Frustrated.

A few months, I began getting the sewing bug. This alone is a bit weird since I haven’t touched a sewing machine since 1981 when I was in the 8th grade. But after reading blogs by other moms who love to sew and seeing all the wonderful dresses, purses, tote bags, and other things they’ve made, I found myself saying, “hey, that looks like fun,” and, “I can do that.” Then images of cute denim skirts, tote bags, outfits for my daughter began swirling around in my head and I got more excited about having a creative outlet.

So I began researching sewing machines on line but after a while I realized that, even though I knew what I ultimately wanted to do, I had no idea what I was looking for in a sewing machine. I mentioned my interest in sewing to my daughter’s physical therapist, and wouldn’t you know, she has sewn for a long time. In fact, when she was in college, her work-study job was making costumes at the University of Michigan’s costume department. And years ago, before she had kids, she used to make her own clothes like suits, blazers, and even winter coats. Well, I was talking to the right person.

She recommended that, if I was truly interested in sewing to forgo the cheaper machines from discount stores and just get a entry level Viking. My mother-in-law, also a very good seamstress who made her daughter’s wedding dress back about 25 years ago, also recommended I get a Viking.

Unfortunately, I had two problems. First, the closest Viking dealers are about an hour away and second, the Viking sewing machine I wanted cost $599 retail. I got back onto the computer to see if I could find a Viking at a better price. I was in luck. I found one at eBay, a brand new, still sealed in the box Viking 183 for a “Buy It Now” price of $448. The MSRP was $799. Still not ready to commit, I wanted to be sure this was the machine for me, so I called a dealer and asked her if she thought this was a good machine for a beginner. She not only said yes, but she said the machine on eBay was a great price.

Excited, I headed back to eBay to make my purchase just to find that the “Buy It Now” sale expired. I missed it! All my caution and research in making my decision cost me the sewing machine I wanted. Man, I was so disappointed when I saw that. I’ve since emailed the seller to see if he’ll have another for sale soon, but I haven’t heard back from him yet.