One Persons Trash...

As some of you may remember I told you that I have started collecting sewing machines (to be honest though I really DON'T want a BIG collection just a few - maybe one or two more).  The machine that started it was this one. 

We found it when cleaning up stuff around the house.  You see we bought a serious "renovators delight" that had not been lived in for about 15 years. 

The poor old dear who once lived here was taken out on a day trip one day never to return.  Destination = nursing home.  Our neighbours even said she had left her coffee cup by a chair to finish when she returned.  The house was left until the family was able to do something with it - and they cleaned it up apparently 3 - 4 skips later they had removed of enough 'rubbish' (she was a lovely frugal lady who kept EVERYTHING) one who wore it out, fixed it up, made it do or do without.  She knew what it was like to have nothing and found a use for everything.  When we purchased the house we had quite a bit of work to do.  You see although her family had taken plenty of stuff away there was still HEAPS in the storage spaces underneath the house they didn't want to deal with and left for us.

Amid a lot of junk we found this sewing machine it was dirty and in need of some tender loving care but had been covered enough to protect it from the 20 or so possum's that had made themselves home around the property.   I originally gave the sewing machine to my aunty who owns a lovely old church she renovated and collects a few antiques (does anyone else give things away like me thinking that you will never have a place or need for them only to decide a year or two later that it would be useful?!).  My aunty cleaned it up a bit, did some research and found out it was over a hundred years old (If you want to find out how old your singer is go here.  We found that this one was manufactured in 1873.  Who knew?!).

I mentioned to mum that it would be good to borrow at some stage to use as props for photos.  Lucky for me my aunty had decided she really didn't need it and it was collecting dust so back to me it has come and will stay.

Now I look at it in wonder about it's history.  How many people once owned it, was it handed down in the family, who was taught to sew on it and what did they make?  If only it could tell it's story what could we find out?

By the way our house is no longer a "renovators delight", while there is still work to be done (who doesn't need to do some work on there house/ garden?!)  it has come a loooooooooong way from the original state in which we bought it.