(click to open a link to download a PDF file of the story)

Anyhow, my sister-in-law’s sister has worked in the paranormal field. So, over the years, I've heard various accounts of of spirits attaching themselves to objects. I often wondered if a spirit would stick with an old sewing machine. Another sister-in-law, on the other side of the family, actually goes on ghost hunts and has some sort of certification as a ghost hunter. Oddly enough, she’s also mentioned the idea of a spirit attaching itself to a sewing machine.  All of this is more than enough fodder for my imagination!

Durring the holiday festivities, the subject came up again, and I mentioned that I thought it would be really cool if I had a ghost with one of my old, classic sewing machines. My mother-in-law was really surprised by this. “You really want a ghost in your house? Aren’t you afraid something bad would happen?”

I told her that if a spirit felt strongly enough about a sewing machine to stay with it in the after life, I wasn’t the least bit worried. I think we would get along just fine. Hey, my house would be the mother load for a ghost that loved classic sewing machines!

Now, you've probably figured out by now that this must be leading somewhere .......So here we go...the tale:

I recently received a request for a refurbished Singer 66, but I didn’t have any that were ready, so through my workshop/utility room and out to the attached garage I went.  I pulled an “attic fresh” 66 off the shelf and lugged it inside.  As I was working on it, I discovered that I needed a part. OK, back  out to the garage to get another 66 so I could "borrow" the needed part from it.

So, now , there I was... over in the corner, at my work area, wrenching away on these machines.  Then it happened......The door between the garage and the workroom opens up.  Naturally, I turn to see which one of the kids is coming home….nobody walks through the door….hmmm… I get up and look into the garage.  All the doors are shut out there, the lights are off, and nobody is there. Hmmm… again.  

By now, at least two of the dogs are standing in the utility room to see who's is coming home as well.  Hubby is in the adjacent family room watching TV.   “That’s weird. Nobody’s there.”, I said out loud.

Just as I was thinking it, I hear my husband in the family room say, “Well, it looks like you’ve got your sewing machine ghost now.”

I certainly can’t say it was a ghost, but it was really one of the weirdest things to happen around here in a long time. I can't help but wonder....... which Singer 66 the suspected spirit might have attached itself to? Will it stay with the machine as I ship it, or will it find another machine it likes better? - there’s plenty to chose from over here, that’s for sure!