A New Baby!

I was gifted this beautiful Singer 401A (mid-1950s) about a year ago by someone who is well aware of my obsession with vintage machines. She knew that I would cherish it and that it would be a treasured piece in my collection. It’s been sitting in my friend’s shop since then awaiting restoration so I was extremely excited to finally bring her home today. Isn’t she a beauty? Aside from a couple of scratches on the back of the top cover she is as bright and shiny as the day she rolled off the assembly line.

Whenever I watch one of these old girls being restored, I marvel at the craftsmanship of yesteryear. These machines were made with pride to last a lifetime or longer – I hope I look this good when I am nearing 60!

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Vintage Puzzle Box

So, it’s only 6:45 p.m. and I am in my sewing room. I’ve got my jammies on and am sipping a nice glass of wine. This is the kind of Happy Hour I like!

I don’t have anything far enough along to share with you but I’ve been meaning to post some of my cool vintage finds here for awhile so here you go!

This is a Puzzle Box from the turn of the last century. I have several of these, including one that dates back to the 19th century. This one is in the best condition and the only one currently complete. It took me awhile to collect all of the attachments. The last piece – the twisted-wired screwdriver (doh! I just noticed it’s not even in the photo!) – came all the way from England via Ebay!

If you are lucky enough to find one of these boxes you will be amazed at how well these 100-year old attachments shine up with a silver cloth (as long as there is no rust, that is). They look as good today as they did the day they were made.

Interestingly, each box was made by hand so no two are exactly alike nor is the placement of the attachment holders exactly the same in each. There are several different versions – I don’t remember off the top of my head which one this is.

These attachments are low-shank (or vertical in Singer-speak) so I could use them on my Featherweight if I wanted to. Honestly, I’m just happy to admire them and marvel at the pride of workmanship that went into making them.

It’s so adorable all folded up!