Saturday, May 30, 2009

As Sinatra once said, "I Did it My Way"

Hot Jeff's great-aunt Jean died suddenly about 2 years ago. Her husband, Del, recently offered up her sewing machine to anyone in the family who wanted it and sweet Cheryl, knowing I'd been wanting one, told him that I would take it. This was before we went to Montana but thankfully the offer still stood once we got home and Mom and Dad went down to Albany today and picked it up for me. Its a beauty: a 1993 Pfaff Hobbymatic built into a lovely desk with lots of storage for tape, needles, bobbin, thread, material, etc. My heart leaped right in my chest when I saw it; I imagine this is how many women feel when they find out they are pregnant with a 3rd child...

After the midgets went to bed I sat down with the manual to see what she could do... Not too far into it I saw the following picture. Note the bottom, left picture with the high heel on the foot pedal.


Oh Lord please help me...really a high heel on the foot pedal? I think it is safe to assume that our dear friends at Pfaff believe that only women sew and those that do wear heels. Did I mention she's a 93 model? That's Nineteen ninety three, not Eighteen ninety three folks. After I caught my breath I made up a little story of the women in this picture.

She is obviously repressed. Who sews with high heels on? She doesn't work outside of the home and she wakes before anyone else in the house to prepare breakfast and lunches. She greets her husband with a kiss, hot coffee, and the newspaper. After the children leave for school she hurries through her morning chores and then begins her sewing; she mends clothing to make a little extra money. She also raises chickens and sells the eggs for this same reason.

She never takes her starched white apron, nor her heels, off until dinner is finished, kids are bathed and in bed and her husband has had his nightly cigar and brandy.

Ok, now picture me in sweat pants and my kids screaming and running wildly around the bonus room in which I am trying to sew and make sure no one falls out the 2 story window. I awoke that same morning with Samuel standing over me telling me he got Emily out of her crib, made them toaster waffles and wants to know how to get glue out of hair. Hot Jeff has already been gone to work for 3 hours and I grumble something about a long night of blogging the night before.

This is, of course (wink, wink), dramatized but I would, nonetheless, like to email the picture below to Pfaff and give them permission to use it in their 2010 manuals. I think it suits us 21st century seamstresses much better.

5 comments:

Ms. Haagenson said...

That lady with the high heels and the apron, can she be my wife? -Lacy

kim said...

Love it! and i am also loving that the code word i am supposed to re-type is CONES!! ha ha ha

Rafferty Family said...

My code word is "Bra list". Ha!

Jen, I'm a little offended. I do wear an apron most of the day. I do try to get up before the kids, and I do wear high heel shoes - okay, they're more like combat boots but they do have high heels on them. :)

Seriously, I think there may be a logical reason why the picture has a high heel. If it is anything like mine the foot pedal has a steep grade and if you are using the machine for very long your foot starts to hurt. Wearing a shoe with a heel would help with this. I am barefoot most of the time (or flip-flops ) -which accounts for my ever widening feet - so when I sew I put a book under my heel so it helps me get the leverage I need so I don't get pain in my feet. There's my two cents.

Traci Piltz said...

Okay, I tried posting this once before but somehow ended up under the wrong post, so I'll try again. :)

I just bought my friend Nancy a bottle of wine and the label is MAD HOUSEWIFE. It has a hysterical picture of a stressed-out 1950s style housewife on the label. I think you should reshoot your sewing machine picture with a bottle of Mad Housewife on the side.

Here's what the back of the bottle reads: Somewhere near the cool shadows of the laundry room. Past the litter box and between the plastic yard toys. This is your time. Time to enjoy a moment to yourself. A moment without madness. The dishes can wait. Dinner be damned.

Maryanne and AJ said...

So I voted on a name for the machine and was happy to see Opal winning. That fits right along side your laptop who is Ruby. A good gem theme. Happy sewing!