Sewetta: Easy Come, Easy Go

I took Sewetta, my new vintage machine to a repair shop for what I hoped would be a good cleaning and lubrication.  The news wasn't good.   After the technician looked her over, he asked how much I paid.  When I said $30, he said, "You paid too much."  Ouch.  The bobbin case needed to be replaced and one of the gears was damaged.  The other three gears were okay,  but the technician thought they should also be replaced because they were as old as the broken gear and might break at any time.  I set a limit for how much I would spend on repairs.  If the repairs cost more than $120, I planned to wait until I had more discretionary funds.  I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a machine that would sit in the closet most of  the time.  Unfortunately, replacing one gear and the bobbin case exceeded my limit .  The bobbin case alone cost more than I paid for the sewing machine.  One day you're in, the next day you're out.  Auf Wiedersehen, Sewetta.

Since I said I was looking for a back-up machine, Mr. Tech pointed out an unclaimed machine he was willing to sell to me for $100.  I asked if he would take Sewetta as a trade-in.  At first,  Mr. Tech said no.  After hard negotiations, he changed his mind and decided to take Sewetta and sell the unclaimed machine to me for $80.  That was less than my limit and it got Sewetta off my hands.  I said yes.   The machine is a Singer 347 from the late 60s,  just about the time I learned to sew. That gave it sentimental value.   I named her  Green Wilma, which is the title of a book I read to my daughter when she was young.  The author is from my hometown.  More sentimental value.  Best of all, Green Wilma already works, so I don't have to spend any more money to get her fixed.  Her repairs are guaranteed for a year.  And to top it all off,  Mr. Tech threw in three metal bobbins and a package of needles.

Spending an additional $80  was not as much fun as spending the original $30, but I got what I wanted: a working back-up machine.   I plan to take Green Wilma to church when our Sewing Ministry meets.  I might have let a $30 machine sit unused in the closet, but not a $110 machine.  Green Wilma has to earn her keep.