One of the highest quality vintage sewing tables I have come across, is the Parsons sewing tables, which are solid wood, offer an electric sewing machine elevator lift, by just flipping a switch, and the version with room for a serger, uses a spring lift mechanism, which allows the user to pull the serger table out, and up, with almost no effort, until the table locks into the sewing position, creating an L shaped work surface, with serger to the left, sewing machine in front.
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| The Parson's table has the cream and red boxes full of buttons on top of it. To the left is another similar table, but it doesn't have a lift, it is just the standard swing up sewing machine table, but has built in drawers on the right side, like the Parson's table. |
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My first, and favorite Parson's table, has the pop up serger lift table, as well as the electric elevator lift, note under the Bernina 930, the red rubber coated electric lift SWITCH, to the right of the knee lift (notice there is an opening cut specifically to accomodate the knee lift, when the 930 machine bed, is lowered to be even with the table top. To raise entire machine to sit on top of table, you remove the knee lift, then raise table, then re attach the knee lift.) Notice the door closures are magnetic, and there is a wood plate for the pedal to sit on. I don't know if the 2 wood slats on the bottom were original to the cabinet, or added by the previous owner, I assume they are original. There is a great work surface to the right of the sewing machine table, but I had a pile of sewing projects cut out and stacked there, when I needed to take these photos, before selling my Bernina 930 to pay medical bills. There is room for the manual to be stored on the shelf which sits below the serger lift table, when it is pushed down, and back into the cabinet.
TO LOWER SPRING LOADED PARSON'S SERGER TABLE, LIFT UP, IT RELEASES THE LOCKS, THEN YOU PUSH DOWN, AND IT WILL PULL ITSELF BACK INTO THE CABINET. (The spring is so strong, however, for lifting the serger, that if the door isn't shut, and held closed magnetically, the serger table would push itself out and up, again, lol!)
NOTE- There is a hole for your power cords to go through, and for sewing machines, there is a small wire holder, and a hole in the electric sewing machine lift table, to allow your power cords to be protected from being pinched in the lift, when the table raises to the top. When you lower the machine, it has an automatic stop button, inside the table, which tells it where to stop, when putting the machine down, using the electric elevator. |
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| My PekiChihuahua, Pinkie is helping me! LOL! The cardboard free arm "table" is one I cut for myself, so I can pretend it is a flatbed machine, since I received this table second hand, I did not receive the wood insert which is normally cut specifically for the sewing machine that was sold to go with the table, when new. You can have a wood or plexiglass table insert cut to fit any machine. |
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The Parson's serger table as it is coming out, the springs allow it to push out, then up, the spring loaded serger lift table locks into position when it gets level with the top, it goes up, about 1/2 inch, above table level, then locks into position. If you lift it up again, it unlocks, then you can push it down, and back into the cupboard. (MAKE SURE YOU DON'T ALLOW YOUR ELECTRIC CORDS TO GET TANGLED IN THE SCISSOR LIFT SPRING MECHANISM, IT CAN CUT THEM. )
NOTE- 2 sturdy drawers pull out from under the serger table storage area.
ORIGINALLY, there was a plastic thread holder for serger threads, attached to the inside of the door, however, the previous owner removed it, before I acquired the table. |
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| The side door is open, to allow the serger pop up table to come out, and be lifted up into sewing position. I LOVED having this table in my living room, at our previous, tiny 2 bedroom home, I have my sewing notions organized in the tall stack of red and clear plastic drawers, next to the table, and under the mirror on the wall on the left, I have a melamine top folding table, which I can pull out either half the table, or the entire table, to set it up for cutting out fabric. This was the ULTIMATE SEWING SETUP FOR A SMALL HOUSE! (Note thread rack on wall hiding behind my stack of cut out sewing projects, covered with black fabric, for the photos. I have an adjustable light, which you can see the stand behind the Bernina, made it easy to focus light where I wanted it, when sewing. |
Second hand, owners don't always receive the wood insert to cover the machine cutout, or the freearm table insert, depending on how, and where you find your Parsons table.
More special features include sturdy, easy pull drawers, and the inside of the doors, often have a handy plastic thread, scissors, and pattern organizer! I need to find better photos of the serger/sewing machine combination table, I have a photo of it from many years, ago on the blog heading, with the BabyLock Evolve, and my old Bernina 930, shown on it, beforeI had to sell my Bernina,to pay medical bills, but I'mblogging from my phone, and it isn't allowing me to use that one in this post, probably due to slow internet connecton, so I will add it later.
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Parsons tables thread, scissors,and pattern organizers on inner door. There are 4 slots for sliding scissors, snips, or shears, at the top, I keep a stiletto inone slot, to use wbile sewing.
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| Another Parsons cabinet, is hiding under a huge cutting mat, the top is opened to support the cutting mat surface. There is a white sewing machine cover blocking the side of the cabinet, in this photo, but it is a solid wood cabinet, that goes down to the floor, it does not have a cut out on the side. |
Another hidden luxury feature, is behind the bank of drawers, and under the closed top. A wood thread organizer is slid down behind the drawers, when the table is closed. It can only be accessed, when the top is opened. I have too much stuff on top of them to get photos of them, at the moment.
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| Parsons sewing machine only cabinets came in left hand and right hand versions, this has drawers on the right, machine on the left. The table top unfolds out to thesides, increasingsewingsurface, you flip the switch, to raise thesewing machine, automatically. |
High quality sewing tables, which make it quick and easy to get machines into the perfect working position, as well as make it easy to put them away, makes a huge difference in whether many people can sew. These were most often sold with top of the line Bernina or Pfaff, sewing machines, costing $800 to $1,200 when new, but as they have become available second hand, you can often find them from $100 to $500.
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| BabyLock Evolve shown on pop up serger table, of Parsons sewing machine and serger table. A dress manequin sits on top of the sewing table surface, to the left of the sewing machine table top. |
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| 2 drawers hide below the shelf for the serger table to pop back down to. Currently, an extra Montgomery Ward all metal zigzag sewing machine, and BabyLock Evolve accessessories bag, blocking me from putting my serger back down in the cupboard, but this way I don't have to pull it out, either. Please pardon my mess! I used painters tape to tape a shopping bag to the table in front of my serger, to catch my scraps, I can just throw the entire bag away, when it is full, but I folded it up out of the way for this photo of the drawers hidden under the serger spring lift table, in this fabulous Parson's Serger & Sewing Machine Lift Table combination! |
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| Parsons top drawer has a few bobbin or thread spoolpins, as well. Drawers are very solid, REAL wood plywood and high quality, easy sliding, NO PARTICLE BOARD HERE! For anyone who doesn't know this, plywood is stronger, and stays straighter, than a piece of solid wood which has not been cut and pressure glued in different directions, to create a more stable piece of wood. Plain wood, often curves, especially in areas of high humidity. (My solid wood Necchi Sewing table has the side of the large deep bottom drawer, which was dovetailed, even, but in NC humidity the side of my drawer has curved outward! Parson's table won't do this, thanks to higher quality construction.) |
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| Parson's Pop Up Serger & Sewing Machine Electric lift table |
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This is the large Parsons Sewing machine and serger table, with the left side spring loaded serger table popped up, into sewing position, with the BabyLock Evolve coverstitch serger combination machine on it, the RIGHT side, with the electric lift, for the sewing machine, this door is currently closed, showing the beautiful cabinetry of these solid wood cabinets. This table is longer than the plain sewing machine lift tables, of course!
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Sewing Machine table has an auto stop button to tell when machine should stop going down.
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