Brother sewing machine

My sewing room is starting to look like a little sweatshop! Today I brought home my fifth sewing machine. It's a Brother from the 1970s, white with red accent. It's a very simple machine. And it is so pretty!

I bought it at Salvation Army last weekend for $12. I haggled and talked the manager down because it clearly needed to be serviced. The women at Salvo argued with me like I didn't know what I was talking about, telling me it worked fine because when they plugged it in the needle went up and down. Coming up, the needle bent almost 1/4" because the timing was so screwed up. "I sew. This machine works fine," the rude woman said. 

"Um, no. It doesn't. I sew for a living, and just because the needle moves doesn't mean it sews properly."

So the price went to $12 from $30. As I continued shopping, I heard the women talking shit about me in the back room. "It's a Brother. That's an expensive machine at Walmart," one said. Then they saw me looking at lamp shades nearby and shut right up. Just because something was once worth something, does not mean it is valuable when it needs work done.

Aside from the timing being off, the tension also needed adjusting. To get a sewing machine serviced costs $60 at Branum's Sewing And Vacuum, the place I take my machines here in Augusta. They're so nice and do great work. It's the second machine I've brought to them, and my Janome needs to make a trip in there soon as well.  They also serviced my Kenmore. 

This morning I drove down and picked her up! I was so excited to get home and get my sewing desk rearranged to fit another machine! I moved the serger that was there to a new sewing desk I also bought last weekend. That new desk now holds both of my Singers.

On my way home from Branum's, I stopped at "Blast to the past", a local thrift store where everything is $1. I found this awesome cork board and had to get it. I painted the cork red (my favorite color) to match the accents in my sewing room. It looks great behind my machine and even matches my boxes of sewing notions on my shelf.
The little ideas I get throughout the day always get written on small pieces of paper that I lose when I get home. I have this horrible habit of emptying my pockets onto my dresser and it's always a big ol' mess. Then I end up throwing all the pieces of paper away. I need to get a system with this "idea board" to stare me in the face while I'm working. I'm going to take old buttons and glue them onto metal push pins. It'll be so darling to hold my little pieces of paper.

My five machines in total are:

1. Janome Sewist
2. Kenmore
3. Singer serger
4. Singer machine
5. Brother

Some people may think it's nuts that I have so many machines, but when you use them like I do, it's necessary to have an extra. An artist always has more than one set of brushes! Plus, now I can thread them with different thread colors and just hop back and fourth from machines not having to change them as often as I normally would.

I can't wait to spend a few hours with my new girl. She's such a beauty! Plus she'll be great for sewing lessons.