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Book Reviews: The Sewing Machine Attachment Handbook by Charlene Phillips
What a FUN little book! This is definitely not for everyone, but if you love to sew, and wonder what all those weird gadgets do that came with the old sewing machine you inherited or found at a jumble, this is the book for you!
The book has mostly illustrations from what would be dubbed “vintage” sewing machines: from the 1960s and before, or more basic current models. This book does NOT teach you basic sewing, but it does show you various iterations of a wide array of funky feet and attachments including:
- Seam Guide
- Bias Cutting Gauge
- Binder
- Bias-Tape Maker
- Tucker
- Ruffler
- Hemmer
- Edge Stitcher
- Gathering foot
- Shirring foot
- Adjustable zipper/cording foot
- Felling foot
- Darning/free-motion foot
- Walking foot
- Seqiun foot
- Buttnholer
- Underbraider (I’ve been sewing and studying sewing for 46 years, since I was 6, and I’d never heard of or seen that one!)
- Zigzagger
- and a few more
WOW…now, I like all this cool old-timey stuff. And the price of the book on Amazon can’t be beat–a whopping US dollars $ 11.55! Special issues of magazines cost more than that! Some of the reviews at Amazon weren’t happy that the book description didn’t explain clearly that the illustrations and attachments were just that…attachments and not the snap-on presser feet found on machines today. I do agree that a few extra words would have been useful! BUT, that said, a zipper foot works the same way now as it did when my beloved Singer 221 Featherweight was made in 1934! The vast majority of the information in this book can be applied to most current machines without having to stretch one’s brain very far at all. Ahem. Yes, I DO expect people to think <grin>!
Ditto for rufflers, binding attachments and many other goodies. There are instructions on how to use these things, but for the most part you will need to grab some scraps, follow the outlines provided, and figure out the adjustments for your own machine. It’s kinda like a car engine…they all work on more or less the same design, but the fan belts may not all be in the same place, made from the same materials or in the same size. You can’t expect one slim book to cover the myriad possibilities for each and every one, but it DOES give you a great start!
In sum: a fun book at a very modest price, and worth having if you love old sewing machines, or want to have a clue what those odd presser feet are in the drawer or tool kit that came with the machine. If you want a hold-you-hand guide to the exact presser feet that came with your every-bell-and-whistle-computerized (does everything but pick up pins off the floor) sewing machine, then you’d best move to a different sort of book. Personally, I think it is a gas of a book!
December 15th, 2009 at 8:29 am
Sarah, you are so bad, I not only ordered that book, but two others on old sewing machines! Thanks for the recommendation!
December 20th, 2009 at 8:30 am
I have an assortment of orphaned sewing machines and have sucesssfully used a Singer treadle’s ruffler foot on my Brother Pacesetter.I had to take the dirty little rusty thing to the mechenic’s parts washer at my bus yard to get the grunge and rust removed. My mechanics are so quick to help.( I make pretty good brownies!)
Be warned! Not all attachments are compatible with all machines.
I was pleased with this book because it told me the names of the funny old bits. With the help of this beautifully illustrated book I can now learn to use all of the feet in my odd collection.