BlockHead

 Down memory lane

The difference between a mechanical sewing machine and a computerized one is as big as the difference between a manual sewing machine and a mechanical one.

My mother worked at a seamstress before she married and she had a rather fancy Singer sewing machine - for that time. It looked like this

and the machine could be lifted down into the table, so that the table had an even surface and look like a regular table. When it wasn't used she hid the legs and pedal under a curtain and used the sewing machine as a table under a mirror in the entrance hall. When she wanted to sew it was carried into the kitchen where she sat in the middle of the room working on her projects.

I remember she sewed all my dresses when I was a child. The first ready made dress I got was my confirmation and 2nd days dresses. It was a big day back then: buying the white dress with matching shoes and white psalm book and a 2.day dress also with matching shoes. Both pair of shoes was very low pumps. A coat and hat and bag was also acquired. The bought/ready made dresses and coat, the hat and the pumps/heels being a traditional marking of being a grown up. 

While my mother was working on a professional embroidery machine at work, her Singer could  sew running stitches only. She managed to decorate some of her own dresses with free motion quilting stitches. Quite an accomplishments when all you could change was the tension and length of the stitches.

I learned to sew - and knit and crochet - from my mother, but we was also taught to sew in school. The sewing machine there was with hand cranks

As far as I remember there was 5 sewing machines to 24 children. And the projects we could sew were very few and simple. Lol
The only project I remember making on the sewing machine is a sun dress (top and trousers). Definitely not a bikini, the trousers were so baggy that they could reach my armpits if I stretched the out. I don't remember ever wearing it, but we did laugh a lot at the design. Looking at it as most of our school projects: not useful, training only.