Vintage Sewing Machine: Brother Festival 451

Look what came home with me yesterday!

010Quick, give me some air – I’m hyperventilating!

009Isn’t she pretty?  Squeeeee!!!!!

012This is a vintage Brother Festival 451 in watermelon pink. I haven’t been able to get the machine out of it’s cabinet to find the serial number yet, but I Googled it and here’s what I found on ehow:

The vintage Brother Festival 451 sewing machine was a colorful basic machine produced in the 1950s and 60s. It was meant for the modern sewer and boasted bright exterior finishes that ranged from a tan to a bright pink. Beneath the mod coloring, the machine’s metal shuttle hook and motor system was built to last. If you are lucky enough to find a workable one at a garage sale or flea market, buy it knowing the machine is still capable of proving itself a workshorse for everyday sewing tasks.

Here’s her backside (oh, she’s blushing…isn’t that cute!)

011She runs like a dream. All metal parts (of course). She smells like oil and ozone when running, so I’m guessing that maybe she’s from the earlier run off the production line rather than the later? (I’ll let you know as soon as I uncover her serial number). I paid $50 at the thrift store, and she came fully serviced.

018She also came with attachments. Hold your breath…

019

027Now, what the heck is this? Does anybody know? Is it a walking foot, maybe?

022It looks like a funky steam-punk attachment!

023And can someone tell me what this foot with the double rollers is for?

024You zigzag by setting these pins to the length of the zigzag you want. Cool!

037She has a dual plug…one for the light and one for the motor.

030And a good heavy metal foot pedal (I adore my new Janome, but I have to admit that the lightweight plastic foot pedal is a pain in the rear – give me an old fashioned heavy pedal like this one, please!)

031The bobbin case is a bit awkward to access. Okay. REAL awkward to access. It’s waaaay in there.

032She is already best friends with my Janome 2030QDC. In fact, they are almost twins! They both do exactly the same stitches.

Exactly. The. Same.

Except the Brother is mechanical and the Janome is electronic. And the Janome even has a pink face! 🙂

029The vintage Sister (I know, I know…it’s a Brother. But doesn’t “sister” sound nicer?) will need a cabinet. Either that or it will live in it’s travel case. It doesn’t free -stand.

So that’s how I spent the last of my May allowance.  I’m totally broke but totally happy. Whoop whoop!

008oh…and dear previous owner, please know that I love your darling like mad and will take very good care of her, just like you did. ♥