Need some advice

Old 01-04-2013, 06:13 PM
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Default Need some advice

My machine has gone to heaven and I so want another one. BUT>>>> no funds.. so I am going to start selling alot of my fabric and book stash to help get a new one.

Here's the advice I need. Which do you think is better. sell by yardage or sell in bulk. like fill a Prioity box with fabric and sell?
Sets of Fat quarters or just 1 fat quarter?

Thanks for the advice
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Old 01-04-2013, 06:52 PM
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what happened to your machine?
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:08 PM
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It is unfixable. the repair guy said it would cost more than buying a machine. of course not a expensive one. Its really old back from the 70's and earyl 70's. like 1971 use to make my kids clothes on it
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:09 PM
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Where do you plan to sell? The restrictions make it pretty hard to make money by selling on the QB.

I have found Amazon to be a good place to sell books. They make it easy to list, and they also make it easy to purchase and print your own postage. There is a lot of traffic on Amazon, so books tend to sell faster there than other places. Also, their commission isn't bad because they give you a credit on postage costs. I have found, though, that quilting books tend to sell more slowly and at lower prices than, say, some of my old homeschooling curriculum materials.

I'm not sure about fabric. eBay seems to be good if you have designer fabric or panels. Etsy is probably a lot better in terms of the cost of listing, though. If selling fabric on the QB, I believe most people prefer yardage to fat quarters. (There have been a few threads about that here.) If the fat quarters are already cut, I would think that most people would rather purchase a set. Buyers will buy a single fat quarter if they are examining the fabric in person, but I think with the limitations of buying from photos they are more likely to sell in coordinated groupings.
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:16 PM
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If you would be satisfied with a vintage machine, I have bought and fixed up quite a few machines from Goodwill, Salvation Army, and other types of thrift stores. Sometimes there are lots of machines; at other times it seems I had to wait a month of two to find one. Most of the good working ones cost about $30 to $35 in my area (upper Midwest). I would try the machines out in the store (they all have wall plugs you can use). If you decide to try this, pack a small container that includes some fabric and thread, a small pair of scissors, some standard needles, some standard size bobbins, a standard presser foot (from your old machine would be fine) and a small screwdriver. What I looked for mostly was good wiring (not stiff or broken), the ability to form a stitch, and a bobbin case. If the machine could do that much, I could clean it at home and fix it myself. Almost all of the vintage machines used short shank feet.

It's not the season right now, but garage sales are also a good source for vintage machines. I have picked up some really nice ones in working condition for $15 to $30. One was even a newer Viking machine that the teenagers in the house did not seem to know how to use. I didn't even try that one out; just took it home for $15. Whoever owned it did not know enough to clean the lint out from underneath the needle plate. Once I did that, the machine worked very well!

Last edited by Prism99; 01-04-2013 at 07:19 PM.
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:19 PM
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You might be able to buy a refurbished machine from your LQS or Goodwill. Also, you might see if you could buy one on time. What are you looking for machine wise?
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:41 PM
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Don't sell your books or stash yet. Put a heartfelt request on Craigslist for a new machine -- explain that yours wore out after 40 years and you can't afford a new one. I bet someone has one from a mother, sister or aunt who passed away and would like to find a home for their machine. In any case, I'll say a prayer that the Lord links you up with just the right person to help you with this.
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Old 01-04-2013, 07:52 PM
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Also try Freecycle. Here is a link:
http://www.freecycle.org/
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Old 01-05-2013, 01:40 AM
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My neighbor used to be a one woman machine rescue organization! She shopped local thrift stores, often bringing machines home with no idea if they worked or not. She would clean them up and do minor repairs. I bought 2 from her and they work great. So, I agree with the above post: take some thread and fabric and test a machine out in the thrift store. One of the machines I bought from her is a featherweight that's in great shape. I'm sure she had to pay a whole lot more than $35, though. But the other machine is a Kenmore 301 (I think that's correct). That one cost her less than $50 and it's a workhorse, I tell you!

What I would NOT do is buy the most inexpensive new machine you can find. My friend bought something from Wal-Mart and I could not help her get that thing threaded with correct tension to save my life. It was an excercise in frustration. We never got it to sew without huge tangles of thread, and it's now sitting in the closet collecting dust. I'd rather have an oldie but goodie any day.

Good luck! Let us know what you find.

Last edited by CindyA; 01-05-2013 at 01:43 AM.
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Old 01-05-2013, 06:45 AM
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Just get a cheap Brother quilting machine. It will become a good backup machine when you can afford a more expensive machine.
I still have mine that I paid $129 for and it even came with a extension table and a walking foot.
But if you can find a used machine, go for it.
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