Two wonderful people in my life worked at the same time to teach me how to sew. I was around 22 years old, in college for a vocation that was rendered obsolete the same year. (Long story.) My friend Marilyn was the one who promised me that I could in fact turn a massive pile of pink crepe-back satin into a Victorian ballgown, despite the pattern being 8 sizes too large and me being illiterate in the realm of pattern reading. My Gran was a bit more hands on approach and passed her 1960s Pink Singer Merritt down to me, along with an assortment of tools to use. Dressmaker's chalk. Several seam rippers (they like to disappear off the table for some reason). Straight pins. All kinds of things. But mostly the Singer.
I spent the next decade in sewing bliss. Until the day 18 months ago that the Merritt just wouldn't work anymore. I took it in for regular maintenance and everything, but still, after 40 years of service it gave up and wouldn't repair for anything. Even if the shop could have repaired it, it would have been a major overhaul and cost well over the price of a new machine. So I started looking around.
At first I thought I would go with another Singer. The Merritt had been so good to me. However, as I shopped around I discovered that the new Singers are... well... "They don't make things like they used to". (That's the nicest way I can think of to put it!)
When I explained my dilemma to the fine employees of our local sew-n-vac shop, they had just the answer. After a brief tutorial and an autograph, I was 258% sure that THIS is THE one that will last me forever. It has a metal inside body, housed in heavy duty plastic casing. This puppy and I are going to go a loooooooong way together. I am now the proud owner of this baby:
It has features I haven't even had time to try yet! I plan on studying the manual more this summer between the Hydrangea Festival and September Saturdays. I'd love to work some fancy top-stitching on some of my upcoming costumes! For now, it really does a great job. The bobbin system is brainlessly easy. Which is good, when my brain is elsewhere and I'm trying to thread the machine! I'm able to turn out a good number of Funky Friends soft toys in a reasonable time frame and I absolutely couldn't be a seamstress without my Janome! :)
Bought my very first sewing machine earlier this year and it is a Janome. So far we've got along just fine. I'm learning by trial and a lot of error how to use patterns, rippers and pins and together have created some random doublets. Nothing like leaping in the deep end.
ReplyDeleteWow - what a machine!
ReplyDeleteYour pink Singer is adorable!
ReplyDeleteI started sewing on my mother's Singer (from the 70s) and these days I use my husband's (from the 80s). When the current machine eventually kicks the bucket I dunno what I'm going to switch to. It would be weird not not use a Singer, but as you say, I've heard they aren't what they used to be.
~ Rhonda Parrish
That pink one is very pretty! I'm visting for the a-z challenge on my 'regular' blog but I do arts and crafts on my other one (which I am doing the 'Iron Craft Challenge' which you might enjoy next year!)http://nomesartsyfartsystuff.blogspot.com/
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