Hey readers, I’ve got something brewing in my garage. No…. it’s not hubby’s still (I can’t say that too loud, he’s McGyver inclined and may just try it out --- LOL).
Nope, it something better than alcohol, well better than Grain alcohol anyway, never better than red wine you understand – NOTHING is better than red wine.
But I digress, back out to the garage.
A couple of weeks ago my friend and fellow blogger Kelly of Jax does design gave me one of several old sewing tables (including the machine) of her grandmothers. I was beyond thrilled. You see I have a small obsession with previously loved furniture. (See my last makeover here). I think it’s partly because of the secrets they hold. Where have they been, who have they known? And in this particular case, how many garments have been lovingly created or repaired by this machine? That’s part of it, but the main reason is the draw of giving these pieces a new lease on life.
In the original picture Kelly showed me I wasn’t sure if the top was one or two pieces. I used to have a sewing table that had a split hinged top. With this in mind, I was thinking I would replace the top with a nice piece of granite or marble. But … looks like I won’t have to, since this sewing table has a solid one piece top that lifts off – sahweet!
Now, what secrets is this solid one piece top hiding …
The machine is a Franklin, made by Sears Roebuck Co. in the early 1900’s. Here are some close-ups:
So, what started off as a cool new furniture makeover, morphed somewhat into a Google research project to find out as much as we could about Franklin sewing machines. Here’s what we found:
The whole story can be found at http://www.ismacs.net/sears/sears.html, where you’ll hear all about the exciting world of sewing machines :)! The machine isn’t worth very much at this point, but it certainly has some decorative value if you were going to display it somewhere.
Next week, I’ll share my ideas and inspiration for re-finishing this gorgeous piece … stay tuned
And last but not least – House Rules!
