It's a Big, Big Board

 It seems I'm always trying out something new. Sometimes with great failure but also sometimes there is great success. There are too many failures to even start to list them all (and how depressing would that be for me but it might be a bit fun for you!) and let's not start to brag about success when it can implode at any time. Today's success story came about when I read a blog post about creating your own larger than normal ironing board surface. Having been known to place ironing boards side by side to create such a surface, I thought I could give this a try. You can make a large padded surface that slides on and off your regular ironing board but I was given a wood top ironing board when a neighbor moved (okay, it was in the pile of stuff they would not take with them but I did ask first) and figured I could simply screw it down for an ironing board that was dedicated to quilting. See that phrase "simply screw it down"? Of course, nothing is simple and this little project took most of one day but I am more than please with it so deem it is "worthy" of a blog post.

First I had to clean up the donated ironing board that had old iron legs, multiple layers of padding and covers. After a good cleaning and scrub down, it sat waiting for us to go buy the plywood. My husband was willing but we went to a home improvement store that did not cut boards down to size. That meant we drove home with a 24 inch by 8 foot sized board hanging out the back of our Jeep. Even when you live relatively close it is a bit harrowing to drive with your hatch tied down but we made it home. Then the board sat in the garage for a month while I was finishing up working and transitioning to retirement. Finally my husband said the magic words "what is this board here for?" and I reminded him of the upcoming project. The circular saw was dragged out of hiding, cut at 60", and the scrap cut into boards needed for a project he was working on. You see that innocent question wasn't just to get the garage in order but came about when he wanted to use that fine piece of wood for his own purposes but it worked for me, too.

With the board cut we needed to screw it down but didn't have the proper screws, or so he thought, so a trip to the hardware store was in order. After purchasing what was recommended, I thought we probably could have used something we already had, but it was easy to start with new. Holes were drilled, screws were countersunk, and we had a BIG piece of plywood on top of an old wood ironing board:

Plywood top screwed down with 5 screws

From this side you can see the original board lined up with the plywood.

My husband was sure we needed to smooth off the corners at least but I assured him they would be padded before this project was over. Next up was to cover with foil and tape in place:

Overkill with Gorilla tape but it shouldn't dry out and fall off!

Foil to reflect heat and keep board from absorbing heat

We bought the heavy duty 18" wide variety and it went on nicely, no rips. Next up was two layers of cotton batting but that also left a section of the same width so I made mine three layers thick. This might be a mistake as it seemed a bit too padded but I think if I pull it tighter and re-staple one side it should help. It now got stapled into place and moved into the house so it could be laid down on a clean surface. What? My garage isn't clean enough? It is clean now because in the process of moving the board inside we lost a tack, just a temporary measure to hold things in place before I could use the staple gun. Looking, using a broom, and finally the vacuum cleaner didn't turn up the tack but now my garage is wonderfully clean!

Table inside with batting stapled down

Once inside and with the three layers of cotton batting stapled in place, we set the board upright only to find the tack pushed into the area rug. Well, at least we found it and the garage is cleaner, too. Next up, an old sheet was stretched and stapled over the other layers:

Now you can see the original wood top with screws through plywood

I had to press the top cloth before the final assembly because it was very wrinkled while stored in the garage as a future drop-cloth. It's actually a very pale green but so smooth and a bit thicker so maybe it has a higher thread count? For the top layer I made a removable ironing board cover out of a plain white sheet, compliments of Aunt Marcella. The corners are fitted and there is a casing with elastic all the way around so it's a very nice fit. I even have another length of this sheet that is set aside so I can make another cover when this one no longer will clean up. I chose white because when quilting I really need to see what I'm doing and not get confused by a pattern showing through from the board cover.

Tada! My finished Big Ironing Board

Time will tell how much I use and enjoy it but, for now, I'm glad I spent the time to make it and do it right. While I was working on this project I was also refinishing the cabinet from a Singer 201, but that's going to have to be my next post so I can give you a bit more detail. For now, how about making your own Big Board?

Hide and Seek

Since our big move, chronicled in the post Organizing Again, it has been harder and harder to find places to store my sewing machines. Even though I am now in a bigger room, my "inventory" has continued to grow while my space has not. I really, really try to keep the machines in just one room with the exception of one cabinet (sans machine) in the guest bedroom and I always have three in front of a breakfront in the living room (I call this my showroom). Really. There is no machine in the kitchen nor in the porch. Well, there's a few sewing machine heads in the porch but they aren't staying long.

With warm weather finally upon us, the garage is reserved for sewing machine projects. I'm trying my best not to move every cabinet out there but I do have two in the house that need refinishing and need to be moved out but in due time since I'm not ready yet. Right now I have about six cabinets waiting for some work and several heads that either need repainting, a spa treatment, or just have no other place to hang out. My car sits outside for the duration but that's no real sacrifice when the weather is so mild. But here's the problem: we are having a party and the overflow, especially if it rains, will end up in the garage. With the sewing machines. That doesn't really bother me (and dare I say it wouldn't bother you since you are reading all about sewing machines) but not all of our guests are as crazy about sewing machines as we are.

What to do....about half of the garage in disarray. should we discretely cover the machines? Block that section of the garage off with yellow tape? Arrange the sewing machines like a showroom in hopes for a sale? None of this sounds right. I'm hoping for some inspiration as I clean up and move things around but at the end of the day it will still be a garage that usually holds our cars and a variety of tools and outdoorsy types of things. We had a big party for one of my decade birthdays and were concerned about the garage but it turned out to be a great day, sunny and hot, so no one wanted or needed to be in the garage.

There will be a large scale cleaning of the house, inside and out, with many of the sewing machines hidden away. I actually look forward to getting this done as the end result is always so satisfying. Bathroom got painted in May, fascia board on the back of the house was replaced and painted, even the new post supporting the garage overhang got a new cover but the inside of the garage has me worried. Then I came home last night to find my hubby had cleaned things up:

An improvement! The wood is from the fascia repair and is leaving soon.

Neat and tidy for such a collection!

And a close-up of the machine heads and bentwood cases

This was a relief and gives me hope for making this look better. The wood is going up north to someone's cabin and the other long pieces are going back to the store since they weren't used. I better get hustling or I won't be ready for the party. Let's hope I can make something less garage-y by the time of the party!

Getting Trim

The weather is turning into spring so we were out and about on Saturday with sewing adventures.  It started with a possible Kenmore in a cabinet that John "found" in his parent's house. I kept asking and he kept saying Friday or Saturday would be better. Saturday afternoon was going to work out as I also planned to pick up some sewing trims in the same area. At this point my husband joined in the fun and we were going to make an afternoon of pick-ups and dropping off.

But no time or location was forthcoming from John and the Kenmore. A terse email stated he would call me at 11:15 that morning. That's pretty specific! No call. I call John at 12:30 and he sounded a bit confused and finally said it was sold. Okkkkkkaaayyy. Easy come, easy go, but I'm always wondering if there is some kind of etiquette for Craigslist that I'm not aware of. Is it first call first served, first show up first served, or something else? I run my business (and I understand most people on CL aren't running a business but just looking to make money from things they no longer use) with the policy of first call who gives enough information to show serious interest gets first chance. For instance:

Text: Still have the Singer sewing machine?
Me: I have 2 Singer sewing machines listed, one for $80, one for $125.
Text: $80
Me: Yes, the Singer 99 is still available. When would you like to see it?
no more texts

Email: Still have the Singer sewing machine for sale?
Me: Yes, I have 2 currently listed. One is in near perfect condition so it's $125 in a bentwood case and the other one has some nicks along the front edge so it is reduced to $80. Both have manuals and a full set of accessories including a buttonhole attachment.
Email: I think I want the $80 one.
Me: That's fine. When would you like to see it to try it out?
Email: Are you home during the day?
Me:This week I have Tuesday and Thursday evenings open at 6:30 and Saturday morning. Would any of those times work?
no more emails

Neither one of these requests shows a huge amount of interest but when I get a third request should I consider either one of them as contenders? Probably not but my usual practice is to contact the last request (semi-serious) via email so ask if they would still like to see the Singer 99. Most of the time they have simply forgotten to get back with a better time and this gets them back on track. I let that first request go because of the brevity and actual lack of any follow-through on their part. But what about when the day and time is agreed upon as with John and his parent's Kenmore? Okay, not an exact time but Saturday afternoon is specific enough. Before I sold it out from under someone I would at least give them a call.  So now my rant is over. Thank you for listening and I do feel better now.

That made our appointment with Dee all the sweeter when we show up to buy a box of piping in various colors that averaged only 27 cents each.  I noticed she had other ads and said I might be interested in looking at those items, too. We arrive to find this small box of piping that started it all:

90 packages of piping!

then a large flat storage container with trims:

and I thought this was a whole lot of trim

plus this three drawer unit on rollers full of lace trims and it's narrower companion:

The whole kit and caboddle of trims

Dee was seriously downsizing. She also had several sewing machines that I wasn't interested in (but I still liked looking at them) and gave me a good deal on the trims with the rolling storage containers included! My husband and I looked at each other and said "Sold!" She even helped us take them out to the car but I'm thinking she didn't want us to change our minds.

A few more errands and many hours later we bring everything inside and I start to sort. Wow, that's way too much trim but I do manage to sort it into a drawer of white, one of ivory or non-white, colored or printed trims, ribbon, yarn, and weird stuff, Most are in their own zippered plastic bags with the width and/or yardage. My next job is going to be pulling out my bins of trims and deciding what to keep, what to sell. Already I have a bag of trim that's going to go home with a grandmother who is buying a handcrank for her granddaughter to learn to sew on. Why not have some lace to try and sew with?

How much did all of this cost? As it turns out, the money I did not spend on the Kenmore from John and the money I set aside for the piping equaled the asking price for all four containers of trim. Looks like it all worked out in the end after all, huh?

Ins and Outs

Yesterday I said goodbye to an old friend. That's right, I sold one of my first treadles that I never thought I'd let go but it was time to say goodbye.

Minnesota S treadle

I have loved this 3/4 sized treadle and its compact cabinet but I found I rarely used it and I'm not a fan of the vibrating shuttle type of sewing machine. Because it was in such good condition I thought it might sell easily but I got a phone call only 5 hours after posting plus she wanted the sewing box I just listed, too:

Sewing box opens up to 52 inches!

The buyer came over after work, at least an hour away, and just loved it. She was looking for a treadle with a cabinet that was in better shape than one she already bought and this one certainly was in good shape with no white rings on the top or chipped veneer. There is a bit of raised veneer on the top but I think glue in a syringe could fix that.

All closed up

Note in the first photo there isn't a leather belt but it sports one of the plastic tubes I have used on treadles and still prefer. They easily pop off and on, don't distort, and so far haven't gotten brittle.  She sat down and tried to coordinate the wheel movement with her feet and it was obvious she hadn't done this before and was a bit frustrated. It does take time but like riding a bike, once you learn you don't forget it. Here's the compact insides of this treadle:

Head down with treadle mechanism intact

Everything is contained inside the box so it seems to keep clean and those exposed treadles can be a nuisance to dust! The sewing box was sold because I found another one that was in better shape so I transferred my stuff into it and decked the old one with a set of sewing supplies so it could make a nice gift. So it was bye-bye to the Minnesota S and a full sewing box all very quickly. Hey, it even fit into the back seat of her car! I think she will find herself practicing that treadle movement and get it right very soon.

So what took its place? Nothing. We just moved the sofa back into place and enjoyed more space in the living room.

Okay, that's not quite truthful. I wanted another machine in a cabinet and when my husband said where-are-you-going-to-put-it I confessed I was ready to sell the Minnesota. Now in front of the cabinet in the living room I'm back to three cabinets in front of it as they welcome a Singer 115:

Singer 115 dated 1921, year of my father's birth

For her age she is in very good shape, has a motor with some wiring that only needs to be freshened up, and a table that only needs a bit of sanding and maybe linseed oil. Here's a close-up of the center decal:

Singer 115 Tiffany decals

This sewing machine typically had Tiffany decals, as this one does, along with a large spoked handwheel but mine is electric so it has the solid handwheel. Note the small dial for stitch length: there's a lot of guess work going on there (plus no backstitch)! All in all, she's a beauty even if she came without a slide plate over the bobbin and is missing the spool holder. Those items are easily found (note I already tacked on the slide plate), and she came with her original manual and two bobbins! Am I going to keep her? Probably not but I think being able to move the sewing machines out that I no longer use is a good sign. Does this indicate I'm really not a horder? I hope so but don't go into my the basement. There are stories down there.

How Many?

I get asked by the brave few "How many sewing machines do you have anyway?" To my ears that sounds like "How many do you really need anyway?" and I take it as a criticism and maybe it is. I'm not going to defend myself here because I clearly have more sewing machines than I can use or sell at this point so the acquisition has to slow way down and the selling has to speed up.

Acquisitions This is a library term for our book buying and processing so I feel comfortable with it and it sounds so official. I'm not hording, I'm filling an acquisition order. Everyone must want a vintage sewing machine of this caliber so why not buy every one that comes on my local market for a cheap price? It's an acquisition. If course, even the best sewing machine must eventually find a new home so that leads into

Sales We must have sales to keep any business afloat. At the end of the first year I was willing to show a small loss because I was building inventory and supplies. Now I have to prove myself and make a profit by actually selling these wonderful sewing machines. There is a season for this and I'm just discovering what might be the high points as well as the low. I predicted it would get slow when the weather was good again because we would want to be outdoors, not inside sewing. I also hope hot weather will send people indoors to their air-conditioned homes and they will start sewing again.

Storage To answer the question of how many sewing machines I have I counted last night and found I have 50 in one room:

and nearly as many in the next room. This takes up half of my basement. Of course, there are sewing machines upstairs, too: one treadle on the porch, one in the kitchen, two treadles in the living room along with 3 cabinet models, and one small cabinet in the guest bedroom. Oh boy. That's a lot of sewing machines for sale. Right now I have 2 tables in the garage that are listed for sale and 4 sewing machines on Craigslist. Sales are slow (because of the great weather?) yet I got a call today for the treadle in the living room. I always have high hopes!

Next post: which ones do I keep and why?