So I Smiled at My Brother, and He Smiled Back

  So, the other day I took a break from crocheting and cleaned the kitchen did a few other things. I started by sitting at the sewing machine. I almost stood right back up and walked away. I have a love/hate relationship with those things. I love the idea of all the wonderful things that can be done with a sewing machine, but I just don't have the patience to deal with the mechanics of it all - the bobbins, the threading, the breaking, the fixing, etc. I've had some recent bad experiences with sewing machines you see.

 

About 3 or 4 years ago I bought a nice little Kenmore machine. I spent more money than I wanted but this one got good reviews, seemed to have all the nice little bells and whistles without having too many of them and I needed a new machine. But after using it several times, something inside the bobbin casing/area broke. I took it in for repairs and after an obscene amount of money exchanged hands - half what I paid for the thing, it was fixed. I used it maybe twice more and it broke again. So, I said "Screw it!" and did no sewing for a year or so.

And the mending piled up and up and up. And I stuffed it into the closet. And sometime someone would say, "where is that shirt I needed sewn?" or "Where are those pants that were too long?" And I would just shrug and pretent I had no idea. Occasionally I would pull something out and sew it with a needle and thread but really, who has time for that?

So then, one day a few months ago I was walking through Walmart and saw this Brother sewing machine in the aisle advertised for $40. I glared at it for a bit and it just smiled back blandly. I circle around it, pretending not to look, but keeping a close eye with my peripheral vision, watching and waiting for it to give me the finger, or lunge, or smirk at me.

But it didn't. It continued to sit with a small pleasant smile, laid back and comfortable. So I turned my back on it, then whirled back quick trying to catch it in some dastardly act. But no, it remained calm
and pleasant.

So I approached cautiously and laid my hands on it's back. It actually arched it's back happily and purred! When it rubbed it's bobbin on me I was hooked. I figured for $40, if it broke, I could throw it out, vow off sewing forever and not feel like I was screwed over too badly (unlike the Kenmore debacle).

So I bought it, brought it home and left it in the box for a couple of months. It never once complained.

One day I took it out, threaded it up and let Sweet Pea give it a go. Everything worked swimmingly.
And then, just the other day I got up the nerve to give it a whirl. It took me about 20 minutes to find the manual and get it threaded up, but after that it was smooth sailing. I had a denim skirt that was floor length that just looked ridiculous every time I put it on, so I chopped off six inches and sewed up a hem. So far so good.

I have no plans on making anything complicated any time soon, but as long as the darn thing doesn't break and lets me sew up simple seams once in a while, I'll be happy.

And I smiled at my Brother, and he smiled back and winked. I think we may get along fine.
Quack!