Merl

"LMAO" Yes well, the thought of the poor unsuspecting couple approaching the machine to take it home,only to have three armed police officers burst from an un-marked van and grab the sewing machine out from under them without so much as a "Sorry, we got here first"..... That had me in tears laughing like it was something straight out of a movie. Collecting sewing machines is kind of a funny/strange hobby. I didn't start out collecting them as much as I was just "accumulating" them because someone would throw one out or give it away and I couldn't leave it there. I like sewing machines and I like to use them. I do some heavy cloth work (bags, packs and covers for tool boxes) and I would like to expand my knowledge into leather work, witch is what brings me here. I'm a tool and die maker by trade and the more sewing machines I acquired the more of an interest I took in figuring out how the parts are made and assembled and how to repair and maintain them. It seems to be something of a symbiotic relationship that most people have with their sewing machines and that also tends to bring the funny stories out about what people are sometimes willing to do for their "intimate little machines". And besides, it would have been a HUGE waste of tax payer dollars if you had missed that machine and come home with nothing....

Hey, Suemi. Yeah, more space seems to be most people's dilemma. I just started working with leather myself but, I have several sewing machines from home size to industrial . I usually do any sewing in the dinning room and use the our big dinning room table for a layout and cutting surface but, if I need to use one of the industrials I have to set the material up and then haul it down to the basement where the two motorized indies are (a real pain in the....) During the warmer months I can set up in out in the wood working shop but, during the winter (when I do most of my sewing ) I am back to the basement witch is already full of other machinery for metal working and not really a good place for keeping cloth items clean. I'm hoping to get a start on setting up a dedicated "Textile Craft " studio in our walk up third floor attic this winter but, I said the same thing last winter too and nothing got started then either. So, you're trying to maximise your work space with two industrial machines on the same power stand? I'm just wondering how you plan to run both machines? When I got my second indi it was the head unit only and I thought I could switch it out with my 31-15 Singer when I wanted to use it. Turns out the "new" machine (a 238-6 Pfaff) was just a little bit lower than the Singer and the drive belt would not tighten up on the hand wheel pulley. Changing belt with the machine was out of the question (I'd rather cut my arm off then try to change that belt from one to another) And besides, the knee lift lever didn't line up with the Pfaff so I would have to use the hand lift as well.( totally defeats the purpose of having the knee lift, right?) So I broke down and got the power stand that was supposed to go with it in the first place and now everything is fine and dandy. So all that doesn't really help you but, unless you're going to treadle one machine or the other (a good possibility) I think you're stuck with making room for another power stand. One thing to consider is maybe the cylinder bed machine doesn't need a bigger table like you find with the flat bed machines. I have been looking for a certain type of cylinder bed machine for some time now and I know I usually see them all mounted on what looks like a half table with lots of clearance for moving the work around to get it under the needle. Maybe something like that would fit in your existing work space?

On a sewing website I frequent, the other sewing machine addicts and I kid each other about some of the things we each have done to get "just one more machine" into the house with out completely destroying marital harmony and household bliss. My worst has been leaving the latest "new machine" in my car until everyone went to bed and then sneaking it into my basement shop and pretending it has always been there. That worked for about a week before my (then 6 year old) youngest boy asked me where did I get this new machine? He knew right away that it was a new one and I had to swear him to secrecy for about a month before I finely couldn't keep it quiet anymore that the youngest person in the house was the most aware of his surroundings. One online friend hides the latest machine in the closet for a couple of months so her husband gets used to tripping over it and then gives up and asks her to please put it in the sewing room. Another one is considering putting up shelves in the bathroom (the rest of their small house is apparently full)to display the sewing machines that they have collected/accumulated, and the thought of having to doing that has turned into a running joke on the web site. However, I must bow to the police stakeout turned "Grab Team" incident described above. Any professional police officer that would jeopardize an official police operation for the sake of retrieving a discarded sewing machine and right from the arms of an "innocent civilian bystander" besides, well Mike, YOU are the leader of THIS pack!! I almost don't believe such a desperate story such as yours but, being a serious sewing machine addict myself, I fully understand the anguish that drove you to commit this act. It's alright though, no one was seriously harmed and only a few tax dollars where misused (the three fully armed officers and an under cover vehicle, while seemingly excessive, can be overlooked considering the gravity of the situation)

If you compare the number of machines I have, to the amount of money I have spent to acquire them, and then divide that by their average value......well I guess the result would show that I have still spent too much and don't yet have that tasty sounding "triple feed, walking foot (and a cylinder bed!) industrial sewing machine" that is being dangled before me like some kind of unattainable carrot..... yes, I Know I'm just making excuses. I can't help it, it's been a long stressful day and I just NEEDED something, ya know? I promiss, after this one I'll quit. (oh wait, there is another machine I saw at the thrift store.....) A day in the life of a sewing machine addict. I do have pics but, do we want to start this? I know of a "what kind of sewing machine do you have?" thread started on another site that went completely viral and was out to almost 4000 pages the last time I looked at few months ago. I really keep trying to find someone that knows everything about the 29-4. Mine works well but I still have a few questions that the op manual doesn't cover.

Oh, don't feel so bad Mike.I have twelve sewing machines that are over onehundred years old ranging from my #8 Wheeler and Wilson at 151 years old to the youngest being my 31-15 Singer and the 29-4 Singer somewhere in the middle. I actualy have something like 50+ sewing machines with only three of them really being suitable for leather.

Absolutely! When things settle down around here a bit I'll have more free time for socializing. If you want to come over here there are a couple of good cafe's in Ripon, otherwise, I'm going to have to make a trip in to Fondy soon to stock up on more linen warp thread for weaving projects for the winter. There are probably a few good places there too but, I'm not familiar with FonD Du Lac much off of Main st.

Hey Bluesman, that's great ! We'll have to get together sometime for coffee and shoot the shi.....er the breeze... I live out between Ripon and Pickett on the south end of Rush Lake.

Hey Guys ! Thanks for the welcome. I'm in northern Fond Du Lac county almost in the Rush Lake marsh.

Hey all! I'm brand new to this web site (but not to the planet) so I don't know what it used to look like however, if there is one thing I have learned it's that I need to be grateful that there are sites like this where I can log on for free and connect with people of like mind and interests. I don't like change either. We have owned exactly two computers since 1997 and every time I turn this one on it pesters me to install the new updates (ones that I did not ask for and have no idea who decided that I need them) and has been doing so for 3 or 4 years now. I don't care what the updates are, I liked this computer the way it was when I first turned it on and I don't want to have to sit and stare at the dam thing every other time I go to use it, wondering if it will work for me this time? I hear ya Bluesman, I really do. I guess if we want to play in someone else's sandbox we have to play by their rules, right? No big deal cause we still get to play anyway...

I do some work with heavy canvas and would like to learn some about working leather as well. Mostly machine stitching on my projects but, I intend to use hand stitching when needed. Just added a Singer 29-4 to my small fleet and I'm having a good time learning how to use it. This looks like it will be a great place to learn and to just hang out.