Singer Restored Plus a Garage Sale

As promised, this is a post about a family sewing machine that no one wanted. Isn't that just sad? Of course not many are as rabid about sewing machines as this mavin here but I guess I should be happy. A Singer 201 came up on FB Marketplace for an excellent price so I messaged the seller and we arranged a day and time for pickup. The name was the same as my son-in-laws and the location was where his father grew up so I just had to ask if there was any connection. Sure enough, small world and all, it was his aunt and we figured it was his grandfather's sewing machine. Now we were a bit excited but it was nearly an hour north of us so I needed to recruit my husband in this adventure. He suggested we pick up the sewing machine and then keep driving north to pick up our travel trailer from his friends property where it has been stored since November. Sounded like a win-win to me so off we went. The sewing machine was in a small downtown office so we drove around trying to find the shop number but finally connected and got it loaded. It seemed just dirty from neglect and long term storage but it was a 201, one of my favorites. We headed on up to get the trailer, got it all hooked up, and then drove home in pouring rain. Our first trip on the road and it was terrible! We got home feeling a bit shaky but now we know how to drive with a trailer in this kind of weather.

Here's our retirement travel trailer, all 16 feet of her.

Once we got home and I got around to fixing up what we brought home, the sewing machine was in excellent shape but the cabinet was pretty ugly. A water ring on the right side of the top was about the worst but I know this type of cabinet can be cleaned up. I took it all apart, drawers and their frames, top lid, and then just the simple framework. It all got stripped down, sanded, stained, and 3 coats of satin polyurethane. It looks great:

Singer 201-2

Classic table for a Singer

Singer 201-2 in her refinished cabinet/table

I got back in touch with the family to show them how nice it looks now. They congratulated me on doing a good job but there was no interest in owning it again. It was sitting in the garage when David came over to purchase a Singer 99 in a cute bentwood case. He's a quilter and needed to have a smaller machine than his full size Singer 66 to take to classes. While we were talking I happened to open the table where the 201 was housed and he was admiring it when I asked if he wanted to hear how it sounded. Of course he was interested so I plugged it in and he was a goner. He called the next day and said he wanted the 201. No problem, it's now his. I'm so happy this is going to a good home with someone who loves to sew, quilting mainly, and knows a good sewing machine when he finds one.

The Textile Center had to cancel their annual garage sale last spring but were not going down without a contingency plan. Once a month, starting in July, they took donations and sold tickets to their limited sale. I donated a few weeks ago, registering for a time slot, staying in my car, and following their rules. Last weekend was the sale date so I bought a $5 ticket for 9 am, was allowed 45 minutes to shop and 15 minutes to check-out. Everything was in labeled categories with an Oval Room table for extra special items, priced sewing machines, and a bag sale at the back. I spent most of my time with the bag sale where I put all the fabric I wanted in to bag, plus patterns, all for $10. Along with a bag of yarn and a knee lift lever for an unknown sewing machine, I was all set. Here's what I came home with:

Clothing patterns for me

Patterns for granddaughters

Fun knits for leggings and tops

Quilting cotton

Fabulous knits

Cotton yarn for towels

It was definitely worth my time but I don't think I will go again, leaving time slots open for others. They really had a great plan and I hope it works out well for others, too. Next up: Virtual River Rats TOGA and the quilt blocks I made for the block exchange. Let's just say my skills were sorely challenged.

Postponed!

It's that time of year again for the Textile Center Garage Sale but we fear the weather is going to put a real damper on the whole shebang. Along with gathering up my donations of fabric, patterns, and miscellaneous items (doll hair and eyes?) I signed up to volunteer during the setup time. In the past I have worked at the registration table, sorting fabric, and books so this year I worked with the patterns and I have to say it was overwhelming. Along with having boxes and boxes to sort, we really did not have the space to display the boxes in a single layer but it was only the first day of setting up so I hope they find more table space somewhere, somehow. But it was still exciting!

As I went through the boxes of sewing patterns, it was fun to see the organization of those who donated. There would be a group of children's patterns from the '90's, vintage Vogue, then modern Burda all in the same box, probably from the same donor. When a nest of vintage was found I was always excited and found the following that reminded me of my sewing days in high school:

Dresses I remember making, dated 1967

There were a few I had to get for my granddaughter, Emma, who loves to wear swimsuits all summer long and is now in gymnastics:

Little girl slips, dancewear, and swimsuits

For our Maker-Space at work, I bought a few patterns they might be interested in sharing. There has been a bowtie project so I could hardly resist another pattern that could easily be traced repeatedly so KwikSew was a logical choice.

Along with the patterns I had to pop over to check out the fabric and came home with a small pile for only $10:

From the blue knit to the red/brown cotton, all good deals

The royal blue knit is two-way stretch so I see leggings in the future but it's also my favorite color, or at least everyone tells me I look great in royal blue. The tan and brown cottons were bought with the Block-of-the-Month project in mind but I don't think I will use them for it but they are still very nice fabrics. The reddish brown yardage is a Robert Kaufman and was only $5 for four yards: how could I pass that up?

Trying out the tan and brown as possible choices for the BOM project

Even if this spring blizzard does keep us from shopping on Saturday, I have already found some great bargains. My friends and I will miss getting together for it but we will not risk our lives during a known ice storm/blizzard just for a bargain. Well, that's what we say. Here's a final set of patterns that I just couldn't resist:

Men's shirt pattern from 1961, aprons not dated, and super hero from 1978

As it turns out, before I could even get this posted, the big, big sale was postponed until the next Saturday, April 21. That means my friends will not be able to go next weekend and I do not think I'll be able to either so I'm doubly glad I shopped after my volunteer time. Who know what I might have missed? I have to tell myself  "Walk away, just walk away..."

Annual Outing

This was the weekend of the Textile Center Garage Sale and if you have been reading my blog for any length of time you know this is one of the highlights of my sewing year. I volunteered on Thursday  and this year I signed up to help sort books. Since I'm a librarian I figured I could handle the job but when I got there it seemed most of the work was already done. There were far more books than any other year, covering about 40 feet in length and five shelves tall. Once the last of the boxes of books were opened we went on to boxes of booklet types, the kind where in several pages they show you how to applique cats onto sweatshirts and other gems. Someone had donated boxes and boxes of plastic sleeves that held their collection of patterns gleaned from various magazines. They were in good shape, organized, and had been stored in three ring binders but there were hundreds of them. The woman who was sorting them with me said she was going home to look at her collection of patterns and try to assess how many she could realistically use over the next years and then dump the rest. I heartily agreed because I don't want my children to have to wade through all of my "collection" like we had just done.

Saturday dawned bright, clear, and warm so my daughter Kelly and I got ourselves together for this annual feast of fabric, yarn, and so much more. I'm not sure if it was sorting through all of those plastic sleeves two days before or if the closeout of Hancock Fabrics had everyone full, but there was quite a bit less fabric than usual but much more yarn. Patterns and magazines were okay but we both struggled to find ten or twenty (they are 10 for $1). Here was my modest haul:

More dots, book print, and swimsuit fabric

There were some accessory types of items:

Patterns, yarn in a bag (only wanted the cotton), woolly nylon serger thread

and even a slant shank walking foot:

Low shank slant needle walking foot: doesn't fit Singer 401's

On our way back to the car they had several bins of free fabric but you had to look pretty hard. There were some nice scraps of a denim with Lycra that I thought I could make leggings for my granddaughter. We kept digging and digging until we had a whole bag full! Here's my free stuff:

Denim, muslin, gold coated fabric

Who knows where these projects might end up? Once we got back to the car and determined we would have to wait another hour for the bag sale, we looked at each other and said "Let's go home and do yard work!" And we did.

It was a beautiful day, we had several hours together, we each knew how overstocked we already were with fabric and yarn we might not use so could walk away this time. It could have been a combination of things that kept us from returning but a sign of health when we recognized we didn't need to keep buying but now needed to get sewing. Or knitting. Or repairing sewing machines.

Sewing Machines! I almost forgot to tell you the big change in their sewing machine sales this year at the TCGS. In the past they had a silent auction for all kinds of bigger items from looms to sewing machines but this year everything was priced to sell. Prices were pretty low and a wide variety of machines, all with notes about condition. I could not resist a New Home XL-II with a note "needs work" because I had one of these that was such a gem and wrote about in A New Home for a New Home . I had the repair manual and if it needed a new feed dog gear I was ready! Here's the best part: it was only $5. I brought it home and found out the handwheel wasn't moving so I took out the needle, no movement, the bobbin case, no movement, the hook and its parts, and that's when my husband said from across the room "Look at all of the thread in there." Sure enough, thread was clogging up the works and when it was cleaned out the handwheel moved just fine. I plugged it in and away she ran.

Second time around: another New Home XL-II

More cleaning and oiling, taking the bottom off to clean and oil, there was nothing wrong with this machine! It has wonderful storage for the presser feet but this one did not come with any extras and that's too bad. My other sets of snap on feet don't fit in the top storage compartment and I would love for this machine to have a nice set like my previous one did:

Previous New Home XL-II with a full set of snap-on feet

A very complete set that I'm now coveting. I would also like an instruction manual but don't think that's going to be free but maybe I could spring for a new one since I got the machine at such a deal.

Moral of the story: you never know what is going to show up at these sales. It's garage sale season, folks, so do not despair because there's a vintage sewing machine out there with your name on it. You just need to find it. It's a quest. I know you can do it. Please report back to headquarters when you are successful. Signing off, it's your Sewing Machine Mavin.

Fall Treat (No Tricks)

We were in for a pleasant treat when the Textile Center in St. Paul had an off-season garage sale. This wasn't the usual extravaganza they hold every spring with their silent auction and famous $5 a bag sale at the end. It was a very pared down sale held in their own facility in their multipurpose room but was nicely done and good items and prices were to be found. Although we did have to drive around a bit to find the Center and off-street parking but that was mainly due to our own ignorance (plus I was driving, not my husband) plus there was no $4 parking fee either. I managed to find ten patterns at their famous price of $1 for all ten:

Alog with the usual little girl dress patterns (will I ever have enough?) there were a few fun summer dress patterns for myself, a Vogue wedding dress pattern dated 1999 (how could I resist?), and two vintage patterns for a total of nine. When I told my husband I was short one he found this little gem:

Sorry for the sideways view but can't edit for some reason!

I was skeptical of the sizing but when we looked at it closer I could see the sizing is the same as today with a men's large having a 16-16 1/2 neck. Women's sizing has changed all over the place but from fifty years ago men's have stayed the same? This is an interesting comment on American life, no? Here's the two vintage patterns that have me all excited:

No dates on these gems but guessing 1962?

The wrap around skirt and blouse are straight out of the early 60's and I'm sure this is the pattern I used to make my first skirt. My sister Sue might remember this one as I think she made this skirt in Home Ec. and then I made it up, including the blouse that was way over my head in skill. Check out the sizing on these patterns: size 14 that is more like a size10 or 12 today.

The fabric was also a deal with quite a few quilting cottons in zipper bags with about a yard in each for $3. Here's some of what I brought home:

There were a few knits that caught my eye:

as I think about the bottom green (really bright in person, but not in this photo) that would make up fun little girl leggings, some was swimsuit fabric (top) for those cute panties for the little girls in my life along with a cotton knit in a rather wild '80's print.

The super bargain of the day was the six yard piece of tan/khaki poplin for only $6 along with this great assortment:

I've got a thing for dots these days so I had to snatch these big ones up and the black and white plaid on the top reminds me of the cape I made for my mother-in-law that I have always coveted (maybe I will make one for me?). There were also a few cones of thread and some other random pieces of fabric that weren't close by for photos but maybe they are just shy.

My dining room table is stacked with fabric from cutting out hot mitts for the upcoming craft fair in New Brighton so I have to take care of these stacks right away or we will soon have no place to eat. I'm getting excited about sewing all of this up and even wonder how I will ever get 40 hot mitts sewn but I always seem to find a way, don't I? Happy sewing, folks!

Sale Down

Post Sewing Machine Garage Sale, I'm hoping you would like to hear how everything went: number of machines on display, number sold, all those fun stories people told while looking at these wonderful marvels of engineering. I have stories, I have pre and post photos, but the statistics are not impressive. But I'm jumping to the ending and that's not fair.

As you can imagine, it took a week of set-up with both cars out of the garage, finishing up the cabinets that were in line for a final coat of polyurethane, installing sewing machine heads in empty cabinets and arranging electrical supply to strategic areas. Basically, there were straight stitch models in tables/cabinets on the perimeter, zig zag models one row in on the left, two large tables in the center with portables that were more modern, a tall table in front with five sergers, and a treadle with a Singer 306 sitting right outside of the garage to attract attention.

So many sewing machines, so little time!

Rocketeer in front with table of portable behind

There were two Martha Washington tables that sat outside of the left and my husband has a card table with his vintage and hand made jewelry on the right under the roof overhang. There were 19 cabinets and about the same number of portables on display and plugged in (or an outlet nearby) but as it turned out people came and asked to see other models and I brought another 4-6 out and I sold three of them! One person made an appointment and came the day before the sale and bought a Singer 223 in a cabinet but I included that in my numbers, too. She moved from Ohio and wanted a basic machine for mending and "whatever" so she already knew how to sew but just was out of practice. I loved that she wanted one with a cabinet and that it was gone before the sale began so I had more space.

Sally was a great help on Saturday during the middle hours and asked about what kind of machine each person was looking for while I helped others. A dear woman spend an hour and a half (by her count, not mine) trying to decide and ended up buying two machines: instead of the Pfaff 130, for the same price she got a Singer 15-91 (in less than best cosmetic shape) and a Kenmore 158-18021 with the "tower of power" accessory set. She was very happy as Sally and I were also. There was disappointment, too, when someone said she would return with her husband to buy the Elgin Rotary in a cabinet only to never come back. Sigh. She has my business card...

Table of sergers with treadle in front

Aqua New Home is now in a mid-century modern cabinet

Sara, my Elk River friend, is still trying to figure out how she can get a free arm Kenmore into a cabinet with storage space so we have post-sale been trying to find one for her. A Kenmore free arm would be a really nice addition to her sewing machine collection!

At the end of the two day sale there were only five sold (cash in hand) but another one needed a tad more work so they are returning by appointment on Wednesday night. There was also an appointment request for the Singer 221, the Featherweight, but no confirming call. Another sigh. BUT! While I had everything all set up I could take photos and work to get them posted on Craigslist and that's my job this week. Craft fairs are beckoning me to get sewing so I'm ready and I still need to get the cabinets sold before the snow flies...so little time, so many machines, but I continue to have hope for those who are looking for winter projects. Quilting anyone?

An Unglamorous Life

When you are new in an interest, hobby, or obsession, those who are farther down the road seem a bit awesome. They are now where you want to be and how can you get there the fastest way possible you might be asking yourself. I was in that place only a few years ago and marveled at how much they knew, how generous and patient they were with all of my questions, and how glamorous their lives seemed to be. Wow...to have all of those sewing machines to play with! That must be heaven! And now I know better.

This weekend I spent many hours in my garage, getting cabinets ready for sewing machines that are languishing right now. Yup, it's the Sewing Machine Garage Sale again. I had full cabinets to get ready but also quite a few that only needed tops refinished so that was my big goal this weekend. Friday night I stripped off the old finish, Saturday found me sanding, preconditioning the wood, and staining over four hours. Then on Sunday morning at 7 am I put on the first coat of water-based polyurethane, either semi-gloss or satin, depending on the rest of the table. After church I gave them all a light sanding, reattached the tops to their respective tables, and applied coat two:

Looking towards the back of the garage

Looking towards the front of the garage

See what I mean? It's very unglamorous. It's hours and hours of slow work and sore muscles. Between coats two and three I did get to mow the lawn (it's been so rainy I was actually glad to find a time to mow), have dinner and a Dairy Queen (this was my husband's idea!).

All done with their third coat on

I'm also working on a bentwood case for a Singer 201 that is getting sold next weekend but I'll have to write a separate post about that one. So all of this took my entire weekend! I never even went off our property all day Saturday but worked on these babies. And now they are done. So am I. It will be great to get machines back in them and work at getting them in a final state for sale. I can't leave everything to the end so some will get finished now and marked as ready as I see what else I'll have time for.

Big news flash! I'm going to the River Rats TOGA in September! I'm so excited because I thought I was going to have to pass this one up (again) due to no-room-at-the-inn but a lovely woman volunteered to share her large motor home with two of us and I responded fast enough to get in. We have all sent emails back and forth and I can't wait to go now and meet these nice people and enjoy the weekend. So what is a TOGA? It's a Treadle On Gathering and Academy, a weekend where those who love people powered sewing machines, and just sewing machines in general, gather to exchange ideas, tips, and general fun. After the TOGA in the middle of the month, I'll get ready for the big garage sale at the end of September so I better get planning. No, I better rest up!

Where Are the Bargains?

I am continually surprised at the bargains I run across on an almost daily basis. How do I find them? Where do I go? This is a post to let you in on all of my secrets. Well, maybe not all of them, but some of the thoughts and processes behind what I have been doing to get the low price (and not hurt anyone).

1. Make the Rounds: I live in a well populated area with many resale shops so it's easy for me to catch quite a few on my way home. Sometimes the way home is a tad bit longer than usual but without going too far out of my way I can check many of them on a regular basis. This is especially important on the right days (customer appreciation, senior, members only, etc) as I can take 25-40% off on senior day depending on the store. One shop has 30% off every Friday so you can bet I check them out about once a month on a Friday.
2. Check Online Auctions: I can't claim to be a fan of eBay but I do purchase parts on a fairly regular basis. When it says "make an offer" even though a price is listed, I will make an offer, especially if I'm buying in quantity such as bobbin tires, needles, sewing machine oil. Only a handful of my sewing machines have come from eBay, mainly because of the packing and shipping errors that can so easily occur. A few machines have come to me because I wanted them for parts and then I would not mind if a spool pin was knocked off or the front scratched. I do like Goodwill online auctions but I usually bid on those I can pick up locally. The S&H is always dicey unless they pack well and then it's too expensive. They are always "as is" so it might not be much of a bargain. My local Goodwill online auction pick-up is not too far way from home, I can arrange for a pick up on my way to work, and some items are "pick up only" so that eliminates those bidders who live in states where sewing machines are few and far between. They are not adverse to running the price up to get what they can't get locally. I picked up a serger once that came without a power cord and foot control but it was never mentioned in the ad so they gave me a percentage back due to the inaccuracy of the ad. I had the right foot control at home so it was not a problem to get it up and running. So far, so good with Goodwill online.
3. Tell Your Friends: When I first got into repairing vintage sewing machines it was all I could talk about and my family and friends who certainly got an earful about my exploits (now you can read about them, too!). When they have come across sewing machines they think I might be interested in, I either get a call about how to rescue it or come-pick-it-up message. All of these notifications have turned out quite well with some classic sewing machines that were selling for a song or on the side of the road (thanks Dave, thanks Rose!). Due to the wonder of smart phones I can get a quick photo via text so I can say yea or nae (thanks Sue) and have saved them and myself from a few dogs.
4. Get There First: This is referring to Craigslist for the most part. You need to respond quickly to the ad and be willing to show up sooner than later. Sometimes my call is only 20 minutes after the post and I'm too late but twice now I responded two hours after Featherweights were listed and I was still the first call. Do I spend all of my time on my computer? Of course not, but I do check in frequently and make my decision to contact the seller on the spot. 
5. Be Diligent: This is something you need to keep on your back burner at all times because if you snooze you lose. One woman complained that she lost out on the Featherweight that I got after it was posted two hours because she was "taking a break." She probably made the right decision but then one did get away (I was also only ten minutes away from the seller, not an hour). Do I take breaks? Of course, but then I have to realize I will miss out and have to be okay with it.

All of the above tips are not just for sewing machines but include fabric and other supplies, too. It's a fine line between collecting, business, and hording. How much is enough? When I can look at sewing machines that are up for sale and say "No, I already have one (or two) of those" and walk away, I know I will be fine. When I can give up on a repair gone bad and use the machine for parts, I know I'm not as obsessed as I sometimes wonder. Bargains are good but only if you can use them. 

Now back to clearing off my work table so I can get some work done over my extended holiday vacation...

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.

Sewing Machine Garage Sale

This is it: here is the list of the machines that will be on my big sale, along with prices. Are there more? Yes, but I just can't bring everyone one out from the house so will have the best I have with a good variety of features, at a wide price range. What does that mean? Something for everyone!

Cabinet models: all cabinets/tables are in decent shape and some are refinished, some with benches or chairs, too!
Signature UHT-J276 $40
Singer 237 $40
Kenmore 32 (lilac) $60
Singer 185K $60
Elgin Rotary (bronze) $60
White 844 $60
Necchi Mira $75
Kenmore 148-27 $75
Kenmore 158-84 (industrial gray, very cool) $75
Singer 15-90 $100
Kenmore 158-17032 (monogrammer, buttonholer, accessories) $125
Kenmore 158-1430 in compact cabinet $125
Singer 15-91 in Queen Anne cabinet $150
Singer 99 (portable with table) $150
Singer 401A $150
Singer 99 in table with bentwood case $150
Singer 301 tan short bed (includes cradle, full set of accessories, buttonholer) $175
Bernina Record 530 $200
Pfaff 130 in Art Deco cabinet $325

Portable Models: all come in cases unless noted
Singer 347 (aqua) $40
Hamilton Zig Zag (blue) $40
Necchi Alco 500 $50
Singer Spartan $60
Singer 328K $60
Pfaff Hobby $60
Free Westinghouse (custom wood base, no top) $60
MN Round Bobbin (head only) $75
Singer 99 Krinkle finish with black accessories (no lid for case) $60
Singer 306 $75
Kenmore 158-19804 (huge amount of accessories) $80
Singer 99 in bentwood case $100
Singer 404 $100
Singer 403 $100
Singer 99 Handcrank in bentwood case $125
Singer 20`1-2 (head only) $125
Elna 5000 Electronic $175
Bernina 807 $200
Singer 221 (Featherweight) $300
Singer 221 (Featherweight) $325

What? No photos? With a list this long it would take quite some time to attach all of the photos but you can check back in my earlier posts as I recount tales of finding these sewing machines and what it took to bring them back into service. No shipping: you have to come for the experience! Garage is pretty cleaned up and I have sewing volunteers coming to help: Jane (who got her Bernina via pony-express from Chicago this summer), Ellie (buy and giving sewing machines to Haiti for her women's project), and Natalie (who finds great boxes of attachments and vintage fabrics for me) for which I'm already grateful for their generous spirits.

Many are planning on coming and we are going to have a good time, too, with sewing extras for sale (patterns, fabric, magazines, some random accessories), along with a smattering of regular garage sale items for the rest of the crowd. Come to meet my (almost) 90 year old mother-in-law who is coming just to meet all of you. Yup: sewing is social!