Oh, my goodness, look at what I found!!! I have seen so many comments made on different sewing forums from sewists/seamstress' alike.. who have found and purchased old sewing machines and have discussed how much they love to sew with these machines. So, I decided that I would begin a journey in search of one for myself.
One Sunday afternoon after my husband and I had finished eating, I looked across the street and noticed a goodwill store. I could have sworn It was beckoning me to come over and see what was in "store" for me. I told my husband (not about the beckoning part) that I wanted to go inside and have a look. I didn't get my hopes up that I would find my "dream machine".
As we walked past the mile of clothing, I spotted something from afar. Could it have been what I was looking for. Desperate, I sprinted away from hubby, passing the mile of clothing and reaching the furniture or electronics section (clerks weren't sure which section it belonged in) ready to tag and claim the machine. I slowed down upon approach because there was a young lady standing near the machine. I smiled and moved away while, inconspicuously, spying her to see if she was also interested in the machine. I moved on to what looked like the "electronics" department. After a few seconds, I saw that she was only interested in the armoire near the machine. I knew it was time to move and move quickly.
When I looked at the machine, all I saw was the sticker with price of $29,99 and "As Is" written with a permanent marker. I thought this must be a lemon , so I stared at it until my husband radioed me back to earth. I thought about how was I going to test it before taking it home...Lo and behold the cord was attached to the table and an outlet was a couple of feet near it. So, I grabbed a chair costing $3.95 and placed it in front of the machine.. Hubby plugged it, in and I flipped the switch to "on". The light bulb came on and I got excited.
Next, I began the inspection. The machine had not been cleaned or used in years. The console smelled as if it had been in storage for many, many moons, and the needle had rusted and was blunt. I was still ready to give this baby a try. I needed some fabric to test it. I was so desperate that I searched my purse for fabric...now, I knew I didn't have any fabric in my purse but I checked anyway. Well, I didn't find fabric, but I was still clutching on to my napkin. I placed the napkin under the presser foot, pressed the foot control and away it went. It started moving and puncturing rust marks in the napkin and singing the song of the Touch and Sew 603 it once sang years ago.
There was yet another test or 2 to complete. I needed thread and a new needle. Super Walmart was about 3 miles away, and the goodwill was about to close in 45 min. We headed to Walmart, and I knew no one would be there to claim it with only a few minutes left till closing. I purchased a few items to test the machine; needles, thread and fabric. The purchase total equaled my birth month and day!! It was then I knew she was for me. We returned and it was still waiting for me. I replaced the needle and, with hubby's help, threaded the machine following the instructions in the manual. I also picked up a fat quarter to test the stitches. Now I was set and ready to sew. This Touch and Sew was beautiful music to my ears, and the stitch quality was perfect! I was able to play around on it for a few minutes before making a decision. I decided there was no way I was going to leave her behind.
After I decided to purchase the machine, my hubby said we should go to the front and let them know we want to purchase it. I refused to go the front without the machine thinking someone would spot it after I got it working. So, we carried it to checkout together.
We brought her home and cleaned her off. The next day I took her apart to oil her parts and test the bobbin and the cams (fashion discs). Everything was in perfect working order.
One Sunday afternoon after my husband and I had finished eating, I looked across the street and noticed a goodwill store. I could have sworn It was beckoning me to come over and see what was in "store" for me. I told my husband (not about the beckoning part) that I wanted to go inside and have a look. I didn't get my hopes up that I would find my "dream machine".
As we walked past the mile of clothing, I spotted something from afar. Could it have been what I was looking for. Desperate, I sprinted away from hubby, passing the mile of clothing and reaching the furniture or electronics section (clerks weren't sure which section it belonged in) ready to tag and claim the machine. I slowed down upon approach because there was a young lady standing near the machine. I smiled and moved away while, inconspicuously, spying her to see if she was also interested in the machine. I moved on to what looked like the "electronics" department. After a few seconds, I saw that she was only interested in the armoire near the machine. I knew it was time to move and move quickly.
When I looked at the machine, all I saw was the sticker with price of $29,99 and "As Is" written with a permanent marker. I thought this must be a lemon , so I stared at it until my husband radioed me back to earth. I thought about how was I going to test it before taking it home...Lo and behold the cord was attached to the table and an outlet was a couple of feet near it. So, I grabbed a chair costing $3.95 and placed it in front of the machine.. Hubby plugged it, in and I flipped the switch to "on". The light bulb came on and I got excited.
Next, I began the inspection. The machine had not been cleaned or used in years. The console smelled as if it had been in storage for many, many moons, and the needle had rusted and was blunt. I was still ready to give this baby a try. I needed some fabric to test it. I was so desperate that I searched my purse for fabric...now, I knew I didn't have any fabric in my purse but I checked anyway. Well, I didn't find fabric, but I was still clutching on to my napkin. I placed the napkin under the presser foot, pressed the foot control and away it went. It started moving and puncturing rust marks in the napkin and singing the song of the Touch and Sew 603 it once sang years ago.
There was yet another test or 2 to complete. I needed thread and a new needle. Super Walmart was about 3 miles away, and the goodwill was about to close in 45 min. We headed to Walmart, and I knew no one would be there to claim it with only a few minutes left till closing. I purchased a few items to test the machine; needles, thread and fabric. The purchase total equaled my birth month and day!! It was then I knew she was for me. We returned and it was still waiting for me. I replaced the needle and, with hubby's help, threaded the machine following the instructions in the manual. I also picked up a fat quarter to test the stitches. Now I was set and ready to sew. This Touch and Sew was beautiful music to my ears, and the stitch quality was perfect! I was able to play around on it for a few minutes before making a decision. I decided there was no way I was going to leave her behind.
After I decided to purchase the machine, my hubby said we should go to the front and let them know we want to purchase it. I refused to go the front without the machine thinking someone would spot it after I got it working. So, we carried it to checkout together.
We brought her home and cleaned her off. The next day I took her apart to oil her parts and test the bobbin and the cams (fashion discs). Everything was in perfect working order.