation of zigzag stitches. Other garment sewers out there, won't you agree? (yeah, yeah, yeah, I love my Bernina 1230, basting stitch is nice, auto buttonhole is nice, so is needle up/down, blah, blah, blah. But you can't get one for $50 and this wasn't my first machine.) 

Speaking from experience -- my first machine of my own (I grew up with my mother's machines which were just great) was one of those cheapie plastic $100 machine. It rattled (lightweight plastic will do that), it was fussy and I didn't even know it. I ended up stop sewing for a looooong time, thinking it was me. I thought was a bad sewer. Took a good 20 years to figure out that it WASN'T ME.  But it's true. It did cause me to stop sewing, except for occasional Halloween costumes for my kids, for a good 20 years. (OMG, 20 years, really....?!)

Anyway, I'm back, and I'm happy to have discovered the power of vintage sewing machines, and good quality sewing machines. I also learned how to take care of them. You own something nice, you take care of them. It loves you back.

I also made him a foot control cover, and gave him a red spool pin cushion. Now he's well color coordinated.  Ohhhhh, I forgot to photograph it, but the foot control is also green.  Love ya, Alden!

Pfaff 30 ~ Pamela ~

You never know what follows you home makes its way into your home. 

I'm part of the Seattle freecycle community. I think it's a fantastic system. Though I don't look at it every single day, once in a while I receive something, and I give something.

On a Friday afternoon I happen to notice an email notification of a freecycler's post that said "antique sewing machine". Not a lot of info besides the power cord being missing, and that the cabinet needs refinishing. Didn't say what kind, how old. No photos. 

It says "antique", so it must be old. That's a good sign. (Then again, I've seen something from the 70s labeled as "antique" before.)  I don't really want machines in cabinet as I don't really have room for that (really),  and if I ever get one in cabinet, I won't have the heart to separate the machine from the cabinet. 

Well. I hesitated for five seconds, then I emailed the freecycler, asking for a photo.  This is what I received. 

It's a Pfaff 30!!

Needless to say, I emailed right back, frustrated that their phone number wasn't disclosed in the email, "I would like it!!!! When can I pick up?????"

A few hours later, when it started to snow a little, I drove all of 5 minutes to pick it up. Turns out, this young couple hauled it all the way from Chicago to Seattle, losing the power cord during the move.  It got loaded into my car by the couple, and I was ready to go. Didn't even look inside.

I did ask as I was leaving, "so, any attachments? accessories?" The guy said, "no. sorry. just this".  "That's ok. Thank you.", I said, and I drove off.

Brought it home, into my sewing room. This, I think, is what you call a blonde cabinet. The top surface has water damage, and if you are into having perfect looking furniture, and consider this sewing machine cabinet as a piece of furniture, you'd need to refinish it.  Me? As long as it is clean and it is functional as a sewing machine cabinet, that's all I ask for. I'm more interested in the machine itself.

I promptly opened it up. Yup, she is there.

Look what I found. See the brown box on the right side?

Ah ha! A box of goodies!

The brown metal Pfaff box contained all pictured here.  Several presser feet! Even a spare belt in the original Pfaff paper bag. Actually, the belt that is on the machine now looks newer. So, maybe this black one was the original belt.

These are the photos taken immediately upon getting her home. No cleaning yet.

Interesting pattern on the handwheel center.

Looking pretty clean. Doesn't look like the machine was used much.

German made, as we know.

The motor says made in USA -- can't see in the photo here but it also says "designed for Pfaff" just above the red logo. It's 1.3 amp. Pretty powerful.  I believe my Singer 15-91 is only 0.5 amp, in comparison.  This is probably the most powerful sewing machine I have in my collection.  I'm looking forward to trying her out on thick materials, such as denim jean seams. I don't have the need to sew leather at the moment, but every now and then I wish I had a bit stronger machine when I do mending of a handbag and such.

Solid looking decals intact.

So, the only thing missing is the power cord. Rather important! It's controlled by a knee lever so that I need the power cord that plugs into the machine here (in the photo below) and to the outlet.

A little research on the Internet resulted that it is the same plug as the Pfaff 130.  (Well, I hope so.... because) I found this one listed on eBay, sold by Sharp Sewing Supplies for just $15 inclusive of shipment. It's just a non-OEM, non-original cord, which is just fine with me for an electrical cord. I ordered it, of course.

Now I'm going to have to just do some light dusting and oiling to get her ready for the power cord to arrive so I can test and sew on her.  Pretty excited.  This machine doesn't just satisfy my vintage sewing machine collection needs, it will actually fulfill some purpose and needs - heavy material sewing!

The cabinet door opens to reveal a bobbin access hole!

Anyone out there owns this model of Pfaff? Just a straight stitch machine, but what do you think? Do you like it? Do you use it?

I will soon be able to report to you how she actually performs.  (I promise. I will soon have another post on her.) You just never know where these pretty and strong girls are hiding.  Just around the corner from your house! 

Oh, by the way, her name is Pamela.