Brand

Elna sewing machines

Elna began inside a Swiss watch company. Tavaro was set up in Geneva in 1934 to build a machine designed by Ramon Casas, a refugee from the Spanish Civil War, and the first Elnas left the factory in 1940. That first machine, nicknamed the Grasshopper for its green finish, was a compact free-arm portable whose case opened into a sewing table. The Supermatic of 1952 read plastic discs to sew patterns, and the Lotus of 1968 folded into its own case and ended up in MoMA. Janome took over Elna in 2006. Old Elnas use their own feet and discs, so check what comes with one before you buy.

2 models we cover.