is it worth having an airlift in a sewing cabinet? kind of long....

Ok, here is the condensed version. Most of you know that I care for my FIL w/alzheimer's. If I spend too much time in my sewing room, which is downstairs in the finished basement, he gets weird because he cannot see me. I tried sewing on the dining table for a few days when hubby was out of town, but i just dont want to use that space when i need to clear room every night for dinner.
I have an older sauder sewing cabinet that I am not using at the moment, and that I promised to a friend when we did my sewing room and had no need for it (and she would completely understand if I needed to keep it for a while longer.
Sooooooo.... when I was perusing used sewing machines online a few days ago, I came across someone selling an Arrow sewing cabinet, Model Marilyn, in excellent condition (along with a Brother xv 1200). This has an airlift, and the footprint is small when closed - so I could make it work in my living room so that I can sew a bit more. The lowest price I have seen this model online is over $600!
They are asking $120 - including the brother sewing machine (very basic machine). My thinking is that even though I have a basic sewing cabinet that I could bring into the living room, it might be worth it to get this one with the airlift for ease of putting everything away... so I could actually do some piecing in the living room where FIL can see me...
If anyone owns this brand and has input I would love to hear it! Enablers welcome ;)

If it's only $120 and in good shape, I'd jump on it. Cabinets with the spring loaded shelf for storage don't come at that price either. If the shelf is air lifted and works. Go for it!

I agree with Denis! BUY it! I have that cabinet and love it! And if I lived closer, it would be a toss up who could buy it faster (just kidding but, really, I want another one)

buyit, buyit, goforit, goforit

If you don't buy it.... can I??? As I've aged, I've gotten weaker and think an air lift cabinet would be a dream come true. I have to leave my machine up all the time or get DD to put it down / away for me.

No hesitation, great find! Love my Koala table and the cost was over $1800. It will last me a lifetime and then some and is one of the best buys I ever made. I have started looking for a second table so I can use it for my Babylock when I get the Juki.

I'm enabling - sounds like a good working solution for you. :)

Bless you for taking care of your FIL. Could you put a recliner and TV in the basement for him so you could sew down there?

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Originally Posted by janbee

Bless you for taking care of your FIL. Could you put a recliner and TV in the basement for him so you could sew down there?

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Great suggestion, just not practical for us - Our house is a small ranch in which hubby finished the basement - we use every square inch of this house!! LOL Our basement is not really a 'basement' - it has hubby's office, my sewing room, our bedroom and bathroom, and the laundry/utility area (hubs did a lot of work when we bought it! ;))

oooh! I'd definitely get it if I were you. :)

Yep, have to agree with everyone else, I'd buy it at that price if everything worked.

I won a Horn sewing cabinet on Sale of the Century 40 odd years ago. The air lift is marvellous for getting everything to disappear in seconds especially when my grandson arrives.

Buy it!

I did get it :-) on the way home now, as it was 1 1/2 hour drive. It was a Rabbi who was selling it for his wife! I didn't even try to negotiate the price down :lol: The lift works great... we will wait a few days until we take the Christmas tree out, then put it in the living room :-) In the mean time, I will mess around with the sewing machine that was with it...

YAY! I am glad you got it!

I'm another one who thinks it is a great buy!! And kudos to you for taking care of your FIL. You are to be commended.

I've been messing with the brother machine that came with it. I really feel like it was a bonus because I was really after the table. Sews beautifully - very basic machine (vx-1120), but when I showed it to my daughter and said that it may be the one in the living room - she said she might use it! She was intimidated by my Viking the other day when she was sewing a baby blanket. I moved the needle to the right and it seems like it is a very nice scant 1/4" in that position with the regular foot... hmmm... I think she needs a name... I guess I need to name my machines now!

FWIW

You can buy an airlift separately. If you have a cabinet maker or a good woodworker in the family and a special table you want to use, putting an airlift in is a possibility.