By Mary Elizabeth O’Toole
If your sewing machine is on the fritz, you need to call Rick Pehrsson in Lawrencetown. After retiring from a career spent fixing things, he discovered a passion for fixing sewing machines and learning each machine’s history.
I started learning about Pehrsson’s love for telling stories about old sewing machines after he fixed an old machine that I had found on the side of the road. When I picked it up, he gave me a whole history of the line of machines and the evolution of Japanese sewing machine industry. Next time I saw him, I learned about a manufacturer (Reynolds) who was losing competition with Singer so he packed up his whole operation and moved to Canada where he quickly applied for patents on everything he could think of to prevent Singer from setting up shop here.
Pehrsson started sewing machine repair when a family friend asked him to look at a flood-damaged machine. “The insides of a sewing machine are basically like a car, and I started fixing cars before I was old enough to drive,” he told me in an interview. “And the thing about sewing machines is they really have only one job – making the needle move. Of course, there are many ways that they make that happen.”
Pehrsson started working at 14 in a pulp mill, worked in salmon fishing in his native Campbell River, and operated a successful small business. While working in hospital security, he went back to school and became an Avionics Mechanic. He went on to do safety manuals, chemical analysis, and troubleshooting for big production plans. He ended up working for 35 years in a union shop doing oil and chemical plant construction, specializing in working at heights; “There were always new projects, new people; it was never boring.”
After he retired, Pehrsson was ready for a change of pace and scenery, so he and his wife, Wendy, moved to Nova Scotia, where he built his sewing machine repair business. He now has a growing personal collection with machines dating back to the 1880s. He works on both computerized and mechanical machines, though he admits to a strong preference for the latter. “
Part of the appeal is the story of each machine. “I love the process and the history,” he said. “When someone gives me a machine or brings one over for repair, I have to determine where and when it was made so I can source manuals or parts. Some established companies, like Singer, have online databases where you can type in the serial number and get extensive details. Other companies have more limited resources Sometimes there are no markings left on the machines and it can require a more intensive search.”
He has also taken on the challenge to do some sewing himself; “My wife said that if I am going to be repairing the machines, I should know how to use them, so I have made a few ‘manly’ quilts.”
Pehrsson is often given machines that are no longer being used. He frequently repairs and donates them to newcomers or other community members unable to afford a sewing machine. Some he keeps for hard-to-find-parts. He is also eager to help others to develop repair skills. “I would like to see sewers able to do more basic repairs themselves and it would be great to have people who want to come and learn how to do this. I want to make sure the skills aren’t lost.”
Rick Pehrsson does sewing machine maintenance as a hobby through Rickity Repairz. You can reach him at [email protected] or 780-298-5102. Wendy Pehrsson offers longarm quilting rental ([email protected]). You can bet that Rick keeps her machine purring.
