I have to post a picture of my trusty sewing machine. This baby has been with me since 1978 when I bought it used for $120.00. I went into the shop and said, "All I want is a machine that goes frontwards and backwards and does a zigzag. Whuddaya got?" I wonder how many miles I've logged on it since then. Anyway, it is solid metal; it weighs a ton; the manual is about 20 pages long and written in English only. I have dropped it a few times and never have had to have it serviced. Probably should but who does that kind of thing these days?Last year I came this close (see my fingers almost touching?) to buying a brand new Bernina and would have gotten a sweet deal BUT decided against it when my husband lost his job at CitiBank.
So today me and my machine (Kenny) went 250 yards together before I ran out of thread. Well ding-dang it! I needed to walk 3 miles for the program I am on to get in shape and shed some unwanted winter fat so I walked to Joann's and back. I will be able to finish the banners tomorrow....maybe Sunday. Notice how the finishing date keeps getting moved back and back and back?
You know what it was about the Bernina that I liked the best? Oh my gosh! Welcome to the new millennium....there is a button you can push and the threads get cut for you- front and back. Beautiful. Perfect every time. I know it does about $5,000.00 worth of other things as well but to me that was like some sort of wonderful magic. Alas! I'm back to threading the needle myself and -heaven help us- winding the bobbin on the top of the machine on the bent spindle that got that way when I dropped the whole thing narrowly missing my foot somewhere around 1982.
See you Monday.
7 comments:
Good for you. If it ain't broke don't fix it. Betcha the fancy new one wouldn't last 30 years trouble free.
Kenny must be the sib of my mom's Kenmore, which sewed a gazillion miles before being replaced with an Elna in the late 1960s. And that only happened because she'd opened a fabric shop and had become an Elna dealer.
Hoorah for mechanical stuff that still works!
Don't you just love these war horses. I Have a Bernina which i got new in 1976 whichonly ever needs to be delinted and oiled and loves new needles , and it seems to every thing.
Was given a new machine last year , still have the other , I think it has too many instructions and things that go ping.
Long live the things that are not disposible ..by the way I also have a Mixmaster which was my mothers so is somewhere near 60 years old weighs 2 ton and goes beautifully
Marjie,
Way back there in the process, did you wash/rinse the banners & backings? The pieces are so big -- I can't imagine!
I love hearing everyone's comments about "Kenny". I always come so close to chucking it and getting sucked into the clean, new, fancy, computerized models but just can't quite do it. Maybe if it totally collapses, and I have to I will.
Suzanne-the backings were rinsed and dried but the dyed panels do not get washed. The painted on dyes remain as they are. They are steam set with the iron and because they are never worn or used as a utiltarian object they do not require rinsing! If they ever need cleaning in the future, they can be vacuumed and/or dry cleaned if absolutley necessary. This is art and art doesn't get put in the washer. :-)
Thanks for your answer. I was wondering about the long-term effect of the chems (weakening the fabric).
I'll have to remember that art doesn't go in the washer. In case I ever get to the 'art' stage ;-)
M - Thanks for sharing this project; it reminds me that even professional have "mess ups." It is gorgeous, and the church will be able to enjoy this for years to come.
I know an 85-yr old woman who decided to learn to quilt. Her daughter bought her a new, fancy machine. She doesn't care for it, and is going back to her old 1930s/40s vintage Singer. If you only want forward and backwards (and maybe a zig-zag) what's the point of getting more machine than you need?
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