Adventure! 1884 Improved Family

In the previous post I mentioned that we had been on the road over the holidays.  We had driven down to Florida to visit with the wife's family there.  We left Connecticut on Dec 24th, drove down the coast, stopping off to visit the Wright Brother's Memorial on the North Carolina Outer Banks.  We headed back on 31st and went inland up through Knoxville to avoid I95.  We got home New Year's night.  No where during that time did I take a few minutes to check to see what was posted on Craigslist on the route.  If I had I would have seen this right on our way in Lexington.

 

An 1884 Improved Family, just sitting there, not doin' nuthin'.  Just waiting for us to swing by and snatch it up during our drive.

On the 3rd while getting caught up with all my other really important internet news searches I had a little idea to travel from Connecticut to Oklahoma using nothing but the location change at the top of Craigslist.  I think it gives you like 200 miles radius at at time.

About the 10th or 11th location change I hit Lexington and saw the IF.  "Honneeeeey!"  I really do have the most understanding wife in the world.  She just gave a smile when I asked if she would mind if I took our poor Prius back out on the road for another 1700 miles to do a quick shopping trip.

I jumped back into the car on the morning of the 4th and headed to Lexington.  I chatted with the IF's owner, Laura, and her husband on the way and when it became apparent I would get there around 9pm they invited me to drop by and pick the machine up that night.

Laura told me the machine originally belonged to her great-grandmother in Arkansas and had been passed down to her.  I gave them a little bit of the history of Singer's of that era, hoping I didn't bore them too much as I can really spend hours talking about things like how Philip Diehl and Lebbeus Miller designed the IF/Model 15 and how Diehl later used a Model 15 motor with blades attached to invent the ceiling fan. I'm the life of the party I tell you.

When Laura's husband asked why I would drive for thirteen hours for a sewing machine that I could probably buy for not much more up here, I kind of had to shrug.  He did have a point.  But I told them my standard excuse.  "I'm retired. It keeps me out of trouble."  I also added that I have a pretty hard rule about over paying for a sewing machine.  Their price was right on the upper end of what I think an IF is worth.  I don't consider the hundred and twenty bucks worth of gas or the sixty dollar hotel bill part of the price, so no, I didn't pay almost three hundred for it.  Hehe.

I probably would have talked them both to death except it was about 25 degrees out and they were being extremely gracious by having me over that evening rather than the next morning, allowing me to get back on the road around 6am.

 

The machine itself is whole with the exception of the pitman, which needs to be replaced.  I think I have a source for one.  If not I'll use Bernie's awesome instructions from TreadleOn to make a hybrid.

One of my favorite things about the set up it that it side irons have the N.Y. on the embossing.  I'm easily pleased I guess.

There is a tiny bit of binding as the needle hits the bottom of it's movement.  Not sure if it's a issue with the IF's design or just needing a little bit of TLC to free it up.  Over all the machine goes through all the fuctions great.  Can't wait to get a pitman on it, some ugly purple drive belt rope and start running stitches through it.