The New Improved Superior Darner

I didn’t want this information lost since I’m sure not many of the paper packages still exist for this darning spring. Below is the entire contents of the “New Improved Superior Darner.” Right clicking on a picture and choosing “view image” makes them larger and easier to read.

Edited on 12/8/2014 to add the same pictures I cropped and put in a .pdf to try and make the file smaller. Feel free to download the .pdf in the link below. Since it’s a big file it’s eating almost all of my media space here on WordPress and might need to be removed in the future. Until then, I hope this may help. (My picture manipulation skills are very lacking, so please bear with the inexpert way they are constructed! The file cropped is 8.10MB.

Superior Darner pdf

 

Front of the packaging

 

Close Up of the picture showing how the tool is used. I wonder what kind of Sewing machine the picture is modeled after?

 

The Darning Spring and the paper buttonhole template and ruler

Sadly the ruler tool was folded and does not lay flat anymore. The paper is getting very fragile. Bending and smoothing the paper out for this photo shoot caused it to get very “hairy” where the paper fibers started to separate at folds and creases. I didn’t want to damage the packaging too much. I do plan on tracing this ruler/buttonhole template in the future so I can attempt to make a buttonhole both with the machine, and by hand.

The Darning hoop, two original rubber bands that came with the kit, the sort of smashed darning spring again, and the paper buttonhole template

I laid everything by the ruler so people could get an idea of how big the hoop actually is, and the same for the rubber bands. I have not attempted to stretch the bands due to their age. They don’t feel dried out and cracked but I’m trying to preserve them in this state. There is a person or company based in Canada making copies of darning springs that look like these Superior Darner springs. I found the springs here on Ebay:

http://stores.ebay.com/Discount-Sewing-Supplies

The link above is to her store front just search for “Darning Spring” in her store

How to attach a zipper

 

Attaching Buttons, Hooks, Eyes, and Snaps

 

Quilting

 

Lace, Embroidery, and Monogramming

 

The back side of the instruction sheet that came with the Darning set starts off with the Do’s

 

And dont’s

 

And a blurry picture of the price the set was sold for!

 

Picture Instructions for button holes

 

Written Directions for Buttonholes

 

Entire back of package

The entire back of the package was a little bit hard to read due to the wrinkles in the paper. I could not smooth them away for the pictures. If you might notice there is a circular area in the bottom of the package, it’s where the hoop was stored inside the package. It became a permanent part of the way it was shaped, as did the wrinkles in the middle where the paper was folded. I took three close-up pictures below so anyone who cared to could read the back of the packaging.

Close-up of the package back, taken in three parts

 

Second close up

Looking at the picture above notice the paragraph “Do not blame the Darner for your mistakes.”

I love that the company covered all the bases right then and there. It’s kind of like they’re saying: “It’s not our fault if you can’t sew. Don’t come crying to us if you can’t figure this out. The Spring is only a foot, not some magical device that grants anyone the ability to actually DO the things contained in these instructions but here are some troubleshooting tips just in case.”

And #3

I can’t help but notice the address Chicago 19, Ill. I remember Chicago 19 being mentioned in a historical program or something. I don’t know why that part of the address is ringing such a bell for me. I don’t know but it’s going to drive me nuts…

Anyway, I hope this helps someone out if they found one of these with a vintage machine.

That’s all for now, take care.