some of my herd
 

hopefully I can post this pic- I've shared it on facebook in one of the vintage sewing machine groups that's pretty active so some of you may have already seen it.

my dad made this shelf unit to use on a desk- he had made some nice bookshelves and they're to the left (not shown) so he made this to go on the desk and make it more usable for the computer. I don't use that computer now and wanted to ditch the desk to make room for quilting stuff but then I'd have nothing to use the shelf with and can't toss out something my dad made...soooo... I thought I'd try using it for sewing and storing some of my machines.

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I've had a couple of college 'kids' helping me a LOT with cleaning and reorganizing my home this summer- this was supposed to be the only quilting area but the upstairs master bedroom is now sewing machine/fabric and exercise. :o what can I say these things just sorta happen! oops!

the top shelf are machines i bought back when the addiction first started- I had no one to share my enthusiasm so they were display- my dad didn't like the base they were in (or they didnt' have a base) so he made these out of wood (no hinges just for display I guess but the 99 sews fine in her base...). I debated what to put on the top shelf as whtever is there will likely stay there- the redeye was a no brainer- it's not in the greatest of shape and I'm kinda afraid to plug it in. but all on the top shelf are duplicates so I may pull down the 201 (bought it knowing it had some kind of 'issues' but not sure what other than the guy saying it needed a lot of oil) and the 99 I've used so I may be strong and pull it down or replace with something else but I like looking at it so it'll probably stay there unless i switch it with the 66 on the bottom...it needs the light thingy attached and the wiring glanced over but I bought it from someone who knows machines (along with another 66 redeye) so good to go with the top row in backups. the other 201 is upstairs and I'm trying to decide if I should find a cabinet for it...debating trying one of the cabinets I already have and see if it fits..haven't measured...

the featherweight row should be easy to take up and down- the 2nd and 4th I've sewn iwth the most - the 222 scares me - I'm afraid of scratching it LOL - but I've sewn with it. the 3rd is my mom's -she bought a centennial from someone-it has some marks/scratches..all but the 222 of my fw's aren't great cosmetically for one reason or another but I love 'em!

bottom on the desk- the pink atlas I paid mucho for (along with the 222 above it), the 128 handcrank, and a 66 with the light thingy loose. i tried to get the federation handcrank there but the base was a bit too long and I didn't want it up on top to deal with.

happy to realize they're all short shank (think the atlas is short shank) so I can put the accessories in the drawers along with the fw footpedals and I'm all set for sewing!

Neat! I also use a bookcase, four shelves braced in the middle, to hold eight hand crank machines. It's nice to have them out where they can be seen and admired, instead of stuck away in their cases.

Dianne in Colorado

I'll try to get some other pics of the rest of the herd as I go along. some are probably 'set' where they'll be but the upstairs room ended up being storage and is on the list do go through today. hopefully they (and me) will finish but i"m not much help sitting on the bed typing on here while they move stuff around..strangely enough that seems to work better though- me out of their way! I tend to wanna play with stuff or pull stuff OUT when they're putting it AWAY!

tried putting some from the closet onto a bookshelf but it's not as appealing to me as the desk setup..maybe because that room is chaos!

Dianne I'm never sure how much a shelf will hold- strangely enough the nicer redeye 66 and 201 or black 66 (didn't know the difference) managed to stay on those cheap walmart particle board shelves...one per shelf and one was on the bottom. lucked out there I think! but they stayed there for years- the 201(or black 66) and 99 were on a sturdier dvd cabinet my dad made. not liking the machines on there now- their bases are sticking out because they're long..may center just one and find another spot for the redeye...

so many decisions!

Nicely displayed.

Susanna,
Those particle board bookcases are a concern. I keep machines (as much as possible) on solid wood units. Even there the adjustable shelves, held with those little brackets, are a concern. But so far, so good. Books are heavy also, so if something is made to hold books, it should hold a machine or two. Avoid units that are too wide, and we should be OK.

Have you sewn much with your machines? I don't have a 66, but my 99 sews nicely. A favorite of the newer ones is an aluminum handcrank 201 from the 50s. Sweet machine. My newest is a 1980 Elna, great machine now that it has a new pulley.

Dianne in Colorado

Now that really looks nice. Looks like it was made for the machines!

Cari

Gasp!!! That's all I could say upon seeing your wonderful setup!!

Great way to display your machines.
Rodney

thanks everyone!
Dianne- I'm making it a goal to make my way around to all the machines- this is only the tip of the iceberg I"m afraid. I used the Atlas Thurs night to make an apron I found on youtube from whitneysews! was fun! it's hard to get in and out of that spot though - really needs her own spot but I do love using this desk! it has room for the laptop and room to the sides. Cari it DOES seem like it was made for them! and I was worried they wouldn't do right there but so far so good- there's even a plug nearby and decent enough lighting. I may move some around not sure yet since I like the spot - maybe bring my other 201 downstairs and switch it out with one of the others on the bottom.

Susanna, good for you! The desk/bookcase look very handy.

I've been keeping a binder for each machine, with manual or manual copy, notes about attachments, needles and usage, history of the maker and whatever seems important all together. Putting the pages in clear sleeves keeps them neat, and additions can be made anytime in any order. The hope is also that compiling this information will make it easier for someone who adopts the machine in the future.

Have fun with your machines,
Dianne in Colorado

Great machines and display..

thanks!

since stuff is cleared I made my way over to the 401a in a desk my mom found for me years ago (sadly I NEVER messed with it as I'm the timid cant' seem to get started type usually...and I was busy then stuff got cluttered and things got shoved to the corner and promptly hidden...) well I had already done some dusting on it so added some oil and sewed- took a bit for her to get moving and still sounds a bit rough even after oiling every single hole or pieceo f metal that the bookd idnt' show grease going on...:o was getting ready to just take the top off and dump the whole can of oil on that sucker but I didn't LOL! only tried straight stitch as it seems to hve everythign but regular food that will take the zigzag stuff! oh well I'm sure one of the other 401, 403, 500 or 503 boxes my mom picked up will have a foot for the othe stuff.

I was amazed that when I put on the spool of red thread (it was handy) and started sewing that it was a beautiful straight stitch! the bobbin even had white thread in it at first til I had to wind another...perfect on both sides!

hope I can get her a bit smoother sounding but so far so good on the sewing! :)