Recycling Old Sewing Machines

When it comes time to downsize, throwing things away that have been in your house for years, Grandma’s sewing machine seems to be one of the more difficult things to put by the curb.
Over the years I have dealt with many people that just do not know the value of older sewing machines, and they appear in my store wanting to know just what to do with the machine. Lately I have been using the term “recycle.”
This means that I evaluate the machine and determine if it can be serviced and then resold, or just junked for parts. There is only one older home sewing machine that seems to have held its value. That is the Singer Featherweight model 221.
There was a time when I would buy the old machines, clean/oil and adjust them and then put them for sale. I still do this, but only after determining that it will be worth the trouble.
Don’t get me wrong, I still have a selection of used ones for sale, but it seems that the older machines always have some kind of quirk that makes things difficult to function properly.
When customers bring in a machine that is 30, 40, or 50 years old, I explain that I will most likely be able to get the machine sewing again, but just the same as we get older and develop aches and pains, the old sewing machine will still be “old” when they get it back.
In the last few years I have found more modern machines that make sewing a breeze. They thread the needle with the push of a button, the needle will always stop in the “up” position, some even have a robotic arm that swoops down and threads the needle.
They even make a buttonhole with the push of a button, and they sew on buttons! These are the “Babylock” sewing machines. I sell these machines with confidence.
For further information visit my web site www.Dollardbakersewvac.com or www.Babylock.com.
—By John Dollard, owner/operator of Dollard Baker Sew Vac, Marmora