Well, I thought it wasn't a very frugal decision since I haven't used my electric one for years.     Old sewing machines go where everything goes into the dust.  I am sure people from the last century was saying the same things.  

Once on the British antique road show they had a dresser that was a couple of hundred years old, nothing great except for the fact that the bottoms of the drawers were made from carved/painted tudor panels, in excellent shape.  You had to turn the drawers over to see them.  The appraiser said they must have did the panels for a house, weren't needed so just stored in the shop for hundred years or so and then someone being thrifty used them to make the dresser.  The panels were worth more then the dresser but back then worth just the wood.

Don't you find it amazing at how you can look back at things you have given away, like the treadle sewing machines or the wringer washers and now, that you have decided to learn to do things the "old fashioned way" you would really like to have them back. They may have been less expensive to use, but when I used my wringer washer, or my treadle sewing machine, I felt that I was doing something to help us (my husband and myself) save some money and to be more self suficient too.

Now I would give my eye teeth to have those two items back. I gave the treadle machine back to the lady that had owned it previously as it was her mothers and when I got my mom's electric machine, I thought I didn't need the treadle one anymore. Boy was I wrong. I could sew a pair of jeans up thru those seams with that treadle and never break a needle and with the electric one, if I go too fast, there goes the needle. The washer was left sitting too long and froze up, but I sure would like to have one again. I would get rid of this automatic one in a heart beat if I could find a good wringer one.

I know we all have done some silly things when it comes to getting rid of things we thought we could live without but those are the ones I really would like to have back.

Oh well, I will keep on looking in our local Bulletin Board to find them and one day, if I live long enough I will have them again, right?

wvtrailseeker:

Don't you find it amazing at how you can look back at things you have given away, like the treadle sewing machines or the wringer washers and now, that you have decided to learn to do things the "old fashioned way" you would really like to have them back.

Yes! I got rid of a lot of things when I moved to town that I now wish I'd kept. Guess I thought I was going "uptown" and changing my ways... but you can't change a leopard's spots I guess. I want it all back now. Hand saws, wringers, canners...

I think that is the main reason that I hate to part with anything anymore. I am sorry that I gave those things away, and I don't want to have that feeling anymore about the things I do have.

I have about three canners, one pressure and the other two are just Boiling Water Bath, and I have acquired a few things along the road of life that I didn't have earlier in life and now I don't know how I lived without them. Like a couple of Jelly strainers, a few canniing books and instructions. Just 'stuff' I don't want to live without.

We have contemplated moving into the city, but I don't want to have to sort and throw, or give away the things that I hold precious, like my canning equipment my quilting rack, even tho I don't quilt anymore, as long as I have the quilting frames, I  can always start again. So I reckon we will be on the farm until the last move of life, when we pass on. I guess it could be worse, we could not like living here and hate to can, garden, cut grass, and all the things you do on a farm right? LOL

We are blessed! I know this most of the time. I just get tired somedays and think that moving to the city will help me to have more energy to do the things I want to do, but the things I want to do you don't do in the city, you have to live in the county to have 20 acres to call your own.

 I didn't have a choice in moving to the city, as health problems and a financial crunch combined to make it impossible to keep up with things. One thing I can tell you - don't move to the city because you're tired. There is far less to do in the city and you'll find yourself growing weaker physically and tireder, too. Natural exercise is the key to a good life and it's much harder to come by in town.

wvtrailseeker:

So I reckon we will be on the farm until the last move of life, when we pass on. I guess it could be worse, we could not like living here and hate to can, garden, cut grass, and all the things you do on a farm right? LOL

Amen! It could be much worse. And you could be sitting in town with nothing to do.  

Pat:

One thing I can tell you - don't move to the city because you're tired. There is far less to do in the city and you'll find yourself growing weaker physically and tireder, too.

I second that. Live long enough in one place in the city and you've seen it all and done it all or you aren't interested in it. And when you are retired you have plenty of time to do whatever you want but not always alot of initiative to do it. It is very easy to sit and do little or nothing because there is always tomorrow, so you think. E

I have my dear Aunts treadle sewing machine she left it me . And the wringer washer out in my mud room is still washing baby clothes from my twin grands born just before Christmas ... these are old but still used in our household . I have new ones but I perfer to use the older ones ...

One thing mentioned about here about the wringer washers is getting the clothes clean with the longer wash time.  I always did sheets, towels etc on the long cycle (max 18min usually use 12mins) on my machine and the reg clothes on the perm. press cycle that is shorter.  I tried the longer cycle with the reg clothes but less detergent and they are cleaner!  I know soaking them etc helps but I always forget about the clothes then.  I guess I always though longer cycle ..wearing out the clothes faster.

Oh, we aren't moving, we just get tired of all the things you have to do on a farm, and we really don't 'farm' just live on one, and think that if we lived in town, and we didn't have to spend all out time washing cars, mowing grass, cutting firewood, repairing fences, etc. we would feel better and have more energy. We know better, we just get more tired as our days wear on. I know that there is nothing to do in the city, I know that neither one of us would be happy in the city. It is just a way of dealing with being tired and getting older.

Thanks for the boost tho, for it is nice to have someone who also realizes that living in the city isn't for everyone.

this is me feeling sorry for myself. LOL

I have (and use on a regular basis), a treadle machine I bought off a neighbor lady back in the 70's for $20.  I've used it to sew things from childrens clothes to to leather jackets!  I have had problems finding belts for it in the past - It'll need one again soon and the store I got it from has closed.  Anyone know of a supplier?