A New Sewing Experience.

I had a sewing machine/repair store look at my broken machine. The pedal is fine, so they figure it's a problem with the motor or the circuit board on the motor. That's all they could tell me without totally taking it apart (and charging for the labor). They estimate that it would cost $100-250 to fix, IF they can even get the parts for it (that's a pretty hefty if, I think).

For now I am using one of my mom's old machines, a Bernina Favorit. It was apparently given to us by a great-aunt of mine who had some kind of sewing and/or fabric business. It was actually the machine that I learned to sew on. Back then, I was under the impression that the machine barely worked. Seemed like it was constantly skipping stitches or getting the thread all jammed up. It works fine now, so I guess the truth is that I was incompetent. And it comes with all these nifty feet that I've never used before. I certainly don't think they're necessary--I've put in plenty of nice-looking zippers without a zipper foot, for example. But I'm excited to see if they make some things a little easier.

However, there are a lot of things I don't like about this machine. It's the kind that's built into a table (I said it was old). That's annoying because I can't take it anywhere else, and it's set farther back on the table than I like to work with, so I have to lean forward uncomfortably the entire time I'm sewing. It's made of white-painted metal with a very shiny needleplate. Of itself, that's not a crime, but the light from the bulb just above the needle glares horribly off the metal and gives me a bad headache if I spend too many hours sewing. Plus it's in a very small and crowded room, with about two square feet of space for the bulk of the thing being sewn to be on while it's being sewn. If I'm sewing something huge, I don't know how I will manage the large masses of fabric that simply won't fit into the tiny bit of space to the left of and behind the machine. (Don't even ask why I couldn't put it to the right of the machine. Due to the configuration of how it all works, that's an idiotic question.) There are some other things too, but this is enough complaining.

Basically, I guess I will use this machine for the duration of my undetermined stay with my parents. If my life ever stops sucking and I get to live on my own again, I guess at that point I will buy a new machine. (But honestly I think the world will end before that happens.)