Sewing machine shortage
 

Did you realize there is now a sewing machine shortage? Apparently because of so many buying new machines to make face masks there is now a shortage of sewing machines, not just the elastic and toilet paper.
I'm guessing but maybe also with more people home they are turning to sewing for other projects also, possible a shipping from overseas problem, but I'm guessing on that.
I gave my machines an extra hug today!

So, those of us with more than one machine need to ramp up our home security!
Or, those of us with more than one machine might find it a good time to sell some of the extras if we're willing!
Either way, it does make sense....

I'm not worried I have several. The two I use all the time are straight stitch only machines. They only need oil and cleaning.

I waited a month for mine and the day before delivery, the vendor called me to say they need to cancel the order because it's going to be another 30 days [sigh]

I also have an industrial straight stitch machine about 40 years old (U20). Should have been all set but blew out the motor and waiting for a new one. Surprise!

It doesn't surprise me there is a shortage right now. But it might also because some folks are stuck where they are and their machines are at home. A friend of mine is stuck here in So. Cal. - she came to help her 93 yr. old mother when the stay home order came out and her DH is stuck in AZ. He has health issues and they would have to quarantine apart anyway. So she is still here with her mom. Also, some have gotten their machines out of storage and found various problems. My FW looks like the belt could give when I least want it to so I bought a spare. When I did my repair guy showed me one he had just replaced - it was so dried out it was in the permanent shape it held in the machine. I try to run my machines at least once a year. My 15-91 my mother gave me went about 15 years without being turned on so my mom had it serviced before she gave it to me. And the leather belt on my 1925 treadle was so brittle when I got it that I had to replace it before I could use it. My grandmother was fairly sure it hadn't been touched in 50 years.

A couple of months ago, I was thinking about doing a major overhaul of my sewing room, and maybe getting rid of a couple machines. Well, they aren't going anywhere now. In fact, I've made sure to thank them, tell them how much they are loved, and they will be with me until they pry my cold dead fingers from them")

And I was just thinking that I need to look an newer machines now that my skills are expanding. My Bernina 830 Record is 40 years old. I love it, but I like to challenge myself. Watching the thread about new machine suggestions because I don't know where to start, other than Bernina or Kenmore(my first in about 7th grade).

There are several quilt shops, sew and vac stores that have a lot of sewing machines in stock. Many are having big sales to get rid of their inventory. The one I saw the other day is Meissner's Sew and Vac in CA. A lot of the shortage is for the inexpensive machines. Probably due to sell out but also shipping from foreign countries to the USA has been low and slow.

I’m guessing next year there will be a glut of these machines at thrift stores and many of those dogs that got adopted will be sent back to the shelters when any semblance of normal life returns and people become “too busy”. I hope I am wrong.

You won't find any new Kenmores, they were Sears department store brand, and I think for most of their lives were made by New Home which became Janome. Lots of vintage Kenmore lovers here though.
As my skills improved I noted features I liked about the machines used on the PBS sponsored quilt shows in the 80's. So I had a wish list when I started going to the shops and test driving. It also gave me time to save up and pay cash. I like to own what I bring home :) Happy shopping journey.

I belong to two different Facebook groups that are sewing masks to donate for free to those working on the front. People are working through their stash, making masks, and giving them away for free. Yes, sewing machines are difficult to find right now but not impossible. Since many stores are temporarily shut down, one needs to shop online and have the machine shipped...ugh! and shipping is delayed because so many people are doing their shopping online for everything including groceries.

It's exciting to see that people, both young and old, are sewing for the first time and yes, we hope they will continue to sew after the pandemic has ended. Several people have resurrected old sewing machines that had been in attics, basements, storage, etc. and are cranking out masks. Some are recruiting their spouse, children, and anyone nearby to assist. My guess is that we will have tons of new sewists, makers, quilters, etc.

There is discussion now, looking toward the future, about what to do with all the small scraps of quilter's cotton that will be left after the mask making has ended. We may be seeing quite a few very crazy quilt blocks happening in the coming months.

My 301 is currently next door being used by the neighbor. Matt has a mostly construction type background, he's been out of work for awhile now, his shoulder was surgically repaired (again). His wife is still working from home, her mom lives with them and has a bunch of health issues, including dialysis.

Anyway, I offered the use of a machine and fabric and some basic instruction so they could make masks, and Matt is having a lot of fun with the sewing machine! I told him the line I think I got from Leonf here, sewing machines are power tools with needles! He liked that and thinks maybe he is finding a new hobby/interest/something to do, his homies can tease him all they want but he rather likes this sewing stuff :)

A friend of mine was asking about a machine recommendation on FB as the big box stores are sold out even online. Her price range was $200. My advice was to look for a vintage machine like a Singer 301, 401, 404 or 500. Any of those would be a better and stronger machine than the inexpensive models anyway.
Sewing Machines Plus still had some in the $350 range at the time. With production world wide being affected, it could be a while before stock is back.

Wow, I hadn't heard this but it makes sense.
I never dreamed I would love sewing so much. I never sewed a stitch until after my oldest son was born. I had no interest, ever!
But I got the idea in my head that I wanted to learn how to sew. So glad I did.
I'm the only one on both sides of my family who sews. My Mom was a knitter. None of my other relatives did anything with a sewing machine.

So guess who's making all the masks for family? haha

One DIL does sew though so I'm not totally alone in this. I hope to teach my sweet granddaughter someday. (her Mom doesn't) I taught all my boys how to use my machine when they were little and they had fun with it.

If he's a car guy at all, suggest he pay attention to what some of the upholstery guys do on those car restoration shows. They do beautiful work. If he's into boats, sails and upholstery there as well. Heck, any custom upholstery work. Into gaming and cosplay? Lots of creativity in sewing the outfits.

I have always had at least one extra machine. RIght now it is a straight stitch Singer 185J that is under my sewing table while I use my new Singer heavy duty (can't remember the number). At one time when I had a house, we had over a dozen "extra" machines. People tend to give you machines when they know you sew!.

I think the mask making is opening up a whole new world for Matt! He likes putting stuff together anyway, fabric is just different stuff. Sometimes I refer to my quilting as a form of making big puzzles :)

Hubby and I were talking about this some last night, he feels bad that "he doesn't do anything" as in -- "well, you quilt and other people do this and that". I told him he was selling himself short, that he has learned about mushrooms among other things enough to forage and trust eating them -- which is not a skill I possess! (I let him try stuff first and then I wait a day or two, we always keep left overs "just in case"). He does all sorts of things, he just doesn't have one consuming passion (but bowling comes pretty close so far as I can tell!).

But I think each of us has a talent. Some of those talents are small and humble, like maybe you can make a really great peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Doesn't sound like much until you see me tearing the bread with a lumpy mound of peanut butter with too much jelly seeping through.

Some of us have to search hard for our talent, if you grow up in the inner city how can you possibly know that you have the potential to be the best bull rider out there??

Not all talents come easy, for some writers every word is a struggle.

But if we expose ourselves to new things, if we are willing to work at achieving our goals, we can find our bliss.

Some of us find it while sewing...

Iceblossom- is Matt your son?

I hope and pray my husband never gets the urge to sew lololol
Do not want to share my sewing treasures with him! If you saw him in the kitchen
you'd understand hahaha

Not only machines but DH says wood is getting low. He does woodworking as a hobby. He has a good stash of wood but always needs a certain type. Just like me and my stash. He has made everyone we know a squirrel picnic table over the last few weeks LOL
I am glad he has a hobby he enjoys. Having him in my sewing room would not work at all and I have never ever encouraged it. His woodworking tools are much more expensive so he thinks my quilting is a cheap hobby.

No, Matt is just the neighbor! He had never sewn a stitch before last week and now he is customizing face masks with facings and removable filters and such for his mother in law. It is so funny, the joy and glee and shine in his eye as he shows me his works and asks questions.

My son (James) grew up with me quilting just like me cooking or cleaning out the cat box... like in many families, an artist is rarely recognized or treated as such :p He has zero interest in anything fabric related, other than if they will ever come out with a color darker than black. He has a distinct design sense and is a talented pencil artist himself. When he would go to quilt shows with me when he was young, he always liked the appliqued quilts best. I'd say, "but that's not what mommy does" and he said "yeah, but it's what I like". So there we were. By the time he was 3 he could recognize the outside of a fabric store and would sigh and say "fawbwic mommy??". But by the time he was 6 he found out there were craft kits and other things a mom could easily be extorted to buy for a son who asked and would volunteer on Saturday that we could go fabric shopping that day.

I know people are surprised that I "have" to donate most of my quilts. I work much faster than I have any need, and I have a small family who is unimpressed, is always something I've done after all. They all have a "blanket" or two, and yes they appreciate them but none of them necessarily really want them. I have to admit my own favorite blanket is a lightweight microfiber thing more of a throw than a blanket, much less a quilt.

Onebyone, I know we are getting off topic, but my friend in Arizona who quilts is married to a woodworker, does a lot of turning and such. She's spent a lot of time going with him to go look at pieces of exotic wood.

I'm going to take down a lilac I have in the back yard, it was planted in a bad spot by previous owners, it's an issue now and too big too move and not the healthiest plant in the world anyway. I called them up to see if Bill would be interested in any of the pieces and if so, how big and what do I need to do. Now I know and after it blooms it is going to be cut into lengths I can fit in a suitcase, the ends dipped in wax, and then dried inside my house until I go for a visit. Lilac isn't a wood you see often, is slow growing and you get more trimmings than usable wood.

Omg I was reading this thread out loud to my husband at breakfast this morning. Regarding the possible theft of a machine from someone's house, he said "What, are sewists so gansta that there's an organized crime ring of quilters? Better watch out for Tony Sew-prano?" He is laughing so hard at his own stupid joke right now, he thinks he is soooo funny. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images...es/biggrin.png I said "You know the funniest thing about what you just said? You called us "sewists" and not "sewers". Lol!

Wow! Who would have thought?? I am counting my blessings. The day before yesterday my shipment of elastic arrived! I should have enough elastic to last a long time. Right away I made up 20 more mask! And tp.. well that is coming today. We should be all set for sometime to come.
My sewing machines will get extra hugs. I have 2 that I can put out on loan to a couple people if they ask. That is all that I can do right now. Who would have thought... a sewing machine shortage.

I have a Janome, Pfaff, and featherweight and love all of them for one reason or another. I was in JoAnn's about 2 weeks ago and saw 3 new sewing machines being purchased. Hopefully this will help with all of the boredom for the people and hopefully they are making masks or scrub hats for a good cause.

I was looking at Bernina machines the other day at ebay. Actually, I was looking for a new stitch plate for my aurora 440 bernina and they showed up too.) I was surprised to see a record 830 going for around 900 dollars. You must really enjoy having such a workhorse in good condition. They are a great machine, but really?

I was able to find the zig zag foot stitch plate and buy it from someone who seems to be selling all of their sewing extras. A wonderful thing because the Quilt store said the factory in Chicago might be shut down from COVID. and the plate could be a long wait for it to arrive.

I somehow have four machines on hand now. Two Berninas and two Singers. I think I am good! LOL!

I just packed up two to give to my DIL and GD. Waiting for them to swing by and pick them up. DIL is going to use the time off to teach GD to sew. Win-win.

your hubs, Peckish, cracked me up with his gangsta statement! Pretty clever!

Not surprised that more and more people are turning to hands on crafting of some type--lots of time on our hands and one of the best ways to reduce anxiety is to be actively engaged in something.

Also think that overseas shipping is an issue right now--I ordered some toy containers on-line about 3 weeks ago that are coming from China and they still haven't left China yet--between the Covid and tensions between the US and China anything coming from there is taking much longer.

"Sewist" ...........I like that word. Sounds more creative than "Sewer". I mean........have you ever heard of an artist called a "Arter"? Dentist called a "Denter"? However calling a plumber a "Plumist" might be a little over the top!

Stay safe out there.

Jim

Late last Fall I inherited a 1972 Sears Kenmore 1410, Oh My!! what a workhorse! It is quickly becoming my favorite machine, if it only had a needle up/down it would be perfect.
I Have my Pfaff, 2 Singers 15-91 & 201 and now the Sears. I am considering selling the 15-91.
I think I am seriously wanting either a Janome 6600 or 6700 yet feeling some trepidation not sure how I will feel not having the IDT after a decade with the Pfaff.
I noticed Walmart only had one Brother machine at $79. on the shelf this A.M.
I have made 30-40 masks, finished 1 baby quilt, 1 throw size quilt, 1 table runner.
I was due to go back to the office tomorrow, start patients again next Mon., now the word is massive changes coming(dental profession), I'm off work again until further notice.

Only 3??
 

Only 3? I took you for a much more multi-machine girl, lol.

Meissner's is right near me, only 2 1/2 miles away. I maybe better go visit them.

I would think the shortage of sewing machines will be short lived. They are all made in other countries who are also battling this Covid 19 virus. The manufacturing plants in other countries are shut down much like the plants in the US. I would also guess that where ever fabric is manufactured is also facing this same issue and we may see "shortages" of fabric. I don't know the "supply chain" of fabric but I know there is not much manufactured in the US. But at some point there may be a delay or shortage of fabric as well as other things we buy that are made in other countries.
I read an article the other day explaining about the shortage of yeast. Very interesting that the companies that make and market yeast like Fleischmann's, Red Star, etc. Didn't anticipate the demand for yeast i(who would have?) and did not manufacture enough to cover the demand. Then when they tried to catch up, they had to rely on jars made in China and paper packaging made in India. Again not being manufactured due to shutdowns due to the pandemic.
So until the world gets back into full production and the supply chains are restored, the shortages we see now will be short lived, and not a permanent condition.
Stay safe out there and keep sewing!

sewist versus sewer
 

Regarding the term "sewist" versus "sewer" - Laura Wasilowski gave a presentation at my guild a few months ago. This lady makes beautiful quilts and gave a presentation that had the guild laughing the entire time. But one of the things about her presentation that will always remind me of her was when she shared a photo of the grave of the unknown sewer she had visited for inspiration.

BonnieJP, you are a hoot! I will now look for those Sewer graves!

I was thinking the exact same thing... I will be checking for graves too.

Omg, that's hilarious!!!!!!!!!!!! Tell him I liked his stupid joke because I'm a Sopranos junkie :)
At least he knows proper terminology, right? Score!!!

Probably made in and coming from - China. Sad. Wish our country would go back to producing more of our own products.

I know, right? It gets better - a couple of years ago when I was researching longarms, he went with me to a quilt show. After he investigated the machines, we went to look at the quilts. There was one that we both liked, but as we were standing there gazing at it, he said "That would have looked really cool if she had trapunto'd those circles." I turned to stare at him, my jaw on the floor. Then I burst out laughing. I really have no idea how he learned what trapunto was.

M* has a quiz about quilting terminology on their blog, I think I'll quiz him and see how he does. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/wink.png

I'll tell him you liked his Sopranos joke, that will make his day. https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/boy.gif