Meet my machines

Hi!

I'm excited.  Really!  After fighting with my "Brother" last year...and some the year before I decided I needed an overhaul.  It's been a debate many times if I should just have my "Brother" examined, and fixed, but every time I thought this it then led me to thinking about getting a new one.  "Might as well buy a new Brother since this one was only $130, and servicing it would be $75".  Makes sense....right? It made perfect sense to me...every time I thought it. 

The long debate of not wanting to spend money on a new machine or to service my current one would begin, then choose to do neither, therefore I continued to fight with my "Brother". Every time thinking it was something I did that led to the continual issues. What am I doing wrong?  I have a new needle,  I switched out the bobbin, I cleaned out any visible lint. Sigh.  Then like any fight it led to ignoring.... I didn't want to spend time with it, because it was just to frustrating.

Then along came cutie Atlas, and a hunky strong Singer.  Both very swoon worthy, but they needed some TLC.  They were both picked out during my thrifting adventures and I had no idea when either of them last had any attention....let alone serviced.  So their age made me leery of wanting to use them, worried a belt would pop in my face, therefore both were put aside unloved.

Now I had three machines I couldn't really use.  Water....water....everywhere....and not a drop to drink.  Well, sewing machines everywhere and not one to actually sew with.  Oh, and let's not even think about my Great-Grandma's machine, Morse, that had been lost and forgotten about, buried deep in the garage.  This machine was last used about 5 years ago (pretty much the only time I used it since inherited).  I  remembered it working really well, but the belt was super worn and I didn't want to break this machine.  It was also so big with it's table, and heavy.  It wasn't practical to lug around.  So this is when I bought my "Brother"

This is also sooooo sad to admit, I don't remember Morse being cute...at all.  In all honesty I really didn't get in to "vintage" until early 2011.  So I remembered Morse being old, plain, and the table was really dated, not a cute table....at all.  So when I decided I couldn't stand having sewing machines around that weren't usable and debating about buying a new one I pulled out all three machine from my garage, including my Great -Grandmas to have them all serviced, and I was shocked at what I saw when I lifted Morse's lid.  Morse was a super awesome vintage blue and tan cutie-pa-tootie sewing machine.  It wasn't "old and plain"...it was gorgeous!  Eh-hem....still aside from its table.  Maybe I should paint the table?

How sad, and strange how your perspective of things can change over a period of time.  This is how I remembered Morse looking.
 

And this is how I see Morse now.

Now, here is the whole family including my finicky "Brother".  My "Brother" is eh, on the cute scale.  Do any of you think your "Brother" is cute? 

                       1947 Singer



                  1959 Atlas

I did decide to get my "Brother" tweaked, in hopes it would be a minimal fix, it had deep interior tension issues, and it wouldn't be a big expense since I was getting the other three overhauled.    Plus I figured I can tow him around when I needed a lightweight machine to move around, plus my daughter could use it.

 So, here is what was done on all of these machines.  My "Brother" had tension issues, so the tension was adjusted.  Morse and Atlas needed new belts.  My Singer got some rewiring done, the cords were old,  better safe than sorry.  Plus all three vintage machines were officially fully services, oiled cleaned, tweaked. 

See?  Morse's table is not on the cute at all scale.

Now what?  Sewing of course.  I've made a whole bunch of headbands so far for a big craft/vintage show I'm preparing for in August, Austin's Craft Riot Summer Show, and I've bought way to much fabric lately.  I need to start making some sales, so I can pay down what I just charged on my card to get these machines serviced.  Yikes!  In reality though the cost to service these four machines was probably the cost of one really good  home machine, but it's four working machines and not just one.Yay!

I have no excuses now not to sew, aside from being sleepy, and maybe space to place all these machines in my room where I can actually use them. 

Anyways, let Sleeping or Sewing recommence.