Not sure what the right category for this is, but…
Yesterday I bought this amazing vintage 1958 Husqvarna 21E from the daughter of the original owner for €50. It comes with all the original accessoires, manuals, leaflets, everything. Even the original price was included: 695 Dutch guilders, which in today’s money would be €2200/$2400 so it was really a top of the range machine back then. It’s apparantly one of the first machines that come with a zig zag stitch and can do loads of decorative stitches - in fact more than my daily use machine, a 1983 Bernina 801 (also from first owner, my own mother!)
Leaflet: how to convince your husband you need a Husqvarna. Includes arguments like: " as a man with an eye for beauty surely you must appreciate a slender modern Swedish girl" and “for the DIY-fan: don’t buy this machine. It never breaks down so it’s no fun for you”
Wow, such a beautiful machine! Love the colour and shape. I imagine it’s a heavy one!
The handwritten notes about making buttonholes are so cute and neatly written! (I can read them since I’m from Belgium)
It is, it’s 15 kg! I carried it home, because normally it’s only a 5 minute walk, and my arms are killing me today. I had to stop to rest a few times. The case doesn’t close properly anymore so I carried it in a large shopper bag (the sturdy ones you can buy at the supermarket) and when I was close to home the handle gave out. I had to call Mr Imma to help me out.
I too have horrible envy. I would like to sneak over to your house at night just to sew something with that glorious beast (I wouldn’t be fool enough to try carrying it out, not after your story!).
I got one of those as a gift a couple of years back and I love it. I don’t have the case and all the add-ons, however. And there’s been quite a bit of maintenance work.
But yours seems to be in an excellent condition. I can’t imagine any project it wouldn’t be up to.
Congratulations on your amazing purchase! She’s a beauty and with all those metal parts is a workhorse that will last forever with minimal tlc. Enjoy her!
Holy mackerel, that is AMAZING! What a score! All the bits and bobs! Who says time machines don’t exist? I bet using this will put you in a wonderful multi-time dimensional zone bridging between today and when it was in great use by the original owner. I love that stuff. Wishing you lots of crafty enjoyment!
A while back my regular machine was away for maintenance so I used this one a lot. It really sews like a dream. Probably better than my Bernina. The motor is very powerful. The only negative thing is that it has been hard learning how to make a buttonhole. I decided to wait until my Bernina was back to finish my Retro floral blouse .
We did a big home renovation in 2023 and I packed this one away so it wouldn’t get damaged or dirty. And I never unpacked it again until today. My Bernina is broken down and I’m looking for someone who can fix it, but I really didn’t shouldn’t have needed that argument to start using this beautiful machine again. I haven’t tried it yet because I’m out of oil and I don’t want to use it without oiling it first. But I remember how lovely it is.
I will still try to get my Bernina fixed but this is such a fantastic machine. The first thing I’m going to sew is a dust cover for it. It doesn’t have a dust cover right now and that’s another reason why I keep packing it away after use. I suppose I could use a pillowcase but a custom made cover would be nicer. I recently gifted myself some sewing-themed novelty fabrics that would be perfect for this.
