When the Tension Goes, It's Over

In early 2007, I purchased a sewing machine here in Australia (to replace the one I'd had to leave behind in Ohio). I'd owned a Brother and had been happy with it for several years, so it wasn't hard to decided on another Brother. And here it is: my beloved Brother BC 2500:

It was a good little machine and has seen me through countless projects in this past six years - but recently the tension has been giving me trouble. You know - you're whirring away and suddenly you realize there's "something wrong". All you can hope for is that you catch it before you've made a really long seam. I'd fiddle with it, make sure there wasn't excess lint building up and so on, and could get it straightened out again. But the machine had started making a clicking sound... and I knew the end was near.

There I was - whipping up a pair of shorts for Stephen. I'd just stitched down the waistband - and flipped the piece over to see that the bottom side of the stitching (the thread coming from the bobbin below) wasn't in a nice smooth line - it looked more like fur.

Yes... the tension had gone again, and this time I knew it was over. I played with it for an hour or so - trying all the old tricks to coax it back into proper operation, but no... it was over.

The old machine had served me well - but it wasn't exactly a "top of the line" machine when I got it (I economized, got a low-end model). I knew that a repair was probably not going to be cheap, and it was really time to look at a new one.
So...  
Goodbye Beloved Brother BC 2500 
and...(drumroll, please) 
Hello Brother NS 50. (...and to my sheer delight, it was on sale!)

Here's a photo (was so excited I snapped the picture before I even took the plastic off...):

The old machine had 60 different stitch patterns. This one has 135, plus the potential to combine 35 of those to make up totally new ones. I'm not sure I'll be doing that - but I'm happy to have the alphabet feature that is in this machine. Although I usually only do straight stitching and occasional zig-zag, that alphabet feature might come in handy - as I really ought to do something to "sign" my quilts.

Below is my first attempt with the alphabet. Hm... I'll need some practice, but there's definitely potential.

The old machine was packed up and sent to a recycling center. If the recycling folks are able to breath life into it - all the better. That would be lovely - but I'm really enjoying the new machine - it's a LOT easier to work with (and sews just a tad faster).

Happily ever after!