My Baby

I took my sewing machine into the repair shop today. The bobbin won't wind, and the poor baby needed a serious cleaning. My machine is a Singer Scholastic Model 717. The darling is probably older than I am. My mom bought it for $30 when my high school replaced all of their machines about ten years ago. So, there is a good chance that this is the machine that I learned to sew on in Mrs. Kaufman's 7th grade home ec. class. It could be the same machine I used to make those hideous "Class of '95" shorts I wore in 8th grade. I may have used it to sew a lovely Laura Ashley-style jumper and blouse when I was in high school. My machine is a dirty white color and has a green inset with gold flecks. It weighs a ton. (I nearly dropped it getting it out of the car at the repair shop.) It only sews straight stitches and does not have a button-holer

I have very strong feelings of attachment towards my machine. I did not realize this until I got a new machine. A light-weight white machine with lots of different stitches, a button-hole setting and more. Not an expensive machine, but a new one. I've been sewing purses for over a year now. I even designed my own pattern. I've given them as gifts, sold them on eBay and at a craft show. I was so excited to get a new machine and start making even more purses. That damn machine would not work. It kept stuffing all of my fabric down into the thing that holds the bobbin! I spent more time digging out the fabric and swearing at the machine than I did sewing! Finally, I took the thing back to WalMart and exchanged it for another one. with the exact same problems! It was taking me longer to make a purse with my new machine than it did with my old one! In desperation, I lugged out the old machine and started using it again. It faithfully chugged along at a rapid clip, and I whipped out a purse without any problems!

I am now completely in love with my Scholastic 717. It's a faithful, hardworking machine that doesn't give me a hard time. Unfortunately, back in November the bobbin-winder stopped working. Now, it is nearly impossible to use a machine if it can't wind it's own bobbin. After the headache I had with the new machine, I knew that I wanted to keep my 717 forever! I knew that I needed to get it serviced so that it would last forever. When the bobbin-winder quit working, I knew the time had come to take it to the doctor. With the holidays over, I finally had the time (and money) to take it in.

The people at the repair shop were so sweet! They complimented my baby and told me what a good sturdy machine it is. They told me that with proper care and maintenance it could last forever. They told me that the bobbin winder could be fixed. So, they're going to give it a tune-up and do some additional work on it. I can hardly wait to get it back so I can get back into the purse making business. I've already got some new designs floating around in my head that I can't wait to try out.

Isn't it funny that we can form such an attachment to an inanimate object? I don't feel this way about my microwave or my T.V. If one of them broke, I wouldn't hesitate to pitch it out and buy a new one. I don't even feel this way about any of my scrapbook tools. I definitely don't feel this way about my car, although I know that some people do form that kind of attachment with a car. Perhaps it's the idea that this machine allows me to create. It's made clothes and purses and Halloween costumes. There are definite memories that attach to this particular machine. It has it's own personality, and I know all its quirks. Truthfully, it's the only sewing machine that has ever worked right for me. I know how it works, and I don't want to relearn a new machine's quirks and foibles. (Kind of like my husband, really. I wouldn't want to have to relearn a new man, either!)

I'm so excited to get my machine back from the repair shop. I'm curious to see how a tune-up will affect it's performance. I hope it doesn't take long! I'm itching to stitch! LOL!