Sew Mama Sew, one of my top fave sewing-related blogs, is doing a sewing machine meme right now, kind of like Facebook’s 25 Things but for your machine. Yay, right? Right.

What brand and model do you have?

I have a Singer 5932. Also a Brother Lock 929D serger.

How long have you had it?

The Singer? Since about 1995. It was a birthday present when I was 15 or 16.

I got the Brother Lock last summer from my husband’s grandmother’s junk shop.

How much does that machine cost (approximately)?

About $100, I’d wager, for the Singer. Not sure for the Brother Lock.

What types of things do you sew (i.e. quilting, clothing, handbags, home dec projects, etc.)?

Yes. I mean, I’ve done quilts, clothes (adult and child), tote bags, pillows, curtains, toys, coasters, mending, you name it.

How much do you sew? How much wear and tear does the machine get?

I’m kind of seasonal and sporadic with the sewing. I let it sit idle for a few weeks at a time and then I’m sewing for 2+ hours a day every day for a week.

Do you like/love/hate your machine? Are you ambivalent? Passionate? Does she have a name?

The Singer: I … can’t say that I LOVE IT  love it. I like it fine. It does what I need it to do. I wish it did more even, straight stitches; I wish it had a stitch regulator; I wish I could do quality free-motion quilting on it. But really, it’s a good little machine. Same with the Brother Lock. I’m sure 90% of the things I don’t like about them are really just user error.

What features does your machine have that work well for you?

The buttonhole stitch, the zig-zag stitch. I have about 20 specialty stitches I never use, so I can’t speak to those.

Is there anything that drives you nuts about your machine?

The feet seem … wobbly. Things feed in a little crookedly. I’m used to it, but I feel like things ought to operate a little more tightly. Also, it’s very picky about bobbins.

Do you have a great story to share about your machine (i.e., Found it under the Christmas tree? Dropped it on the kitchen floor? Sewed your fingernail to your zipper?, Got it from your Great Grandma?, etc.!)? We want to hear it!

Oh, I wish I had a great story! My Grandfather gave it to me for my birthday in high school and I’ve been beating the hell out of it ever since. I used to cover it in stickers, as high-schoolers tend to do with everything, but since then I’ve cleaned it up and tuned it and treat it much more circumspectly. My kids, not so much. There was a time when you could shake it or turn it upside down and it would just rattle and clink, because they fed all sorts of tiny things into the hole in the throat plate.

My Brother Lock came to me, as I said, from my husband’s grandmother. A woman dropped it off to her junk shop, a little too overwhelmed by health problems to mess around with learning to thread a serger. It needed a little fine tuning and wasn’t working properly; I offered to take it home to look at it and Grandma M said I could keep it. That was a great day.

Would you recommend the machine to others? Why?

The Singer: Sure! It’s a great starter machine. It’s lasted me almost 15 years and does everything you’d need it to.

The Brother Lock: Ditto above, except I haven’t had it as long.

What factors do you think are important to consider when looking for a new machine?

Sturdiness and dependability. You don’t want it breaking down or acting delicate like a hothouse flower, you want it plodding along with its head down like a Clydesdale. Metaphorically speaking.

Do you have a dream machine?

Maybe a perfectly reconditioned vintage Singer, or perhaps a top-of-the-line machine with all the doodads. Or perhaps gewgaws.

The two machines I own are the only two I’ve ever used, so just trying a different brand or model would be fun and interesting.