Selling sewing machines, writing ads.......

Recently, I helped a lady prepare an eBay listing for her Singer 222K........

Sewing machines have interesting lives some times, some are loved and used by a family and passed own from mother to daughter. Some are passed from one household to the next. Some lead different lonelier lives. This is one of the lonely ones. It was bought, brand new and glossy by a husband for his wife in 1960. She told him that she was pleased with his gift. But, she didn't sew, so she shoved it in the closet and forgot about it.. 

 

Paul, the husband, found it there in 1988, and, having figured out that his wife was not likely to use it after all, passed it on to a woman who loves sewing and sewing machines.

Now you would think that she would immediately start using this wonderful machine, and allow it to realize it's purpose in life. But sadly no........There were good intentions, but there were so many new and beautiful sewing machines to try out, and the 222 was forgotten, consigned to the closet again. Brought out, and turned on occasionally, oiled and polished with loving care it was centerpiece of her ever growing collection of sewing machines. But sadly, it was rarely sewn , no more than six times she tells me.

Now I am of two minds about this. First I am pleased to offer this absolutely immaculate, unused, 222K for sale to folks who love and use these machines. On the other hand, I feel a spark of hope, rising in my chest, that this time the buyer will love it enough to use it for the purpose it was made for. Please give this sewing machine a good home! Let it's lonely existence in dark closets become a thing of the past....please......

 

................................................................................................................................................................

The asking price for this immaculate, new old stock Singer 222?  $2000.00. She will get it too, because, these machines are scarce, they are extremely portable due to their light weight and it is in factory new condition. Quilters love these machines for taking to quilting sessions and sewing the quilt squares together. Of course, because it is a free arm, it can be used for hemming and other sewing tasks involving tubular shapes.

The Featherweights were one of Singers most successful machines. Their aluminum construction and small size was was the remedy for the the weight of the cast iron machines  previously built. When your sewing machine weighs well over 15Kg, it's not really very portable any more. Singer made over 2 million of the 221's and about 100,000 for the 222 free arm version.  They are relatively scarce in the US, there seem to be more of them in Canada  and they seem to be plentiful in the UK. Prices vary by location.

The Bernina 707

Berninas are relatively rare here in BC. But the people who like them, seem to like them a lot. This one exited stage right about 48 hours after I picked it up at the thrift store, in the arms of a lady who clutched it to her bosom, like a lost child. Maybe it was, she said that she had had one just like it for years, before it died completely on her.

I found it to be a fussy machine. It didn't want to do a consistent satin stitch for me until I figured out the satin stitch control and cleaned the hook area meticulously and adjusted the bobbin tension a bit. It also has a tendency to become quite noisy for no apparent reason. But if you can put up with it's quirks and are willing to take the time to learn the machine, it can sew up a storm.

The Singer 185J

The 185 is an interesting machine. It's an old  Singer in new clothes. Introduced in 1958 when the first ones were produced in Scotland, it is a cosmetically repackaged model 99. You have to wonder if Singer felt that the traditional black and gold styling was becoming out dated, so they repackaged the 99 and introduced it as a new machine.
What I find interesting, is the relative values of the 185 and the 99, these many years later. Though more or less the same machine, capable of sewing the same range materiel, fabric to light leathers, the 99 sells for about $25-$35 more than the newer and equally durable 185.
Perhaps, it is due to the fact that the 185 was produced for a shorter period of time, and they are less well known. or, perhaps it's the fact the 99's are more traditional looking and are perceived as more durable machines. Possibly, it is because the 99 is just so much prettier than 185. What ever the reason, 185 is slower to sell.
I showed this  particular 185J to customer who was buying a 99 from me. He was buying it because he had seen one the internet that was being used to sew leather, which led to a long discussion about how to set up the machine for that. I happened to have the 185 set up and threaded, so I stitched a piece of leather on it, to show him the correct speed and setting. He was unimpressed by the machine. He wanted the sturdy and reliable, black and gold Singer that he had seen on the internet and didn't haggle about the price. I liked to keep my customers happy, so I took his money with a smile. Someone else will get this machine and enjoy the savings.....

Steve Ant

Recently, in this blog I mentioned the sewing machine naming tradition, where new owners of the machines I sell, ask to know the first name of the the woman that I bought it from, in order to give the machine that name. I also opined that I was the wrong gender to have a sewing machine named after me. (Whined, actually)....

Any way, if you take a look at the picture of this Reversesew that I sold to Aleda Johnson, you can see that the needle bar cover has a resemblance to the face of an ant. Now it turns out that Aleda names her machines after famous male entertainers, ( is there a Jimmy Buffet in there some where?), but she decided to make an exception in this case, so this Reversesew is now Steve Ant. Make of that what you will, but I am tickled pink about the whole thing..............

Flamingo Canadian Vintage Sewing Machine Finder Service

 VINTAGE CANADIAN  SEWING MACHINE FINDER SERVICE

Recently, I have learned that there is a demand in the US for vintage sewing machines that were originally sold in Canada. I live in Canada,  on the left coast in the beautiful and the occasionally wacky province of British Columbia. (don't get me started....). Now, since my hobby is buying and selling vintage sewing machines, (and I need something to do when I retire from my day job), I have decided to offer a vintage sewing machine finding service.

The proposition is simple: If you are looking for a sewing machine, originally sold in Canada, you let me know. I look for it, if I find it, I buy it, pack it and ship it to you for my costs plus a finders fee to cover my time, packing, and some extra to keep me and Alice (the cat) in the life style that we are accustomed to....lol.

As usual, the Devil is in the details, and here is how it works.

First, you tell me what you are looking for. Send me a picture and a model number, specify the  color, cosmetic condition you want, good, perfect or collector grade, and if you want it in a case or table, or you will take just the head. Second, tell me how much you want to pay:( typically vintage machines here sell for $25.00 to $75.00 CDN).

Send me your zip or postal code so that I can calculate shipping costs.

With that information in hand, I will go and look for such a machine here in BC. Alternatively, you can look for yourself on Craigslist Vancouver BC CA, Kijij Vancouver or Letgo for a machine that you want. In either case, I will go, check out the machine, haggle on price, purchase, service it and pack and ship to you. If you see a table machine that you want, but don't want to pay shipping for the table, I will dispose of the table and just ship you the head, foot pedal and any accessories that come with the machine.

Costs:
If I do the hunting for the machine: my fee is $60.00CDN, Includes service, and packing
If you find the machine on Craigslist, my fee is $50.00CDN, Includes service and packing

Shipping would be via Canada Post, with tracking and insurance.  I am on the west coast of the continent, and if you are on the east coast, or the South or anywhere else far away, you can expect to pay, to $90.00 CDN (cheapest rate plus insurance and tracking) for delivery, plus any US duties, fees or taxes that are applicable. Your machine should arrive within three weeks.

If you are a Canadian customer, shipping costs will be cheaper.

Overall costs: you should expect that this will be an expensive process. I would budget about $200.00 US Dollars per machine.Probably it will be less than that, but that would be a prudent amount to set aside.

Occasionally people's circumstances change or they simply change their minds. I don't want to be stuck with a machine if that happens. So, if I find a machine that you want, I require you to PayPal me the sum of $100.00CDN to proceed, before I buy it. This is NON-REFUNDABLE, after I have purchased the machine. After purchasing the machine, I will send you a whole bunch of pictures of it and calculate shipping cost and you can decide whether or not to proceed any further. I will then invoice you for the balance, pack and ship your machine.

If you decide not to proceed, I will refund you, an amount that I think that I can sell the machine for here. This will be the "sell it quick price", and it will be very low......$20-$50CDN depending on the machine.

Occasionally, with all the best intentions, and good will on both sides, the machine does will not live up to expectations when it arrives. Sorry, no refunds.......

What's her name?

What's her name? You would be surprised how often I get asked that question by purchasers of the machines I sell.     

They are not asking the name of the machine, though they inevitably refer to them as "she", rather they are asking for the first name of the woman that I bought it from.

They want to name the machine after her. So if I buy a machine from a woman named Helen, the new owners will give it that name, and refer to it by that name forever.

Now this does not make a whole lot of sense to me. Yes, there is sentiment thing going on there , and the original owner's care and love of the machine is honored........But you see, my customers aren't buying the machine from the original owner, they are buying them from me. But apparently, I am the wrong gender to have a sewing machine named after me............sigh.......      

The Singer 99K

 If I had to choose between a model 15 and 99K, I would take the 99K, because I like the drop in bobbin feature. Way easier to take out and replace the bobbin. (almost sounds like like I actually know how to sew, doesn't it?). On top that that they are just plain pretty machines. They sew very quietly when they are in good condition, but for some reason Singer made them to be a fairly slow machine by giving them a large diameter sheave on the balance wheel. I have swapped out the balance wheel on some and they run a lot faster and they seem to sew just as well.

There is an interesting lesson to be learned from this one. How do you keep your sewing machine in great shape? Simple, break it, don't fix it and shove it in the closet for years and years. The lady that I got this one from had a problem with the tensioner, and since she had a model 15, in a table that she preferred to use, she never really used this one. She gave it to me, when I bought her 15, just so it wouldn't end up being recycled, and I promised her that it would go to someone who would love it and use it, which it will...