Is this sewing machine worth saving?

Our church is having a huge yard sale for Missions in 2 weeks and my hubby has been going around to people’s homes picking up donated furniture and all sorts of goodies to sell. Today he brought home a Necchi sewing machine for me to look at and see if it was worth selling. I know quite a bit about sewing machines and I’ll be at the yard sale, so I can answer any questions anyone has about it.

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I decided I would do my blog post about it, but before I could tell him, he had started cleaning it off… I said, “WAIT… don’t wipe it off, I’m using it for my post tomorrow!” He looked at me like I was crazy! It was very dirty, but I only have the back side to show you…

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There were 2 foot controllers with it, so I had to see which one worked the best, or if either of them worked…

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I liked the little retractable spool holders on top of the machine.

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It had the old front loading bobbins and came with a bobbin already halfway wound. That was nice.

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The light worked…that’s a good sign. Now let’s see if this baby runs!

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I picked one of the foot controllers and got a piece of cotton to test it out. The tension seemed to be tight. There was a notebook that came with this machine so I flipped it open and saw a Necchi Instruction Manual! Perfect! Well…not so much…it was the wrong manual for this machine. So I had to try and figure the tension out on my own. I’m pretty good at getting machines going, but this one was a bit on the noisy side. It kept going “clickity-clickity” when I sewed.

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I adjusted the tension and got a pretty nice straight stitch.

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There is a little screw on the bobbin that can be adjusted to make the tension tighter or looser. I turned it just a bit to make it looser.

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It made the stitches slightly more even, but was still a little tight. I decided to try out the decorative stitches and see how they worked. As I was stitching, the machine started sewing without my foot being on the controller. (That’s not good!) It was a “run-away” sewing machine. You could only get it to stop stitching by tapping the foot controller. I decided it was time to switch foot controllers. This was the top side of the decorative stitches…not terrible…

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The backside?…terrible! They are pretty knotted up and ugly looking.

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I did a little more adjusting and got it to look like this on the backside…

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This post would have been perfect if only I could have gotten it to sew a precise stitch, and had great before and after pictures, but it didn’t and I don’t!

It’s a fairly decent machine but needs a little more expertise attention than I know how to give it. If someone wants to take it to a sewing machine repair shop and have it fixed, this would be a pretty nice machine. It is very heavy and has a metal base. So many machines today are plastic. At least I’ll be able to tell anyone at the yard sale what it does. I give it a thumbs up to put in the yard sale!

See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne

8 thoughts on “Is this sewing machine worth saving?”

  1. Well, Jeanne, this will be one of your blog posts that I will be of NO help! I have no experience with any machine but mine, a Singer, but I do remember the Necchi’s. I did learn how to sew on my grandmother’s treadle machine, but really all I was able to do with that is learn how to control a machine and get used to sewing. It was plain, but reliable, and perfect for an 8 year old. This one you have might be good for a learner, but if it is too complicated and not reliable, I guess not. If you know the year, maybe you cold look it up online and see if they have a printable manual. Maybe a sewing machine repairman in town might know a thing or two about it. Good luck!

    1. You mean George is not a machine repairman? I think of him as a man that can fix amost anything. I like all metal machines. The plastic machines are much easier to take to classes. It would be handy to have one machine dedicated to straight stitching and a second for decorative stitching or embroidery. Move from one machine to another with a serger in the mix also. I love old machines and when we had a basement and a sewing room we had quite a few. I think Charlotte’s suggestion of Pal is a wonderful one for the new one in your family.

      1. Hi Jan,
        Well, actually he probably could be a sewing machine repairman as long as the machine is one like this…”non-digital!” He’s fixed the motor brushes several times in my old serger. Finally he said, “Honey, it’s time for an upgrade!” I cried… I’d had that serger for 14 years!
        He knows the “mechanics” of how things work and I know the way it’s supposed to stitch and what they should look like. I guess we could make a pretty good team if we worked together.
        Well, the puppy (Remy) is sleeping so I better get something done while I can!
        Thanks Jan,
        Blessings, Jeanne

    2. Hi Linda,
      I did look it up online and actually found the manual for it, but it was $10.00. I think I’ll just let the new buyer buy it if they want to but provide them with the website for it. I did find how to thread it and wind a bobbin so I printed that out for whoever buys it.
      I played around with it a little more this morning using a little bit heavier fabric and it seemed to do better.
      I think with a little care, it might make a really nice machine for someone.
      We are “trying out” Remy and think that might be it. We just keep calling him little buddy and we don’t want his name to be buddy so we’re trying hard to remember Remy!

      My house is a disaster…toys in the floor, doggie beds, a crate, chew toys, etc. Oh well, I guess I’m back in the “toddler years” again. This too shall pass!
      Thanks Linda,
      Blessings, Jeanne

  2. HI
    I’ve never had a Necchi but nothing is more frustrating than a machine that won’t stitch properly. It would drive a new sewer crazy. I know what you mean about adjusting them and it looks like you did everything right…did you oil it? That might help
    I wouldn’t ask more than 10.00 …IMHO 🙂

    1. Hi Kathie,
      After I did my post I woke up this morning and it was still sitting on the table. I looked online and found a diagram of how to thread it. I had missed one little loop…and when I tested it again it was slightly better. I used the bottom they had wound and sometimes a new bobbin makes all the difference in the world…as does a new needle.
      I put my scraps under the presser foot so anyone who looks at it will know what the stitches are like. I think it has the potential to be a good machine, being metal and all, but I’m not sure anyone will want one this old. I never could find a year for it, but it was called vintage online…
      Thanks Kathie,
      blessings, Jeanne

  3. Charlotte Trayer

    You might check Yahoo–I know they have groups dedicated to vintage machines, and there might even be one dedicated to Necchi, I don’t know. Even if it’s just a generic “vintage machine” group, they still might be able to steer you (or whoever buys it) to sources for extra bobbins and possibly other parts. I see you found an owner’s manual for it online; since you have the wrong one, you might offer it in exchange for the right one, or sell it yourself!

    As to the foot pedal, the one that does not work properly (giving you a runaway machine) should be disposed of. I don’t know if it could be repaired or not, so if you do include it with the machine, mark it clearly as defective, what it does, and how to get it to stop, just in case!!

    Just my 2¢ worth!

    1. HI Charlotte,
      I have checked everywhere and googled every possible way to find out the year it was made, but to no avail! I’ll see about checking on Yahoo.
      I did think about selling the one I have…if it’s hard to find, I might as well offer it up for sale.
      It’s funny though, there is no model number for this manual either…

      My hubby has already thrown the “defective” one away. I’m an experienced seamstress, but it was still a little alarming for me when it took off without any help from me. I can’t imagine a beginner sewer or some little girl like Sarah sewing and that happening to them.

      I played with the machine a little bit the next morning and got it stitching a little better than in my blog post!
      Thanks Charlotte!
      Blessings, Jeanne

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