Test Driving a 1953 Singer 15-91

 

A few weeks ago, my husband and I took a weekend getaway to Green Valley, AZ. We weren't thrilled with the area (the train was a huge minus because it goes by frequently and can be heard all over town), but wanted to see it to know for sure whether or not it we would want to retire there. We wound up going to Sahuarita, AZ for lunch because we were in the mood for Pho, and that was the nearest place that had a Pho restaurant. The restaurant just happened to be next to a JoAnn Fabric shop, and just beyond that was Cathey's Sewing & Vacuum.

My husband rolled his eyes as soon as he noticed the two shops - he knew I'd want to go in both after we ate. The Pho was pretty good, by the way. After lunch, I immediately made a beeline for Cathey's. Inside, they had a nice selection of new machines, but what caught my attention was their wall of used machines - several of which were vintage machines.

The machine that immediately caught my attention was this little guy: 

 I have several vintage Singers, but this was the first time I'd seen one with the tension adjuster on the side of the machine rather than on the front. (Apparently, the Singer model 15s are the only ones in this configuration). My husband is smart enough to know when I want a vintage machine, so he told the sales lady "we'll take this one". I pulled it down from its shelf and brought it over to the front desk. The sales lady handed me some thread and a small piece of fabric so I could test it (the shop's repairman had already gone over the machine, cleaned it up, and tuned it). 

Very nice stitches and smooth sounding motor. I think I like using this one almost as much as my 201. 

Now, on to the more important bit: glamor shots of all sides of this Singer 15-91 (that IS why you're here, right?) 

Left side with tensioner on it.

Back with good view of the potted motor

Right side. Case is thankfully in good condition, too.

Top view- decals in excellent shape. 

This is what sold it: it has my initials "AL" on it. How could I resist?

Angled front view to show the light and top a bit

Yes, I put it to work immediately. It did a great job making this blouse for me.

The fabric may look like a mess, but this is my "croissant" method of sewing the two layers of the back yoke to the front. I call it that because I don't roll things up like a burrito, but rather just twist things around until the seam allowances and stitching line are on the outside. I found this works better and saves me time - no careful rolling of the back and each side for me. 

One final view of the Singer 15-91. Pretty yes?

According to the serial number, this machine was manufactured on July 10, 1953, so it's 68th birthday is a week away. I'll have to think of a project for it to do for its birthday. Do you celebrate your machine's birthdays?

Happy Sewing.