When I started this blog, I meant to post a lot more DIY. I had tutorials in mind and everything. Unfortunately, since starting my new job (which, as you may recall, happened around the same time as the beginning of this blog), I really haven’t had a lot of time for DIYing. It makes the heart sad. I promise I’ll try my best to have at least ONE tutorial up before Christmas, even if it’s a totally simple cop-out one like shredding your tights 
But today, I’ll be writing about a topic near and dear to my dorky little heart: vintage sewing machines.
“What?!”, you say. “Why by vintage?! I can get a new one for $60 at Wal-Mart!”
True, you can. Also true is that the $60 machine from Wal-Mart will most likely have trouble sewing through two layers of denim. Recall the post where I mentioned my vintage sewing machine sewing through four layers of leather with no problem.
That, my friends, is just one reason to buy vintage. Older machines, like many things “back in the day”, were made to be repaired, not replaced. There are several machines which have all-metal gears, which lets them sew through just about anything you’ll need to sew through. They’re usually cheaper than new machines if you can find them in the right spots, and you’re also being sustainable by buying something that a. would have been thrown away normally and b. won’t be thrown away for years if cared for properly, unlike a lot of the “plastic wonders”.
Now that we’ve got the benefits down, here’s more information:
Vintage machines are NOT more likely to break down if you get the right one. If a machine with all metal parts is taken care of properly (yes, you will have to oil it from time to time) it can last ages. Hence why these machines I have are running better than the plastic Brother I was given for Christmas 2-3 years ago. They’re also REALLY easy to fix on your own and most of the time just need some lubrication in the right spots. If you are willing to put two hours tops of reading information about fixing the machine and then doing it, you can fix a good amount of the problems you will run into. Parts can be an issue, but unless the machine in question is very rare, it’s less of a problem finding parts and more that they might be expensive. They don’t have a lot of fancy stitches but really, I never end up using even the embroidery cam stitches except for very rare occasions anyhow. People want fancy stitches but unless you KNOW you will be doing something other than just straight stitch and zig-zag, don’t waste your money.
I would recommend anything from the Singer 400 or 500 line (these come in a beige casing and have the model number on the front, above the stitch length selector), any of the Viking 6000 lines, hell if you can find a Singer 15 (the machine in your link looks like a S-15) or Singer 15 clone for cheap, snatch it up. Older Kenmores are good too. I believe that plastic machines weren’t commonly made until the ’60s, the Viking I have that’s from around 1977 is mostly metal though. Anything from the 50′s is a pretty sure bet. Places to check include Craiglist, garage sales, and thrift stores. The Salvation Army here gets new ones on a weekly basis, and they’re never more than $40 (most of them have the cabinet too). It might be different depending on the location though. But either way, it’s hard to find even the best vintage machines for more than $200 and you can NOT find a plastic new machine for the same price that is anywhere near the same quality or durability. One of the reasons they started making plastic machines is because you can keep the metal machines going for generations (obviously) if you take good care of them. Which isn’t good for business, haha.
Machines that I have:
1953 Mercury Sewing Machine
Faceplate of Mercury machine
Like the caption says, this is a 1953 Mercury machine. A Singer 15 clone (the S-15 machines are very similar in body style and sometimes decals). $25 off Craigslist. I can’t find a cabinet to put her in 
I named her Sylvia!
Vintage Viking 6440 Colormatic
Like I mentioned before, this is probably from around 1977. One of the reasons I named it Vivienne. (You should know why! ) It has several built-in stitches, cams that give it more stitches (both functional and embroidery), and has a low-torque function that is awesome and makes it possible to sew through some pretty thick stuff. This is the one I fixed my handbag with. I found it on eBay and paid around $50 with shipping, for it and lots of accessories/most of the available cams. It didn’t have a foot pedal and the foot pedals normally run $85ish, but at that time there HAPPENED to be one on eBay for $25 w/shipping. Meant to be, right?
Singer Rocketeer 500A
This is a late 50′s/early 60′s machine. These are GREAT machines! No belt, gear driven, so it can sew through damn near anything. This was $35 off Craigslist.
Machines that you should watch for!
Singer Slant-O-Matic 503A
This is a machine I used to have, that I sold on eBay. $20 at the Salvation Army, WITH a cabinet. The Slant-O-Matics are in the same line as the Rocketeers and are also great machines.
Singer 400 machine
Singer 400. Same machine as the Rocketeer in a different casing. The 400 series style is more like this – any of them are great, they’re all the gear driven ones. The 300 series looks similar, some of them are black, and are also worth buying, I think they may be only straight stitch machines, not sure if they use cams.
Bernina 830
Bernina 830. If you see any old looking Bernina machine, it’s worth buying. The 830 is just particularly coveted.
I hope my post has been of some helpfulness! Vintage sewing machines are SO worth it, even if it needs fixed up a bit after being purchased. These machines have already lasted 30-40+ years and will probably last a lifetime if cared for properly. The benefits of a vintage sewing machine far outweigh any small shortfalls.
