Storing/displaying your machines...
#1
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Most of you have collections that put my three machines to shame so I have to ask -
How do you store and/or display your machines? My 401a lives in a rather shitty small table which, while easy to use, doesn't fit in with my design aesthetic. ;-)
I love my older machines but I'm trying to figure out how to store/display them so they are easy to get to so I can use them.
Ideally, the easier to access the better!
Thanks in advance,
Karen
How do you store and/or display your machines? My 401a lives in a rather shitty small table which, while easy to use, doesn't fit in with my design aesthetic. ;-)
I love my older machines but I'm trying to figure out how to store/display them so they are easy to get to so I can use them.
Ideally, the easier to access the better!
Thanks in advance,
Karen
#2
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Join Date: Aug 2014
Location: Victorian Sweatshop Forum
Posts: 4,096
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Well, right now most of mine are stored like this:
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575095[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575096[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575097[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575098[/ATTACH]
That's about 40 machines and a little over half of the cabinets with 25+ machines and 5 or so cabinets I still need to get out there. My house is being torn down in about a week so I'm moving everything out to the shop for now. Once the new house is in place I'll have a big sewing room for all of my favorites and the rest will stay out in the shop until new homes are found for them. I have a couple of favorite cabinets I like to switch out machines into, so one of those heavy duty shelving units will go in the sewing room or I'll buy another one. I also want to put a gallery rail type shelf up high on one wall of the sewing room for displaying my sewing boxes, toy machines and favorites like my Brother Pacesetters and B200 hand crank machine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575099[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575100[/ATTACH]
Cari
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575095[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575096[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575097[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575098[/ATTACH]
That's about 40 machines and a little over half of the cabinets with 25+ machines and 5 or so cabinets I still need to get out there. My house is being torn down in about a week so I'm moving everything out to the shop for now. Once the new house is in place I'll have a big sewing room for all of my favorites and the rest will stay out in the shop until new homes are found for them. I have a couple of favorite cabinets I like to switch out machines into, so one of those heavy duty shelving units will go in the sewing room or I'll buy another one. I also want to put a gallery rail type shelf up high on one wall of the sewing room for displaying my sewing boxes, toy machines and favorites like my Brother Pacesetters and B200 hand crank machine.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575099[/ATTACH]
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575100[/ATTACH]
Cari
#3
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chula Vista CA
Posts: 7,393
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Since I only have 6 machines I don't consider them a collection. My Damascus treadle belonged to a great-great aunt, my Singer 15-91 belonged to my mother and they both are in cabinets and ready to use at any time. My Janome MC6600P is set into a table and I use it more than any others for sewing. My embroidery/sewing machine is also set out and used quite often. Those 2 machines I cover with the machine covers that came with them. I have a little FW that sits on a bookshelf but it is also covered with a machine cover. My other machine is my travel machine and it stays in the little trolley so it is always ready to go.
I do have one of those little plastic machines (looks like a toy but I wouldn't give it to a child). They were sold on HSN for a while but didn't get one until they had them in Bed, Bath and Beyond. So cute, I couldn't pass it up.
I do have one of those little plastic machines (looks like a toy but I wouldn't give it to a child). They were sold on HSN for a while but didn't get one until they had them in Bed, Bath and Beyond. So cute, I couldn't pass it up.
Last edited by quiltingcandy; 06-20-2017 at 08:45 PM.
#4
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Wow, Cari! It's going to take a while before I can shut my mouth!!! That's got to be some strong shelving. I just love your little Brother B200. ![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
I think having covers for any machines kept out is a terrific idea, quilting candy. I like to polish and admire my machines but only on my timetable.
The case my 401a is in is the Singer Ardmore in blond. I'm assuming it's pressboard or something like it. It certainly doesn't look like fine wood. It was ugly to start with but then my DH (?) used it as a base to paint something red! The red streaks don't add to it's questionable beauty.
I think a search for a new case is definitely in order.
![Smile](https://cdn.quiltingboard.com/images/smilies/smile.png)
I think having covers for any machines kept out is a terrific idea, quilting candy. I like to polish and admire my machines but only on my timetable.
The case my 401a is in is the Singer Ardmore in blond. I'm assuming it's pressboard or something like it. It certainly doesn't look like fine wood. It was ugly to start with but then my DH (?) used it as a base to paint something red! The red streaks don't add to it's questionable beauty.
I think a search for a new case is definitely in order.
#5
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Location: Victorian Sweatshop Forum
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My 201-2 came to me in an ugly blond economy cabinet, I hated it. I stripped it for the hardware to fix a better cabinet and now it sits out in the back shed along with everything else that's going to the dump.
Those shelving units came from Home Depot. They aren't cheap but they are sturdy.
I plan on making covers for all of my machines in the house eventually but so far have only made a couple. I really love the one I made for Elizabeth, my 201.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575148[/ATTACH]
Cari
Those shelving units came from Home Depot. They aren't cheap but they are sturdy.
I plan on making covers for all of my machines in the house eventually but so far have only made a couple. I really love the one I made for Elizabeth, my 201.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]575148[/ATTACH]
Cari
Last edited by Cari-in-Oly; 06-21-2017 at 10:55 AM.
#6
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Location: Va.
Posts: 5,753
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Wow! Cari- that's quite a collection. I'm especially fond of the Brother Pacesetters-- someday maybe I'll find one. And I love the B200 hand crank!--again, maybe I'll luck into one someday.
I only have 6 machines and only 3 and 1/2 are vintage.
The Kenmore stays out in one of those Arrow Gidget tables since I use it a fair amount. When I finish quilting one of my art quilts on the PQ1500, I can just turn around in my chair and move the quilt over to the Kenmore to do a rattail binding--it's the only one of my machines that can reliably feed a thick quilt while zigzagging over rattail binding.
The Featherweight goes here and there, whenever I want to sew somewhere other than in my main sewing area. Right now it's in the room where I have my cutting table, sometimes it gets switched to a hand crank and sits in my lap out by the pond sewing crumbs.
The White stays out, and only gets used occasionally since it has a crack in the part of the cam stack that allows the hidden stitches to be used--- but when I want to do something artistically messy, then I use it for that LOL! Come to think of it, it would probably do just as well as the Kenmore at zigzagging rattail binding, and the crack in the cam stack doesn't affect any of the utility stitches... but at 40+ pounds, it's way too heavy for the Gidget table....I leave it out to remind myself to periodically look for an original cam stack for it and because it's one of the ones with the atomic symbol on the metal lid you lift to access the bobbin compartment and when you turn the light on it shines through a cutout spelling WHITE on the front of the head. The coolness factor means it gets special treatment LOL.
The 1/2 vintage machine is my Brother VX560-- it's only 1/2 cause it's from 1980 or 1981, but is all metal except for the cam and it only has 8 or 9 stitches including a satin stitch that you can make decorative by turning the stitch width knob while sewing to make it get wider and narrower-- depending on how you time it, you can get lozenge shapes, or triangle shapes, etc. It is currently put away since I don't have room for it to be set up, but I often switch it out with the modern Brother PC420 since I like sewing with it, at which point it sits in one of those Arrow Sewnatra cabinets.
Rob
I only have 6 machines and only 3 and 1/2 are vintage.
The Kenmore stays out in one of those Arrow Gidget tables since I use it a fair amount. When I finish quilting one of my art quilts on the PQ1500, I can just turn around in my chair and move the quilt over to the Kenmore to do a rattail binding--it's the only one of my machines that can reliably feed a thick quilt while zigzagging over rattail binding.
The Featherweight goes here and there, whenever I want to sew somewhere other than in my main sewing area. Right now it's in the room where I have my cutting table, sometimes it gets switched to a hand crank and sits in my lap out by the pond sewing crumbs.
The White stays out, and only gets used occasionally since it has a crack in the part of the cam stack that allows the hidden stitches to be used--- but when I want to do something artistically messy, then I use it for that LOL! Come to think of it, it would probably do just as well as the Kenmore at zigzagging rattail binding, and the crack in the cam stack doesn't affect any of the utility stitches... but at 40+ pounds, it's way too heavy for the Gidget table....I leave it out to remind myself to periodically look for an original cam stack for it and because it's one of the ones with the atomic symbol on the metal lid you lift to access the bobbin compartment and when you turn the light on it shines through a cutout spelling WHITE on the front of the head. The coolness factor means it gets special treatment LOL.
The 1/2 vintage machine is my Brother VX560-- it's only 1/2 cause it's from 1980 or 1981, but is all metal except for the cam and it only has 8 or 9 stitches including a satin stitch that you can make decorative by turning the stitch width knob while sewing to make it get wider and narrower-- depending on how you time it, you can get lozenge shapes, or triangle shapes, etc. It is currently put away since I don't have room for it to be set up, but I often switch it out with the modern Brother PC420 since I like sewing with it, at which point it sits in one of those Arrow Sewnatra cabinets.
Rob
Last edited by rryder; 06-21-2017 at 11:34 AM.
#7
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Hi Cari,
That's an amazingly cute machine cover! I had better be careful or I'll wind up looking for a machine that does embroidery.
Good tip regarding the shelves. I don't even want to think about the damage collapsing shelves would cause.
That's an amazingly cute machine cover! I had better be careful or I'll wind up looking for a machine that does embroidery.
Good tip regarding the shelves. I don't even want to think about the damage collapsing shelves would cause.
#8
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Rob I have a mix of vintage, not so vintage, and modern machines too. Most are mechanical, with some embroidery machines and an HQ long arm in the mix. The long arm currently resides at my BFFs house but it will be coming home soon.
Karen, machine embroidery is a whole 'nother rabbit hole to fall into. I now have 5 embroidery machines. I should sell one or two, but can't bring myself to part with any of them(yet). That machine cover had embroidery on all sides and the top, it was a lot of fun to make.
Cari
Karen, machine embroidery is a whole 'nother rabbit hole to fall into. I now have 5 embroidery machines. I should sell one or two, but can't bring myself to part with any of them(yet). That machine cover had embroidery on all sides and the top, it was a lot of fun to make.
Cari
#9
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Houston, TX
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I only have 3. The 301 sits on my long table with my serger on the other end. The Featherweight sits on my little antique desk that I've had for years and the Rocketeer is in the trapezoid table that I found on eBay. They all have little covers made from upholstery fabrics to cover them with so they don't get dusty and just because I like the way it looks.
#10
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All of my machines are in cabinets except for the Featherweight and that is in a card table. The Featherweight, 15-88 treadle, 401a, and the VS2 treadle are all in my diningroom. I keep debating if I should put the Featherweight away because it is taking up space were one of my table looms usually resides. The 2 other machines are in cabinets and are in my bedroom. When I go in there I keep wondering what the heck are sewing machines doing in my bedroom! I have been primarily using the 15-88 since I got it cleaned up and sewing so smoothly.
Cari - that is an impressive collection of machines and cabinets. It is kind of scary too, I am finding that looking a sewing machines on CL is irresistible:-)
Cari - that is an impressive collection of machines and cabinets. It is kind of scary too, I am finding that looking a sewing machines on CL is irresistible:-)
Last edited by tscweaves; 06-21-2017 at 04:19 PM.
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