week 44 in my “this is where i am from” year long project:
My Mother’s sewing machine. A White Rotary, I think it was a wedding present. It’s the machine I watched her sew curtains and clothes and dolls and toys on. It’s the machine I learned to sew on and it’s the machine I sew on today. And because it’s almost Halloween I’ll tell you a spooky and entirely true story about it:
In December of 2006 I had just begun my solo enterprise – I had lots of orders and deadlines and on the eve of one of those very important deadlines I was still sewing furiously very late at night. With a long way still to go the machine suddenly stopped and a chunk of metal rocketed past my face. I found it across the room – an essential part of the machine – no sewing without it – and it was broken. I tried to fix it but nothing worked. I have a drawer full of bits and pieces that I saved from my Father’s workshop, things I used in dioramas and assemblages – bits of metal and rubber, knobs, washers, gears, springs etc. I thought maybe I could cobble some temporary solution together from those. Another hour of frustration and no luck at all. Exhausted, defeated and ready to give up I pushed the drawer closed and it stuck halfway, I pushed again and it stuck again, I pulled and it stuck. I gave a great big angry pull and the drawer flew out and what had caused it to stick also flew out and landed in my lap: to my amazement and disbelief it was a replacement for the broken sewing machine part – the exact part – identical but for the color. Not similar, not “good enough” the EXACT PART in perfect condition. I snapped it in and it worked beautifully, that night and all the nights and days that have followed.
The End.
A nice story. 🙂
What a wonderful affirmation of the path you’ve chosen…
Awesome!
Your story is lovely. I learned to sew on mom’s black & gold Singer and recently had grandma’s early Singer repaired for my aunt to be able to sew with it. I imagine that Williamsburg, Bklyn hummed with the sound of sewing machines back in their day.
That is a great story!
Sonya
I always sewed on machines much older than me. Then in the early 2000’s while living away from home I bought a good new machine. Sewing was never easier. Now I am living away from that younger machine. I am back to another old machine and I have a lot of sewing to do. If I had the coin I would buy a new machine, a good machine. Once you go new it’s had to go old.
Love this story!!! What a relief!!
Wow, what an amazing story….thank you for all that you do, share and for who you are!
Cheers,
Nicole
Thank you! Your story made me smile :o)
I am also a crafter. My grandmother taught me how to sew on her treadle sewing machine when I was 12 years old. She bought a “new” electric sewing machine and gave that to me over 35 years ago. I have sewn clothing and my craft projects on that machine ever since! You blog about your grandmother’s sewing machine brought me to tears. Every time I use that machine, I have memories of my grandmother and the tiny home she lived in. Thank you!