Saddest Domestic Panda

My very talented mom is in town to stay with my for about a week or so while my hubby is out of town. I commandeered her fabulous sewing skills to help me with the bed skirt I want to make for the baby's crib. My usual machine, her old mid-1970's Kenmore, has been acting up, so she took a look at it and said, "This sounds terrible - like a coffee grinder!" So we called around and found a place that will take a look at it with a free estimate.

I also wanted to utilize the late 1980's serger I had inherited from a friend for this same project to show a couple of different methods for completing an edge. We had to set it up, look it over, read the directions, and thread the machine - all 3 needles. If you've never seen a serger, they work with multiple threads to finish an edge. If you look at your t-shirt hem, that fancy loopy stitch is an idea of what a serger produces on fabric. Anyways! We followed the directions, got all of the needles threaded and started to tinker with it. Fail. Somewhere, somehow, something isn't lining up right and the stitches aren't catching. We decide to take both machines in to get looked at.

Off to Center Vac & Sew we go with sewing machines in hand! We plopped them down on the countertop and the guy goes "Oh...those are old! Nobody even makes parts for either of those machines anymore." We did the best we could to describe what was happening with the serger, and he thinks that with how long the serger sat dormant, the timing is probably horrendously off which leads to no stitches being made. Apparently it's important for all three needles to work harmoniously to create a stitch...who knew!? (Insert sarcasm there) He said he would look into it, but if there's something actually wrong that he can't fix, it's "a boat anchor."

He then turned his eye on the Kenmore. He asks me what's going on with that machine, and I let him know that the machine has been dropping stitches. He asks a couple of questions and then says, "Well, it sounds like the upper tension has some problems. This model was only in production for a year or two and then this type of upper tension was replaced because they were having too many problems with it. If there's something wrong with it mechanically, the spring is probably shot, and you've got another boat anchor." He said he would look at the machine and clean it up and see what could be done. At this point I'm feeling pretty defeated. My "new" machine never worked and my old machine is a dinosaur, possibly without a fix!

But I wouldn't let the probable bad news get me down! I decided to continue with my project using my little Riccar machine. Which has little to no horse power. I'm talking about it can hardly sew through a couple of layers of selvage and would NOT go through 5 layers of fabric where two seams met. Basically, for my needs, that machine is useless.

In short, if the gentleman is unable to fix my Kenmore machine, I will need a new sewing machine. I will need something with decent horsepower that has more than just straight stitch and zigzag stitch. Brand new machines vary widely in durability, capability, price, and ease of use. My mom's new machine (a Husqvarna) was quite pricey and has way too many options for my needs. At this stage I'm quite a sad domestic panda going from 3 sewing machines to possibly none. Anyone have a favorite sewing machine or recommend something in particular? It can't break the bank since I've got Little Miss Makana on the way (and possibly running out of the ability to work due to high blood pressures). Any insight or recommendations would be appreciated!

<3 (your sad panda) Sarah