Vintage Necchi Sewing Maching

Here's a little story for all of you about me and my vintage sewing machine...

In October 2007, my boyfriend Ben and I moved into our first place together in Clintonville, a neat little neighborhood here in Columbus, Ohio. Knowing we were in need of some living room furniture, we went to my grandma’s house to pick up a set of these great chartreuse velvet, tufted-back, arm chairs that were living in her basement. While visiting and moving the chairs, I asked her if I could also take the table sewing machine that was collecting dust. She was more than happy to send it with me knowing how much I love to sew and that it really meant a lot to me.

We got moved in and settled in our new place, and a few days later had my parents over to visit. My mom laughed a little at me for wanting the chairs (growing up with them herself, she thinks they’re ugly) but was surprised to see that I’d taken the sewing machine. Her surprise wasn’t a bad thing, she just then asked me if I knew the story behind the machine. My reply was simply that I thought it was Grandma’s, and being the one in the family who really sews, loves vintage, and has a great appreciation for well-made machinery, I thought no one else in the family would mind that I had it. Well, there is quite a story that goes along with the sewing machine that I had never known…

The machine actually belonged to my grandpa, not my grandma as I had always thought. (As it turns out, my grandma isn’t much of a seamstress unfortunately…) I’m unsure of the exact dates, but in the early 1950’s (1950-52 maybe?) my grandpa was in the Air Force and stationed in Lybia. He had been trading his cigarette and alcohol ration stamps with the other soldiers in exchange for money. Over time he saved up enough to purchase a shiny black Necchi “Bu” sewing machine. Where exactly he got the machine, I don’t know, but I do know that he could really make that baby purr. My grandpa was a machinist by trade, and did everything with exact precision and care. While in Lybia he used his Necchi to sew on patches and badges for his fellow soldiers, and with his great attention to detail and precision, you could guarantee that all of your insignia would be up to regulation. After he had built a following by sewing on badges, people started asking him to tailor their uniforms too. He was “peg-legging” pant legs, cropping jackets, and adding a little “hip” style to the drab uniforms.

He returned home to my grandma and uncle (my mom and aunt weren’t far behind…) and brought the Necchi with him. I don’t know how much use it saw from then on, but he took exceptional care of it. He kept it clean and oiled, and out of harms way. (There’s an ongoing joke throughout the family that everything Grandpa touched will out run all of us for the next few generations…)

Grandpa had a stroke when I was around four and passed away in 2002 when I was a senior in high school. Unfortunately when he had his stroke, he lost a lot of his speech and mobility, so I never really got to hear all of the stories that grandpas tell. My mom has commented that she thinks I get my knack for spatial-relations and creating/building things from my grandpa, quite the compliment in my book.

Ben and I now live in the house that he and my grandma shared for 30+ years, so the Necchi is now back “home”. (Don’t worry, Grandma is still kickin’, she’s just moved to a little apartment in a nice community.) I feel really special to be able to live in this house and take care of everything that my grandpa worked for. As a kid, I was lucky enough to have grandparents that lived so close and got to spend a lot of time here. I’ve always been really close with my grandma, and have recently been thinking of Grandpa more and more. I don’t have many things belonged to him, so I feel really lucky to have inherited such a wonderful piece of sewing machinery. She’s in need of a little oil and probably a new belt, but she runs like ‘buttah’. (I would expect nothing less.)

I remember completing my first sewing project, a poodle skirt for Halloween, with my mom when I was in first grade. From then on I helped her with miscellaneous projects here and there, we did some sewing projects in Girl Scouts, but I really started seriously sewing about 5 years ago now when I was in college. I lost my job about 6 weeks ago now, and sewing has been my saving grace. I’ve been using my mom’s Husqvarna (sorry Mom!) and I am really excited to get the Necchi going. I took a bunch of photos today, so if you would like to see it, pop on over to my flickr page. I found an interesting add-on piece that I have no idea what it is exactly or what it does (there are pictures.) If anyone out there has any information that may be helpful, please let me know!

Happy Sewing!
Amanda