I discovered meggiecat late in 2006, after she had taken her site offline. 2008 sees her back again, and already the inspirational links are coming thick n quick. As the author says in her sidebar, ‘Snag it while you can for tomorrow it may be gone’.
I made this discovery while looking around for some sewing ideas. Why am I sewing? Well. I have entered a new realm of parenthood: the late-night last-minute costume dash.
It wasn’t that my son didn’t tell me that he needed one. It’s that I procrastinate. A lot. Any time I can. (I’m doing it now.)
Anyway, I hauled out Old Bertha, the 12kg Meister given to me many years ago by a friend who collects sewing machines like I collect…um…well, lots of things. Bertha has served me pretty well, but she has gotten much grumpier over the years. Maybe that’s because I haven’t been very good to her. No services, for instance, and slowly she began to rebel.
When I set her up at the dining table late Thursday night to start seaming, the very first thing she did was put her foot down. Literally. The foot lift lever snapped off at my touch and flew across the room. I had to sew with 
a little screwdriver at hand to reach back and lever up the foot.
She proceeded to refuse to wind new bobbins and although she continued to stitch, she was reluctant and eventually her pedal ceased communicating with the needle and I was reduced to turning the wheel by hand.
If Bertha had been slightly less weighty, I’d have chucked her out the window, frankly.
I survived the sewing experience, although not without extensively cursing the machine, myself, my total lack of sewing ability, my tendency toward—nay, my finely honed talent for—procrastination, my non-sewing mother*, my non-sewing grandmother, my sewing mother-in-law who lives too far away to come to my aid, my husband for being the dad and dads never have to make costumes do they, the 
theatre camp organisers, and the Home Ec teacher who tried and failed to teach me sewing. All very unfair, I know, but what can I say. In the end, anyway, Nathan did have a (mostly hand-sewn) costume for the big show.
Between then and now, I’ve thought about what I don’t like about Bertha: weighs a ton, slow to set up and break down, does not respond well to my lead foot on the pedal, noisy, bobbins hard to wind and new ones hard to find in shops, and always runs out of bobbin thread 3 cm from end of seam/project (though, OK, maybe not her fault—but still!).
Maybe a new machine was in order. I fossicked around eBay for a bit (finding one very nice-looking possibility) and then caught my breath and solicited advice from experienced sewing friends.
Jennie said,
I wouldn’t go for a portable myself…I would also go for a new one rather than second hand, as the dealers give you a lot of good stuff – bonus stuff if there’s a special offer on, lessons and a good warranty, plus parts and extra feet are more readily available. You can get a good entry level machine for about $250 -400 – have a look at a local sewing centre.
Liz said,
You could get your machine serviced ($60?) and get a new lever. Or get a ‘new’ second hand sewing machine. You can often get good machines at garage sales. Mine cost $25. All it needed was a clean and oil, and it’s a ripper!
Sarah said,
I don’t know much about sewing machines! Mine is 30 years old but it was hardly used when it given to me [she's lucky that way, I'm not surprised by this] so it works great!
Today I took all this on board. I took Bertha in to the local shop for a look-over and a service. But she’s old, and it turns out her parts are not cheaply replaced. Fixing her up and servicing would have been nearly half the cost of a new machine, and nearly the same as the little Lotus currently on eBay. Further, Bertha has no speed control, and I have a lead foot. Further, I cannot stand not knowing when the bobbin is about to run out, and it always does—so I’m pretty interested in clear bobbin plates.
So, I caved. Meet Hulda.
She’s pretty much the new model Bertha, but comparatively light, quiet, and she will let me watch the bobbin contents as well as sew very very slowly. (She was on sale, too.)
Back to my hunt for little tutorials on the web…!
*Sorry, Mom, I know it’s not your fault that you don’t sew, but no one escaped my wrath on the night of the costume drama (har). I know you will understand this and not, say, withhold that shipment of Koigu yarn that is probably still sitting on your desk? Right? You wouldn’t do that to me, would you? Mom?
