I agree that an "arms outstretched" photo would be helpful as well as better instructions and more intermediary photos or diagrams. Little things are missing from the text like the fact that if you don't enlarge the diagram, you could think that the length is 2 and ONE quarter yards, when it is actually 2 and THREE quarters yards.

Mother, for having taught me how to sew.

Nearly everything I enjoy doing — sewing, embroidery, knitting, crochet, tatting, crafting — sprang from her teaching me to hand sew then to use her Singer.

Fifty years of enjoyment (and still counting) is a lot to be thankful for.

I'm only sorry that it's too late to tell her that.

One thing I hope the article might address is thread lint and thread wear on the machine parts. I can't count how many times I've been told by my Viking Designer 1 dealer, her repair man, teachers and other sewers from all over the country that I should only use "good" thread because of the lint and wear caused by cheap thread. When I ask about specific brands, C&C is never recommended for use, which is annoying since it's the most readily available in this area. I can chalk some of the admonitions up to hype and sales pitches, but I've seen the pictures that were gathered here http://sewing.about.com/library/weekly/aa102100a.htm, and it's clear that there are differences. Personally, I don't see the C&C as being worse than the European brands, but it still gets a bad rap. Why is that? I wonder if C&C even knows that they have this reputation as being bad for use in everyday sewing on high-end machines.