On Getting a New Machine

I work on my beloved Janome Sewist 521. It is a manual machine and the only sewing machine I have ever used, much less owned.

Many years ago, I arrived home after a difficult day to discover a box on my front porch.

My mother had sent me a sewing machine (this one!) out of the blue, thinking maybe it could lead to some fun days of creativity for me.

Bewildered, I called my mom to thank her and said, “But Mama, I don’t know anything about sewing machines. I don’t know how to sew, except maybe a button on a shirt.”

She replied with, “You don’t? Why not?”

I laughed and said to her, “Mama, if anyone was going to teach me, it would have been you. But you never taught me how, remember? You wanted other things for us.”

She laughed and said, “Oh that’s right. Well, go find someone to teach you.”

So I did. I took it in to a local quilt shop, told the owner my story, and as luck would have it, she agreed to teach me the basics.

Somehow my mother knew…I fell head over heels in love with quilting.

As I mentioned in a previous entry, I am ready for an upgrade to a more advanced machine; nevertheless, I will always love this one for many reasons: it’s a good work horse, reliable, and has served me beautifully over the years, despite its simplicity. And, my mother gifted it to me at a time when I didn’t even know I needed it.