My machine

I work at an urban high school, and it's a pretty stressful job.  My husband is a stay-at-home dad and also works part-time at a bookstore, so there are nights that he's not home.  On those nights, when I'm stressed out and frazzled, this is the most relaxing sight I can see.

I took a leap and put my modern sewing machine up on a shelf.  I've been using my vintage machine exclusively for a couple of weeks.  I adore everything about it.

I adore its power.  I love how it powers through layers of quilting cotton, denim, or anything else I can throw at it.  I love the complicated path the upper thread takes through the machine.

I marvel at its tight, tiny, perfect stitches.  I love how I can drop the feed dogs and let up the tension on the foot and do free motion quilting.  I appreciate its quiet motor...especially when I'm sewing at 9 PM since my sewing area is right under my son's bedroom.  And I adore how I can do simple repairs and parts replacements.

And I really love the fact that someone else used and loved this machine before me, and now I'm continuing to take care of something that mattered to someone.  I wish I could know who she was and what she made.

I still want to keep my modern sewing machine...someday I'll get over my shyness and attend one of the sew days for my local modern quilt guild, and this machine is too heavy to lug around.  But at home I love using this machine.