To Be Jolly

And jolly we are as the sewing machines are flying off the shelves. You knew there was a reason why I haven't written enough blog posts! I have many of them all in my head but not enough time to write them down when I can barely write out the ads to keep selling. Berninas are popular right now as I've had many calls for a Bernina Record 530 and its already sold, just waiting for a manual. She loved the sewing machine but there was a difference between Bernina 530-1 and 530-2 and the free manual is only for 530-2. So what's the big difference? It's all in the dials:

Bernina 530-1 stitch width dial

Bernina 530-2 stitch width dial

Even if I get it all figured out and explain it to the new owner, she really wants, and deserves, a good manual with all of the correct information. In the meantime...

The Brother Select-O-Matic, twin to my own, has been listed and I get an email from Linda who asks if I would consider shipping it. No. It's got to be 40 pounds! I encourage her to find a friend coming to the Twin Cities since she lives in a neighboring state. Lo and behold, she writes back and asks if I could meet her brother-in-law in New Brighton where he makes frequent deliveries. I look up the address and see it's near where I work so it's a deal. We miss this weeks' run but there are weeks to come and she will send a check in the meantime. But I start to feel guilty about selling it like this, sight unseen, as I say to myself "There must be a sewing machine in her area that would also work to mend jeans and work clothes." I write again and this time try to sell her on a Kenmore listed near her but no, she wants the Brother because it's just like one her mother used. The denim comes out and I practice sewing 2, 4, 6, and then 8 layers. It did fine until I couldn't fit 8 layers under the presser foot. Now I feel better and we are waiting to get scheduled for a pick-up.

Then Kim calls and wants to sew horse blankets, canvas, and other heavy materials on the Brother Select-O-Matic. Further conversation has her interested in the Pfaff 60 that I've had for several years and it's a very hearty, and heavy, sewing machine. She comes over and just loves it, even looks at my collection of cabinets to see what the Pfaff would fit into. It's oh so nice in a yellow table that the Pfaff 230 was waiting in and it all gets sold with the portable case and the cabinet.

Pfaff 230 cabinet for the Pfaff 60

 Whew! It had an interesting situation with the foot control and knee control. There was a male plug end coming from the knee control and it plugged into the Pfaff 230. Now I needed to change the Pfaff 60 to also have a female plug to use the knee control and change out the foot control to also have the male end. Does all of this make sense? I wish I had taken a few photos but it all happened to quickly I didn't have time to think about it. Now she has a cabinet with a knee control and also can switch out the cord to use the foot control: best of both worlds.

Pfaff 60: straight stitch only

Back to the Brother Select-O-Matic. I get an email from Roland who has bought two machines from me before and he wants the Brother also. It's sold but I happen to have another one is a solid teal, just not the cute two-tone. After sending a few photos he's positive this is the one he wants and comes the next day to pick it up. Now, Roland is a collector, too, so he has to show me his latest, just to brag a little and it is well deserved:

Howe in pink and light gray: very handsome!

She sure is pretty in pink. Roland also had a White in that wonderful golden color, known as Judy Jetson to Cheri who bought her, and both Roland's and Cheri's were beautiful.

Cheri's Judy Jetson: White 765

Before he left, I had to warn Roland that the Brother sometimes would have a squeal as it went into the automatic stitches but only slightly the last time so I was hoping it was working out something. I got an email later and Roland said it was the motor so he changed it out. Ah, that's why I need to learn about bearings but that's a whole 'nother lesson.

Brother Select-O-Matic in teal