She's lovely.......

She's a lovely sewing sewing machine, isn't she?  Ready to go in a your choice of a carry case or table.
She's a teal colored White 231 with good looks and a shady past.....
When I first met this machine she was in an espresso machine repair depot. Her owners told me something of her history, including the tidbit that she had spent time serving in a notorious house of ill repute somewhere on the Sunshine coast. What precisely would need to be sewn, in such a place, is beyond me, but then, I don't know much about those places.
How ever I do know a little bit about sewing machines and she's a good sewer. Reliable, sturdy Japanese machine of the 1950's or 60's, straight stitch, easy to use and service.
Given these machines have a life span of about a century or so, it's fun to imagine where else she might have been could end up in the course of her sewing career.
Just serviced and ready for Christmas

The Singer 327J

I had one of these machines last spring and summer. It didn't sell at all, So it just sat on the shelf where I could see it every day in passing. Finally I sold it, and then discovered that I missed it. I think it's the styling that drew my eye to it every time I walked by. 
This one came my way and drew the attention of a customer who was as enchanted with it's good looks as I was, and took it home with her...........sigh.....

Nivens Laws

came across these this morning.....

Drawn from Known Space: The Future Worlds of Larry Niven

1. 1. Never throw shit at an armed man.
   2. Never stand next to someone who is throwing shit at an armed man.
2. Never fire a laser at a mirror.
3. Mother Nature doesn't care if you're having fun.
4. F × S = k. The product of Freedom and Security is a constant. To gain more freedom of thought and/or action, you must give up some security, and vice versa.
5. Psi and/or magical powers, if real, are nearly useless.
6. Any damn fool can predict the past.
7. History never repeats itself.
8. Ethics change with technology.
9. There Ain't No Justice. (often abbreviated to TANJ)
10. The ways of being human are bounded but infinite.
11. The world's dullest subjects, in order:
    1. Somebody else's diet.
    2. How to make money for a worthy cause.
    3. Special Interest Liberation.
12. Fuzzy Pink Niven's Law: Never waste calories.
13. There is no cause so right that one cannot find a fool following it.
14. No technique works if it isn't used.
15. Not responsible for advice not taken.
16. Old age is not for sissies.

The DOMINION is here.
Don't let the good looks and the pretty bow fool you, folks. This is one kick ass sewing machine.! It's a work horse with an upgraded motor on it and it don't care......I even think I heard it laughing at me as I crammed six layers of denim under the pressure foot. Didn't even slow it down.....It a straight stitcher with adjustable feed dogs and reverse. Should be able to sew just about anything you want. $75.00

Pink and Panache never go out of style!

A very fashionably dressed lady, told me one time, (after I had just complimented her on her attire), that "Pink and Panache, never, go out of style!" I was reminded of  her when I first saw this machine, on the floor of the local Salvation Army store. It just stood out! It has style. Not sure what you would call it, maybe, mid century? and it does have panache!
It's also a darn good sewing machine. It makes a nice even, tight stitch, and goes through six layers of denim just as smoothly as two layers of cotton.
It's a JA-21 machine and like all of the Japanese machines of the period, it's a work horse, sturdy and reliable.
These machine were originally fitted with a central oiling system consisting of a reservoir and copper tubes to dispense oil throughout the machine, with the push of a button.  this one had it, but it leaked, big time, so it was removed, now you have to do it manually.

Mid Century Danish Modern...

This sewing box came to me as part of another purchase. Not knowing anything about sewing boxes, I went and looked it up on eBay, one of my favorite references. I found some like it listed on there and described as "mid century, Danish modern, dovetailed" sewing box, which I though was a real mouthful.
I posted it for sale, and all the comments were about how people had gotten their's for $20.00 or so, which was a lot cheaper than my price. I also got a PM from a lady who wanted to know what brand name it was. Turns out, one of these boxes, with the original label, of the company that made it, in Norway, is worth well over $100. There is a community who collects these sewing boxes....Who knew? 
Still available by the way...$50.00

The Hot Pink Sewing Machine

So, why would anyone want a hot pink sewing machine? I don't know why anyone else would but I want one because they reflect the exuberance of mid century design when products came in bold colors and styles.  More than that, they come from a period when products were engineered to last a long time, to be repaired and passed down from one generation to the next.
I see that most modern sewing machines come in white, beige, and black (occasionally). I've had a few of these pass through my hands and they are noisy, ratchety and go out of time frequently. I usually consign them to the thrift store because none of my customers want them.
Why they don't want became clear to me on the day I sold a 201 to a lady who had been sewing on a 2 year old Kenmore. I set her up on the machine so that she could try it out. She sewed a couple of inches, stopped and said, "what the f**k"?. Something wrong? I asked. Is it supposed to sound like that? she asked. I said yes, that's what the best sewing machine ever made sounds like. It's so quiet she said. 
She kept on sewing, trying the machine on heavier fabrics and materials, which the machine sewed flawlessly, eliciting more WTF's, but "good" WTF's she told me. I think the performance of the machine was a revelation to her. This is how sewing machines are supposed to work. 
She asked me a lot more questions about the machine, which I did my best to answer. She didn't ask, and because I wanted to make the sale, I didn't tell her that she could get much the same performance, from any of the Japanese machines from the period for about $40. I mean it might not have quite the perfection of the 201, but they can sew, and sew well, all the heavy materials she had brought along to test out the machine with.
And they come in hot rod red, teal, bright blue and yellow and in pink. "Buy us" the colors say, "we can do the job and we're proud of it" and I like that........

So here we are, Flamingo Sewing......he,he.............
Stayed tuned for sewing machines, various nonsense and the quest for a hot pink sewing machine.