Pink Atlas Deluxe Straight Stitch Sewing Machine – A Review

Features:

• All Metal Gears
• Side Loading Bobbin
• Reverse Stitch Lever
• Built-in Front Beam Light
• Telescopic Spool Pin (Top)
• 1.2 Amp Motor
• Pretty Milkshake, Mid-Century Pink Color
• Low Shank Foot
• Drop Feed Knob
• Self-Adjusting Automatic Bobbin Winder

The pink Atlas straight stitch sewing machine is one of my favorite machines in my collection.  These sewing machines were built in Japan by Brother Sewing Machine Company and sold in the states as a badged sewing machine.  This means they arrived here without a name and who ever sold the machine put their name (badge) on it.

Atlas nationally advertised guaranteed quality on their products and their sewing machines were advertised in Good Housekeeping Magazine.  The “Guaranteed by Good Housekeeping” badge guaranteed that if a product was not as advertised in the magazine, legitimate complaints would be taken care of by replacement of the product or refund of the purchase price to the consumer.

If you google an image of a Brother Citation you will see great similarities with the exception of the bobbin winder which is on the top on the Citation.  Another machine almost identical to the pink Atlas is the Brother Deluxe Sewing Machine; the difference with this one is the tension unit which is on the side instead of on the front like the Atlas.  I believe the pink Atlas series came on the scene as early as 1956 and my machine might date to 1957.

My machine came with its original pink foot control and with its original case but the case was destroyed in transit during shipping.  This was the fault of the seller and their flimsy packaging but more on that in a future post.  Luckily the sewing machine survived but it still makes me angry that I do not have the original case.  If anyone out there has one, I would love to have it, please e-mail me.  I found the pink base on ebay.

This is an all-metal gear driven, straight stitch mechanical sewing machine.  The Atlas is very simple to operate with its straight forward design, minimal knobs, and levers it is great for beginner sewists.

My machine came with its original pink foot controller; here is a photo of it if you are looking for one for your pink machine.

The feed dogs on this machine can be dropped for free-motion sewing or drawing.  This machine  has a reverse stitch lever; handy for fastening a seam.  You just lift it up all the way for reverse stitching.  It uses Class 15 bobbins and Standard 15×1 needles sizes 11 through 21.  To replace the needle, you slide it up as far as it will go with the flat side toward the balance wheel.

The stitching on this pink beauty is very nice and consistent.  I apologize for the lack of a photo of the stitches but I will have to update this review with one very soon.

I came across a machine like this one from a seller who was the original owner and was selling all the original goodies that accompanied her sewing machine.  Her listing included a box of Greist attachments with its manual, a sewing machine manual, foot controller, and the carrying case.

The box of attachments included:

• a cloth guide
• zipper foot
• cording foot
• scissors cutting gauge
• gathering foot
• quilting foot
• narrow hemmer foot
• edgestitcher foot
• binder foot
• ruffler foot

Since low shank machines are very common, feet and accessories can be easily obtained.  If you already have a low shank sewing machine, you could use those accessories on this machine.  I have used feet from other machines such as a roller or teflon foot and they worked just fine.

Here are some close-up photos of some of the machines features.

The built-in light is a front beam light that illuminates the work at the stitching point only which reduces shadows while stitching.  The Atlas has a telescopic spool pin which can be lowered when not in use.  No more broken, bent, or lost spool pins!

A good, strong motor is best especially for sewing heavier fabrics.  The Atlas has a 1.2 amp motor which can handle sewing silk to denim fabric and even plastic.  I have sewn lighter weight leather on this machine a few times and the machine did not miss a beat.  I just made sure to use the correct foot, thread, foot pressure and stitch length.

I have also sewn cotton, wool, and voile without any trouble.

According to Atlas, the machine has a specially engineered hook and race for “Jam-Proof” central bobbin action. This just means that when thread gets into the race assembly, the thread will simply break and not jam.  The thread should be swept out of the race by turning the balance wheel.

Like many vintage sewing machines with all-metal gears, this machine is weighty; 30 pounds plus.  This is a full-sized machine; take a look at the following photos to get an idea of the dimensions.

The size of the bed of the machine is approximately fourteen and 1/2 (14.5) inches.

As mentioned on the features list above, this is a straight stitch machine so if you are looking for decorative or buttonhole stitching this machine does not do either.

I have mentioned in other reviews that a vintage low shank buttonholer attachment could work just as well on this low shank machine.  There are also vintage zig zag attachments out there on the web for sale that may be used.  I have a small collection that can be viewed here on my Vintage Sewing Machine Attachments page.

Look at the neat decals on the machine!  The decals spell Atlas on the machine, notice the S?

If you had purchased this machine in the mid 1950’s, you would have paid $219.50 for it and I am unsure if this price included taxes.  Probably not.

I think this is a beautiful sewing machine worth picking up if you can find it at a reasonable price.  There are other really great straight stitch only sewing machines out there by Kenmore, Singer, and many other brands I do not currently own but why not have one that is pretty enough to always have out on display?!  ♥