I visited this ‘mate’ on three different occasions and the last time, I brought him home. (Don’t ask me WHY I call it a ‘him’. Just seems to fit.) Louie actually asked if they would take any less than the marked price because he was missing some pieces, and the fact that he had been sitting there for several weeks. They knocked 1/3 of the price off, which didn’t probably hurt them, since the next stop for this guy probably would have been the landfill. They only keep things so long, then they move them to the BIG BROWN metal box next to the building. We actually only bought him because the foot control and cord looked very nice. I had no idea I would even be considering keeping the machine, but then Louie asked me if I tried it to see if it worked.
He was cold, and dirty, and DRY. He had lost his pressure foot, and pressure foot screw. His spool pin was also broken off. I went to my handy dandy parts box and found replacements. He also lost his sliding needle plate. I ordered a replacement since I did not have one of those. While I worked on him, I taped a piece of a plastic cool whip lid over the bobbin.
I had to play with the tensions for awhile before I got them where I was comfortable with them. He only has two stitches besides straight stitch….the zigzag and the blind stitch. He also has ‘left’, ‘middle’ and ‘right’ needle positions. He has an adjustable pressure foot dial, which goes from DARN to NORM to MAX. As you can see, I turned the dial to DARN, set the stitch length at zero, and tried some free motion stitching on my C-Fold towel! I wound a bobbin too.
Here’s his backside.
I think this machine dates from around 1971, but I will stand corrected if anyone has any more information than I do. The machine was built in Italy and the motor was built in France. I found a free pdf manual for it HERE.
Thank you Singer Co dot com! If YOU need a manual, check and see if Singer has one for you!
Be blessed and have a great Sunday!
Michelle
What was new at Singer YESTERDAY, is at Michelle’s house TODAY!
The patience you have,I seen a new singer the other day at a Goodwill,and because it would zing but not stitch,when the peddle was pressed I told Joey NOPE,he was like" I am sure ya could figure it out"..I have little patience.and good for the machines to have you to fix them up!
ReplyDeleteNice find! I think "he" is cute. My acquisition from last weekend is still sitting and not cleaned or tried. You are much faster than me. :)
ReplyDeleteI have had good many of these in and sold them but never a green one, I really like the color, sometimes on eBay they sell for around 50 to 60 dollars. Seems to make good stitches.
ReplyDeleteYou just kill me! A plastic cool whip lid for the bobbin cover - I'm not smart enough to imagine that. :) I'm so glad we're friends - I learn so much from you! blessings, marlene
ReplyDeleteSuch a pretty green machine. I love that you call it a "him". That's great that you rescued this cute, oh, handsome sewing machine.
ReplyDeleteHe's cute. Glad you rescued him.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, I am glad you saved him. Looks like he sews fine. Enjoy playing with him. Have a good week.
ReplyDeleteMichelle, you are amazing! Another machine saved from the landfill. You not only save them, you fix them and sew with them - one more for your collection!
ReplyDeleteSeriously, you are amazing. I have internet on my little straight talk phone and I read this while heading back home from our little hilton but haven't figured out how to comment on my phone. But you really do amaze me with these sewing machines.
ReplyDeleteThat is neat how you could restore the sewing machine! Looks good for it being about 40 years old!! I'm sure it did take patience to get it up and running again!
ReplyDeletethanks for your comments on my blog; I didn't realize you were blogging again; I thought when I had checked in with you a few months back that the blog was gone? Was it just my imagination or mistake? Anyway, glad to see you are here :)
betty
HI Michelle
ReplyDeleteI like that machine. Perfect machine for someone starting out or who just needs zz and blind hem. Sound like a good one, too.....
Blessed Be
If I ever turn into an old sewing machine, I sure hope you find me! I love how you fix these with so much care. :)
ReplyDeleteI'm SOOOO glad I found this! I just bought this same machine from a garage sale for my best friend who wants to start sewing! I have no experience with Singers (I have an elnita myself) but dropped this off at a machine shop to get a service for $55 (the machine with a bunch of fabric cost about $20) and I'm SOOOO glad I found your post with the free manual link! I almost paid $10 for it! THANK YOU SOOO MUCH!!! :) And also glad it does free motion stitching and you spelled out the settings to do it! YOU ROCK!!!
ReplyDeleteI just picked up one of these beauties at a thrift store for $15. A steal, I think. considering It looks brand new and has it's case and cover. Thank you for the manual!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know this is an old post, but I'm hoping to find someone who knows this machine well! It was just tuned up, but it's been out of commission so long that I've forgotten how to thread it. The images in the manual are so difficult for me to see clearly--I think I must be doing something wrong in threading the bobbin and trying to take it up. It's my only machine with a zigzag stitch at the moment. Can you help?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.sewusa.com/Threading_Diagrams/Threading_Pages/Singer_Sewing_Machine_Threading/singer_252_threading_diagram.htm
ReplyDeleteMake sure your needle is inserted with the flat side to the back.
Apensu@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteI need help after my machine locked up. The issue appears to be underneath, where the bobbin case sits. Help!!!
now you have a fashion mate 252 I need a power cord and foot pedal is ths a big dealil 3 I'm trying to learn how to quilt
ReplyDeleteResponding to a post from August 2014 from April Stone: i am very new to sewing. my Grams gave me this Singer Fashion Mate 252 many years ago, and i finally decided to pull it out and give it a go. worked fine with the bobbin and thread that were already loaded, but when i tried to replace the bobbin with a new-pre-threaded one, it kept jamming up. after an hour or so of complete frustration, googling, and tears, i discovered the bobbins for this machine are Class 66 (Singer 172336) - NOT the standard Class 15 i just bought at Michaels. Thank you so much Michelle for posting the manual!! Wish i had known hours ago that bobbins came in different sizes... :) Ah, the joys of learning!
ReplyDeleteI so love my little "guy" even now. I got him when I was 10, so yes, 1971 is about right. He has been so faithful. He is still the only machine I have and I have used him A LOT!! Would love to find another one to give my daughter, but I won't let mine go! Thank you for posting the manual. I needed the threading diagram for my daughter to learn - I can stand to re-thread just so many times!
ReplyDeleteThese were made between 1972 and 1976. I just bought one at the salvation army thrift store complete in a walnut veneer cabinet. $30.
ReplyDeleteI threaded it and put some cloth under and she purred! Will have to clean and oil it before I really use it but I am so excited.
This machine was available in 1971. It was the first sewing machine and the first thing I bought on credit through Household Finance. I remember it was a big deal for me and I was very excited to take it home to my first apartment.
ReplyDeleteI still have mine and it is running well. Never lets me down.