Tinker/Ink, LLC

Great opportunity to learn some mending skills with Sitka’s best!

Bobbins!
I also have a limited selection of bobbins for sale:
Class 15J (Pfaff) $0.75 each
Class 15 $0.75 each
Husqvarna/Viking $1.00 each
Class 66 $0.75 each

Heyyyyy friends, I just saw a post in Sitka For Sale asking where to buy sewing machine needles. I have them! Let me know what you need!

Organ Brand
Universal- 5 pack
Sizes 60/8, 75/11, 80/12, 90/14, 100/16, 11018
$5

Ball point- 10 pack
Size 75/11
$8

Stretch- 10 pack- for high spandex content
Size 90/15
$8

I have lots of other specialty needles in my own stash that I'll sell for $1 each- microtex, leather, quilting, metallic, special ones I use in my serger, etc.

Ever wondered how to tell how old your Singer sewing machine is? Look for a little plate with a serial number on it. On most machines, it's right on the top in front. On Featherweights, it's underneath. This is my favorite site to use, because you just type your numbers in and get manufacture date and usually the model. It's not necessarily the exact date, but it's good to the year.

https://www.lrcrafts.it/find-vintage-singer-sewing-machine-info/

My treadle machine has only numbers, and when I look it up I see it's from 1897 and no model is given. I know from my favorite sewing machine ID website (now only available through the Wayback Machine! https://web.archive.org/web/20251211182044/https://www.sandman-collectibles.com/id-singer-machines.htm) that this is a Model 27.

My featherweight is a 221-1 from 1951, which makes sense because it has a Centennial (1851-1951) badge on it.

Oooh, I and I just learned that my main machine, a Singer 500A, is from 1962. Its serial number is underneath too.

It seems like the higher the number/letters, the newer it is. Makes sense!

I was just at the right place at the right time to rescue this old gal from the trash. I recently cleaned a slightly newer version of this up and it sews like a dream. The previous sewing machine guy in town sold Husqvarna so I’ve seen a few now with the original sales receipts!

Don’t throw out your old machines- bring them to me and I’ll clean them up and either give them to youth or sell for the cost of the service. I’m especially interested in the super heavy all or mostly metal machines. The ones in plastic clamshell cases are less salvageable, but still often can be rescued!

Where do we buy our sewing supplies?!

With the recent closure of our local craft store, I am getting this question a lot. I'll list some of my favorite suppliers, and please comment with yours! Reasonable shipping to Alaska is almost always a major factor for me, and I try to avoid the big box A store. What matters most to you?

𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱 🧵
https://redrockthreads.com/ - Great selection, fast shipping starts around $5
https://www.superiorthreads.com/ - Retail from the manufacturer, I test the machines I work on with their Sew Complete and it's really nice thread.
The Totem downtown (next to the old Ben Franklin) has a limited selection of Coats & Clark thread and limited hours, but they are a local option and I appreciate it!

FYI- thread does go bad. I never knew till it happened to me. If you have mysterious machine trouble, make sure you're using thread that's less than 3 years old. Do I use older thread? Yes, yes I do, ALL THE TIME. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

𝗙𝗮𝗯𝗿𝗶𝗰 💸
https://fabricmartfabrics.com/ - great sales, deadstock, they'll ship via USPS flat rate but you do pay actual shipping so it can be a lot
https://shopfabscrap.org/ - more deadstock, free shipping is actually free
And then I buy a lot of spandex from specialty stores. I mostly sew apparel so I don't have many ideas for quilt fabric, I have gotten some good deals on fat quarter or half yard bundles at Etsy.

𝗦𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝗲𝗱𝗹𝗲𝘀 & 𝗔𝗰𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 🪡
I buy presser feet and things of that nature at eBay
https://www.sewingpartsonline.com guarantees that their replacement parts will fit the machines listed, and last time I checked shipping was reasonable.
𝘐 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘤𝘢𝘳𝘳𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘦𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘢𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥𝘭𝘦𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘧𝘦𝘸 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘣𝘰𝘣𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘴, 𝘴𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘯𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘦!

𝗥𝗶𝗯𝗯𝗼𝗻, 𝗯𝗶𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗽𝗲, 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗺, 𝗻𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 🎀
www.etsy.com (check to see where it's shipping from!)
Aliexpress or Temu if I have time to wait and I know what I'm looking for. Often I find the same stuff with the same photos as Etsy! I have had some misses, though.
https://www.biasbespoke.com/ for really high quality or specialty items, a little more expensive

𝗥𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗻𝗲𝘀 💎
YANRUO or QIAO stores on aliexpress
eBay

I'm not affiliated with any of these stores, nor making any money from recommending them. Also, I commented on a WAWAK social media post that their shipping to AK is outrageous, and they reached out to let me know they're working on it. 🤷‍♀️

Happy New Year, friends! Now that you're done with all your holiday sewing, is it time to send your machine out for a spa day? Get 'er running quiet and smooth like this old Kenmore. I'm consistently in awe of the pre-computer precision milling on vintage sewing machines. True craftsmanship from human hands.

ETA: she has been claimed!

If anyone in Sitka is interested in this free industrial sewing machine, let me know... to the best of the owner's knowledge it is functional, but I haven't looked at it. Straight stitch only. Tons of room for quilting!

Gift article.

How to Fix a Typewriter and Your Life (Gift Article) This is the story of how a man traded steady, grinding corporate security for a dying craft and, in the process, found his soul.

Well, I don't need a Featherweight, but you might! The Featherweight Shop is hands down the best resources for these wonderful little machines. I use their products when I service Featherweights, and they're my go-to for parts & information.