I’m a simple gal. My wardrobe is an unflashy mix of ivory, brown and black. I wear blue jeans every day. My HAIR is even low maintenance. (I rocked a pixie cut for 10 years, and am now back to a no-frills bob that I usually just air dry and let my curls do what they please).So it shouldn’t surprise you when I tell you my daily-use machines are along these same lines. So let’s talk about them:

Industrial Singer 20U
Well, there aren’t many industrial machines that can do a straight stitch AND a zigzag, so I have what probably many of you have: a Singer 20U. Is it the one that’s made in China, or Japan? I don’t freakin’ know. I fell down that ridiculous rabbit hole one weekend trying to figure out which one I bought, because I heard the Japanese-built ones are better. But I gave up after a fruitless search, because it works, and right now that’s all that matters. It’s a workhorse with little finesse. I use it for sewing on the layers of a tutu, but it wreaks havoc on silk and chiffon. Which is why I have my…

Janome HD1000
No bells or whistles either. It does a lovely straight stitch, stretch stitch, and I bar-tack like a beast with it. It has all metal parts and no computer, and my favorite feature: an intuitively placed reverse lever. (Ugh, don’t get me started on my former Pfaff machine that had a reverse BUTTON! At the top of the machine! Like, on what planet is this a user-friendly thing??? How many times did I hit it by mistake with my knuckle??? Shall I go on…) The best thing about this Janome? It’s under $400. I know. A steal. So I bought 2, and let my daughter use the other one to make her own leotards. Take that, overpriced dancewear!!! In yo face.

And then this brings us to the famous (or infamous)...

Johnson Ruffler

If you’ve been in the tutu industry long enough, you’ve heard of the Johnson Ruffler. It’s a retro-fitted Singer 15 with a bar drilled through the body of it with a crazy saw-toothed piece of metal that swings back forth, pushing your net into beautiful pleats…yes, it makes beautiful pleats. So we suck it up and take the bad with the good. What do I mean by this? This cockamamie machine is amazingly efficient when it’s in a good mood. But when it’s in a bad mood…it’s like a trifling ex-boyfriend, destroying everything in its path (thread included) and makes you question your life choices. So what’s the trick? Keep your stitch length longer than the machine allows, and keep the bad boy oiled. Like a 1970’s sunbather.

So there you go. A brief glimpse into my daily-use machines. The simpler, the better.

WELCOME TO THE MACHINE

Progress Pics

“YES.”