Slant-o-Matic Accessory Storage

One of the challenges I came across when collecting my Singer Slant-o-Matic accessories and attachments was finding a way to store them that was accessible and organized and vintage. I came across this beautiful little storage box while thrifting and found out it was an original 401 accessories box.

Singer had it all figured out. The manual fits perfectly inside:

Under the manual is a little tray that comes in and out. Here it is:

On the left side the tray has a spot for the straight stitch plate to click in and an indent just the right size for a vintage paper packet of sewing machine needles. Then the four boxes in the middle hold the button sewing foot, the straight stitch foot, the shirring/gathering foot, and spare felt spool pin washers and a spare bobbin winder tire. Tucked in next to that is the seam guide and on the right there are four little slots to hold four spare bobbins. 

Under the tray you find this:

On the left side you have a spot for the ruffler, then under that the zipper foot and hemmer foot or edge stitcher, then the multi slotted binder. In the middle is the oil tube, large screwdriver, and the small screwdriver fits into a little groove at the bottom. The right has 2 pins that each hold 2 fashion discs. You can keep your lint brush on the right edge or you can tuck it in under the oil tube in the middle.

I love this accessory box. It is cute and functional and I love that it is original to a Slant-o-Matic. There are a couple of problems that can happen with these little boxes but they are easily fixed. One problem I have seen is that the gold Singer label on the top can come unstuck but it is easily fixed with a bit of glue. The other problem that I have come across is the hinges pop out of their place but they can be tucked back in and re-glued very easily.

I found this box for a great deal. The set of accessories was nearly complete, including a manual for a 401, at a thrift store for $10.00! A steal!

As a side note, I understand this box slides into one of the plastic carrying cases you could get with your machine. I will have to dig out my cases and see if I have the right case. I will get a picture if I find one.

Original 401 Accessories

The Singer 401 originally came with a full set of accessories:

- manual
- straight stitch throat plate
- paper packet of needles
- special purpose foot
- straight stitch foot
- button sewing foot
- general purpose foot
- felt spool pin washer
- spare bobbin winder tire
- fashion disc #1 (arrowhead)
- fashion disc #2 (scallop)
- fashion disc #3 (solid diamond)
- fashion disc #4 (domino)
- fashion disc #5 (banner)


The original accessories for the Singer 401 came with a lovely plastic box. Here it is:

Singer Teacher's Textbook of Machine Sewing

Maybe you have heard of it: Singer's Teacher's Textbook of Machine Sewing. This edition (the best edition) was published in 1960. It's the holy grail of sewing machine manuals, particularly if you have a Slant-O-Matic from the 400 or 500 series.

It was the manual they used to teach the courses at the Singer Sewing Center. It covers everything (and I mean EVERYTHING) you want to know about your sewing machine, attachments, sewing techniques, maintenance, and even history of the sewing machine.

The tricky part is it's rare and usually costs about $150.00 to get a copy.

But lucky me! My husband got it for me for Valentine's Day. So romantic. :)

And it is amazing. Seriously amazing.

I have spent hours reading it and re-reading it. It's super fun for a Slant-O-Matic Fanatic like me.

I will be sharing some of my favorite bits and some of the most useful information from the book in future posts.

Denim

Before I had my beloved Singer 503 I had a plastic Simplicity brand machine. It was a very fun beginner's machine. It was toward the end of the machine's life when my husband tore his work jeans. He had 5 minutes before he had to go to work. Plenty of time to mend it, I thought.

It should have been an easy fix. It was a tear along the back pocket. Just a bit of zigzagging and they'd be good as new. I threaded my machine, got the pants positioned, and .... nothing.  The needle would not go through it. It was one layer of heavy denim. Poor Husband had to wear his good jeans to work.

That is not a problem you come across with your Singer Slant-o-matic.  It can easily stitch through 6 layers of denim. I've seen it done.

I had an extra 401A I had up for sale on craigslist the other day. The lady who bought it told me bought her 401 in 1960 and it just gave up the ghost this year, 52 years later. When she came to my house she brought along a pair of her husband's work jeans with a tear so she could give the machine a test drive. It was amazing watching her mend the tear. She really knew what she was doing. It must have taken her and the 401 less than a minute to do the whole thing. The 401 zipped through that denim like it was nothing.

You really can't beat the Singer Slant-o-matic.