Alzheimer's and SM Collecting = some scary outcomes!
 

Ok, let me preface by saying as a retired Neuroscience Nurse I am fully aware that Alzheimer's is no laughing matter. Probably most of us on this board have a family member or knows someone with this terrible disease. So....please take this for the lighthearted way it is meant....
i have been in the process of doing the dreaded inventory of my machines. Some for whatever reason failed to make it in my database (maybe during one of my frenzied buying sprees ;)) and I periodically like to clean and oil, etc. in the meantime I ran across a lovely little 28 that I thought would be fun to convert to Handcrank. It was the right price and looked very nice, so I bought it. Now I haven't picked it up yet cuz that was a couple of days ago and it requires a road trip. Imagine my chagrin when I pulled out a machine today realized I already have that very same machine. Don't get me wrong, I have several duplicates of my favorite Singer models (15-91, 201, 221, 301, etc.) but some models ...the 28 you can only have so many for your personal collection (IMHO). I have two 28's in the Godzilla one being a Centennial. So...yikes! It's a little scary to think I may have to give this up as I continue to grow older and get way more forgetful! Lol.
So here is the one I just purchased:

And here is the one I already own:
shoot I had no idea I was buying her twin sister! Does this ever happen to you?

Yes. 3 years ago when I was cleaning out the front bedroom for youngest DD to come home with newborn kidlet, behind the bed I found an unopened box from ShopGoodwill, a 99 in a two toned case that I don't remember buying. I already had a 99 in a bentwood case so had no need for it, I have no idea why I thought I had to have it. it's still here somewhere........

Cari

well clearly, one is for right side up sewing and the other is for ceiling sewing... duhhhhh need them both... hehe

They're not the same. One is going to be a hand crank machine when you're done. I have a couple duplicates and I'm only around the 20 machine mark.
I hope this helps. ;)
Rodney

Hahaha! Oh Cari, thank you, you do my heart good! I especially love the part " I found an UNOPENED box..." there ya have it in a nutshell! That could have just as easily been me saying that. Lol. Bless you!

Lol, my bestest friends helping me out! ;):D Seriously I was a little mortified so thanks for bringing some levity to my plight.

Haven't done it with machines (yet) as I don't have that many. Now, clothing on the other hand...can't tell you how many times I've come home with something and start to put in the closet and think 'well, I must have REALLY liked that to buy it again!'.

they sure are pretty!

Usually it's groceries that I keep stocked in the pantry. I'll pick up an item thinking I'm out of stock. When I put it away I see that I already have it on hand. It's not a problem most of the time unless it's baking powder.

I haven't done that with a sewing machine.....yet. I'm sure it's coming. BTW, if you need someone to take that 99 off your hands.........

Lol. Ann these are both 128's from the early 1920's.....well actually the first one is 1919 and the one I already own is 1924.

Being an impulsive collector, I can well imagine that once I reach a certain age it'll get so bad that when I find the 5th 201-2 in my collection I'll be as delighted as when I cleaned and oiled the first; I won't have remembered the first 4.

I haven't done that yet...but I'll venture a guess there's a lot of vintage collectors that have more than 1 of a certain machine.

I admit to doubles and triples of things but I am still aware of what I have. Those that I have duplicates of are either things I wanted for another color or decal set or things I feel are awesum machines and will be finding another home for the one I will not be keeping. It must be a shock to find one unexpectedly that you forgot you had!

LOL LOL LOL That laugh made my day!!

Rodney, I am like you. I have several duplicates of my favorites, Singer 201, 301, 15 but I just can't seem to part with them and I am now past the 50 mark in my collection. Something has got to give soon. I think maybe 2015 will be the year to severely limit my sewing machine purchases

Take a second look at the 2 machines and I think the obvious will shine through. They are lockstitch and to balance the thread in the middle of the fabric, you need one machine for the top of the fabric and the other underneath the fabric :D! The tension must be in perfect harmony !!:p

Soman2

The other Rodney

I recall seeing a picture once where someone had mounted sewing machines to the top and bottom of a table and mounted a saw blade somehow onto the needle bars. How they got the machines synced so that one was going up while the other was going down I don't know. I don't even know if it was real or if it worked.

Cari

I don't think I've ever accidentally bought any duplicates, but I've definite bought duplicates of machines I really love when I find them cheap. I've always got at least 2-3 Singer 237s, 15s, and 401s around here. You never know when someone is going to need a good machine.

Well, I haven't done it with a sewing machine, but I do it with books ALL the time! I am an avid reader, and my basement is wall to wall, floor to ceiling books - over 5000 ...

They are filed alphabetically by author, but not by title. Two weeks ago I started to organize them and was quite surprised how many doubles / triples I had LOL ... And I'm only at the F's ... I'm sure I'll have at least 200-300 books to donate by the time I'm done!

Cari,

I think if you were to lock the upper balance wheel locking nut and let the lower machine freewheel, like filling a bobbin, then that should sync the two machines, thus creating a Singer 128 sawing machine.:D

T O R

So you are saying it would be easier to remove vibrating shuttles to get them out of the way of the saw blade, instead of working around a round bobbin case?

You all are a terrible influence on me and I love it.

What lovely decals, I know that is why you had to have her, and yes she is perfect for a hand crank.

Lol. What a hilarious group we old machine collectors are! You can decide if the "old" fits your description or if it just describes the machines. :D

Took some mis-delivered mail to my neighbor this morning. She was telling me that she has just been sick about not packing or misplacing her Pfaff. Not sure of the model. Anyway they had purchased the house next door and had moved from South Dakota. He retired from the service. They made 2 moves. I saw them move a sewing machine into the garage and not sure what kind it was. Had it been me I would have put it right into the house. Anyway, I asked her how many she had. She has 3 including the Pfaff but couldn't find it. Did she check her garage back in the corner? That's where I saw them put it. She grabbed my hand, we went out to the garage and there it was in the corner, boxes of stuff all around it. Had been there for 6 months. It was her mother's machine. She took it into the house and just cried like a baby. Her DH didn't know where it was either. He said it was the happiest she's been since the move. She had a space for it in her sewing room which is the larger of the bedrooms. I envy her she has a FW, 401 and her mother's Pfaff. She's a happy camper. I told her she owes her Christmas to the creepy substitute carrier!

What a great story! You did your good deed for the whole year I'd say.

Cari

My dad loaned me a book on improving your memory about 20 years ago. When I was putting it back on the bookshelf (after reading it) I found another copy. After I stopped laughing (which took a while) I went and asked him if he'd read it yet (unsurprisingly he said no) then pointed out the two books side by side.

I've done that with fabric more times than I care to remember. Anyone need some purple??? I also have done that with sewing machines. I have about 5 201s - all heads without cabinets.

Just my 2 cents;
I stay away from the 128 and 27's. They are long bobbins with no reverse. I find them totally useless for actually sewing on all the time. I do like the nice decals on those machines. I wish the 15-90's or 201's had decals like that.

I've made several garments on my VS2 (early 27) and love it. Sews an almost perfect button hole using any buttonholer attachment too.
It's just a bonus that she's beautiful to look at and sounds lovely when treadling. I have to admit I've never tried to sew a quilt on one, but haven't come up against anything yet that she can't handle. Will sew through very heavy fabric too. Someone else on this forum said they sewed through multiple thicknesses of heavy leather on their 27.
If there's a reverse on a machine I use it, but if not I'll just tie a knot or turn the fabric around.

You can buy waterslide decals with these patterns that I'm sure would look nice on a more modern machine

Tessagin, if you get the chance can you ask her if she had a 2-spool she sold before she left South Dakota?

The lady we bought it from was moving south, she had a few other machines include her Mom's Pfaff that she said she'd never part with.

Tessagin's story is so heartwarming. Wouldn't that be a small world Cathy? :)

never fear red squirrel, I actually like sewing on these old vs's. Women did without reverse for many years and it really depends on what you are stitching on how critical that is.....it's never been a huge issue for me. But then I have many others that do have reverse so I just switch to one of those when I really need/want reverse.

oh yes, I've done it with fabric too. When I was moving all my stuff from all over the house into the newly vacant bedroom/now sewing room, I found 3 cuts of the same apple green fabric. I must have had some idea of wanting to use it, why else buy it 3 times, but for the life of me I can't remember why or what for.

Cari

I've also done that with clothes. I hate to shop and to come home and find out I spent all that time to buy a duplicate sweater was maddening.

I do it with food. I need sugar, buy some and the next time I'm at the store I remember I need sugar, but I don't remember I already bought some! Now I use a list more so I don't buy things I've already bought than so I don't forget to buy something I need.

I do that with books, too. My daughter is getting quite a nice sized collection.

Linda

Hey Cathy,
i did see this post back in Dec. But re looking at it now gives me a good laugh! With the winter and all of the snow we have been having I would say your repetitive buying of food is a good thing! At least you won't starve when you get snowed in for a week! :p

Did you really think you were the only one who bought duplicate copies of books? LOL! I've done that so many times, it's not even funny. I need to thin out my books and organize my fabric, but I don't look forward to that task! LOL!
Jeanette