When I came to do my final walkthrough of the property the week before closing Dianne (previous owner) was at the house packing. Dianne used to be my grand parents accountant before they passed and my mother has been working with her to finalize my grand fathers estate after his passing. So there is a little history here. Since she had many larger items and some she did not want to take she asked if I would like the two 114 year old Singer Sewing machines in the basement. I said “yes” of course. I love antiques and I love repurposing things.
Now these sewing machines have seen much better days. The moisture in the basement has ruined the wood veneer on both the table tops causing all the veneer to peel off. 6 of the 8 drawers were salvaged (two having part of the handles missing but still functioning). The frames for the drawers from the first table I dismantled were in decent shape and simply required a deep cleaning and some nails to put it back together. The cast Iron legs will need to be cleaned up with a bucket of soapy water once I get it out of the basement. The second sewing machine, since it was stored in the actual table case was in beautiful shape. It still had most of the original paint on it, some of the original wood veneer is in near perfect shape. However, the table top, drawer shelves and machine no longer function. I will also be dismantling this table and reusing all of the wood, screws, hinges and cast iron legs that are salvageable.
If you ever wonder around an antique store you can pretty easily find the little drawers for sale. Prices range from about $16 each to $30 each. Cast iron legs usually sell for $60 to $100 dollars and the sewing machine in near mint condition goes for around $115. Since these are likely original to the house I’ve decided not to sell them but rather repurpose them and keep them with the house.
After a couple days and about 6 hours of taking the first sewing machine apart, cleaning and stripping it of old veneer that is peeling off I have finally repurposed the sewing table in to a desk (with only the original parts). I am pretty happy with the outcome. I hope you like it too!
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My Country Farmhouse 