BellaOnline Forums Hobbies and Crafts Sewing First Sewing Machine Stories

My first sewing machine was a JC Penny machine. I love it - and still have it although it is in its plastic case just sitting on a shelf... I bought it in 1989 when I was stationed at Beale AFB in California - thinking I would sew on my stripes and whatnot... I tried to make hair scrunchies and failed miserably so I put it up.... and only kept it just in case someone was over that could mend things for me.... I'm glad I kept it because I did a swap a few years ago on Craftster and the person I was paired up with only wanted sewn things - so I took out my machine and make nice with it... and have not looked back since..! I now am on my second embroidery machine (I now have a Janome MB-4) and I bought a new sewing machine a little over a year ago - a Janome MC4900QC which I do adore. Great machine to say the least! I now quilt and sew as much as I can - when I'm not crocheting. Being a crochet designer I have a hook in my hand most days!

I just got my first sewing machine for Christmas this last year from my mom. It's an old Singer machine that she found at a garage sale for $10.00, we got it refurbished and it works beautifully. She thought that I would only use it a little bit for some mending and hemming, but since Christmas, I have drafted a beach bag and sewed it from scratch, made a lined sundress, and now I am working on a blazer (by far the most confusing one yet!). What fun!

My first was a Singer treadle too! Very similar to busokelo's above. It had a heavy wooden cabinet that the machine dropped down into with little drawers on each side. Miss Martha Butler, great grandma to my best friend was throwing it out. I was 11. I talked my mom into buying it for me for the astronomical price of $12.00. At first she said no, but I begged and pleaded so much she got it. After a year or two I was making dresses for her as well as myself. A very good investment indeed. I love the antique Singers with the gold foil writing. Just beautiful...

My first sewing machine was a singer portable that I got for Christmas in 1982. I don't use it much as I now have a featherweight, but I still have it. My daughter is wanting a sewing machine and I was thinking of passing it on to her.

For my 18th birthday, my mom gave me the choice of taking her old machine or getting a new one. I chose her old machine, a Pfaff 230 automatic. Mom had purchased it when she was in high school (late '50s) and it was considered Top-of-the-Line at the time. It folds down into the cabinet and can do all sorts of fancy stitches with two needles. Since I already knew how to use it, I opted to take that instead of a new machine. I still have the Pfaff, although I've purchased a Sears Kenmore portable as well-- it's MUCH lighter and easier to haul around the house. ;-) I'm starting to teach my daughter to sew now ... hmmm... maybe she'll opt to take my Kenmore so I can get a new machine... Ha!