Elna #1 (aka the Elna Grasshopper)

Many years ago I accompanied a friend to a sewing machine auction. I didn't want to go, but I think she bribed me with a free lunch. The machines were sold in lots and, long story short, we ended up with about 10 sewing machines.  I took home 2 - an old White machine with a cabinet and an Elna #1 aka the Elna Grasshopper.

The White machine I gave to a friend, but I kept the Grasshopper for myself.  It was just too cute to ever give up and it sewed like a dream.

Fast forward about 10 years and I never used it - not even for a simple seam. I use my Juki DDL-5550 for everything and I also have a serger.  The poor Grasshopper stayed in its case and even though I had every intention of taking it out and using it, that day never came - until recently.

I took it out of the case, oiled it in the 18(!) places suggested by the manual and then turned it on. The light worked, but the balance wheel wouldn't turn because the belt wasn't getting any traction.   Off I went to the interwebs to look for a belt and once I found it, I called to make sure I'd be able to get my greedy little hands on it asap. Little did I know that I'd inadvertently stumbled onto one of the legends of machine repair, Ray White, and we had a lovely conversation. Not only did he have a new belt, he gave me a ton of information about the history of my machine and how to get it to work (the fix involved a hairdryer, I kid you not). He also suggested Tri Flow lubricant for my machine to keep it in working order.  I think I love him.

Here are some of the nifty presser feet, an oil can, and a kerosene (!) can that came in the Grasshopper's adorable little accessories box.

In a later post, I'll give more details on those strange looking feet and the reason why I have a kerosene can (I swear it makes sense). Anyhow, she's now purring like a kitten. I even bought her a little present. At the suggestion of yarndiva at Silk Moth Sewing, I bought the Chadwick Zigzagger.

I tried it out and it works well enough, but I'm not wowed. The zigzag is a bit uneven (but that could also have something to do with my control of the machine; I'm still getting used to the knee lever).

Despite these minor hiccups, I'm a happy, happy girl.