We do a lot of service and repair work on sewing machines from schools & colleges. Almost every week we have 20 or more machines in our workshop which we’ve collected from a school. Our normal turnaround time is usually 5 days – we collect on a Monday, service and repair the machines and then return them on a Thursday or Friday.
Our busiest time for ‘schools service’, is during the summer half term holidays. Textiles teachers throughout our region (northwest England) book us 12 months in advance to collect their machines for their annual service.
Last year, 2010, I collected just short or 600 sewing machines from local schools and colleges. That’s about 3 weeks of driving from Blackpool to Macclesfield – Glossop to almost north Wales and all points inbetween. (Half way through, I always notice the trousers getting looser, as I shed the pounds!).
The last few years have seen dozens of new Academy schools sprouting up, and they look very impressive, but the textiles room is sometimes half a mile away from the office – or at least it seems that way when you are carrying 30 machines back to the van.
So, after delivering a dozen or so new Bernina and Janome sewing machines to a local school, I called into a nearby garden centre and found a solution.
Sewing machine trolley
I’ve tried all kinds of trolleys and trucks before, but I think this one is perfect. It’s light enough to haul in and out of the van and it takes several sewing machines and overlockers without a problem.
Six sewing machines, in one go!
First call to try it out was Deanery High School, in Wigan.
The 26 sewing machines, embroidery machines and overlockers were transported back to the van in just a few, easy, trips.
So, this time round it was an easy job and I soon had the van loaded up and ready to go.
Van loaded with sewing machines
