I really can’t give details about my entire collection of sewing machines, because it could be considered as advertising. Let’s just say that I have several. In our small frame home, my wife and I have 54 machines, including 8 treadles, 5 electric cabinets, and 3 industrial power stands, with about 90% of them in working condition. I especially enjoy collecting or rigging up handcrank machines, and currently have 15 of them. I think that I’m drawn to handcrank machines because I don’t have any room left for treadle cabinets.
My quilting has been limited to handcranking small quilt blocks as a Vendor at shows, mainly to pass the time and create activity in the booth. I’ve used a variety of small handcrank machines for this, with my favorite one being my Singer 221 handcrank.
Most of my sewing is repairs and alterations using older people-powered machines. The ones that I use most often are Singer 66-3 handcrank, Singer 29K70 treadle, Singer 31-15 treadle, Singer 319W (zigzag) treadle, and an Adler 205-64 that I handcrank. I also repurpose old truck tarps and highway billboard vinyl into fitted outdoor covers, using a couple of Singer 111-series machines on industrial power stands. The tarp and billboard sewing is all done outdoors on a covered patio.
The bulk of my machine collection is Singer, because I like them and they’re the most prevalent brand in my area. I generally just collect what comes along, and rarely ever have a machine shipped to me. That’s not to say that I haven’t driven long distances to pick up a machine in person, but I have found plenty of machines locally in my nine years of collecting.
CD in Oklahoma