Out with the New, In with the Old

I'm going to spend each month in 2023 using a different antique/vintage sewing machine (hoping that they are all usable) and set about culling the herd. My Brother got a nice clean and oiling before being put aside, and I grabbed the closest Singer to hand (or, literally, to foot--it's been sitting under my sewing table for 5-1/2 years) and set it up. She's a Singer 237, bought on Craigslist in 2017.

With nothing but logic and dumb luck to go on, I inserted a generic Schmetz needle with the eye going side to side (because the tightening screw was on the side--where I assumed the flat side of the needle shank should face--and there were no other obvious guidelines). I'd know soon enough if that wasn't right, and could change things easily.

I also had an old bobbin found in a sewing table lurking about here, so I popped that into the bobbin case. If it wasn't right, I'd soon know that too and had several other styles to try.

The Sewing gods seemed to be on my side. Other than the needle falling out within a couple of stitches (I cranked down on that tightening screw after that!), things work smoothly. The tension is beautiful.

I'll browse the interwebs for more information on this model eventually (including the year she was made). For now, she's my adventure for January.

Nann asked about my triangles/HTSs and what's to become of them. The smallest ones I'm trimming to 1.25" and sewing into 2" pinwheels, which then become the center square of 9-patches.

Sewing together 2" squares has been my default Leader-Ender for years, and I've got at least 200 5" 9-patches collected. These pinwheels add a touch of additional interest to the lot. I'll be making more of these with the newest lot of HTSs on the 237 this month.

Here's to a quiet 2023!

(Added a few hours later): found a 237 manual pdf online and was starting to read through that before going to bed, and had to laugh at the proportions of this illustration. Can you imagine if this was true to life?!?