In a Line-Up

I finally got my little girl dresses all done, photographed, and posted in my Etsy Shop. Whew! It took almost as long to get the posting done as it had to make each dress but once you get the method down for posting it goes a tad easier. Here's the line-up:

Sweet Pea (first 2), Ava (next 3), Ellen (next 4), to unnamed!

It seems a bit off season to me for all of these summer dresses to finally get posted but I remind myself that it will be summer weather into October somewhere south. I posted the link on Facebook on the Vintage Sewing Machines group and got a lot of views and even a suggestion that my prices are too low. I agree but wonder if my competition is Zulily where this is just an average price. Maybe if they sell I can raise my prices? A lead loss item? Clearly, marketing is not a strong suit of mine. I seem to sell better when people know me and want to make a connection (or just feel sorry for me? I hope not!)

The cabinets in the garage are coming along wonderfully with both complete strip jobs done and machines installed and working. Yea! Here's the Singer 15-91 in the Queen Anne cabinet:

BEFORE Singer cabinet #40 Queen Anne style

AFTER Singer cabinet #40 Queen Anne style

I had to struggle to get the top leaves adjusted but I think they are pretty good by now. One of my goals with the cabinets and why I refinish them is to have a very smooth surface for sewing. When the finish is flaking off I don't like to sew on that kind of a surface and a doubt that anyone does. If I can get it ultra smooth then I think I've accomplished something.

Nice smooth surface!

Singer 15 (blackside) in refinished Queen Anne cabinet

Here's the Combination Table No. 301, not for a Singer 301 but for a Singer 99 in a bentwood case:

Singer 99 in #301 combination table

Bentwood top removed: voila! a Singer 99!

This is a table or you can remove the sewing machine and cart it around as a portable:

See that space it fits into?

It is really pretty clever but I don't think it was too popular. This is a model that uses the knee lever that fits into the hole on the portable base (see right end) but it's a bit odd: there were two levers included:

Portable lever on left, table lever on right

Due to the angle of the lever and the table itself, you need the straighter lever for the table set-up and the curved model when you have it as a portable. I'm so glad this one came with everything, including the box of accessories that fits up into the bentwood case. There's tiny drawer in the table but it is really only for style as it can't hold very much. Maybe that's why women had those sewing baskets and chairs with storage!

For now I can start to clean up the garage and think I have all of the cabinets done, Oh, wait, there's the Necchi cabinet that still needs wood filler and a finish for the top leaves. Oh, well, there's still time before the big Sewing Machine Garage Sale!