What Are Friends For?

Sometimes I feel sorry for some of my sewing machines. They get listed and no one wants them. Or they get listed and I find they are hugely popular...but no one shows up to actually try them out or purchase. Such was the ordeal of the Brother ES-2000. It's a pretty nice sewing machine and in the category of starter or beginner with a bit more to it. I liked the sound of it and the quality of the stitches so I posted it locally and got about six calls for it. No one showed up. Each time someone called they wouldn't follow through or changed their time again and again until, finally, Corina actually showed up. I hoped my text back and forth didn't sound too surly but I feared this poor, but nice, sewing machine would start to get a complex. Corina showed up to try it out:

Brother ES-2000

She liked it just fine, glad it seemed pretty simple yet still had a print manual to fill in any of the gaps. As she was leaving I handed her my business card and she remarked "If you have any more like this..." and I told her you-bet-I-did. She called a friend of hers and we pulled up my current ad for beginners sewing machines. With five to choose from I suggested the best one, a Brother XL-3100:

Brother XL-3100

Corina looked it over and got a five minute lesson in the basics: threading, stitch selection, stitch length and width, and backstitch. There was no manual but one should be easily purchased online yet I can't do that with the low price I offer. She was pretty sure her friend would like this one so she bought it with the assurance her friend would pay her back. I added a new box of class 15 bobbins and a package of new needles for both and she was on her way.

Now this is a good friend! It's been 24 hours and I haven't heard from either woman so I'm thinking they are happily learning how to use their new sewing machines. I welcome calls, though, and would give a free lesson in sewing to just get them started but Corina and I agreed that you can learn most anything via YouTube and that just might be the answer they needed. To Corina and her girl friend: happy sewing days to you!