I haven’t been sewing much since getting back from Bali because my two machines have been in the hospital! I took both for servicing just before I left Halifax expecting them to be ready for me when I got back. Both were working well but I did have some small complaints with each: on the Brother quilting machine the thread cutter wasn’t raising the needle high enough to be in line with the presser foot; the buttonholes weren’t working well on the Pfaff CS embroidery machine. When I got back I picked up both machines – the “problems” were a bit more serious – the Brother is back in being fixed; I started piecing a new quilt on the Pfaff only to find it making noises (and the thread cutter wasn’t cutting the bobbin thread) – so it’s back in the shop.

That left me with my serger (which I don’t use for quilting), and my mother’s old Singer Featherweight. This machine is an heirloom. This one was manufactured in 1956. I had to replace the foot pedal and motor belt, but otherwise it’s the original machine and does it ever still sew nicely! I hauled it out yesterday so I could continue working on the quilt – I put a strip of blue masking tape on the bed to mark 1/4″ and I was set to go.

I haven’t used this machine myself since I got it – my mother gave it to my niece about a year before she died. I’d had it serviced at that point. My sister found it frustrating to use, couldn’t get the threading correct, so I bought her a mechanical low-end Brother machine (with a needle threader, top loading bobbin, and free arm) and I took the Singer.

I’m glad I just stashed it below one of my sewing tables – I will certainly use it more frequently because it sews a perfect straight seam. At one point I thought of putting it on Kijiji, but this machine is a keeper!