Love at First Sight

Occasionally I drool over the Singer Featherweights on Ebay.  How could I not, when I love to sew, and the Featherweight is considered one the the best sewing machines ever made?  But how can I justify it when I already have a working sewing machine?

Recently I walked into my friend T’s house and there sat a Singer Featherweight.  I’d never seen one in person before and I nearly had a fit right there in her dining room.  Turns out her grandmother originally bought it many years ago, then it passed to her mother, then to her.  What a beautiful story, and I could only dream to have a sewing machine that three generations of my family have sewn on.  (Hint family: look in your closets and attics for me.) So as we sat there talking about it, and I shared my secret love for the Featherweight, she offered to let me borrow it.

I runs like a dream.  It purrs when you stitch with it.  And it’s delightfully low-tech.  It has no buttons or fancy dials.  I am definitely what Gertie would call a “knob turner.” You can go forwards and backwards with it.  When I borrowed the Featherweight, the case was loaded with the original attachments, but I just didn’t have time to play with them all, although the ruffler was mighty tempting.

Overall, it was a pure delight to sew with.  I can imagine this is what owning a vintage car is all about.  Yes, you can get a new one, but it just wouldn’t be as much fun.  And while I cannot justify buying one now, someday I’ll be at an estate sale, yard sale, or the Goodwill, and I will spot one of those little cases from across the room, and my heart will pound with anticipation.  And it will only cost $50.  A girl can dream, right?  I have no doubt that one will come to me someday.

This week would be nice.  I mean, it is my birthday.