Friday 2 November 2012

The Little Vesta


This beautiful Little Vesta, dating from the 1920s or 30s, had the honour of making Little Red Riding Hood.  It seemed to me to be the perfect project for this machine, and was the first item made with with it for decades.



It is a tiny machine.  Sitting the doll next to it makes it look even smaller.

I found this machine over twenty five years ago in a second hand furniture shop.  It was not until we had the internet that I found out where Vesta machines were made and who by.  A good twenty years or more after buying it, I finally hauled it out of the cupboard and cleaned it up.




The next thing to do was try it out.  I was not disappointed, it makes a perfect stitch.  Then came the video.  It all took on a flavour of Watch With Mother with Little Red Riding Hood at the end.

Perhaps I should make another rag doll one day soon.  When I do, I will use this machine again.

3 comments:

  1. Oh my gosh, this video was delightful! And the doll is beautiful. She looks very much like the Holly Hobby doll my mother made for me 30 years ago (which I still have and who is constantly losing her little felt shoes). The Vesta...I had never seen nor heard of this machine, but what a stunner. I'm so glad it's still in good working order. It's such a thrill to find these old machines just waiting to be put back to work.

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    Replies
    1. Glad you enjoyed the video, Linda! I still haven't got round to making another doll, probably because I can remember how long it took me to do the hair.

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  2. Hi - love your little vesta. The video helped a lot, as I just acquired one myself, but I think mine may be a bit older....hard to date them, unless you know of a site that may have a bit of specificity. Mine has the hand-painted "pansies" design. My first hand-crank, and it was a freebie. It needed a bit of love, but that's alright. It's about ready to reassemble and try out very soon! Thanks again for the video. Would love to see what kind of needles you're using. I'm seeing arguments both ways for "specialty" needles vs regular "domestic" needles. What size/type are you using with success?

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