tool talk - sewing machine

I don't know how to sew.

There I said it. But it hasn't stopped me. My mom gave me this Featherweight as a hand-me-down. She's an amazing quilter, and wanted some special features. The Featherweight does one stitch style only, and has no bells or whistles. It's tiny and fits in a travel box with a handle. It's easy to use, easy to thread, easy to fix. It's why we were made for each other.

I began slowly enough, hemming pants, altering clothes that didn't fit, making cat toys and simple pouches. But as someone who has always loved fabric, and possessing a d.i.y. gene, I decided I could make other useful things, linens, quilts, bags, draft blockers, banners, the stuff of daily life.

We've had four good years together, and we're still going strong. Since my machine is a pre-1950 model and works perfectly, and I can come up with an endless list of items that I or my friends or my neighbors need or need repaired, I expect we have many years of working together to come.