Roads Not Taken

Readers, I was this close to buying a vintage Singer 401A sewing machine at the flea market yesterday.  The dealer was asking $80, but I'm pretty certain he'd have taken less.  It came complete with a box of slant attachments and a very nice carrying case, and it looked like such fun.

But I exercised some restraint (for a change) and walked away.  Let someone else buy it who really needs it, I thought or did I actually say it out loud?

I don't have the space and I don't need the clutter -- physical or mental; I have a lot of sewing to do.  Despite last winter's eight-machine purge, plus my impulse gift to Rain of a Singer 15-90, I still have what feels like an awful lot of vintage sewing machines:

Singer 15-91



Singer 99



Singer 221 Featherweight



Singer 66 treadle



Pfaff 30
 

Pfaff 139 zigzagger
 

Viking 3240 zigzagger



Plus my Brother 1034D serger -- which has performed flawlessly for more than 16 months.



That's a lot of sewing machines, no? 

No, I can't justify one more sewing machine, unless it were a vintage Elna Lotus, of course.  (If you know some good reasons for skipping the Lotus, please share them.)

I feel proud of myself and I know you feel proud of me too.  I mean, maybe if I had a dedicated room solely for sewing machines, as some of you have.  But I live in an apartment, and wherever I happen to be sewing, a lot of other things are going on too, including cooking, blogging, and chihuahua wrestling.

Still, every time I let a deal like the aforementioned Singer go by, I feel a brief pang of regret -- like, it would have been worth the money just to play with the machine for a while, and then pass it on to a sewing machine hoarder friend like Rain or Johanna.

I often get emails from MPB readers telling me about the fantastic deals they got via their local Craigslist or some estate sale.  The same reader I mentioned a few weeks ago whom I'd advised on a purchase of a Singer 99K (the very same day I found my 99K) just sent me this:

For $50 he picked up this stunning Singer 201 complete with attachments, table and stool!

Does this email seem a little insensitive to you, readers?  I always try to see the good in people.  He no doubt wanted to share his good fortune with me.  And who doesn't enjoy sharing others' (extraordinary) good fortune? 

In closing, friends, today I'd like to focus not on the things we have, but on the things we have chosen not to have.

• Because we exercised some self-discipline. 
• Because we were responsible adults to our insatiable inner children and said no, not this, not now.  
• Because it was the right thing to do.

Tell me about a deal you passed up.  A good deal -- no, a great deal.  Tell me about how you at first tried to rationalize the purchase but ultimately resisted, and why.  Tell me how you never regretted it.

Make me feel better!