Spring Cleaning - Shuffling Machines
 

Our 334 square feet home sewing room had been our living room (13' x 18') and dining room (10' x 10') until October 2009. Since then, we’ve had what we call a “sewing room with a parlor (recliners & TV) and a snack nook (dining table and chairs)”. The dining table also doubles as a cutting and layout table. We have sewing machines in every room of the house, including both bathrooms, so our entire home is our sewing room.

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We found a used Lazy-Boy swivel rocker/recliner to replace the wife’s stuffed recliner. It had too deep of a seat to it, and she couldn’t set far enough back in it to be comfortable without a cushion behind her. We gave the old stuffed one to the dog to replace his loveseat that we’re getting rid of in the next yardsale. During the resulting shuffle, the trundle bed got moved back into a bedroom (that we had been sharing with Grandma and her bed until she moved), and the area where the trundle had been is now a working treadle area.

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I now have two treadles that can be set down to and used without having to move anything (I hope). They are a Singer 319W, and a Singer 306W24. I will be swapping the 306 out with other standard-sized Singers as needed, since I won’t need both the 319 and the 306 zigzag machines setup at the same time anyway, and the 319 has built-in cams. About the only zz stitches that I ever use is a regular zz and a multi-zigzag, and they’re both in the 319. A third treadle, a Singer 27K2, is also set ready nearby to use by the wife when her power goes out and she needs a straight-stitch quilt block piecing machine. She got to use it earlier this Spring.

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The wife still has her electric “Command Center” where it has been. It consists of a singer 301A, Singer 401A, JC Penney 7057, Singer 14U554 serger, and a White W3300 embroidery machine. The 401A and 7057 share the same cabinet by folding the 401A up or down. Overhead track lighting illuminates the U-shaped area.

CD in Oklahoma

We use a spare bedroom with a walk-in closet for supply and fabric storage. Old CD storage towers make a good Fat Quarter storage area.

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Serger thread and industrial thread cones are stored on an over-the-door shoe caddy in the hallway.

CD in Oklahoma

It all looks great. Good use of space.

Wow, now that is a lot of sewing machines of all shapes, sizes, and functionality! It's a good thing you both are into the same thing .... machines. And check out that "machine" that sits outside the sliding glass doors ... definitely not for sewing.

No, not for sewing, but I’ve hauled several sewing machines on it, tied on with a cargo net. LOL! I had to quit hauling customer sewing machines on it because of the looks that I got from the owners, but I still haul yardsale and auction finds home on it. And I’ve hauled my handcrank Singer 66 out on a couple of remote jobs at a farm or two as well.

That’s one of my 4 mid-sized cruisers. It’s the only one running right now. My wife has two of her own, and only one of them is running currently. I need to quit fiddling with sewing machines and start working on motorcycles a little bit, or we’ll be walking. They’ve been setting for most of the winter, which is unusual because most winters we ride them off and on all winter. This winter has been unusually cold, so we parked them. I’ve got to get my Bike Shop cleared out of sewing machines so that I can get the bikes serviced up for the season.

As soon as it quits drizzling and stays warm for a while, I’ll get the outdoor patio sewing area back into service (where that motorcycle is parked). I have two industrial walking-foot machine power stands out there that I use during the summer. One holds a Singer 111W153 and the other a Singer 111G156. The stands are still covered for the winter. I have the heads inside right now, but I have a job for one of them, so I need to get them fired up. I picked up a step pulley this winter to put on one of them to slow it down, but I haven’t decided which one yet. It’ll probably go on the one that has the 3470 RPM clutch motor on it (versus the normal 1725 RPM on the other one). It’s the black one on the bench in the right of the first photo that I call “Ol’ Dirty” because he does all of my dirty sewing jobs like used tarps, used truck covers, and used swimming pool covers. And with that 3470 motor, he runs like a bat. That’s good sometimes, but it can eat fingers too.....

CD in Oklahoma

Well that made me feel better about "taking over" my formal dining room and using it as my sewing center. It is getting a bit crowded though! I do have a couple on display in our bedroom, too.