No, not me, not yet anyway, but it's a close thing. Instead, it was the sewing machine my parents gave me when I was in highschool. Except for the few years I spent in Europe it went everywhere with me and was the only mechanical device I've ever been able to repair.. but not this time.The foot pedal has been getting really hot the last few years but my response for that was to stop using the machine while I took a break. My other solution was to sew the early scarves by hand but the hours it took spoiled the fun so after a while I got the machine adjusted for the silks and all has been well until now. I think a spring has broken because no matter what I try the stitches won't loop. There's a line of thread on top and one underneath but they never meet in the middle. I'd take it to be repaired but there's nobody around old enough to know how to fix it or have the parts in stock.
So I shopped for a new one and while I wait for delivery I'll do other things. Did you know they can cost thousands of dollars? If I spent $3k for a sewing machine I'd expect to be able to leave a pile of cloth on the table, close the door and return later to find my new outfit finished and a perfect fit. Damn. The one I chose cost $300, was marked down 50% and has a 25 year warranty but I'm still going to miss the old one. We were attached.
The picture is a close-up of a new scarf with one of my wrist cuffs sitting on top that says 'Quantum Mechanic'. Aren't we all?
(ps - It's not your eyes - they're intradimensional beads that don't like to be photographed.)
I agree, if I spent 3 grand on anything I would expect it to give me a happy ending as well as a new outfit.
ReplyDeleteWas it a Singer?
ReplyDeleteHi Utah - There I was fiddling with the wording in the background while you were reading. No, it was a Kenmore. This time I passed on the Singers and bought a Euro-Pro (better construction according to reviewers).
ReplyDeleteDid you get a digital sewing machine? I want to get one, too, but I'm confused to what you actually need to do basic stuff. I really don't want to be frustrated however, it needs to be user friendly. BTW - that scarf is going to be beautiful! I like the beaded cuff also.
ReplyDeleteA 25 year warranty? Wow. My old washer and dryer lasted for 36 years (they were original to this house when we bought it). The dryer we bought two years ago has been repaired twice. I hope all goes well with the new machine!
ReplyDeleteDang it. I hate when a beloved machine like that stops working. Fingers crossed the new one is as reliable.
ReplyDeleteShit, nothing works after 42 years anymore except the effects of quality substances on the noggin. Impressive.
ReplyDeleteNice scarf and wrist cuff. But I'm sure the proponents of planned obsolescence are not terribly happy with you right now.
ReplyDeleteIf you find one that will sew clothes for you would you post about it. I could use such a machine
ReplyDeleteI hope this new one lasts you 42 years. Happy sewing.
Not even the gadgets on my triumph cost $3K, Glad I don't ride a sewing machine! By the way, I'm looking for someone to make me a two-sided flag.
ReplyDeleteThe guy in my town closed his doors. His wife had thew quilt shop, he repaired sewing machines. they moved closer to the big city and have a limited hours shop, "call if you need anything, we'll bet back to you" type of a deal.
Lost arts. Sewing machine repair, cobbler, shaver repair, vaccuum repair, small appliance repair and someone to work on carburators. Should have gone to tech school!
lol - No, it's not digital and has no little lcd screen to look at - thank goodness. It's still going to be capable of more than my old one so I'm expecting a slight learning curve. Amazon and Epinions both have good reviews and might help you decide.
ReplyDeletebtw - Thanks. too bad you can't see the black jet button closure.
cdp - It might be older than 42 but I didn't want to date myself too much ;-)
lisa - Me too but then again, I'm not sure how long my personal warranty is now.
randal - One year a girl visitor asked if she could borrow it and when I went downstairs she was sewing up an 18' canvas tipi. Good drugs, good machine.
spartacus - I'm sure they're not but do I care? Do you? Stratocasters aren't like they was either.
belette - I used to sew couture and I may just do so again. One way or another I will let you know.. or even see :-)
spadoman - So are you looking for a good ol' flag of the US of Merka?.. or something else? I've limited myself to silk in recent years.
You're right though about finding anybody to repair anything. I remember advising my son to go ahead and get his degree in English literature and Renaissance theatre but to learn diesel engine mechanics so he'd be able to afford the books and comfy library he'd need later in life.
my hubby buys old typewriters and then learns everything he can about the company and product that produced it and repairs them if they need it and he is capable. He has machines that were built back in the 1930s that still work perfectly and he is intrigued by that. Buy something nowadays and you'll be lucky if it lasts 5 years!
ReplyDeleteliberality - It sounds like you have a very skilled husband. My husband has computer skills and music skills but no mechanical skills. I'm keeping my fingers crossed the new machine lasts as long as my interest in sewing.
ReplyDeletei have the treadle sewing machine my grandmother bought second hand way back when. my dad learned to sew on it as a boy, and as a young man, repaired his farm coveralls on it. and it still works fine..... i'm guessing it's close to 80 years old. it's been promised to my daughter. but during the time that i've had that old standby (which was all i had a-tall during the years in the Yukon bush) i've worn out several electric machines. i'm currently using an old, refurbished Husquevarna. ...no, it's not a chain saw, it's a sewing machine.... that speaks norwegian.
ReplyDeleteAnd after three nights of leaving the $3K machine with piles of cloth, and finding newly sewn clothes in the morning, the king television married the sewing machine, and made her his queen. And all went well until the queen had their first child, a stairmaster with built in video, and a little man showed up at court one day announcing that the exercise machine was his, unless the queen could tell him his name...
ReplyDeletei'm cynical. i can't help it. when there is a 25 year warranty, i think there *has* to be a catch. the company goes out of business, changes it's business name, restructures, moves, it's always something. you find that you have to fly the sewing machine to romania for repairs, and shipping costs more than the worth of the machine. plus you have to insure it and pack it in the original packaging. who keeps the packaging? oh, and you have to keep the receipt too. which takes me exactly 25 years and 1 day to find.
ReplyDeletegfid - I've never owned a treadle but a friend of mine had one that was very nice to work with. They never did come up with a portable version and I've had far too much to carry around over the years - including three huge trunks filled with fabrics, lace, ribbons, buttons and all the bits. I'm not planning to start over with all that :-)
ReplyDeletesteve - I see you picked up on the image I was trying to imply. Looks like it worked :-)
sera - I feel the same way but all I'm asking of it is that it lasts as long as my inclination does.. or as long as I do. Damn mechanical contraptions.
I inherited my Granny's antique machine with the foot pedal (no electricity for this baby). I don't use it, of course, but I know what you mean about a sewing machine having special meaning. I can remember my Granny making lots of adorable little dresses for me and my dolls.
ReplyDeleteMy mum still has my grandmother's sewing machine (a singer with foot pedal). As far as I know it still works although I don't think she uses it any more.
ReplyDeleteI'm a little in awe of people who use sewing machines. When I was at school I spent every sewing lesson trying to learn how to thread the darn machine. My daughter (who seems to have an inate ability to make her own clothes - not my genes then) tried to show me, but I can't get the hang of it.
scarlet - There's just something magical about an old sewing machine. Maybe it's the feeling of comfort and stability it suggests.
ReplyDeleteleigh - I remember with dismay my mother trying to teach me to knit. She did fair isle while I never learned to hold tension for plain stitch. Well, I was only five but I gave it up for life.