Satisfied

Here it is: the end of the big sewing machine garage sale weekend. That's right, it was the whole weekend! We started out setting up on Friday when I got home at 11 am and rolled into bed at midnight. Up again at 7 am to get it all set up with tables full of fabrics, patterns, various other garage sale items, and husband taking signs out to the nearby intersections. It looked like this:

Please don't comment about the thermal cup on the cabinet: it was set down just to hold the camera!

So many machines, so little time.

All in all, there were 21 cabinets with machines, 2 empty cabinets, and maybe 20 portable sewing machines on the center table and back work area. Honestly, it's pretty easy to lose count of what was advertised and what was actually out for display. Many people stopped because there was a sign and were flabbergasted when they looked into the garage and saw only sewing machines. The questions and comments were:

• Are you a collector?
• Is this a business?
• Wow, you really like to sew.
• Do people still sew?
• I've never seen so many before!

My fellow co-workers were needed to answer questions while I discussed features of various sewing machines. I think we could have all just sat around and talked sewing and sewing machines even without the sales. At the end of Saturday we had to pull everything inside, pull up the signs, and head off to dinner with a gift card we were holding on to for far too long. This was a night for no cooking. We decided to reopen on Sunday afternoon since we were all set up and the weather was so beautiful but we were in for a few surprises.

We were not as busy on Sunday but had a delightful conversation with a dog groomer than knew my husband and he remembered bringing his dog to her over 15 years ago. She ended up falling in love with the compact cabinet that housed a wonderful Kenmore:

Kenmore 158-1430

I could hardly blame her but she had to go shopping before she could come back but she did come back, bringing her husband to help. In the meantime, I got a surprise visit from a cousin and her husband as they were heading back up to Moorhead. We had texted late the night before about sergers but mine sold out yet she came anyway! Brenda and Greg had never been to our house so you can imagine the surprise for both of us: me to see her in my driveway and her to see me with a garage full of sewing machines. Somehow words just can't describe what forty sewing machines of all makes and models would look like. SURPRISE! The Bernina 530 in it's pristine cabinet was calling to her but Greg wasn't hearing the music just yet and I could hardly blame him since the cabinet is pretty large:

Bernina 530 cabinet

We said farewells while making another sale but it sure was fun to see them again. We stayed open until almost 6 pm but finally had to close shop, clear out the driveway, retrieve signs, and even mow the front yard that had been neglected because of the garage sale. Dinner was a picked up pizza and man, did it taste good!

The big question still remains: how did we do? My husband accountant is totaling up the sales and I'm walking through which sewing machines sold, the important part:

• 2 sergers
• 4 cabinet models
• 4 portable models

That still leaves 15 cabinets out in the garage (sigh) but for a total of ten sold I think that's a pretty big deal. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to take a shower and hit the sack before I fall over. Winter is coming and I've got to plan how to get both cars back into the garage but that's for another day.