This is my sewing machine. It was given to me by my in-laws when they learned i love to sew and had to leave my mother's Bernina behind when i moved to Ireland.
Upon looking at this photo though, i realize it is threaded incorrectly. Haha! Don't thread your machine this way! This machine, from what i understand, was found on a roadside in Sweden about to be taken to the dump. My father in-law rescued it. It came with a little wheel chart showing how to make certain stitches and the original extension plate too!
I found that surprisingly little information is supplied about it on the internet. That is, until i stumbled upon Jessicah's blog. In her generosity, she has shared the manual for the 21 A, and made it available for download here. I found it very helpful and informative. The internet is a wonderful place.
Though the 21 A and 21 E differ slightly, they are fundamentally the same and the manual answered all the questions i had about my beautiful sewing machine.
It can really do everything with the proper pressure foot. Sewing on buttons, zippers, creating hems... a beautiful thing.
Recently, went to the Singer shop in Cork city to inquire as to where i could possibly get my machine serviced. Wouldn't you know, she said i could have a full overhaul done on my machine in that very shop in only 2-3 days?! I also discovered that Singer parts are mostly interchangeable with Huqvarna parts - so if my machine really needs anything, it can be ordered no problem.
To think, all this time while i was lamenting about not having the correct pressure foot for a job, i could have simply purchased a Singer foot and avoided the difficulty. So guess what i did! I bought a zipper foot.
And of course, it fits perfectly. This is great because i have recently been sewing zippers into commissioned little girls' dresses and things will go much more smoothly now. This makes me happy.
I have a feeling i'll be sewing more than ever now! Huzzah!
