Machine. Maintenance
 

My default machine is a Singer 401 (1958) but I wander regularly among my machines, all of them vintage. And then there are the new acquisitions, which have to prove themselves before they're admitted to the herd.

My backup is my mother's Singer 301A. I sewed on it last summer when my main machine was in the shop and again last month to try out my new walking foot I got for it. I do need to use it more often to keep it in tip top shape.

I haven't Tartan. I did just have it go in for service around August but have not had a chance to test it out.

Excellent reminder. You would hate for your main machine to need service only to find your b/u is also sick. I'm lucky. One at home and one at the cottage. Use them both frequently, but not simultaneously!

I have four machines set up in my sewing room and three portables in cases. I rotate the portables when going to sew days and I sew on each of the machines in my sewing room. I have one set for paperpiecing, one for decorative stitching, one for fmq and machine quilting, and one for piecing blocks. I clean and oil each one myself.

I took my small portable to a class a week ago. A few days before, I cleaned and checked it--and realized that it had been sitting since April!! I will try to be much more diligent with giving it a regular workout.

With over 50 machines I have back ups for my back ups. I switch machines when the mood strikes me and do a clean/oil when setting a machine up to use. Since I service my own machines I have no need to take them in. Every new(to me) machine gets a thorough going over before I use it.

Cari

My niece just died and left a Wheeler & Wilson treadle machine from the 1890's I think. I will have to bring it in, clean and see if it runs, and then sell it. I hate to sell it but the electric bill left is $950. I have no choice.

Since I started accumulating vintage machines and realized how easy it is to service them I do it pretty regularly. But the last 6 months most of them are in my son's basement (which is dry) waiting for us to move. We are very close and I will finally have my own sewing room and a basement with a workbench already there so I'm really going to be able to keep up with it. Can't decide which ones will live in sewing room. I only have two in cabinets. A treadle and a 66. I have gotten to enjoy the smell of a freshly oiled machine. Crazy right??

You made me laugh as I realized I DO have 2 that I use at the same time.....or on different sections of the same block. :D
I piece HSTs and other triangle type sections on one machine where I can not use my sticky-note-pad-1/4"-seam-barrier trick, and the other where I have the barrier set up for a straight 1/4" seam. :) I just move down the table length from one machine to the other, SEW handy.

Jan in VA

I only have 2 machine. I use both a lot

I have several sewing machines (mostly Singer). I oil and clean each and everyone after I complete a project. The three newer ones don't need as much cleaning. The Vintage Singers are lubed and oiled after each major project and I do use different machines regularly.

I don't think so. Crazy is spending thousands to do just straight stitch and zigzag on a plastic machine that you can't fix when you can get a reliable, fixable one (that occasionally carries the elusive scent of Cologne de la Huile) for less than 100 bucks.

Good reminder! I keep one of mine threaded with black so use it more often than the other one. Just remembered the FW I haven't used in a long time. Will get right on it!

Mine goes to retreat with me twice a year and to any classes I take.

I sat and sewed on my featherweight all summer. I just recently changed the needle and oiled her. and you're right I then thought about the other machines and slowly pulled them out and clean them up & oiled whatever machines needed to be oiled. my janome says not to oil. don't understand that, so I just cleaned her up.

I'm in the process of rotating my machines right now. I just added two to the herd and I figured I better give some of the old girls a spin before I get the new ones in to play with.

I also keep an inventory of my machines for my dear daughter who inherits all my worldly goods. My inventory lists each machine, model no., serial number, how much I paid for them, when I bought them, where I bought them, a list of presser feet and accessories, and a brief description of the kind of sewing they do. This way she'll have a pretty good idea of the worth of each machine.

Good point!