This may be of interest to those who need to mechanically stitch
things.

Bought a new sewing machine today in Port Of Spain, Trinidad to
replace my great Japanese Janome that rusted solid inside after being
undiscoveredly dosed with salt water (I should say "our" but I bought
it with "MY money" and attended a dress making course in an endeavour
to learn something completely new - my owner learned as a school girl
in N.Z.).

A few Singer shops around, so took some sunbrella and got one shop to
try to sew 4 layers. Machine stalled and balked at the mere suggestion
with a #16 needle - and they told me initially that it could sew
jeans. It did manage to recover from the shock and struggle valiantly
through two layers by it being offering encouraging words such as
"You can do it etc".

Apparently the Singer company has divested itself of its sewing
machine division and someone bought the name. The machines themselves
are not the rugged four wheel drive go anywhere, last forever tools of
the past.

Found another shop that sold a Canadian manufactured (possibly in
Sina) "White" - never heard of it - as well as the Japanese "Brother"
- well known as a good machine at least in the antipodes.

The proprietor explained that though the latter would indeed do the
joib, the Canadian machine was superior in that it had all metal gears
and other moving parts. It just laughed at 4 layers and munched
merrily through 6. I fell in love at that moment. When you are reduced
to spending hours stitching lee cloths etc because you are far from a
sailmaker, a good sewing machine beats a woman (or whatever your
preference is in these enlightened days), anytime.

Besides, as that noted Englishman Oscar Wilde, said:

Bigamy is one wife too many.
Monogamy is the same thing.

It has everything I want and more including an instant reverse lever
to run back over the stiching to lock it. Even has a handy overlock
type stitch to stop cloth fraying at the cut edges.

Cost after Poor People's discount (I find that they always give me
something if I can make them laugh) - $TT 1,600 or US$ 254

And in my ignorance I had thought that Canadians sewed up their seal
skin clothing with bone needles and gut after chewing the hides to
soften them. If it can sew seal skin, it can sew anything I suppose.

cheers
Peter