Twenty-two Years of Service

Ice and snow on the ground and the bitter cold have me locked inside like I am under house arrest. So, tired of cleaning out closets and cupboards, I escape to my sewing lair. I suppose I could have mopped again and vacuumed up the ever present dog hair.

But, I was in a creative mood, having already made a deal with myself to finish at least 3 projects under construction before trying a new one. I turned on the space heater and my SAD light. Filled my insulated cup with Dr. Pepper 10 and was all set to enjoy an afternoon with my best friend, my sewing machine.

This particular machine is the one I refer to as "new". Because I still have the "old" machine it replaced after many long years of use. I even took it to a repair facility and was told it could not be resuscitated. So, why I still have it in my possession is truly a mystery. I still have my mother's sewing machine, the one I learned to sew on when I was 14. It doesn't work either and weighs more than I do (okay, maybe I exaggerate, but it is heavy). My over-lock machine is among the dead machines that adorn my space also. I am sentimental, I suppose. I did have another machine that I liked to keep threaded with white. I would do all my hems and straight line sewing on it. But that was back in the day when I had an enormous sewing room and kept 3 machines busy. I gave that one to my sweet granddaughter when she wanted to learn to sew.

My "new" machine has all sorts of specialty stitches and will also over-lock fabric edges and I know every nook and cranny of her. Just the other day I took her apart and blew out all the dust with canned air, then lovingly applied oil until she was humming with happiness. She has been my faithful companion for over 20 years. I sat down with her and dressed her with black thread, popped in a black bobbin and started a seam. She coughed and balked ..... I took the fabric away and re-threaded and tried again. She locked up and wouldn't move! I took her apart and squirted machine oil on her moving parts and begged her to come back to me. Her light went out. I checked all the connections. She is gone. My "new" machine. Gone forever. I am devastated.

No sewing projects were done today. I am in mourning. My 22 year old machine died today.