Following On...

 ....from our gallivant to Suffolk Parts to buy out that nice Mr Roche, I have been a-sorting assorted-things. Today was Pedals - first to the hot shed to pick out some possibles, then arrange the table on the lawn (much nicer) and literally to wash everything (all very dirty), assess, open, remove capacitors, brush out grot, close, clean leads, list, number, photograph, bag up and then to the attic, with 3 big bags-full to put away. Sorted and stocktaked all the boxes, added 3 more, put everything nicely together by type in lots of nice new boxes...

Aaaaargh. So hot after all that that I had to have another shower, and now I'm just about to start remaking the page HERE

I have given up hopes of having clean hands any time soon, but I do have an awful lot of useful and saleable stuff ready to go.

And, I seem to remember thinking That I would not be bothered with electricals... Sigh...

For about 12 years...

...I ran the business of HelenHowes-SewingMachines with the eminently practical and reliable and strong help of my Lovely Man John Stormes. In May this year he was taken ill very suddenly, and it looked like he might only have a few days to live. He had been having treatment for cancer, and his somewhat-reduced gut was failing badly. So, he had yet more surgery, and survived that, and I was reduced from a Fine Plan to Move the Business  Together and then spend a deal more time in a leisurely fashion, to a situation of having to reclaim, manage, rework, and remove the business from one place to another. Without his help, as he had to retire at once, and with a bad back, and 6 months to get everything right and moved and sorted  and out.

Reader, I lost him. We had a few more months, but he was gently slipping away during all that time, and for the last 8 weeks of his life (and after yet more bloody surgery, on his spine), he was more-or-less all the time in bed, and sinking into a diminishment and reduction-of-life that was extraordinarily hard to behold. I kept him with me, and we were much helped by the visiting nurses and doctors and palliative-care people and all and all, but it was me who got up in the night, emptied his various bags, and washed his shrinking body.. And sat with him as he gently removed himself from the world...


So, bear with me. I'm strong, and I have been mourning for so long that I'm almost done, but the house is an utter shambles, stuff is all over the place, and I'm only now beginning to get on top of the stocktaking. And there's a whole winter's worth of that, I think...

Slowly working my way...

...through the  Big Move Sort-out, and this week I have taken a whole lot of tool-boxes and extension tables, all online and updated (click on the links) - those of you who are subscribed to my Newsletter (click for the page to sign up) get a Special Deal on these...
And I sold a machine today, and one yesterday, and need to sell one each day until the Sculpture Trail is over on the 8th of September, all the machines in the shop have Clearance prices; at least 20-30% off

Still a few left - I don't want to have to scrap any of these due to lack of storage, so now is a Really Good Time to visit
I'm open every day until the 8th, 11 till 5ish each day. And the cafe is open, as is the Trail, so it's all good fun

Sort of Sortings

Oh, look, boxes of wires, pedals, and plugs... Probably about half of what I started with. I do wish people would keep their machines at least Dry...

Now, if you are on the Newsletter List (sign up HERE) you will know that life has bitten both of us in the proverbial bum somewhat. John has been forced to hand over his little part of the HHSewingMachines empire to my tender care, and retire forthwith because his health has fallen over. And, while I can do the electrical stuff, I am not the expert that he is, and the piles have somewhat developed breeding tendencies...  I'm desperately trying to sort and resort everything, because, at the end of October, I have to move it all home in some kind of tidy order and hand over the workshop to my good friend AitchBee

Here's a box of motors, being waiting to be photographed and numbered.. I did cull a lot of scruffy herberts before I started... I have actually made images for everything, and the page HERE will be updated tonight or tomorrow. Then the pedals will get the same treatment. And all will be cheap, most untested, quantity boxes available, and on-your-own-head-be-it...And I've been fettling and fixing and servicing and  preparing all the usable machines to go in the shop, and all have "clearance" prices for personal customers...
The pretty 128 above has lovely clean decals and a nice domed box.. Still practical after all these years, it comes with needles, tools, bobbins, manual, and all and all...

And the 99s have been breeding madly. I have older, younger, hand-crank and electric ones all ready to go
And 66s, 201s, and assorted lovelies beside

So, back to the lists