I knew the day would eventually come and it looks like today is the day–I have to retire my first sewing machine ☹ It still works, but I can no longer use 90% of its stitch settings.

When I took my machine to get serviced several weeks ago, I was told it was only capable of sewing straight and select zig zag stitches and the cost of repair was pretty much equal to a brand-new machine. I didn’t think much of it since I also own a serger, and at the time my machine’s inability to create overcast stitches didn’t justify purchasing a new one. So, I was pretty bummed out when I realized that whatever broke my overcast stitches also impacts my machine’s ability to use a twin needle, which is a dealbreaker.

Shopping for clothes absolutely sucks, which is why I’ve tried setting this lofty goal of creating a wardrobe that is around 75% handmade. Between the inconsistent sizing, insane mark-ups just for polyester and shoddy craftmanship, I’m over ready to wear clothes. I’m also a perfectionist and I don’t want my clothes to scream homemade, so being able to use a twin needle is a must (imo, some people may disagree) for faking a cover stitch.

It feels like the end of an era since I’ve owned this machine for a little over 20 years now. I only recently picked up sewing again after ignoring this hobby throughout high school and a majority of my 20s (I blame college and ridiculously small rooms in NYC apartments, I cannot function under cluttered conditions). In a weird way I feel like I’ve let down my machine, despite its age it still seems a little early to call it quits given how infrequently I used it up until about four years ago.

I’m also frustrated because I was finally able to remove the mental hurdle from my mind that was preventing me from starting and finishing several projects, and now I’m back to square one. I do have my eyes on a new machine (well, I already bought it, because I was told it was in stock and I’m impatient, only to learn that it is backordered) so right now I’m trying to keep myself occupied with other sewing related tasks. I recently opened a Thread Loop account and I’ve been spending my time adding and uploading patterns to my stash. Which, I will say, has been enlightening because I discovered I have a pattern collection problem…but I guess one cannot truly claim this hobby if they don’t own a ridiculous fabric and/or pattern stash. I thought my aversion to clutter would at least curb any hoarding, but it turns out downloading PDF patterns every other month is the hack since I can’t physically see the patterns piling up.

My brain is just looking for something to keep itself occupied, and since I’ve grown bored of my last database overhaul (I transferred all of my clothes from Stylebook to Whering last month) updating my Thread Loop account will hopefully keep me entertained while I wait for my new machine. (I am 100% contemplating just picking up a different, available model from the store instead of waiting but patience is a virtue, right?!?)