My class machine is a 1956 301A. She did everything the pretty little machines in the class did. My 'good' machine is a 1974 Elna Star. Between the two, they can do anything a new machine can do except embroider and neither one is going have a meltdown on me. When you get older, you'll come to realize that 'less is more' - wish I could remember to apply that to my fabric stash.