Brother Festival 451

I really was minding my own business.  My day started by donating an orphaned portable Singer Fashion Mate model 258 to the  local Women's Resource Centre.  First stop was at the fabric shop to purchase a thread stand for large cones, thread snippers and fabric scissors.  I brought an old cotton sheet for practice, a box of dozen bobbins, some threaded some not, white and black large cones of thread plus some smaller spools of thread.  After a short demo, I left my contact information if they need free sewing assistance.

I was not shopping for another sewing machine!  No sirree, not me.  At one dozen machines downsizing to maybe 8 favourites would be a good thing.  I was feeling pretty proud that I had gifted one away bringing the count down to just 11 sewing machines and one serger.

I also collect vintage sewing patterns and books.  This lovely 528 page instruction book was for sale for only ten dollars on ebrandon which is an electronic garage sale.  Innocently, I drove over to get this book published in 1976 with the technical assistance of The Singer Company. Now how was I supposed to know the lady also had a vintage sewing machine in a fancy blue flowered carrying case for sale?

Look at those stitches.. the machine came with a plastic box of accessories including a darning foot, there is a button to drop the feed dogs.  This machine was made in Japan, I do not know when.  This model also comes in hot pink!

Mine is tan with orange.  The entire shuttle hook and everything underneath the base is all metal.  It uses standard metal bobbins the ones with holes top & bottom.

The manual was not available.  The threading map is on internet for free.  There is also threading instructions for this type of machine in my Reader's Digest Complete Guide to Sewing book I just bought.

 

I was so delighted with my new to me sewing machine that I invited the lady to Stitch n Bitch, even though she sold her machine because she is not interested in sewing.

It was a stellar of a day!