Decluttering downsides

I know this is getting a little wearisome for some of you, but rest assured, the decluttering is winding down.

Yesterday I bid good-bye to my Brother LS2125, now owned by former Floridian Melissa.  So touched was I by her excitement, I threw in a vintage McCall's hardcover sewing book for free.  Melissa seemed delighted.

I had mixed feelings about posting my vintage Necchi 555 on Craigslist.  This is a very special machine albeit one I do not use anymore.



Then a woman named Nicola expressed interest via a late-night email.  It sounded promising; she'd be driving in from Brooklyn at 10 am.  This morning, however, she told me that her husband hinted he'll be buying her a machine for Christmas (not mine, alas).   Oh well.

Friends, there's a downside to downsizing: with nearly a dozen things for sale on Craigslist, from Luxo lamps to Mickey Mouse phones, I check my email compulsively all day, hoping for a bite.  I was surprised at how quickly I was able to sell four sewing machines.  A lot of people are interested in sewing, both men and women, at least here in New York City.

Oh, before I forget: early yesterday a woman named Miriam braved the pouring rain to pick up three bags of my used fabric scraps, ostensibly to send them to the Philippines, where they will be upcycled (her term), whatever that means; I didn't probe.  My sense of upcycling comes from Etsy, where someone finds a used Samsonite suitcase at a thrift store for $2, stencils doves on it, and sells it for $50.

Upcycling: planet-saver or wearisome fad?

I have another question for you.  I know that where many of you live, used sewing machines often come in tables, but here that's not as common (though at the beginning of my sewing journey I scored a dusty Singer Stylist in an old veneer table right in the trash area of my apartment building and got rid of it after a day, thinking I had no need for two sewing machines -- can you imagine?!).  Anyway, I'd like to put my Singer 15-91 in a table -- I'm tired of not being able to put it out of sight and I actually close my treadle table a lot when I 'm not using it, just to keep it dust-free.

Someone on eBay is selling a suitable table; the legs unscrew and the whole thing ships relatively inexpensively; it would be less than $60 in total.  I'm just wondering if it's worth investing that in a table now, when for $60 I could probably buy a machine and a table, though not today, and not one that would be shipped to me.  Frankly, aside from a classic treadle table, I've never seen a sewing table or cabinet I thought was attractive.  Most look like something from a suburban ranch house circa 1963: fussy Queen Anne or watered down Danish Modern. 

What do you think?  Should I hold out or buy it?  I have the money now that I've sold so many machines, but I certainly don't have to spend it.  I realized of late that I hate those big plastic sewing machine cases: they're ugly as all get out -- always beige and often filthy --  and they take up as much space empty as they do with a sewing machine in them.   They're sturdy, I'll grant you that.



Meanwhile, I have started thinking about imminent sewing projects.  As I mentioned, my toggle coat pattern has arrived from Barcelona.



I may swing by some fabric stores today to see what I can find.  I'm thinking something like this, but good wool plaids are not easy to find in my ahem price range.  Ideas?



Anyway, that's it.  I am hoping for more Taras, Melissas, Marcias, and Pablos to come take my stuff away.  But if not, life goes on, right?

And WHAT is up with my Elna Grasshopper?  Not even a nibble.

I hope my decluttering story has been a cautionary tale for you all.  If you don't need it, don't bring it into your life.  No more collecting.  It takes so much more energy to get rid of something than it does to press "Buy it now!"

Have a great day everybody -- and what about the sewing table?  Do you upcycle?