Wednesday, June 10, 2009

Sewing Machine Q & A

The Sew, Mama, Sew! blog is celebrating Sewing Machine month over on their blog with helpful posts all about sewing machines as well as some fantastic giveaways! They put together a sewing machine questionnaire and I couldn't help but talk about mine...

What brand and model do you have?
Singer Stylist zig-zag sewing machine free-arm model 834

How long have you had it?
My mom handed it down to me about a year ago. But its from 1980. She’s a tad bit older than I am!

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?
30 years ago it cost under $200.00. Now maybe it’s worth lots more (hey, it’s an antique, isn’t it?)

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)? Oven mitts, dish drying towels, ironing board covers for our Etsy shop. But sometimes I have to repair my fur babies’ toys. I have yet to find something that they can’t destroy! I’ve even been known to repair my husband’s jeans, but not very often. I’d rather be sewing my pretties than some old dog toy or ripped jeans!

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?
I sew only occasionly, although this machine was used a lot by my mom for the past 30 years! She made me many outfits throughout the years and the best Halloween costumes! I hope to sew more, but usually I’m busy picking out the fabrics and having my mom sew on her new machine.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?
I have not named her, but I think I should! My dress form has a name (Violet) so why shouldn’t my sewing machine? Hmm what goes well with Violet…

What features does your machine have that work well for you?
She’s pretty much a plain Jane but does have the ability to move the needle to the right or the left and sew that way, which comes in handy.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?
No, she’s a pretty quiet gal so I really can’t complain.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)?
The passing of this sewing machine from my mom to me was the catalyst that created our etsy shop. She gave me the machine when she got her new one and then we went fabric shopping, found the loveliest fabrics at Crafty Planet and the rest is history!

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?
I find her very trustworthy and loyal and a pretty easy one to operate, so I think she would be great for someone who doesn’t want to deal with all the fancy gadgets some of the new ones come with.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine? Be sure that you can get her serviced locally or you’ll be sorry!

Do you have a dream machine?
I do enjoy using my mom’s Huskylock Serger. I guess it’s the instant gratification of seeing that neatly stitched & trimmed seam. I can go really fast on it! It’s so much fun!


I hope you enjoyed my little interview about my sewing machine. Anyone have some name suggestions for this girl??

3 comments:

  1. How about "Hand me down Hazel", hee, hee! She's a good old gal, isn't she? I kinda miss her....

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  2. hand me downs are the best. My first sewing machine was my grandmothers. It died along time ago and I do not have much information about it other than it was one of those pop up ones. It looked like a normal bedstand but you could lift the lid of the stand and a sewing machine would pop up. It had a pump peddle a would only sew in a straight line...you had to hand crank backwards to start and finish a line of sewing. I soon graduated to a singer. Which I still use to this day.

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  3. you should definitely name yours sewing machine! this little interview was so funny and cute.

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