Friday: sewing machine

I bought a new sewing machine today. :)

I've been thinking about it for a little while.  My Singer has been really good to me, and I wanted to make sure that I really "needed" a new one.  Yesterday I went to the local dealer to take a look, and there was one in my price range that had a bunch of cool features.  I went home to check out the reviews on line.

There was nothing terrible about the machine, although there were several other brands that seem more highly recommended.  That being said, two things helped make the decision.  1) The dealer is local.  I don't really want to drive to Grand Rapids to drop off and then pick up the machine for any servicing.  And I like Field's Fabrics...they've been really good in the past.  2) Several reviews said it was quiet.  Ben is often talking with friends in the room that I'm sewing and the Singer is loud.  He's been really nice about it, but...

So I picked it up today.  I also grabbed a new 1/4" foot to go with it.  It has an automatic thread cutter, a knee bar, and a button can start/stop the sewing instead of a foot pedal.  I'm still trying to decide when and how to use these features, but they're definitely nice.  And it is very quiet.  Oh, and one of the main reasons...it is strong.  The feed dogs on the Singer either stopped working or I just realized that they don't work well when going over bulky seams.  It is something that could have maybe been repaired.  But I decided to upgrade instead.

I'm keeping the Singer around, because who knows when I might need another machine.  (But if Isaac gets interested in sewing he'll want the new one because he likes to push the buttons.  He was so disappointed today at the store when I said we weren't going to do that today.)