Necchi BU Nova

I picked this up last night from a seller with a need to empty his storage unit.  I was more than happy to help.  For $50, I'm easy.

These BU Novas are pretty commonly found in my area.  They're a very cool zig-zag machine, this one with a 1.1 amp motor.  The articulated lamp and integrated cabinet with slide-in chair are what caught my eye as well as the machine's overall very good condition.

The cabinet will have to be completely refinished (after all the candle wax is peeled off -- they used the cabinet as a candle holder).  The seller didn't realize the machine was equipped with a knee pedal and priced the machine as if it had no pedal.  I pointed this out and he laughed and it didn't matter.

Singer 301A

The last thing I need is another straight-stitch machine.

But this is a Singer 301A, one that is collectible, sews beautifully, is in cabinet #42 (the Art Deco cabinet with a matching bench, this one with the curved door instead of the curved drawers), and it was only $40, including accessories.  Its condition is quite good and I like the black better than the tan or two-tone.  And did I mention it was only $40?

The craigslist seller was very nice and explained he wanted to be rid of it, apologizing profusely for not being dressed for company.  (He wasn't.  In fact, he was hardly dressed at all, arriving at the door in his underwear.)  But considering the age of the machine and that he had a vintage poster of Jayne Mansfield and her famous headlamps on the wall of his garage above the Datsun short bed he was rebuilding, it was all good.  (Although he didn't understand my remark about high beams.)

It's a lightweight machine, only 16 pounds of cast aluminum toughness, engineered using a single point on a plane and deriving a 3-D 'tripod' from which the points of the machine's frame were placed.  I'll do a blog post about the design as it's an interesting story and the machine is one of the more 'marvelous' as far as sewing marvels go.

It sews well and seems fast, faster than many of my other domestic machines.  It's also smooth.  I'll add more in the coming weeks as I get to know it (I've only owned it for about 6 hours).  Stay tuned.