Oh Oh, winter is coming. Where should my machines go?
 

I've been working on them in the garage, but it's going to get cold soon...and the car wants the garage space. Should the machines come in the house for the winter, just the cabinets, just the heads? Not sure what I should do. The couple treadles I've been using are here in the house, but there are still a few machines that haven't graduated to house status....


Barb

In my case I'm planning to work on machines all winter (and there are a LOT of them to work on!) so the garage is out. We currently have 4 in the basement, 5 upstairs and 3 (or 4 or 5, maybe 6? - I honestly don't remember) in transit but I plan to move them all to the basement and work on them down there.

That's what I get for not really thinking about it. Make that 4 in the basement, 8 upstairs and 6 on the way (with Herself bidding on another one that we don't expect to get.) Definitely time to stop buying and start cleaning! And then there are the cabinets and cases....

That is easy. take your diningroom table and chairs put in storage and do your sewing in there. A Friend of mine in Minnasota puts his Harley in the diningroom in the winter. lol
hey really the machines come first. hehehehehe:thumbup:

I know the lack of climate control is not good for machines and the cabinets. Hot attics are also not helpful. If you can bring them inside, do so. I've seen melted bobbin winder tires, cracks in belts and the same cracked bobbin winder tires from hot attics and the cold and then quick warming wouldn't be good for veneer wood. As a test, I put a new bobbin winder tire on a parts machine and stuck it in my hot attic over the summer. I removed it after only a few months and the new bobbin tire was all cracked and useless. I would also believe any machines with nylon parts or cams would also be affected. I often wonder if many of the cracks we see in these gears and parts are because they were stored in cold areas.

I don't have a garage and would not sew or store machines in it, if I had one. I would think it would not be a ggod idea to store them in a garage, temp. changes would not be good.

OK...into the house for them then. It's what I thought, but just thought I'd ask. Funny, I adopted a machine that had a melted bobbin winder wheel and I was wondering how the heck that could happen. Maybe everyone gets a sewing machine as a bedside table for the winter!

I do not know how many sewing machines I have. I quit counting at 30. All but one are in the house. Eeeeekk!!
The one outside looks like it might be a parts machine if I can't get the needle bar freed up, but it's soaking in oil so it can wait.
There are two treadle tops and base and two cabinets in the garage too. Just no place for them in the house.

The biggest enemy of sewing machines is heat and wet. Keep 'em at a reasonable temperature and dry and they'll last forever.

Joe

I think I'm up to 16 now. I'll just sneak them in, one at a time, until they've been "absorbed."

Do you re-sell them after you get them all beautiful & working again? What do you do with them?

I think Joe makes them beautiful again. At this point, I just clean them well, oil them and sew with them to make sure they are working properly. Then, I just gaze lovingly at them, admire their differences, unique qualities, research their heritage...can you tell I'm single? haha...maybe I should be selling them...What do you need?

So Joe, the cabinets that are in disrepair, the ones that have probably spent several years in garages or barns, can I leave them in the garage and just bring their machines in for the winter? I can't imagine they can get much worse by spending one winter in my garage. I could easily find room for the machines, but all those cabinets...argh

Weather changes really are hard on woods. We lived in Casper, Wyo. for one year and our solid oak round dining table warped quite a bit from such low humidity in the house. I remember the humidity would be 3 per cent outside, so it's a good idea to watch your woods.

Again....argh... I think the one from the White Rotary might be beyond saving. I think it's gonna stay outside, but the others they should be able to find a place in the house...as for the big round dining room table that's in the garage...craigs list maybe?

As a rule of thumb if you are comfortable then the machnes and cabinets are comfortable to. As an antique furniture restorer maintain the humidity around 30% and the temp between 68 and 75 F. Your home is perfect for this. Outside in an unheated and and no air building is a no.
Skip

They've been making their way into the house. Thanks for all the information. I've taken the heads out of some of the cabinets that need repairs. I can snuggle them up close to each other until I can get back out into the garage again to work on them.

Hey! You should see how pretty my machines look lined up on shelves in my sewing room! It's so nice having them close by! Thanks for all your input!

well show us a pic of your shelf full of machines.

Skip

Yes, a photo is in order! We like photos.

I only have one a Singer 99. I keep "Grace" in my studio on my cutting table off to the side so I can see her whenever I want. If I happen to come across a second vintage machine I will buy it.

The first picture is the "working" machines. They have all their parts and their cabinets. The second picture is in my sewing room. The top two are my "modern" machines, but not new, by any means. The others all run perfectly, but their cabinets are in various states of disrepair and will need a little TLC before they are reunited. The Franklin I could swap out with the Singer 66, but the two Whites need their cabinets. One is a treadle, the other an electric. The New Home is the one that needs a bobbin and bobbin case.[ATTACH=CONFIG]365907[/ATTACH][ATTACH=CONFIG]365906[/ATTACH]

Like the paint brush spool holder I have on the Singer? I suppose I could cut that down a bit, but it makes me smile

Great display love it. What a great look for your sewing room. It would make me smile to.
Skip

i love the paint brush spool holder! it's charming - and your machines are cute! i think they look happy to be in the house.

Thanks! I like having them here too! I have three others that I need to make room for....maybe a couple of matching end tables in the living room!

Just a hint: you might want to remove the pincushion on the arm of what looks like a 66 with the beautiful decals. That's how a lot of the machines got scratches there. What a lovely collection you have!

That machine already spent a few winters in a shed I betcha - is she still stuck?

I took off the one that "came with" the machine and designed a new one, very soft, with a stiff plastic lining that pins can't poke through.

In the garage, I still have a two White cabinets. One is a parlor cabinet for a treadle that I would like to move into the house. It has a broken leg, but I think if I baby it, it should be fine with a little glue. The other is a Martha Washington cabinet that has certainly spent many summers and winters in the attic of the garage. That one might be spending just one more season out there. There are also two Kenmores and a Domestic that will need to find room here in the house. I've spent time getting them cleaned up and running and I'd like to keep them that way. Plus...if they move into the house, I can get the car AND lawnmower back into the garage.

Barb,
Just put them all out on the curb on garbage day... BTW what is your address and when is garbage day???:p:p:p

Miriam...I'll trade one of those for one of your New Homes if its bobbin case will fit in mine! Oh, and I have to add, the fuzz is gone now...that's a lot of lint![ATTACH=CONFIG]368345[/ATTACH]