Free-Westinghouse JZ (Anker RZ)

One of the joys of collecting is that you meet like-minded (or co-dependent) collectors who help you along the way.  And you help them.  Friendships are made, shop is talked, stories are swapped, gifts given, roads traveled, and life is enriched.

One such friend is Janet Szabo, a fellow collector and VSM enthusiast from Kalispell.  She has a great sense for machines in the wild and is one of the best hunters I've met.  Over the last couple of months, she has found or retrieved four machines for me which is a bonanza, as I'm at the point in my collecting where I'm not just looking for a cheap thrill.  (I'll admit I used to be pretty easy.)  The quality of these machines is surprising and I don't mean that as an indirect insult of the E. Washington/N. Idaho/W. Montana area (the Inland Empire), but finding this many good machines in the Puget Sound region -- an area with a much larger population and thus a greater density of machines and buying opportunities -- isn't easy.  This is an area where quality mattered back when these were new, apparently.

This is a Free-Westinghouse Type JZ.  Now, the rap on this black beauty is that I had always thought is was referred to as the LZ and I have read this designation over and over.  So I'm not sure what's up except that under that decal it's an Anker RZ, a German zig-zag of the highest quality.  This is one of my favorite domestic machines and this iteration is the second in my collection.  It is everything I like: heavy, strong, quiet, smooth, easy to operate, beautiful.  It makes a great sound, almost like a soft tapping.

Janet picked this up in Northern Idaho on her way to Spokane.  It's in very good shape with just some minor bed wear and the area where the service sticker was removed, taking the finish with it.  (I'll probably repaint this small area on the inside of the pillar.)  The decals are nearly perfect and the nickel is bright, the 1.2 amp motor is smooth, and the belt and light are good.  I'll have to change the tire and tighten the nut on the inside of the tension assembly post and that's about it.  It's just a great machine and beautiful, too.

So, Janet and I had a bit of an exchange and Janet brought me some gifts, too: some really nice wool yarn (looks like I'm going to be learning to knit after all!) and a yarn ball winder (going to dust that off and wind some yarn today -- I want my friends to tell me I have really nice balls), and some Kenmore cams she found in a thrift store (I think in Spokane).  I have just the machine for the cams, too.  I gave her some Theo's chocolate (good stuff, though I've only tried one bar and their peanut butter cups, which were really delicious and not too sweet) and an old, beat up Singer Red Eye (Red Head for all you Bill Holman wannabes) that needs some love from Auntie Janet.  :)

After all that exchanging and gift-giving, we went to the Boyd-Walker store which is the oldest Pfaff dealership in the world.  (Yes, you read that correctly.)  We looked around there, Janet bought some fabric and I meant to as well but got to chatting with another VSM friend, Maria Hunter, who met us there to meet the two of us and exchange machines.  The machine Maria had for me is this one.  We spent time talking with Maria, her husband Rick, and petting their dog Gus.  Very nice to meet them! 

Janet and I then headed out for a really excellent lunch at an Indian buffet in Spokane Valley in the Opportunity area.  It was delicious!!  We both had seconds and I probably would have had thirds if my Better Self (who is unreasonably slender) hadn't been sitting on my shoulder.  I love Indian food!

We then terrorized the Spokane metro area searching thrift stores.  Although we didn't find anything of note except a very nice Montgomery Ward 21-Jewel at the last store we visited, I managed to score a several patterns and Janet found me a book on tailoring.  I'll be looking into that book in the next few weeks (and probably the next few years).  Tailoring is a difficult subject to master and takes years of study and practice.  I don't know that I'll ever get to the point where I can honestly say I can 'tailor' a jacket but I think understanding it will help my sewing overall. 

So, Thursday was a miniature vacation for me and I had a great time.  Spokane is a lovely smaller city and has a very good selection of thrift stores, food, and other fun stuff.  And I'm really fortunate to have the perfect hostess.  Thank you again, Janet!