Beth Ferrier’s Blog

You can drive a screw into drywall with a hammer but when the mirror you hung there shatters on the floor, who is to blame?

People love old sewing machines because they are hammers. They do one, maybe two things pretty well and that’s just fine, because that’s all we expect them to do.

New machines are more like a chest of tools. They do lots of things, some with power, some with precision. Some of the tools are obvious and easy to understand and use. Other options require practice and special attachments. It’s up to us to choose the right tool for the job. And it’s up to us to learn how to use the tool correctly. It is only in understanding how a tool is designed to be used that we can best exploit it for our own needs.

I was watching a home improvement show yesterday while hand stitching a binding. They were building a deck. The beefy guys were slamming the screws into the decking while the 98 pound woman kept stripping the screw head. The star of the show taught the woman that finesse (slow the drill speed and concentrate on alignment) can win over power, and that if she *listened*, the tool would tell her what was required.

I just cringe when I hear folks brag that they’ve never taken their machine in for service. That’s like driving a car without changing the oil! I once heard woman proudly tell everyone in the class that she wasn’t one of those ninnies who fell for every new gimmick. No, her machine was 60 years old and she was STILL USING THE ORIGINAL NEEDLE!  I’ve had to keep a straight face while consoling a quilter heartbroken over the crumbling felt pad that she thought had belonged under the feed dogs.

I’m afraid if there were a SMPS (sewing machine protective services) many of us would have lost custody years ago. We neglect maintenance, we sew over pins, and we use cheap thread and the wrong needle. And then we blame the machine when our product isn’t what we desired.

Let’s make an appointment with the sewing machine shop. We can think of it as a hot date with a tool box counselor, someone who can help us remember all the wonderful things this machine can do for us. A tool is only as good as the person using it. Sure, sometimes there are lemons, but in truth that is very rare. We all have family members who make us miserable, we don’t need a sewing machine to make us miserable too! Let’s resolve to fall in love with our sewing machine again.