Sounds like how it would look...and would slide in the grooves & the clips would secure to machine as you surmised. You don't want a machine without a cover for the bobbin area, tho you might be able to get a replacement from a parts supplier. Would cost a few bucks, I betcha.

Hi dancingirl,

Thanks for the response.

I sent a loooooong message and it didn't post. Hmmm....

Anyway, decided against the machine. I spent over an hour tinkering with it and making sure all adjustments were correct for a basic straight stitch. It wouldn't stitch more than an inch before the top thread broke....every time.

It really is a sweet machine and I think it is a find, but my gut told me no. I will say, w hen I removed my thread, I tested it and it snapped by hand. I really think it was bad thread....the machine was just sooooo smooth. But.....I'm not working and $65 is too much to gamble on a machine that "may" have an issue.

Oh, and the initial issue with the slide plate. I did put it on, but it wasn't really secure...would come of easily if I wasn't careful or bumped it. I suppose it could have been as simple as tightening the little clasp thingy underneath.

Overall, I am very sad . I envisioned 10 minutes tops to test it out and make sure all the features, knobs and levers were functional. My, was it a smooth sounding machine. Now that I think about it, when I didn't have an upper thread or bobbin in it and just ran it....it zipped right along. I bet it was bad thread or not threading it right (although I checked it against the owners manual several times) Stringing it was pretty straightforward...I really don't think that was it.

Okay, now I"m getting whiney and nobody likes that! :-)

(I still bet it IS a good fully funcitional sweet machine even if my inside gut says NO!)

Thanks again, dancingirl!

Ella

Ella, I don't know where you are, but that price sounds a bit high for my part of the country. Ck out your Goodwill stores..I bought a Vogue Stitch in a portable case at my local last week..for $24.99. It was sold by Spiegels and dates to 1972, we think. I learned it was a badged machine..actually a Husqvarna. The unusual thing was it had never been sewed on--underside was shining chrome & s.steel..and it just purrs so quietly. I'll upload a pix of it. Anyway, if you were unsure about it, you should look around some more. And it is wise of you to test it out. Take your own thread and some scraps to sew on.

Wow! What a find you have there! I am constantly watching our thrifts here and the ONLY one I've seen in months was a nice "solid looking" Kenmore. It was $45!! I thought THAT was too much.

You're probably right--$65 being too much, but that is what things are going for, really.

I'll keep an eye out. Something will come along.

Just an FYI, recently I broke a needle and each time I tried to sew after replacing the needle, the top thread would shred and break. I just couldn't figure out why until I checked the needle plate. I felt like such a dunce when I realized that the needle that I broke had caused a teensy burr in the metal of the needle plate and that's what was causing the thread to break. Once I filed that tiny burr off, stitching was perfect once more.

Ella, if you run across another problem like this...

I have a Juki straight stitch machine that I use on my quilting frame, and it has access to the bobbin on the end like the one in your photo. You have to take the needle plate off and attach the end "flap" to it then put the whole assembly back in place. The end piece is spring loaded to stay up out of the way while you change the bobbin.

It's easy to re-attach that end piece, but it definitely needs to be attached to the needle plate to stay in place properly.

Donna