Day 32 - Accessory

These are the accessory feet I have for my Elna SU sewing machine, a veteran of the 70s with a system of loose pattern cams that have to be changed when you need a different fancy stitch. I have four machines at the moment; the Elna, a Newhome, a Lidl lightweight and a Singer. Last week I had five, but when I was given the Singer by a friend after his wife died, I asked at the Craft Club if anyone would like a sewing machine, and one of the members put her hand up. The machine I gave her was old, of Belgian manufacture, with a good strong motor and working perfectly. It even had a solid case rather than a floppy vinyl cover and the original instruction book in Flemish... not bad for something rescued from the side of a roadside bin! I found it a couple of years ago and only stopped because I thought it was just the case that had been dumped. I was pleasantly surprised to find the machine inside it. I took it home, stripped it down, cleaned and oiled it and found it sewed well, so it has been used whenever the Craft Club activities needed an extra sewing machine. I'm glad it has now found a new home where it will get more use. The Elna is  my machine of choice and is out permanently. The Lidl machine was bought as a spare as it was only 60€ in the sale and had a range of stitches that the Elna lacked. I use it when I have to stitch knit material. The Newhome came from an old lady I used to sew for. She gave it to me when she moved into a home, but I have never really liked it as it was very clunky even when clean and oiled. I have hung on to it and plan to turn it into an embellisher when I can borrow a strong pair of hands to remove the screws that hold the bobbin race in place. The Singer I am still getting to know. I used it this week to shorten two pairs of curtains for a friend and was very happy with it. I noticed that it was possible to sew very slowly with it so may use it for embroidery and more fiddly work. So...four machines and would you believe, four different types of feet? The Elna uses screw ons and the others clip-ons, each with a different fitting. At least I only need two types of bobbin; shallow ones for the Elna and the Singer and deeper ones for the other two!