I recently experienced an amazing God wink. This is a story that is a few years in the making. A tale of faithfulness, patience and God’s perfect timing. It all fell into place at the Vintage Sewing Center and Museum.
Make yourself a cup of tea for this anecdotal thread is a worthy read.
Vintage Sewing Center and Museum
Disclaimer: Let me start out by apologizing that all the photos in this post were taken on my phone. I was not prepared to encounter the goodness that lay beyond this amazing handcrafted arch and gate. Had I known I would have taken my best Canon.
Three years ago WK Binger wanted to re-upholster his boat seat cushions and go fishing. Now a professional seamstress would know that such a task requires an industrial machine posessing the strength to handle such thick upholstery. But Mr. Binger had never sewn anything before. So as a birthday gift to himself he bought a $99 dollar machine at Joann’s. Within minutes of starting his project he was staring at a broken machine.
An experienced fabricator, he took the machine apart and saw what part needed to be replaced. So he went back to Joann’s. The same sales girl was baffled when he asked for a replacement part. She offered to just give him a new machine. There was no replacement part, she explained. This was, in essence, a throw-away machine. Binger didn’t want an entirely new machine he just needed one part. A customer at the cutting counter overheard the exchange and gave him a business card.
A Life-Changing Call
He went home and dialed the number of a longtime Singer sewing machine representative. The man on the phone recognized his distinctive voice. Binger had been the man’s arborist (tree surgeon) for over 25 years. He told him to come on over he had what he needed. The meeting would change WK Binger’s life.
He introduced Binger to the all-metal Singer sewing machine of yesteryear. Before plastic became the norm sewing machines were made to last. Like any good piece of machinery that is oft used replacement parts were available. This was a necessity as there was a time when most households owned a sewing machine just as most of us have a toaster or coffee maker today.
Lucy
The Singer representative had three machines. He told Binger to keep one and find homes for the other two. Binger’s first and still his dearest machine was christened “Lucy”. She would be the push of him falling into a very deep rabbit hole. Soon he was comparing various models by various makers. Now keep in mind sewing machines have been around for 170 years. Just like cars, new models were introduced regularly. To try and catalog every machine made… you can well imagine what a tremendous task this would be.
He also came to repair all the old girls like nobody’s business. Word soon spread.
On this needle strewn path he discovered a secret.
Most seamstresses often have more than one machine. But there is always a favorite. A beloved companion that has been an intricate part of their life and family. Sewing milestone prom dresses, bridal gowns, and baby saques while also mending the torn knees and pockets of everyday life.
But as their quilt of life reached the final binding stage the seamstresses often sadly found that no one in the family wanted their most prized possession.
Sewing machines started arriving on Mr. Binger’s porch. Some with short notes, a few with lengthy letters and occasionally, the heartbreak was so great they were left even without words.
Although Mr. Binger has an extensive base of friends he soon ran out of people to pass on and care for the machines he continued to receive.
So he joined a Facebook sewing group and discovered there was a collective passion for these metal and iron sided beauties. He asked questions and he listened. He inquired about museums.
While there were some “behind the glass” museums in Europe he could not locate the type of museum that he envisioned anywhere.
Hands-On
At the Vintage Sewing Center and Museum (VSCM or beloved “M” to his legions of fans), there are rows upon rows of machines all in working order. It is a place where an antique sewing machine capable of creating handmade lace can be taken off of the shelf so that an enchanted visitor can be instructed on how to use it. Binger wants to encourage people to learn to sew. To know how to repair vintage machines. It is truly a Mecca, a sacred space, where one can see antique machines that may not be viewed anywhere else in the world outside of a private collection.
Yes, there are a few machines in the museum so rare that only Mr. Binger handles them. He is a protector, a champion in every sense of the word. Indeed, even representatives of the Smithsonian have come calling to view his collection.
It is a true gift to peer over his shoulder and watch the magic unfold in a stitch 170 years in the making.
So go visit. Pay for the fully guided tour. I promise it is worth every penny.
You can feel good that most of the fee goes towards the maintenance of the machines and continued restoration of other machines that continue to arrive.
Part II, the God Wink, will be revealed on Friday. Here’s a sneak peek.
Beautiful things do indeed come together one stitch at a time.
Laura
Vintage Sewing Center and Museum
Hours: Tuesday Through Saturday 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
5528 S Peoria Ave
Tulsa, Oklahoma 74105
(918) 280-0161
Admission: $10 self-guided tour, $20 guided tour
Group tours and special events can be arranged. Children included.
WOW, your phone did an excellent job. You capture4 the essence of the M perfectly BUT you also leave us wanting more. My friends and I had the privilege of spending all day at the M and it was NOT enough time. WK Binger is man of many layers. Thank you for this. I do not know how many segments you will have but this BLOG is Publishing booklet material. Again, thank you for this and I will be looking forward to the next segment. Please post on the M when it is ready.
Oh wow, what a fun place.
Laura thank you for taking us on this mini tour. I am amazed by this collection . I could spend days just trying every machine. This is one of my favourite posts.
This is totally fabulous. I hope he is training someone to take over his role when it comes time to pass the baton. Or needle, as the case may be. I don’t even sew and I would be so fascinated by this. And I can’t wait for the Godwink!
hi laura, love this story. What a great tour your gave us! Thank you!
Need to go back and reread!
other laura
Hi Laura
Loved this post. I am not a seamstress (I wish I was ) but my mother-in-law was. She passed last year and she had 5 sewing machines that varied in age and working order. No one in the family wanted them either because they had their own or don’t sew. We tried selling them at the estate sale, no luck. Tried on Craigslist, Marketplace etc. No luck! When people did inquire they wanted them for next to nothing so we still have them. I really want to try to sew. I am going to start with some simple pillows and go from there.
If I am ever in Tulsa, I am stopping at this museum.
Thanks and can’t wait for the Godwink!
Thank you for providing such an awesome tour of the M. I have had the privilege of visiting one time (so far), but I have been following WK and his building of the museum since the Facebook page was created. He is truly a remarkable human being, one of a kind.
I would never know these were taken with your phone.
As I was reading this I was yelling in my head. I had my grandmother’s Singer metal sewing machine for 20 years. Broken, old rusted needle and almost still in the machine. I threw it out when we downsized 5 years ago. No one would buy it or wanted it and now I would ship it to him to keep.
I’m not exaggerating, because he would have looked after it. Can’t undo what’s been done.
You were certainly in your element. Happy you could enjoy.
Cindy
Loved this story!!
Gahh! You’re killing me with the suspense! What a cool place. I saw my first machine model I sewed on, starting in 9th grade. The one time I was truly surprised at Christmas was 2 yrs later, when my mother gifted me my very own Singer portable. I just passed it on to my oldest daughter last year in our purge. One of my sisters sewed on her MIL’s treadle machine, nearly 50 years ago. I can’t wait to hear the rest of your story, Laura.
Two of my mother’s great-uncles were inventors and worked at Singer and at New England Telephone (in an earlier incarnation.) Our cellar was full of old sewing machine treadles, crank wall phones in wooden boxes, etc. I think they got left at the house when we moved and it became a rental property – all were stolen.. Ah well…hope Mr Binger can keep up the good work.
Oh wow! I would love to visit this place! I don’t sew much any more, and sewing was never my greatest ability. But I do have fond memories of making maternity dresses, curtains, baby clothes, and the occasional dress. It’s so sad that machines are made to be thrown away as a whole rather than repaired. I don’t know that I’ll ever get to Tulsa, but if I do, this is one place I want to see. I’m eagerly awaiting “the rest of the story.”
I am so glad I happened upon your blog and learned about this. I still sew on my portable Kenmore I received as a Christmas gift from my father 50 years ago as a senior in high school. Our sewing machine repair shop closed down many years ago in our little town of Plant City, Florida but I discovered one of the shop owner’s descendants who had kept a garage full of parts and does tuneups/repairs. I was excited to get my machine a much needed tuneup–at a cost that was more than the original $69 price tag of the machine! Well worth it, I must add. Just thought you might be interested to know that there is someone else out there reviving old machines.
What a wonderful story Laura! That is definitely a place I would love to visit. I learned to sew on my mother’s 1950’s Singer. And when I was 11, I entered a drawing at a grocery store and won a machine. Talk about exciting! And I still have it. I went to work for a sewing machine dealer/quilt shop in the late 90’s until I retired in 2015 and bought a Pfaff which I absolutely LOVE. And then there’s 2 Singer Featherweights in the closet. Looking forward to hearing “the rest of the story” (as Paul Harvey used to say on the radio). By the way, my quilting friend says there is a great needlework store in Tulsa called The Silver Needle.
Thanks for this great story! I can’t believe this amazing museum is half a mile from my house and I never knew it! I will definitely be visiting.
Fascinating!
Amazing! I can smell the 3in1 oil and the wooden cases from here. There is a distinct smell that came from the machines. I grew up watching my mother sew on a hand-me-down treadle. I have one that was given to me by a friend of a friend. She couldn’t sew any more and wanted someone to have it who sewed. It was an early portable and has so many clever attachments.
Thank you for sharing this wonderful post!
what an amazing place! if I’m ever in Tulsa I need to remember to visit