And still they keep on coming... I have spent the last week or so barely functional, with a horrible cold that just wouldn't give up & go away. So there was no scope for rescuing any more machines; not that I should anyway, until some of the ones I currently have have gone on to their new homes. Anyway, I used the "downtime" to piece a couple of scrap quilt tops and sort out some fabric to dispose of. I freecycled it yesterday afternoon and one of the ladies who replied & "won" some asked whether there was anything I wanted, as she was sorting out the contents of a large loft... And this afternoon she turned up with a Singer 66K (probably with the wrong tension knob to be useful to TFSR, and in need of a new slider plate, but otherwise lovely) and a straight-stitch electric Brother. I'll know more when I've cleaned this one up, but it's a classic candidate to be converted to handcrank, having reverse & drop feed, which makes them very versatile; the Alfa 50 that has undergone this process is now my favourite "everyday" sewing machine. And the 66K might be the best candidate yet to sit on the delapidated treadle pretending to be a table out in the garden, if I ever manage to restore it.

I'm still wrestling with my Harris No. 9H, which has some kind of problem with the feed dogs snarling the bobbin thread. I may have to admit defeat with this machine, which would be sad but might give me some much-needed spare parts; that's what I "rescued" it for in the first place, after all. And we're still waiting for some reliably decent weather, now that I have sourced some spare needles for the Vesta, so that we can get out & about & do some extreme patchwork!

Another great find at the tip this weekend!

As I was offloading some soggy chipboard into the "Wood" skip, I spotted the dome of a delaminated Singer case. So off I trotted to the "Metals" skip, and lo! and behold, there was a folorn handle poking up from behind some rusty corrugated iron. One of the kind gentlemen in charge duly fished her out for me; a handcranked 201K from 1937. Seized solid, and a little rusty, but with pristine decals, showing that she hasn't had a lot of use. I have her turning now, but can't seem to undo the screws to polish up the rusty bobbin assembly - yet! Pass the WD40...

This one is destined for http://www.tfsr.org/. When my little collection suddenly started to expand and outgrow its allotted corner of the loft, I set myself some "rules" as if I were playing a game. Firstly, I will only "rescue" machines. Nice though it would be to own some truly historic machines, I am not in a position to pay lots of money for ornaments, or give them houseroom either. If they turn up, lovely, but if they are being offered for sale at anything more than £5, or are never likely to do useful work again, they're for someone else. Secondly, if they can go on to help someone somewhere earn a living and support their family, than that's what's right & proper to do with them. Thirdly, I will rehome the machines that aren't suitable for TFSR wherever possible; some are going to other families to assist in "Textile" projects, at home or at school, and one has gone to help someone with a biggish family start up a business at home, which delights both me and the retired couple I got her from. I also intend to start up a regular textile afternoon for any home-ed teens around here that are interested, which can neatly encompass "socialisation", textiles, history, maths - all sorts of things, really!

And we're really looking forward to some better weather, so that we can go out & about on our patchwork project!