DH got a letter earlier this week - a lady in the near by town was moving and looking to rehome five old sewing machines. She'd gotten his address from the local quilt shop as someone who might be interested.
So last night he called and we went to see what she had. She was selling and planning on living in a large RV and traveling for a few years. She was having a "sale" and also had a whole lot of quilt fabric at 3 yards for $10 . . .
She had already sold one, and had two Singer 15 clones (very nice, but not interested) and a very nice 301A (already have enough of them) and a pretty Kohler hand crank. We got to talking, and DH was eyeballing the machines and talking about them - while I was looking over the fabric. She finally asked if we were interested in any of them, and I said that the only one I was tempted on was the Kohler, and DH said -"Good, because I'd really like to have that one".
And while I was trying to limit myself on the fabric selections - she told us that she had sold the 5th one to a friend who fixed them up and sent them to a charity in Mexico that provided them to poor women. She said it was a Bernina in a red case . . . DH and I both looked up - and she said she sold it for $15.
OK - so we both had a bit of heart failure - and we talked more about how DH really wanted one of those, and she said her friend would probably sell it as she didn't personally want it - it was just cheap.
DH called that friend, and they got to talking (while I was still pulling fabric) and set up to go visit her after we loaded up from the first place.
DH got the Kohler, and I got 30 yards of fabric plus some kits and patterns.
So we went across town and talked to the other lady and her husband. The end result, DH traded her labor to get her really cute older 99 serviced for the Bernina. DH also plans on getting a few other of our machines fixed up to send with her on the next trip to Mexico.
Machine has case and foot pedal and one bobbin and foot - it does run but needs a lot of adjusting. DH has done one of these before.
And I had just brought home a FW card table with me. A coworker (wife has an antique mall) had picked up the table and a really sad little FW for $50, and was trading the table for servicing on the FW.
Now I've got to get the work bench cleaned off so DH can get to using it for working on these machines!