singer 160 limited edition sewing machine
when i was twelve, i begged my mom to teach me how to sew. i had a vision for a dress patch-worked together from squares of 1960′s retro print muumuu dresses i’d salvaged from thrift stores and garage sales.
my mother lifted her heavy machine onto the table and set-up our station… shiny silver scissors, the tomato pin cushion bursting with a rainbow of pearl head pins, an assortment of thread, and of course, the seam ripper- which i would get to know very well over the next 23 years.
i watched as my mom threaded the machine and wound the bobbin. i tried to burn each step in my memory. then, i sat down in front of the machine. that first day was full of jam-ups: mounds of tangled thread beneath the fabric, wavy lines that were supposed to be straight and bobbins that looked like i had hand wound them. but a few hours later, i had a created a 20 x 20-inch piece of fabric marrying the bright vintage floral squares into what would eventually be my first handmade dress. i draped the square across my hips parading around the house from mirror to mirror admiring what i’d made.
the passion incited that first day waned as i became a teenager in the 80′s, immersing myself in worthwhile tasks like teasing my bangs, acquiring ungodly amounts of jelly bracelets and making mix-tapes for my friends.
later, my mom and grandmother sent me off to college with my very own machine, which i used to sew my own clothes and rework vintage finds. the skills i’d learned creating that first dress served me well when i began sewing purses i patched together from vintage jeans and sold them at local flea markets and craft fairs. random nicole , my line of art inspired clothing was born. over the next ten years, random nicole expanded into a clothing and accessory line.
the machine that traveled with me to san francisco for college (and los angeles when i started random nicole) died a few years ago- i’ve been sewing on my back-up machine for the past few years.
it’s time for a new machine. i started searching online for a machine that was fast and quiet and low-and- behold, i found out that singer is releasing the singer 160 limited edition sewing machine. this machine is absolutely sleek and beautiful. i’m totally smitten. it comes out january 2012. check out all the details here – so you can fall deeply in love the way i have with this vintage looking (but totally computerized model) that i’m crossing my fingers will be sitting on my sewing desk soon.
