Necchi Vs. Necchi

Two machines, both alike in dignity, on a fair table where we lay our scene...

Last week a customer dropped off her Necchi Lelia 513 for a tuneup.  The machine looked great and I was thinking it would just need cleaning and oiling.  It turns out the zig-zag stitch selector was frozen up.  After an overnight soaking in Tri-Flow, the machine loosened up was able to stitch the range of zig-zag widths and stitch lengths.
Since the customer was out of town for the week and had left her machine with me, I took the opportunity to get my own Necchi Lelia 513 out for a side-by-side comparison.  The customer's machine has had a single owner in its lifetime and still has it's original papers and accessories.  My machine came from Goodwill and has some accessories.  I knew that the machines were in different cases (customers was a Necchi case, mine a generic plastic model)  and had different foot controllers, but I was expecting them to be almost identical other than that.  Nope, there were quite a few other differences.  Here is a front view of each machine. How many difference do you notice?

My machine--referred to as #1

Customer's Machine--referred to as #2

From the front I noticed the following:

• Bobbin-winder-- #1 on top of machine, #2 on front next to hand wheel
• Stitch length selector and upper tension knobs
• Automatic buttonholer selector knob-- #1 top front, #2 missing
• Thread guides-- both for upper thread to needle and to bobbin-winder
• On/Off switch and Lo/Hi switch for the speed of the motor: #1 not available, #2 on the bed to the far right

Then I looked at the machines from the top.  One machine is threaded, the other is not.  This shot gives a better view of the bobbin-winder on machine #1 and the differences in the thread guides. n You can also see a difference in width of the hand wheels.

Machine #1

Machine #2

The third view is from the end.  See the on/off and lo/hi switches on machine #2?  And machine #2 has a pink motor and motor support, it blends in nicely with the machine.

Machine #1

Machine #2

From the back the different color motors is eye-catching.  Also noticeable is the light switch at the top right on machine #1 and the plastic vs. metal presser foot lever.

Machine#1

Machine #2

A few close-up pictures revealed details in tension knobs, thread guides, bobbin-winders, and bobbin race covers.

Machine #1

Machine #2

Machine #1, Bobbin-winder

Machine #2, Bobbin-winder 

Machine #1, Plastic bobbin race cover

Machine #2, Metal bobbin race cover

Lastly, a look at the foot controllers.  

Machine #1

Machine #2, Original petal

Both machines are Necchi Lelia 513's made in Italy.  Their pink/cream paint and Necchi decals are in great shape and they sew beautifully.  The customer's machine was originally purchased in March of 1967.  My machine did not come with any original purchase information.  Lelia 513 was produced from 1961-?, so our machines could be a few years apart.
I had a great time playing the 'same or different' game with these two machines.  I definitely won't be able to do that with every machine that comes my way, so this was a treat.  

For never was a story of more fun

Than this of Lelia and the other one

Inspiration for $1

I stopped at a small estate sale recently near the tail end of shopping hours.  I wandered around what seemed to be a well-picked-over collection of items and was planning to go home empty-handed. In the last room that I perused in the basement, I found a couple large plastic bins that held a variety of unfinished projects.   I think I could fill more than a couple bins with my unfinished projects now--maybe they'll still be around for my estate sale in 60 years?  There were needlepoint pieces both on and off frames, crochet patterns, yarn and knitting needles, quilt batting, and several fabric scraps. The bins were priced at any project for $1.  That is definitely in my price range.  The fabric patterns and colors look older, but there are definitely some reproduction prints.  There were no large scraps left, but there were several different swatches and I appreciated the vintage feel.  Someone may have made a grandmother's flower garden pattern as there are hexagons cut out of most of the swatches.  What shall I do with the remaining pieces?  Maybe something that I can put together with one of my vintage sewing machines?  I'll likely spend a few hours figuring out the 'perfect' project.  For $1 I'll plan twenty different projects before I sit down to complete one. 

6 in. square

6 in. square

6 in. square

6 in. square

Solid green

Solid blue

This is the largest swatch

Singer Featherweight 221

The machine I worked on yesterday was a Singer Featherweight 221.  It came to me in its original carrying case and other than a having a name sticker on one section, the paint details looked to be in very good shape.  The owner had taken her machine out earlier that day to finish up a sewing project she had started, but the sewing machine would not cooperate.  The needle was hitting the bobbin and no stitches were forming.  I was delighted for the chance to work on the beautiful Featherweight.

After cleaning and lubricating the machine, I checked the hook timing and found that the needle was rubbing on the bobbin casing as it ascended and it was not catching the thread to form a stitch.  I loosened both set screws on the hook assembly and rotated the entire basket.  After I reset the hook timing and tightened both set screws, I lined up the arm of the bobbin case holder in the groove on the bottom of the needle plate.  Following a careful rethreading, making sure to thread the needle from right to left, the machine sewed smoothly.  It formed a clean stitch and there was no contact between the needle and the hook.  Featherweights are highly sought after for their perfect stitch, and it was delightful to see this machine making such stitches again.  Now the owner can finish her current project and confidently start a new one. 

The pictures here are from after I had run some test stitches.  The label with the owner's name on it is covered in all pictures.

She sews beautifully now

View of the back side

Power cord not attached