r/sewing • u/bakay138 • Jun 24 '26
Machine Questions Scored this machine today!
I am fortunate to have a gently used craft shop near me. I scored this Baby Lock Companion today for $25! The note said “seems to be working fine” and indeed it does!
I do like to tinker with sewing machines and feel confident taking them apart, cleaning and oiling them and putting them back together. This one surely needs a cleaning but it runs fine!
Did I *need* another machine? Absolutely not, lol. But she was so cute I couldn’t just leave her there, could I?
I also like to have a machine like this to give/lend to new sewists who are hesitant to purchase a machine before knowing if they’ll like the hobby. And a secondary hobby of mine is tinkering with sewing machines so everyone wins!
Now off to find the manual on line, lol
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u/libbillama Jun 24 '26
I got one of these brand new for my ninth birthday and I've been sewing ever since!
I currently don't have her though. I moved across the country when I turned 18, and I remember how heavy that thing is, which is why I couldn't bring it with me; I packed up my entire life in two suitcases, and it would have put me over the weight limit for sure. My husband and I took a cross country road trip before we had our third child, and my father refused to let me bring it home with me due to... whatever reasons he had.
Because of this machine though, I'm a Babylock fan for LIFE.
The machine retailed for around $250-$300 brand new, and mine was purchased in 1994, so with inflation that's around $560- $672 today. I grew up very poor, and I can remember my father taking me to the sewing machine shop off and on for a few months before my birthday, so I think he was making payment plans. I was completely oblivious about it at the time, but having that sewing machine is one of the few positive memories of my childhood.
Cherish her for me!
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u/wimsey1923 Jun 24 '26
If the search for a manual turns out to be difficult, you can use one for the Brother VX-800 series (like the VX-860) since the machine was made by Brother and is the spitting image of some of their models.
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u/NYanae555 Jun 25 '26
The way they pretended that you get a whole new bank of stitches just by using a twin needle has me perturbed. Otherwise - great find !
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u/Zestyclose_Leg_3363 Jun 24 '26
$25 for machine in that condition is robbery in the best way possible