Why would your mother throw it away before giving it to you?I would think she would want to keep it in the family. I just learned that my mother has an old singer (featherweight I'm hoping) of my grandmothers that if she can dig it out of the bottom of her closet I can have it. Whoo Hoo!!!! The one machine that I would love to have but never will is my other grandmothers treadle. As a kid I used to sit on the floor and pump the treadle with my hands while my grandmother pieced quilts. But one of my dads sisters took the machine when my grandmother passed so theres no hope for me getting it, even though I am the only quilter left in the family.