So, I got ahold of a used sewing machine over the weekend, which was excellent, as I've been hand-sewing everything for a while now. I don't mind hand sewing, and I even enjoy it on small projects, but since I'm putting together heavy drapes for the windows (I'm trying to keep the gas bill down this year...) stitching by hand just isn't the answer. And I always enjoyed machine sewing as well; Bummy started teaching me when I was very young, and I was reminded again of how much fun it was when I did a quick job putting together a sash for my wedding dress.

Sadly, the machine I got didn't last; we took it apart and oiled it first thing, worked the gears by hand to make sure they weren't frozen, and did pretty much everything you cando without specialized knowledge, and I managed one drape before the motor started to fail. The Owlvark (who has his own blog now, by the way) figures that there was something inside the motor that was frozen or rusted, which it had to work against, and finally gave up after being under too much load. By the end of the drape I managed to get done it was definitely struggling.

Currently, I'm browsing the 'net looking at new sewing machines. Well, new to me, anyway, as I keep finding older used models that look much more useful than new ones do. I don't need a machine with a computer in it; I need it to do some very basic sewing, not perform complex equations, and there's less to go wrong the less complicated it is. Also, I find the older models more aesthetically pleasing, although that's only a minor point. I'm quite liking the Husqvarnas that I've seen so far; there's actually a local dealer in Erie, but unless they do used ones I may browse Ebay a while longer.