Sewing: A Tale of Equal Opportunity Machine Purchases

I haven't mentioned much about one of my favorite things to do--sew. From the time I was little, anything done with a needle and thread (and needle and yarn, but that's another story) has lured me in. My Mom made all my clothes when I was young, and they were beautifully done. We had very little money, so Mom would peruse catalogs and store windows and then make me similar dresses. Ruffles, piping, ties, lace edging, all done on a straight stitch Singer 301 my Dad bought for her.

My early sewing was done by hand and I longed to use the Singer. When I was about eleven, I had to have a number of teeth pulled to make room in my mouth before I got braces. Dad took me to the dentist, and when we came home, as a reward, he opened up Mom's machine and showed me how to use it. Forget my mouth stuffed with gauze--I was in heaven! And thus began a love affair with sewing machines that continues to this day. I've been blessed to have wonderful machines. Mom and Dad got me a Singer Touch and Sew for a wedding present and I used it to make many clothes for both Matt and Ann--it was the era of knits so I was able to make t-shirts, shorts, sweats, etc., as well as dresses and pajamas. It was my therapy! One thing that stayed done, in contrast to the laundry, dishes, and housecleaning. :-)

My next machine was a Viking that had needle up/down, the ability to change needle position, and other amazing features. (Should I tell you I sold the twenty or so pieces of sterling silverware I had to help pay for it? I did and I've never regretted it!) I loved it and kept right on stitching. I used this machine to make my first quilt.

My next machine was a Pfaff 1475. My mother-in-law had always been a Pfaff fan and after she died, I decided to buy one in honor of her. I loved the built-in even-feed foot and it had an amazing number of stitches including some embroidery-like ones. I still have this machine and for certain things, there is nothing better. I will never part with it.

My next purchase was a Deco 600 embroidery machine and it was a gem. That little machine stitched out hundreds of designs with never a whimper. It's pretty much retired now, but I know I could get it out and away it would go. I longed for a bigger stitching field and so purchased a Brother ULT 2002, in part because it came with many Disney designs and took the same embroidery cards the Deco used.

My latest purchase is a Bernina Artista 200, upgraded to a 730. It's a great machine and I plan on using it for a long, long time. It sits out in my sewing room, along with the Brother ULT, the Pfaff, and my Bernina 2000D serger. I also have the Handi-Quilter HQ-16 and am fortunate enough to have space for it in the same room.

I'm a long way from my Mom's trusty Singer 301 in the cabinet in the living room. I know how blessed I am to have these great machines with which I can create anything I can dream of.

Singer, Viking, Pfaff, Brother, Bernina...they all sing my name when they stitch and they're singin' my song!


Pictured above is a table topper I made for my Mom's last birthday. It's called Taco Salad and is in Terry Atkinson's book Let's Do Lunch. I quilted it using the BSR on my 200/730.