Monday, December 17, 2012

Cutting Edge Technology...

As you know, my Hubby has been housebound for a while, recuperating from his knee replacement surgery. Recently, his plumber/friend came to make some repairs and visit him. When he saw my sewing room and found out I sew, he went out to his truck to retrieve this:


Its a 1960 Singer Sewing Machine Buttonholer.  All of the parts and the instruction manual are contained in the space ship shaped plastic case.

The story of where he got it is interesting. We have been driving by an old building down the road that was leaning precariously for years, kind of like the leaning tower of Pisa.  Recently the building finally fell. When the area was cleared, this Singer buttonholer was found in the rubble of that building.


I got a chuckle when I read the first page of the instruction book!

"This attachment is intended for use on SINGER Family Sewing Machines and makes straight and keyhole buttonholes in a great variety of fabrics without any special skill on the part of the operator. The buttonholes are produced automatically in a fraction of the time required for hand work."

 

That's exactly what I need! A sewing gadget that requires NO SPECIAL SKILL ON THE PART OF THE OPERATOR! LOL

My Grandmother's antique treadle machine is not a Singer.  Also, I think the buttonholer would be too modern to work on it, even if it were a Singer.


My vintage 70s Singer machine would be too modern for the buttonholer and I already have the one that fits it. I've never used it, however. I just never took the time to learn to use it.



But you never know.  With my love of collecting things, I may acquire a Singer Sewing machine that this buttonholer will fit.  For now though, its an interesting piece of vintage sewing machine history and conversation piece.

6 comments:

Rita said...

Hi Debbie,
Thank you for sharing this with us. I have found some old sewing machine things in my mothers things. I'm not sure which machine they belong to so have hesitated as to what to do with them. Now, I know I will keep them and as I settle into my new smaller home I can figure out which machine these items fit.

Little Penpen said...

And it is PINK...I love it. What a special piece of history for you! ps...I've never made a buttonhole.

Impera Magna said...

I'm loving that cool pink case... so much nicer than the cardboard box the buttonhole attachment for my 1971 Singer machine!

Sharon said...

Usually as long as your older singer is the slant model your find will actually work on it.. It is mechanical and moves around the came making the button whole in a kind of zig zag motion.. Give it a try..

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

I have one of those or very similar! lol My singer machine is stored downstairs under the stairsteps that it fits. If I remember correctly the bobbin would not rewind anymore plus I lost the gadget that makes it go backwards and forwards. I was using a little screw driver! Why do I keep it???????? Nancy

Cozy Thyme Cottage said...

Did I lose my comment?