A New Home

Over the holidays I visited my parents and inquired about a sewing machine for my friend Carrie. She's been interested in sewing for a while and after making her daughter's Halloween costume, she decided it was time to get her own sewing machine. I told her that my parents have a few they've collected over the years, and I would check to see if they had one that would work for her.

My mom immediately thought of my aunt's machine. Here's the history: My great grandfather, Grandpa Bayler, picked up this Brother sewing machine at a yard sale for 25 cents sometime in the 80's and gave it to my grandmother for one of the granddaughters to have. She decided to give it to her youngest, my aunt Theresa. She hasn't really developed the sewing bug, she prefers painting, so she asked my mom to find a new home for it.

So Mom and I pull it out and set it up on the cutting table and took it out of the case. Mom smiles and looks over the machine. She tells me about all the details from the taped up cord to the straight stitch foot. She adjusts the threads through the foot and sighs. Maybe she doesn't want this memory of Great Grandpa's great finds to leave the family...

She tells me that she's oiled it and that it stitches really well. The tensioning's all set up, and she notes that the straight stitch foot on it is really great...Then she looks at me and says, "I don't know. Maybe this should be your machine...That foot is really great...And this machine works really well...And it WAS from Grandpa..."

But I think about Grandpa. He was so generous. He was a real keeper. He foraged through junkyards and made bicycles that looked brand new for all 9 of his grandchildren. He built himself a shower in his cellar and installed a toilet in his garage. He found 12 busted up caned chairs, learned how to cane and refinished and caned all of them for his daughter, my Grandmother. He built little tables and chairs for his grandchildren that have been passed to his great grandchildren and his great, great grandchildren. The list goes on and on.

And now, this machine is for Carrie. This machine will help make memories of a keeper in her home. Curtains and skirts and Halloween costumes and who knows where it will end?

Here's hoping that it never does. Best wishes to my dear friend as she embarks on her own creative journey!