sarah in nyc

This is my sewing machine. It's a Janome 11590. You can buy it for about $150. It's a great machine. I chose a soft focus image because it conveys a bit of how much I love this machine.  I had bought it in a moment of desparation when my usual machine seems to have died. I bought this machine as a stop gap measure until I got my other machine fixed. I would have been satisfied with a machine that was just  not terrible. This machine is so terrific that I still haven't repaired the old machine. I feel especially fond of the machine when I do long lines of decorative stitching. The purple silk diamond stitching above steetches across about 45 inches of tallit stripe. I did four, 45 inch rows of that stitch with silk thread. The machine never balked. The thread never broke. My old machine had to be coaxed and coddled to produce long rows of  decorative stitching.  I never have to worry with this machine. Sometimes you need to spend big bucks to...

So here it is, my new Janome11590. The model number is included for those of you who care about such things. Yes this machine is also sold with a Kenmore nameplate. If you really want to know which Kenmore model number this is, you can visit www.patternreview.com . If you want to buy this very model, I got it at www.overstock.com . I am of mixed mind about the many stitches. On the one hand, many of them are seriously adorable. Many of them are even useful. I just edged a black tallit with the checkerboard stitch in back on black silk. It is truly elegant. I also used the diamond stitch in gold to attach the atara/neckband to the tallit. That is quite elegant. The dark side of these fabulous stitches is that they are a bit distracting. I am afraid that I might end up playing with stitches, rather than actually working. It can end up being the sewing equivalent of seeing how many angels can dance on the head of a pin. I know that lots of people have machines with many mor...