Twins (Again)

Twins do not run in my family although my daughter married a fraternal twin and my husband has twin brothers and I live in the Twin Cites in Minnesota. Yet, once again, I have twin sewing machines and it was intentional. I have been pining for another Brother Select-o-Matic because even though I love mine it looks like it's been through a war. Recently I bought a Wizard that was very similar but was disappointed in the outcome as I wrote about in We're Off to See the Wizard. They appear on ebay once in awhile but never the two-tone beauty that is mine. Imagine my surprise when I found one on my local Craigslist in exactly the same colors, with accessories, and it looked really nice. It had been posted only five hours before so I hoped no one else was looking for one. But then there was a bit of a problem: it came in a very large desk and I didn't have my vehicle for the weekend. Although I really didn't want the desk sometimes that is the thing they want to get rid of. I got the call with the happy news that I was the first caller and it wasn't a problem if I didn't want to take the desk. I was over there in a hurry. Here's my new Brother Select-o-Matic next to the first model:

Newer Brother on left and old standby on right

Yes, she is in very good shape and I need to figure out a way to make sure I can sew with her more often. But in the meantime I need to go pick up a Viking 21, a compliment to my Viking 19. So here are my next set of twins:

Viking 19 on left with Viking 21 on right

Okay, a Viking 19 and 21 aren't twins but at least they are in the same family! I like my 19 and it's doing pretty well but I need to keep running it or it gets stuck and won't perform a zigzag stitch. The Viking 21 has removable cams so it's the next step closer to the 6000 series that have been my hope and disappointment. I have a nifty collection of them that I refuse to give up because one day I will figure them out! The Viking 21e is my goal but this is close. Upon closer inspection I note it's not as pristine as the 19 and it's missing the extension table but it does run although a bit slow to start. I think this is going to be another one I should use often but crafting fair season is upon us and I will be sewing up a storm and rotating those babies on and off the sewing table.

Speaking of table, where was I going to put the Brother? The first one was in a portable case but it's one of the heaviest sewing machines I have and I feared there would come a day I would actually hurt myself when I lifted it up. Since I have so many cabinet/tables from the garage sale, maybe one of them would work. Yes, I have one but where am I going to put it? In my sewing area I have a Singer 15-90 with gingerbread decals that I've been using more as a work table and I rarely get out the Singer. I realize if I want a straight stitch sewing machine I usually go for my Singer 201 or 99 so now Miss Gingerbread is going to be sold:

Singer 15 with gingerbread decals

Her table top is really in need of refinishing but the rest of it isn't too bad so I decide to try the Howard's Restor-a-Finish. Here's the before and after:

Before: pretty scarred up

After: ooh la la!

Isn't that amazing? I finished off with their wax finish and even did the rest of it with their oily wax and it looks so much better. Watch the local CL ads for this one to appear very soon!

With the Singer 15 on the sale block there is now room for the Brother in a cabinet that opens with about 18" to the left and about 6" to the right so I can open it with ease and close when necessary:

Brother Select-o-Matic in a Singer table

It's a very beautiful day in my neighborhood and I need to get outside to enjoy this day before it goes away. I'm happy with my twin sales and now have two more sewing machines, the Brother Select-o-Matic and Singer 15 with those gingerbread decals ready for sale. I hope someone else will be as happy with those beautiful machines as I have been.