Like I Need Another Sewing Machine

I usually have a pretty good instinct about buying things when the opportunity strikes. But I realized after a trip to IKEA today, that my subconscious has been lamenting something I spotted at the local thrift store months ago. MONTHS ago, I tell you. 

Here’s how it unfolded…

So like I said, I was at IKEA today. Yeah, yeah I know, I’ve mentioned them before, but look, I like a lot of their Scandinavian-designed stuff, their textiles are really fun and come in chewy upholstery-weight and irresistible laminated cotton that are so usable for the home, and the biggest draw, especially for today, is that The Bub loves the Smaland ball pit and a $1.00 frozen yogurt is hard to pass up on a hot summer’s day. So anyway, that’s where we were today.

After dropping him off for a good wild half hour of mad ball pit swimming and jumping, I found myself milling about the market place area. Last time I was there, I had seen a lot of in-store ads promoting the use of their textiles (shoot, you don’t have to sell me on them; I’m there!)  and when I scanned a copy of the new 2013 IKEA catalog, I spotted a gob of callouts focusing on many DIY ways to incorporate more textiles in with their furniture. 

So I guess it was no surprise that I’d find the shiny new addition of an IKEA sewing machine stocking their shelves. After looking around online tonight, I see that previous models have been available before and in other parts of the world, but this is the first time I’ve ever seen one with my own eyes. Hello, Sy.

I didn’t buy it, although after more poking about online, I’ve seen some great reviews, like this one, that certainly do spark the notion (pun intended, har har har) that maaaaaaybeeeee, just maybe I should get one for The Bub and Mister Baby Pants to try out down the road.  As I’ve been on a kick lately to NOT future buy, I’m attempting to resist the urge. For now. But at the crazy-affordable price of $69, it’s hard to not get it.

The bigger thing I realized today after seeing that new 60-some-odd-dollar machine, was how much my subconscious has been quietly weeping about another machine I passed up months ago. MONTHS AGO, I tell you. As in April, folks. I will not let sleeping dogs lie, clearly.

Here she is. I saw her at my local thrift store, in all her vintage R. H. Macy table mounted sewing machine glory.

Why do I have a photo of this glorious (and probably really heavy) beast? Because I simply could not bring myself to buying it and opted to take a photo for posterity instead.

I know. It hurts to admit. And here we are four months later and I’ve talked about this machine to at least a handful of people who (er, hopefully) understood my quandary and eventual lament. And I fished out this photo to show you, so I’m obviously so. not. over. it.

Clearly, I would have liked to have bought her, if only I had had more space (and you know, not two machines and a serger already <—did somebody say “hoarder”?). But living where space is at a premium, I could not practically justify it. I still can’t. Unless I used it as a bed too.

Did I mention it was selling for $60?  *sigh*

And ladies and gentlemen,  THAT’S why and how it all came full circle for me today. For about the same money I could either have gotten a perfectly good, new basic machine at IKEA or I could have scored a vintage hunk of metallic sewing history.

An interesting comparison, I think. And for someone who doesn’t call themselves the most prolific or adept when it comes to sewing, I really do seem to have a potential sewing machine collecting problem on my hands.

But hey, compared to my fabric hoarding, it’s nothin.’ 🙂



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