I am still thinking that DD's machine is a Singer 317. I haven't been able to get through on the phoneline to ask questions. So going by the line drawing on the adverts for old singer manuals, and the descriptions at places trying to sell one, a 317 is what we are going with. I cleaned it up (must have been half a batting and two cats in there!), oiled it, checked it over for her, and showed her how it works. That is one really nice little machine! A very even stitch and really smooth running.
A friend of hers went to New Jersey for a funeral, and found out that the family was going to junk the machine. So she asked for it because she remembered that DD was learning to sew. I have some widow's mite blocks that have been sitting looking at me that may just become a quilt for this thoughtful friend of DD's. Be a good mother-daughter project, and a lesson in matching seams.
Of course the first thing that happened when she got it home, was she tried to wind a bobbin and now can't get the turny knob in the wheel to catch. I told her DON'T PANIC! It is probably just a bit of gunk or lint that I couldn't get to in the cleaning that has come loose and is sticking somewhere inconvienient. The machine has not been run in years because its previous owner was in poor health, so there are liable to be some hitches like that. So I told her to review the online manual we found and to keep gently turning the knob to see if it catches, and alternate with running the machine to see if it comes right. If she still has no joy of it, we will get it back down here and take it in to Billy the clown.
DD waved at the computer and said "Hi!" before she went home.
DH did not get a cake. I opened a jar of green tomato mincemeat and made DH a mincemeat pie. His favorite goody, and he only gets it twice or maybe three times a year because it is so rich.
NightMist