Sergers

As I mentioned not long ago, Emily is moving, she likes to sew, and she needs a serger, an obvious sign from God that I should give her my old serger and upgrade.

So I went shopping on Craigslist and today I bought a White Speedylock 1600 from a woman who had bought it, used it once, and put it away because she was afraid of it, it was so complicated. Oh how I love people like this, and Craigslist.

I set up the serger on the kitchen table. It purrs like a kitten and has lots of lovely features, such as a differential feed and free-arm option. It's easy to thread, and the tension is easy to adjust.

Then after supper I went to my sewing room to pack up my old serger for Emily. And suddenly I was awash in nostalgia and guilt, like I was sending a faithful old horse off to the dog-food factory.

I got that serger, a Toyota, in Minneapolis at a JoAnn Fabrics, back when I was pregnant with Emily. I had saved up my pennies for a long time, and then one slushy March Paul and I left Matt and Amy with my folks at Grove City and drove to the big city and bought this lovely new machine.

It went to Weagamow Lake with us that fall, then back to Dryden three years later, then to Oregon. In the last 18 years it has sewed bazillions of little dresses and t-shirts and pants and pajamas and jackets and aprons and bags and blankets. I've had my moments with it, especially with threading that bottom looper, but overall it has been a faithful and true servant.

And now I'm upgrading to something much better, so I shouldn't really be this sad, should I? But I am. Take good care of it, Emily. Give it an extra scoop of oats for me now and then.