I have my very first machine to this day. It is a Singer treadle machine my mother bought at a tag sale. I used it for probably 5 years and then graduated to an electric machine (very exciting). Also a Singer, also still with me, it was a Singer 201. I sewed with that machine for another 15 years. Neither of them did anything but sew forwards and backwards, but I learned to do everything that way. I made all bound buttonholes, french seams to finish seams (even cuordoroy if you can believe that). I have a weird buttonhole attachment that worked on both machines by moving the fabric back and forth instead of the needle.

Since then, I have had the pleasure of working with my beloved Bernina 1130 and Janome 10000 (50th birthday present). They both sew like a dream and can do remarkable things. But the skills I developed making everything from silk lingerie to winter coats with those old basic machines have never left me. And I use the straight stitch 80% of the time to this day. So don't worry too much about the bells and whistles.