New sewing machine day!

I had the most amazing day of mail deliveries yesterday. I got a bunch of patterns I bought on sale, knit fabric for some new tops, cotton for a new skirt, all of the pdf patterns I ordered from a print shop, and my brand new sewing machine! I couldn't have timed that better if I tried.

She's not much to look at but I'm incredibly excited. I fussed over what kind of sewing machine to get for a long time. My old machine was a 20 year old beginner level Kenmore. I got that in college as a Christmas present after my mom took her really fancy and fantastic sewing machine back. That poor Kenmore was used to make a bunch of medieval reenactment gowns (SCA). Those Tudor gowns have 7 yards of fabric in a skirt so it went through a lot of abuse. Trying to get those massive skirts in upholstery weight fabric attached to a reinforced bodice was a bit much to ask of a beginner machine. I asked anyway.

The machine was starting to groan and complain about anything thicker than a couple sheets of cotton. It was also starting to have timing and tension issues. After 20 years of faithful service, it was time to look for something better suited to my habit of working in denim, canvas, and upholstery fabric. I really wanted to get something fancy and computerized but reality kicked in and I got the machine with the extra large motor.

This is a Singer 4452, one of their Heavy Duty models. That means a 60% larger motor and a metal frame. It's not fancy or automated but it sews like a dang beast. I was knocking out a straight hem last night and it screamed through the project. For what I do, being able to punch through thick fabric and travel in a straight line is the priority. Sure, automatic thread cutting and lettering would have been nice but this machine should hold up for 20 - 30 years and produce nice results. Who needs 6 kinds of button holes?

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