Singing a Happy Tune over my Estate Sale Find

Hi everyone:

After all the wonderful items I purchased at the estate sale on my birthday, you would think that I would be all shopped out - but you'd be wrong! I had barely put away my recent purchases when I received notification that there would be another estate sale coming up. Of course there couldn't possibly be anything else that I would want - or could there?

On the morning of the estate sale my son and I drove up to the north part of town hoping that we'd be one of the first ones in the door. I guess everyone else had the same idea, as we were tickets 54 and 55 (tickets are given out an hour before the sale starts for those eager shoppers). We headed off to the mall to kill an hour or so before returning for our chance to peruse the merchandise on sale. 

I was interested in a small rockinghorse grey stretched Beswick foal, but not at the price of over $300. I'm a collector, but even I have to draw the line somewhere! I did find some old cookbooks and a small Herend china kitten trinket box (or as they call it a "fancy box"). The lady who had lived there obviously loved kitties as there were numerous cat items in the sale. 

Love this Herend trinket box - immaculate and
valued at much more than the $5 I paid for it

I refrained from the vintage linens - only picking up a hand embroidered apron and then headed into the basement, which was full of kitchen items, books and other wonderfulness. In the corner was a vintage Singer sewing machine, which my son pointed out to me. I had known that it was at the sale, but didn't really pay attention since I'd bought so much at the estate sale the previous week-end. I did look to see which model it was - a 301 - and then continued out the door with my purchases.

The Singer 301 sewing machine

Of course I couldn't let this rest. I had to search up the Singer 301 on-line to see what it was all about. 

• a slant needle sewing machine providing better visibility in the sewing area
• "light weight" aluminum body - only 16 pounds
• reverse feed
• ability to drop the feed dogs
• arguably one of the best machines that Singer made. 

Hmmm, maybe I should've taken a better look! Later in the afternoon my hubby suggested that we could go back to the estate sale to see if it would still be there. I called the ladies running the sale to see if it was still there and it was! Could they hold it for me for half an hour? Sure and off we went. In my haste to get there, I left anything that would've helped me test the machine, such as my reading glasses and fabric. Luckily they found some fabric for me to use and the machine had thread in it, so I could at least see that it did sew. 

Beautifully detailed machine

The machine body was in excellent shape - very clean and minimal marking. The machine came in a cabinet with a bench with a removable seat which had storage inside. 

Love the storage in the stool

The attachments and a buttonholer came with the machine. Interestingly, the buttonholer was free, but the attachment box cost me an extra dollar. I decided to take the machine, so off we went with it. It wasn't until I got it home and looked at it more carefully did I realize what a treasure I'd found. 

Cabinet and stool for Singer 301

The cabinet itself is beautiful and in excellent shape with hardly any marks on it at all. The bench is in the same condition - not even a rip in the top. The machine is operated by a knee lever, but the foot pedal can be taken out of the cabinet to use on the floor, which is typical of most Singers of this era. 

Stitch Length selector - note worn bobbin winder tire, which has already been replaced

The Singer 301 is designed to be portable and comes out of the cabinet easily using the handle on the top of the machine. There is a drip pan attached to the bottom of the machine, so the area underneath the machine is enclosed when you take it out of the cabinet. 

Hiding in the cabinet

The machine actually locks into a cradle that remains in the cabinet. 

Cradle that remains in the cabinet

I couldn't believe how clean this machine was. No oil residue, no gunky grease to clean out of the bottom or in the gears. Obviously this lady kept her machine pristine. The best part of this purchase was the receipt in the buttonholer box dated 1956. I love finding these bits of history.

Top view of Singer 301

This machine is so pretty that she doesn't deserve to languish in the basement. Instead she has pride of place in the front living room window where everyone who visits can admire her - and the sewing light is great.

Estate Sale Birthday

Hi everyone:

What could be better than going away for your birthday week-end? Stopping at an estate sale - twice - of course! Yes, my hubby and children indulged me and whisked me to Lethbridge for my birthday.

The high-level railway bridge in Lethbridge 

Enjoying a walk through Indian Battle Park in Lethbridge

On the way we stopped at an estate sale in the country and we picked up a few things. 

Even better than the treasures I found was the fact that we got them at 25% off on the way down to Lethbridge and 50% off the next day on our way back to Calgary. 

I got some antique hand-painted china, 

Teacups, saucers and small luncheon plates - yum!

Can hardly wait to use these

a Cornflower cream and sugar set,

This is what I went back for on Sunday and it was still waiting for me.

Really love the tray with the candlewick handles

a Beswick foal (I collect these),

This Beswick foal matches a larger one that I already have

a strand of cultured pearls, some old books, including a typing practise manual (I remember those days!), a manual typewriter for my daughter, a vintage dartboard and darts for my son, and a few sewing related items. 

I'm sure this typewriter manual will help Sarah with her typing skills

I also picked up two vintage children's aprons, one of which belonged to the daughter of the homeowner, who was also at the sale. I managed to snag a desk Ott-Lite, which I've been wanting to buy for some time now and a few vintage doilies - I always get the doilies. I also snagged these gas ration coupon booklets from WWII, just because I had never seen any of these and thought they were so cool.

Gas ration coupon booklets from WWII

They even had the licence plate number on them.

My best purchase was a wooden sewing basket that folds out. I had passed on one of these at a previous estate sale and I was glad I did, because this one was a treasure trove!

Look at all the goodies inside! 

Every layer full of vintage sewing supplies

Teeka inspecting the new addition to the studio

It's really large when you open it all out!

Teeka is as thrilled as I was with this discovery! 

Thread and perle cotton and needles and ... there was even some partially finished embroidery in the bottom of the basket. I was thrilled!

Lots of old thread and some Singer shears 

Perle cotton and some lace

Did I go a bit overboard? Well, maybe, but it was my birthday after all and the net proceeds from this sale were being used to fund a scholarship at the local high school, so I didn't feel too bad about my purchases. 

Of course there is always another estate sale just around the corner, or in my case, just a few miles away, and I'll let you know about the most recent sale that I attended and what followed me home from there in a future post.

Let me know about your best estate sale find in the comments below.