Greening Austin Daily

Craigslist Finds in Austin

21st October, 2010 - Posted by katherine - No Comments

A couple of weeks ago I got this sewing machine off of craigslist for $25.

I’m pretty excited about using it.  In buying this machine, I took the recommendation of Leslie, the owner of Stitch Lab (where I’ve taken a sewing class).  She has some tips online for picking out a good machine, including the following:  ”WARNING!!! At all costs, or temptation of low costs–please AVOID the new low-end Singers, Shark, Brothers and White machines. These are the ones offered by WalMart, Target, and the fabric store chains. These machines are very poorly and cheaply made and you do not want a bratty machine that causes constant problems. The Bernette is also a terrible machine and WAY expensive–not a good Bernina alternative. Trust me–an older used machine that has been dusted off and tuned up is quite often a far better machine than a brand new one.” 

So based on that advice, I figured that for a budget of $100, I would be better off buying a used machine from the 70′s or 80′s rather than a brand new one from Walmart.  I took it to Northwest Sewing Center on Burent for a tune up, and it works really well now!  I was able to get a good machine for a low price, and it was greener than buying a new plastic $100 machine, which probably wouldn’t last long anyway.

In other Craigslist news, I recently found out about Mustang Sallies, a business that takes old furniture and reupholsters and refinishes the pieces into very cool, one-of-a-kind pieces.  The prices are very reasonable too. Here is a picture of a vintage chair they repainted and reupholstered from this craigslist post.  If you follow them on facebook you can see more of their great work, or you can just serch on Craigslist for more of their stuff.

And finally, if I were a size 7 I would really want to get this shoe collection on Craigslist. 17 pairs of gently used shoes for $150!  So the next time you need something, try looking around on Craigslist for a good deal on used stuff – you can find some good deals and it’s greener than buying all new!