Hey everyone :)

[springmama]

I'm Kathy

We live in Alabama and have 4 children, ages 1, 4, 6, and 14. We are a very thrifty family. Some call us cheap, lol, but I think we are just pretty smart.

I shop at our local thrift store a few times a week and yard sales every Friday and Saturday morning. I am usually looking for vintage sewing machines, whatever toy my kids are obsessing over (currently it's Buzz Lightyear for my son's 4th birthday), vintage jewelry and of course whatever our needs are at the moment...usually someone needs pajamas, shorts, tops, or whatever......

My most favorite thrift store purchases so far have been a vintage Singer 319w in a case, and a vintage Singer 15-91 (did I mention I have a sewing machine problems, lol)

Oh and books....we buy lots of books at the thrift store. LOTS of them. Children's books, grown up books, parenting books, cookbooks, vintage sewing books.....lots and lots of book. We read them then pass them on via paperbackswap.com or donate back to the thrift store.

Anyway, that is my intro...now off to read the rest of the boards!

[valleythriftshopper]

Welcome, sounds like you have alot of fun thrifting!  What do you do with all those sewing machines?  I collect vintage sewing stuff too (fabric, buttons, notions, etc), but only have two machines, I wouldn't have anywhere to put any more.  I still use an old Singer, it is a real workhorse! 

[springmama]

Thanks for the welcome! I usually buy the newer modern machines for around $5 and then sell them for around $30 so that I can fund my sewing habit. The 3 vintage machines that I have, are either used by me on a daily basis or kept in the closet as backup. One of them is missing a part and will be used once I get that part.

[mccoysnina]

Hi and welcome.
I too collect vintage sewing notions and fabrics.  I skip the machines though.  No room.  I wouldn't mind having a Singer foot pedal machine though to use as a display in the LR (well, if my kids ever actually move out and I can re-decorate as I want to) as I learned to sew on my Grandma's old treadle machine. She had an electric one too but wasn't about to let a small child use it.  Couldn't do too much to that old Singer though.  Built like a tank.
Jeannie

[nancydr2]

Hi and welcome.  I, too, am a collector of sewing stuff, though I have never seen a machine worth buying.  I have gotten lots of great fabric, a couple of good quilt tops and one 100 year old indigo and shirtings flower basket quilt.  I'm jealous of your machine finds.