Last weekend my future sister-in-law was out visiting us, which always means thrifting! She owns an awesome little vintage clothing store in the Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn called Fluke (if you're in the area you really should check her out). Usually she times her visits in conjunction with the Rose Bowl Swap Meet but this time she decided to check out a new Swap Meet that recently started on occasional Sundays at Dodger Stadium. Overall there weren't many great finds. The Swap Meet is still small and in the establishing phase - although there is a great food truck concession area! But I managed to find something special... a 1926 Singer in the original sewing cabinet! It's gorgeous and it was dirt cheap. (Forgive the crappy pictures in this post. I took them on the fly with bad lighting!)
The sellers didn't know if it worked or not, in fact they barely knew how to get it in and out of the cabinet so I had to show them. Since they weren't sure about the functionality of the machine I decided that if I was going to buy it I would have to look at it as a piece of art so how much was that worth to me? The best part was, my wonderful and fabulous fiance was actually the one who talked me into buying it. He thought it was cool and beautiful and would look good in my sewing space even if it never worked. Awwww. Every once in a while he supports my sewing habit!
We got it home and plugged it in and were pleasantly surprised to discover that the motor actually works! Now, just because the motor runs doesn't mean the machine works, yet. There is a disconnect currently between the motor and the needle, but I was able to turn the needle by hand, so another small victory. I think this machine just needs some love. I'm going to spend a little time with some oil and elbow grease trying to clean it up and clear off some of the rust. Then I'll take it into my favorite sewing machine repair shop and see if they can tune her up. Keep your fingers crossed! Not bad for a Sunday afternoon at Dodger Stadium, if I do say so myself.
She sure is pretty!
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